Page 20 of Back To Our Beginning

I had the shot halfway to my mouth when Beau said that. Thank God I hadn’t been in the process of swallowing. “There was nothing wrong with Ted. How did you know about him anyway? Now you’re forbidden from talking for thirty seconds.”

“Why?”

“Thirty seconds.”

“Why?”

“If you talk, I’ll hang up.”

“Fine.”

I swallowed the shot. “Good boy.”

“You just had a shot of something, didn’t you?”

I frowned. How had he known? I hadn’t drunk hard liquor in front of him any of the times we had gone out with Kai and Marlowe. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Let me come over with a pizza.”

“I need to sleep.”

“You might need to, but will you?”

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. The smart thing would be to say no. To tell him I was too exhausted. But the idea of scrounging around for Ding Dongs and eating them alone sounded even worse.

“How soon can you get here?”

“I’ll be there in twenty.”

“No pineapple and no anchovies.”

“Done.”

“And no peppers.”

“Got it.”

“And no onions.”

“So, meat only?”

I smiled. “Yeah. Meat only.”

“Coming right up.”

* * *

Twenty minutes gave me just enough time to shower, which I desperately needed to do. I thought about just unlocking the front door; this was Jasper Creek after all. But I’d seen too much in my line of work. I couldn’t do it. I hustled into my bedroom, pulling clothes off as I went.

I heard a knock on the door after I was dressed, my hair still in a towel. I whipped off the towel and ran down the hall, finger-combing my hair. When I looked out the peephole, I saw it was the local pizza guy.

I giggled.

Great, I was going to have to pay for the pizza that Beau had promised to bring me. By the time I unlocked the door and opened it, I found Beau and the pizza delivery guy exchanging the pizza for money.

“You sure timed that right.” I grinned at Beau as I opened the door further. He had a white plastic bag with him, along with some root beers. I snatched the pizza box out of his hands.

“Eager much?”