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“When what?” Doug probed gently.
Pixie sighed, and Doug hated to hear it. She’d been so giddy. What had caused her sudden melancholia?
“…when we were young,” Pixie managed to exhale. “Before we were both changed by fucking Skeeter.” She shook off those thoughts, and moved on, albeit more subdued. “I already told you I was the devil child, and even though Tallie was the quiet one back then, our pranks on each other were epic.”
Doug wondered if talking about an antic or two would bring Pixie back around to her previous cheerfulness. “Tell me about one,” he prodded.
Pixie concentrated for a moment, then giggled. That was good. “Don’t judge me,” she warned.
“No judgement here,” Doug assured her.
“Okay. When I was eleven and Tallie was seven, I replaced the salt in the shaker on our kitchen table with sugar. Mom had cooked a really nice T-bone for Dad that night. He doused it then took a bite…” This time when she trailed off, an impishgrin graced her lips. “Well, needless to say he went ballistic. And I got very lucky. Talia laughed at the nasty faces he made, so he immediately blamed her. I was able to look shocked and innocent while Tallie sputtered and pointed at me, but Dad never discovered I’d been the culprit.”
“Oh, God,” Doug snorted. “What was Talia’s punishment?” He tried to picture his strait-laced LT trying to talk her way out of the situation that was not of her making.
“She loved to read, so it was no library for her for two weeks,” Pixie tittered. “She was furious. Of course, these days, nobody would take books away as punishment, but we didn’t have cell phones, so…” Pixie shrugged.
Doug shook his head. “I’m imagining you didn’t get away with it completely?”
“As far as my parents’ involvement, I did. But Talia wasn’t about to let it go. Every day for the next two weeks, with her brain not allowed to be engaged in a book, she ramped up her revenge. She managed to put yogurt in my shoes, my socks, the pockets of my jacket, my backpack…” Pixie’s nose wrinkled up. “I smelled like a yeasty, fermented mess going to school every day. But I couldn’t tell my parents or they would have figured out it was retribution, and I didn’t want to open upthatcan of worms. So, I stunk to high heaven and had to suck up all the horrified looks sent my way until she deemed us even.”
Doug laughed. “This is good. I’m going to want more of those stories,” he told her sincerely. “I might find a way to use them.” His brain began working overtime. Kyle was the jokester of the SWAT team, with his two brothers running a close second and third, but if Doug could recreate some of the LT’s childhood pranks… Man, he’d be sitting pretty on top of that heap of comedians.
Which…
Shit.
What was he thinking? When had there ever been a time he’d relished bringing attention to himself in that kind of way? He’d always forged his own path during an op if the situation called for it, of course, but that was different.Thatwas his stubborn and contrary self making decisions on the fly that he thought were for the best logistically, consequences to himself be damned. This…joking would be deliberate and totally out of character.
He needed help deciphering what was happening in his brain.
It was a good thing they were headed to meet Will.
Three minutes later he pulled into the parking lot of a popular brew pub in Orono. It was a place a lot of the team frequented, but he’d chosen it anyway. If one of his teammates saw him there with Pixie, it would be all over the gossip-chain by morning, which suited him just fine. He’d already determined he was going to Talia’s wedding as Pixie’s plus one, so better to have that out in the open so it didn’t overshadow Talia and Fleet’s big day.
Pixie was going to spend tomorrow with her sister, primping. Something to do with nails and waxing, but Doug hadn’t wanted any details.
It had already been determined that since they were over an hour away from Skowhegan, he’d drive Pixie to Talia’s tonight after they ate. The sisters would have their fun, then Talia would bring Pixie home the next day.
It was good Pixie had plans, because Doug was going to be busy. He hadn’t told her, but when he’d set up tonight’s meet and greet with Will, he’d also scheduled his mushroom session for the next day. Then a low-key bachelor party was to be held for Fleet, Friday night. He didn’t know which of the three incidents made him more nervous, but it might just be tonight. Will had assured him on the therapy front that everyuncomfortable step he took brought him closer to healing. He hadn’t yet taught Doug how to deal with social situations, but he was about to enter into one.
“I’m kind of excited,” Pixie interrupted his thoughts as they alighted from his truck.
“Excited, huh?” Doug responded, coming around to her side before locking the doors. “How come?”
“Because Will is your friend. And he’s the first person who’s really close to you that I’ll be meeting.”
Doug made aphhtnoise. “You know all my teammates,” he corrected, walking companionably at her side toward the pub.
“Yeah, but that’s my point. They’re yourteammates.And they kind ofhaveto be there for you because an op could go sideways if you don’t act as a unit.”
Doug thought it was cute the way she used the word, “op”.
“Will is different,” she continued. “You guyschoseeach other as buddies.”
“Not quite true, Pixie. I chose him as my therapist, first.”
“Which says a lot about your character,” she argued, not backing down. “Will knows so much about you, if you were a dick, he wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with you on a personal level. But after unloading all your baggage, he still chose to be your buddy, off the clock. I’d say that’s a damned fine endorsement.”
