Page 36 of Things We Hide from the Light
I pointedly ignored him.
“That’s not what it looked like you were doing,” Stef said in anI know something you don’ttone.
Nash and I both swung our glares in his direction.
Stef grinned devilishly. “Sorry, kids. Gotta throw someone else under the bus or they’ll never move on.”
“What did they look like they were doin’?” Liza J demanded.
“Given the compromising position—”
“Why don’t we save this story for later?” Naomi said loudly, looking in Waylay’s direction.
“You were doin’ what?” Knox demanded, tuning in.
“I’m worried that your lack of you-know-what is making you hallucinate, Stef. Maybe youshouldask Jeremiah out,” I suggested.
“Touché, Legs. Touché,” he said.
Nash ignored us and put the trembling dog down on the floor. She tried to hide behind his legs, then spotted me when she peeked around his boots.
I waved to her and she took a tentative step in my direction. I crouched down and patted the floor in front of me.
Piper inched her way out from behind Nash’s boots and then made a mad dash to me.
I picked her up and submitted to the tongue bathing. “You smell so much better than you did,” I told her.
“Aww! She likes you,” Naomi observed.
“Let’s get back to this compromising position,” Amanda suggested.
Stef topped off the empty wineglass Liza J waved at him. “So I was heading back to town early yesterday morning, and what did I see on the side of the road?”
Knox earmuffed Waylay with his hands.
“A bear?” Liza J guessed.
“Even better. I saw Knockemout’s chief of police on his knees in the grass in shall we say ‘thrusting position’ behind the curvy a-s-s of Miss Solavita.”
Nash looked like he was giving serious thought to running for the front door.
“What the f—erret?” Knox snapped.
I sighed. “Seriously, Stef? You say thrusting but you spell ass?”
“Thrusting isn’t a swear word,” Waylay said knowledgeably.
“Hey! Earmuff her harder,” Naomi instructed Knox.
He complied by spinning the girl around and wrapping her in a head-level bear hug.
“I can’t breathe!” Her cry was muffled by Knox’s chest.
“You can if you’re still complaining,” Knox insisted.
“Your dumb muscles are breaking my nose!” Waylay whined.
Knox released her and ruffled her hair.
