Page 3 of Bombshell (Whiskey Dolls 1)

“Tubby’s not a stupid rat!” my nephew decreed loudly, as full of indignation as a nine-year-old could possibly get. “He’s a guinea pig, and he needs his exercise!”

“He wouldn’t need exercise if you didn’t overfeed him and make him fat!”

“He’s not fat!”

“Enough!” my sister boomed in her loud, shrillmomvoice that had both her kids going silent. “Matt, put Tubby in the plastic ball if you want to give him exercise. Erika, chill out. You’re losing your mind over nothing. Andbothof you. Stop.Screaming!” she screamed.

“Did I come at a bad time?” I asked as I stepped across the threshold.

Tali rubbed at the space between her eyebrows as she pushed the door shut and started for the kitchen, leaving me to follow after her. “Nah, just another night in the Allen household,” she muttered as she rounded the island toward the sink stacked high with dirty dishes.

Instead of pulling up a stool, I came up beside her and started loading the dishes she’d rinsed off into the dishwasher, trying to lighten the load she was quite clearly carrying on her shoulders. She turned to give me an appreciative grin, and I noticed she looked even more tired than usual. Purple half-moons bled out from beneath her eyes, and her normally dewy complexion looked ashen.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah. Just beat. I’ve been fighting off a migraine for a few days now, and the damn thing isn’t giving up without a fight.”

“Where’s Nick? Why isn’t he in here doing this if you don’t feel well?”

My sister let out a snort chock-full of derision as she scrubbed even harder at the plate in her hand. “Where do you think he is?” she asked bitterly. “He’s still at work. Another late night,” she said in a low, mocking voice that I could only assume was supposed to sound like her husband. “It’s the third late night this week.”

I took the plate from her before she snapped it in half, and loaded it in with the rest of the dishes before closing the front of the dishwasher and starting it.

“I thought you said his hours were supposed to go back to normal once he got that promotion.”

“I thought so too,” she grumbled, drying her hands on a hand towel before grabbing a glass of wine that had been sitting on the counter a few feet away. She quickly downed the contents and reached for the uncorked bottle. She held it up and gave it a little wave. “Want one?”

“Sure,” I answered, moving around the island and hopping up on one of the stools while she grabbed a second glass from the cabinet and proceeded to fill both of them three quarters full.

She took the stool beside mine, sliding my glass in front of me while taking a healthy gulp from her own. “Things were supposed to get better after he got that stupid job, but if anything, they’ve only gotten worse,” she lamented. “He’s at the office more than he’s home. He’s even going in on weekends now. He missed one of Matt’s baseball games and Erika’s choir recital.”

I spun the wine glass by its stem, studying Tali’s profile as she stared off into space. “Have you said anything to him about it?”

“I would... if he was ever home long enough for me to instigate the conversation. Most nights he doesn’t get home until I’m already in bed, and on the nights he’s actually here at a reasonable time, he’s so damn tired he crashes right after dinner. Even when he’s here physically, he’s not present, and it’s starting to affect the kids. Matt’s starting to cling to me like he’s afraid I’m going to up and disappear like his dad. And Erika’s acting even more dramatic than usual, and she developed this attitude almost overnight. She jumped into that pre-teen emo phase a whole hell of a lot faster than I expected. She’s so damn moody all the time now. Everything I say or do is wrong.”

“Ah, I remember those day,” I lamented, sipping at my wine.

“Yeah, I do too,” Tali mumbled, “and I’m dreading the day she gets her first period.”

I leaned over, bumping my shoulder into my sister’s. “If she’s anything like you were when you got your first period, I’d maybe up the policy for fire damage.”

I finally got a smile out of her. Granted, it was a small one that didn’t come anywhere near her eyes, but it was still something.

She let out a defeated sigh while propping her elbow on the island and resting her chin in her hand. “We used to be good, Mar. Nick and I were a team. I don’t know when it changed, but I feel like I’m a single parent here, and I didn’t sign up for that.”

“I’m sorry, Tal.” My heart ached for my big sister. I’d have given anything to make things better for her, but unfortunately, that wasn’t up to me. That responsibility fell to Nick, and I hoped like hell he got his head out of his ass before it was too late. “I’m here for you, you know that. If you need anything, just pick up the phone and call me. Even if it’s to pawn your kids off on their awesome aunt for a few hours so you can have a break.”

She leaned over, resting her head on my shoulder. “Thanks, hon. But enough about me and the sad state of my marriage. What brought you by tonight?”

“I had that cooking class tonight and just thought I’d swing by on my way home.”

She perked up, sitting up straight so she could twist to face me. “That singles cooking class? How’d it go?”

“Well, the meal I made came out semi-edible, so I’d consider it a win.”

Tali narrowed her eyes, staring shrewdly. “Why do I get the feeling you’re leaving something out?”

I chewed on the corner of my bottom lip, contemplating my wine like it was the most interesting thing in the room before admitting, “Pierce Walton was also in the class.”

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