Page 9 of Clumsy in Love

Cole grunted. “Stay here.” He walked over to Mark, who was getting an earful from another beer-drenched woman—this one with a New York accent accompanied by a New York attitude. Mark held up a finger, stopping her midsentence, and huddled with Cole.

“What’s her story?” Cole asked.

“Says that lady hit on her boyfriend, pushed her, and ruined her shoes by spilling beer on them.”

“All right. The one bartender thought it was accidental. I’ll talk to the other one. See if he saw anything.”

A minute later, he returned to Mark. “The other guy agrees it was an accident. Which squares up with Bambi’s story.”

“Drama Queen wants to press charges,” Mark said.

“Of course she does.” Cole walked back to Holly, who was swaying gently.

“How drunk are you?” he asked.

She blinked hard. “Not very. Why?”

“Uh-huh. You here alone?” He looked around, thinking she must have friends or a boyfriend who could help her home.

“Maybe. What’s wrong with that?”

He rolled his eyes. “Drunk enough to be churlish,” he muttered. “What hotel you staying at?”

“How do you know I’m not from here?” she said indignantly.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Fine,” she said. “I’m at the Hotel New York. Just a few blocks that way. I was going to hail a taxi.”

“Good thing. Because a taxi driver would know the Hotel New York isthatway.” He pointed in the opposite direction she had. “Look, your friend wants to press charges.”

“What?” she screeched. He didn’t think it was possible, but her doe eyes got even wider.

He sighed. “Why don’t we give you a ride to your hotel? It’ll look like we’re taking you downtown, which should satisfy Ms. Fancy Pants, and it’ll get you back safely.”

“Oh, um, okay. You’re not going to handcuff me, are you?”

Ignoring her question, he grabbed her by the arm and headed for the door. Mark said some parting words to the couple and jogged over to meet him. “We taking her in?”

“Sort of. Let’s just get out of here,” Cole said, the three of them pushing through the outside crowd.

“A perp walk,” she mumbled. “My friends will never believe this.”

He opened the door to the backseat. “If I were you, I wouldn’t touch anything.”

She got in slowly. Whether she was drunker than she let on and being extra careful, or she’d taken his warning to heart and was avoiding contact with the car, he didn’t know. Or care.

Once underway, Mark got all friendly. “So, where you from?” he asked. Of course he had to chat her up. Mark was the most verbose partner Cole had ever had.

“Green Valley Falls,” she said. “That’s in New Hampshire.”

“On vacation?”

“Honeymoon,” she said dryly.

Cole snuck a glance in the rearview mirror and watched her Bambi eyes turn sad. He prayed she wouldn’t start crying.

“Where’s your husband then?” Mark pressed.

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