Page 23 of The Puck Bunny

“Quinn,” she says in a deep, breathy voice, nothing like what she sounded like before, except there’s that same shaky catch like she’s nervous.

“What’s he doing here?” Mindy says.

“Quinn, this is Mindy,” Jonas says.

He pauses a beat and then adds in an afterthought when the older woman gives him a censuring look.

“And this is Sheila. Quinn came because I asked him to.”

He doesn’t introduce my brave puck bunny, but she doesn’t seem to mind.

He takes a deep breath. “Say what you have to say, Mindy.”

CHAPTER 9

SARA

“What I have to say is… I’m pregnant, you big jerk.”

My hair almost blows back with the force of Jonas sucking in his breath and taking all the air in the vicinity with him.

“What the fuck?” Jonas looks on the verge of either hysteria or violence, as if Mindy had just pressed the big red start button on a big ticking bomb.

Quinn puts a hand on Jonas’s shoulder and says in a low voice, “Take it easy. Just listen. Listening isn’t going to change anything or cost you anything.”

“That’s right,” Mindy says. “I’m not that kind of girl who wants your stupid money.”

“What kind of girl are you?” Jonas grits out, not ready to give up his anger. I move closer to Mindy’s side and Sheila grips her arm on the other side. I’m hoping it doesn’t come to blows, but Jonas’ boiling temper is off the charts, so much so that I’m surprised I can’t hear the whistle on the kettle screeching through the din in the bar.

“I’m the kind of girl who wants a father to my baby.”

Jonas laughs, but not the ha-ha, that’s funny kind. No, it’s more like the guy who’s waiting for the hangman’s knot to be tied around his neck.

“Children aren’t so bad,” I say. If I’d’ve realized how lame my words would sound, I’d have poured some whiskey down my throat or stuffed a puck in my mouth. Which… is what Jonas looks like he wants to do right now.

“I’m no one’s idea of father material.” He steps closer, aiming his murderous eyes at Mindy. To give the girl credit, she doesn’t back down. No. In fact, she steps up toe-to-toe with him, dragging me and Sheila with her.

Quinn sticks close to Jonas, gripping his arm tight enough that it ought to hurt. Jonas might end up with a snapped bone if he doesn’t start paying attention to his friend who’s muttering something under his breath. But Jonas just tries to yank his arm free.

“How about if we all have a drink?” Sheila says.

“Yes. This calls for a celebration,” I say. But the mood is all wrong based on the Are you kidding me? faces on all four of my fellow celebrants-slash-combatants.

Quinn recovers first from my outrageous remark, skipping over any response because what could he say that would make it better? Instead, he waves at the server and asks for a couple more glasses and a soda.

“You’re drinking soda?” I ask. Crap. “Oh—Never mind. I get it. The soda’s is for Mindy.” I blush furiously because I’m pretty sure I’ve fully become master-of-the-art of foot-in-mouth repartee.

The server brings over glasses and pours us each a glass of whiskey. Mindy picks up the soda, shaking her head my way like I’m a lost cause. Crap. I’m supposed to be helping the situation.

“Why don’t we sit down?” I say while everyone but me is drinking like they just came in from a month in the Sahara desert.

Sheila nods and we maneuver it so Jonas sits next to Mindy in the booth and Sheila sandwiches him in on his other side so he can’t escape. I sit opposite them, next to Quinn. It’s all very cozy and tense and I decide this is a good time to have a nice big swig of my whiskey.

Unfortunately, I’ve never drunk whiskey before, so when I take a big gulp like the others, it doesn’t go well. And by that, I mean as soon as the Liquid-From-Hell hits my throat, I spasm automatically, spewing it all over the table toward Jonas and Mindy in an impressive spray as if I have a compressed air hose hidden in my mouth.

“What the hell?” Jonas puts up his hands to block the spray from hitting Mindy.

“Are you all right?” Quinn pats my back and hands me a napkin, staring into my watering eyes with real concern. He gets the server over to the table in a snap because, of course, she’s been staring at him the whole time, just waiting to be beckoned.