Page 60 of This Time Around
Jack found that hard to believe, but maybe Allie had wine dumped over her head more often than he did. He grabbed a black cloth napkin off the table beside them and handed it to her. He knew he owed about a thousand apologies to everyone here, but he had no idea where to start.
Allie took the napkin without comment, and Jack tried not to stare as she mopped at her cleavage.
Missy rocked unsteadily on her feet. “How dare you!”
It wasn’t clear who she was speaking to, but since the conflict clearly stemmed from Jack, he figured he owed it to them to step in. “Missy, how about we talk about this like?—”
“Liar!” she snapped. “You said you’d love her forever and ever and ever and ever and no one else. No one!”
“Right, and I had every intention of doing that, but?—”
“Missy?”
They both turned to Allie, who had finished mopping off. She set the napkin down and looked straight at Jack’s former sister-in-law. “I’d really like to hear about your sister,” she said. “She sounds like an amazing woman. What can you tell me about her?”
“She wasn’t you!”
“That’s true,” Allie agreed, shooting a warning glance at two of Jack’s fraternity brothers who looked like they might be plotting to wrestle the inebriated woman to the ground. Allie shook her head, and the two men fell back, looking as baffled as Jack felt. “What are some of the things you loved most about your sister?”
“She was smart,” Missy slurred. “And pretty. Prettier than you! And so funny and nice and—” her eyes went a little glazed, and she seemed to trail off in mid-thought.
Allie gave an encouraging nod, and took a step toward her. “What do you say we find you someplace to sit down and?—”
“No!” She smacked Allie’s hand away, and the two fraternity brothers moved forward again. Allie gave them a warning look, but stayed where she was.
“We need to fight!” Missy announced.
“Okay, Missy,” Jack warned. “That’s enough. Why don’t we?—”
“Are you envisioning a fistfight?” Allie asked calmly. “Or were you thinking of something like fencing or maybe a duel? You have very nice muscle tone, so arm wrestling would be a bit unfair, but I’m open to negotiation.”
“Fight!” Missy insisted, wobbling again as she took a step toward Allie. “Gotta defend my sister’s honor.”
Allie put her hands out, but the gesture seemed less like self-defense and more like an effort to show she was unarmed. “Of course,” Allie agreed, taking a small step back. “But neither of us is dressed for a really good fight at the moment.”
Missy stopped moving and looked down at her dress. It was blue and shimmery and a little rumpled. “Huh,” she said.
“Tell you what,” Allie said. “Let me take a look at my schedule, and we’ll find a time that works for both of us to brawl. Sound okay to you?”
Jack stared at her, too dumfounded to say anything. Missy stood frowning in concentration, and Jack had a strange hunch Allie’s strategy was actually working.
Allie reached behind her for the beaded handbag she’d brought with her, keeping one eye on Missy the whole time. Jack stepped closer, ready to intervene if Missy pounced.
But Missy had gone quiet. As Allie pulled out her phone, Jack’s former sister-in-law watched with intense concentration. “Let’s see, I’m pulling up my calendar,” Allie said.
Jack squinted at the screen Allie had pulled up. He half expected to see her dialing 9-1-1, but honest to God, she’d pulled up her calendar. “It looks like I’m open next Tuesday or Wednesday after five,” she said. “Would either of those times work for you?”
Missy frowned, then looked down at her hands. “I forgot my phone.”
“No problem. You can let me know later.”
“Oh my God, Missy!”
Jack turned to see Missy’s husband, Gary, rushing into the room. He wore a gray suit and a look of utter horror. “Honey, we talked about this,” he said as he rushed to her side. “I just called a cab and it’ll be waiting out front in five minutes. Why don’t we go out and get some fresh air?”
Missy stared up at her husband, then gave a feeble nod. “Okay.”
Jack’s former brother-in-law turned to him and gave an apologetic grimace. “I’m so sorry. I only left her here for a couple minutes so I could call a cab?—”
