AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s time to go home,” I say. “For both of you.”
“In the words ofMean Girls,” Hannah says, “‘Boo, you whore!’”
“My God.”
“They’ve been like this for an hour now,” Luke says.
“Hey, you,” Marci says, “Lance. Let’s do some margaritas. It’ll be fun.”
“Mixing drinks isn’t fun.”
“Come on, Jesse,” Marci says, turning toward me. She gets off the stool and grabs the front of my shirt. “It’ll be fun. For both of us. Don’t you want to have fun with me?”
“I think I’ve made it amply clear that I like having fun with you.”
“Boo. You’re in love. Gross!”
Marci colors, and looks back at Hannah then makes a shushing noise.
“We spoke about that in confidence.”
“About what?” I ask.
Hannah opens her mouth, but Marci draws her hand through the air.
“I swear to God, Hannah, I’ll call Savage if you don’t shut up right this second.”
Hannah claps her mouth closed and zips her lip.
“I don’t know what fresh hell this is,” I say, “but we’re leaving.”
Marci folds her arms and pouts at me, and I back up and grab my phone out of my pocket. I call Cash, but he’s not picking up, so Savage is my next best option. I arrange for him to come fetch Hannah then wait for him to arrive before collecting my wife.
“Hey, wait, we were going to have water next, I swear,” Marci says. “I swear.” She crosses her heart.
“We can have water at home.”
“Taylor, do you have to be such a buzz kill?” She digs in her heels, and I scoop her into my arms then lift her and walk her out into the rain. She shrieks at the deluge and kicks her feet. “Are you crazy? It’s freezing!”
I feed her into the car, buckle her in, and shut the door.
I’m not angry, I’m worried. Marci isnota drinker. She’s made it clear that it’s not her style, so why now? Why today? There’s nothing wrong with some fun once in a while, but on a work day?
I start the car and take the drive home with Marci, quiet beside me.
Might be the rain sobered her up, or she’s on the brink of falling asleep.
“Why did you have to do it?” she asks as we arrive at the cottage.
I hop out in the rain and go to her door. I open it, and I’m about to bring her out, when she unclips her own seatbelt and hops down. She wobbles on the spot then rights herself.
“Come on,” I say. “It’s warm inside.”
“Why did you have to do it?”
“Because I want you to be safe,” I say, and then it dawns on me. Marci probably thinks I’m worried about what others will think of the potential sheriff’s wife getting drunk. “I don’tcare what anyone thinks. I wanted to make sure you were okay, Marci.”
“Not that.”
