Page 91 of My Ex-Best Friend's Wedding

“Yeah?” He looks down at me and I can see that his eyes are bloodshot and more than a little glazed.

“I’m Lily’s mother.” Despite the way my heartbeat kicks up, I speak slowly and clearly. Like you would to an animal that might or might not be dangerous.

“Yeah?”

“Yes. And this is her aunt Lauren. We’ve come to take her home.”

“You’re a little late for that.Ma’am.”

My stomach clenches at his words and the sarcasticma’am. “What do you mean?”

“She left.”

“When?”

“A while ago. She’d been all pissy and holed up in the bedroom most of the time since we got here anyway.” He is clearly put out.

I look into his eyes but I can’t read them or him. “What did you do to her to make her leave in a nor’easter?” I demand.

“Beats me.” He shrugs as if it doesn’t matter. As if Lily doesn’t matter. Anger surges through me. I want to grab him and shake him until he loses the attitude. “But she’s not here.”

Lauren and I exchange glances. She’s only a few inches shorter than him but my head doesn’t reach his shoulders. If I surprised him with a headbutt to the stomach could I throw him off-balance enough to get inside? I’m way too furious to worry about technique.

I take a step forward, crowding him, looking up to stare him in the eye. “We won’t be leaving until we see for ourselves that Lily isn’t here.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me.”

Lauren steps up beside me. Together we stand our ground. Finally, when I think we’re actually going to have to rush him and force our way in, he shrugs again and steps aside. “Whatever.”

We step into the living room. The inside of the cabin is as old and weathered as the outside. It smells of mildew and neglect with a slight lacing of marijuana. I scan the space, looking for signs of Lily’s presence, but I see only a filthy plaid sofa and a couple of chairs aimed at a much newer flat-screen TV.

We ignore Shane as we work our way through the kitchen with its ancient linoleum floor, even-more-ancient appliances, and a small table in front of a window that overlooks the river. There’s also a bathroom that was last updated (and possibly cleaned) in the ’70s, a wood-paneled bedroom, and a loft outfitted with a set of bunk beds.

Lauren and I don’t speak as we inspect every inch of the cabin, opening closets and large cupboards in fury and in case he isn’t just an asshole but a homicidal maniac who has gagged Lily and stuffed her away somewhere.

“Your parents think you’re fishing with the guys,” I say when we’ve looked everywhere.

We get the shrug again. Shane Adams is sullen and self-centered and I don’t think he’s going to grow up to be a rocket scientist, but I can see how a sixteen-year-old girl might interpret his surly silence as moody or even sensitive. Lord knows I have experience with seeing what I want when it comes to male behavior.

“Told you.” He smirks. “She couldn’t wait to spend the weekend together and then once we got here she didn’t want to have anything to do with me. Wanted me to take her home in the middle of the storm.”

“Gosh, she wasn’t bowled over by all this and you?” Lauren’s voice drips sarcasm. “Hard to imagine.”

All I can think, isThank God she came to her senses. And if I find out this boy has touched her against her will, I’m going to come back here and get rid of the smirk and the shrug.

“You don’t bring a sixteen-year-old girl into the middle of nowhere and then refuse to take her home when she asks to leave!” I bite out. “Where is she now?”

He spreads his hands. “Who knows? Walkerton’s a mile up the road. Maybe she went there.” He shrugs. Again.

“I hope to hell you didn’t manage to take advantage of her, seeing as how she’s a minor and that would be a crime,” Lauren says.

“Damn straight.” I touch Lauren’s shoulder. “Let’s go. We know where he lives.”

I throw open the door and we step out onto the porch. Shane follows us.

“She wanted to come here. She practically begged me to bring her.” We’re halfway to the rental car when he shouts, “She talked a big game, said she couldn’t wait to do the deed. But in the end she was nothing but a tease!”

Lauren and I stop and turn. Lauren’s face is flushed with anger.

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