Page 99 of Things I Read About
Oh, well.
It was a fun break from being stuck in the stupid smart house in the middle of my sister's freaking petting zoo.
I stumble up to Nate, suddenly very tired and a little woozy.
“Turns out no one wanted to dance with me anyway.” I shrug. “Let’s go home.”
He nods once before taking me by the wrist. He finds the girls and then herds the three of us to the end of the bar. He takes my card out when the bartender hands him the bill.
“Give her a big tip.”
“How big?”
“Just double the total.”
He does a double take at me. “You want to tip her one hundred percent?”
I nod, serious. “I’m good for it.”
Nate rolls his eyes. “I know you have the money. I just… wasn’t expecting that.”
“Even lying, spoiled, rich brats can be generous,” I say into his ear with a shrug.
He rolls his eyes, again.
At the curb, he directs my friends to another car.
They start to protest but Nate lifts a hand. “Sorry ladies but I can’t have you upchucking your guts in my client’s new car.”
Mal turns to me, arms wide. “I wish you were going to ’Bama with us.”
“It would’ve stopped my father’s Sooner heart.”
“Blah blah blah. You just got into a superior program,” Val says as we hug.
We say our goodbyes and then they open the car door. Val turns back. “I know you said you and he were both over it but the way you two w-watched each other all night suggestsss you lied.”
“Val!”
But she goes on, slurring, “He scared off every man who tried to dance with you. I counted f-four. I very much think you should try to have sex with him before he kills your stalker and leaves.”
“Okay, bye now!” I turn my back to her so she will stop talking to me.
“That was rude, I wasn’t finished.” I hear her say to Mal who is trying to get her to sit down in the back seat. “I also wanted her to actually measure hi—”
“Nate, let’s go,” I squeak. I don’t look up to see if he heard or what he thinks. I know I am red faced and splotchy.
He is beside me in an instant. He wordlessly opens the door and I settle in, directing the air vents onto my face. Val’s outburst sobered me right up, but it’s hot. Stupid hot.
“Texas is stupid hot,” Nate says, turning up the air.
“Did I say that out loud?” I ask.
“Say what out loud?” He adjusts the vents. “Tell me if you think you’re going to be sick, okay?”
I shake my head. “I only had one margarita, one beer and one shot.”
“You ate three bites of salmon, half a roll, and a whole package of coffee beans, Sally.”
