“It was Zeke’s idea,” August confessed. “Because he lurrrrrves you.”
Juliet rolled her eyes. “He loves to annoy me, that’s for sure.” She glared at each of us in turn, but her eyes softened just slightly when she reached me. “Noah Spencer. Don’t you know better than to hang around with these assholes? What are you doing out roaming around, anyway?”
I lifted one shoulder. “No one said I had to stay at home. And Zeke said it would be good for me to get out of the house.”
“Oh,Zekesaid, did he?” She shook her head. “Pitiful.”
“No,” I assured her. “He was right. We had fun.” I pointed to my pec, at the bulky bandage under my shirt. “I got my first tattoo.”
“You took him to get ink?” Juliet’s voice rose. “Are you fucking crazy? He’s just—he’s not—ugh! Men! You’re the most irresponsible, stupidest—” She broke off.
“Don’t you want to know what I got?” I asked, hoping to distract her from yelling again. It hurt my head.
She sighed. “Fine, Noah. What kind of tattoo did you get?”
“An angel, for my Angela.” I smiled, hoping she thought it was sweet. “That was Zeke’s idea, too.”
“I just bet it was,” Juliet muttered. She tapped her foot, frowning, and then she reached for her phone. “Okay. Zeke and August—I’m calling you a ride to take you home. Sit down on my sofa, don’t touch anything—and no puking, got it? If you feel the urge, the bathroom’s down the hall.”
“What about me?” I wanted to know. “Am I going home, too?”
“No, Noah,” Juliet almost growled. “You can’t go home because you live a long way from here, and there’s no one at your house to help you get inside and make sure you don’t break your neck or choke on your own sick if you pass out. So you’re going to have to stay here tonight. I’ll drive you home in the morning.”
Zeke’s eyes darkened. “Now, wait a minute—”
“You.” She pointed at him, and her eyes were glittering with barely banked rage. “You just shut your mouth and sit down. This was all your doing, wasn’t it? Well, maybe next time you get a bright idea to get drunk and show up at my house, you’ll think twice and stay home.”
For the next twenty minutes, Juliet moved around her house. I wasn’t sure what she was doing exactly because watching her made my stomach roil dangerously, and I didn’t want to puke on her living room floor—and I wasn’t sure I could make it to the bathroom. But I could hear her muttering to herself under her breath the entire time.
When the car showed up in front of her house, she ordered me to stay put as she practically shoved Zeke and August out the door. A few moments later, she came back inside, visibly wilting.
“That’s two problems solved. Now you—” She pursed her lips and stared down at me where I sat meekly on the edge of her couch. “You’re going to have to sleep in my bed. This sofa’s not wide enough for you.”
“Women never buy furniture big enough for me,” I mused quietly. Then, thinking of my friend Emma and the wide, deep sofa she’d chosen with me in mind, I added, “Well, almost never.”
Juliet either didn’t hear me or ignored me. “I’ll sleep out here. Come on, big guy. Let’s get you settled.”
My crutches thumping loudly on her hardwood floor, I followed her down the hallway to her pretty bedroom, all done up in grays and soft blues. “Ang would have loved this room. She liked these colors.”
“Well, good to know.” She yanked back the covers. “Okay. This is the bed, of course. My bathroom’s through there.” She pointed to an open door. “Go use it, then get undressed and go to sleep. I’m putting a trash can here next to the bed in case you feel sick. Make sure you hit it. I’m so not in the mood to clean up after you more than I have.”
I stood still as she crossed the room to a closet and reached in for a pillow and blanket which she held to her chest. She took a few steps to the bedroom door and then paused, looking at me over her shoulder.
“Good night, Noah. If you need anything, yell. I’ll hear you.” She paused and then added, “But try not to need anything. I’m tired, and I have to get up early tomorrow to drive you home before I go to work. I need my sleep.”
“All right.” I nodded. “Thank you, Juliet. I’m sorry I’m putting you out of your bed. I really didn’t—” I cleared my throat. “I didn’t know we were coming here. I would’ve told Zeke and August to just take me home. I was a little out of it.” I patted my stomach. “Tequila.”
She laughed, the angry lines of her face easing. “Honey, you’re still a little out of it. But I understand about tequila. It happens to the best of us. You just can’t let guys like Zeke lead you astray, though. What if you’d fallen again tonight and gotten hurt worse?”
I snorted. “Not much worse to get. I’m pretty much at rock bottom now.”
She turned, resting her back against the doorjamb as she gazed at me. “No, Noah. You’re not. Or if you think you are, maybe the only way’s up . . . and your life is about to get much better.” Her lips curved, and her eyes softened. “Trust me.”
She clicked off the light and padded down the hall. I watched her go, and then I hit the bathroom and did what I had to before I stripped down and climbed under the covers.
As I lay in Juliet’s soft, comfortable bed, breathing in the elusive lingering scent she’d left behind and feeling guilty that she was sleeping on the sofa instead of here, I thought about what she’d said.
Maybe she was right. Maybe things were looking up.
