“What?” Cecily echoed, splitting a curious look between us.
Emma grinned. “Our girl Lennon won Blood Ball yesterday.”
There was a moment of stunned silence. The bar hummed around us, low murmurs of conversation, country music on the overhead speakers, the tinkling of ice dropped in glasses.
Grace hooted. “Well, fucking cheers to that! Hell, yeah, Lennon! This round is on me.” She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and half-squeezed, half-shook me.
I laughed. “No more shots! I won’t be able to walk out of here.”
“Beer, then?” Grace asked. When I nodded, she signaled Tonya.
“But what does Jeremiah have to do with anything?” Cecily pressed.
“He wouldn’t let anyone get near her.” Emma smirked again. “Lennon is probably the first person in the history of Blood Ball to not actually bleed.”
Tamilee took a long sip of water, then delicately dabbed a napkin to her lips. Her lipstick hadn’t budged. “Of course Jeremiah protected you. I’m only surprised he let you play at all. Guests don’t play Blood Ball. That would be a lawsuit waiting to happen.”
“He didn’t have a choice,” I admitted. When they all looked at me with raised eyebrows, I threw up my hands. “What? Holly practically dared me. What was I supposed to do? Walk away?”
Tamilee hooted. “Oh, baby. It’s a good thing you’re pretty.”
I flinched.Are you stupid, Lennon? Or just lazy?The words still echoed in my head years after they’d been spoken. Sometimes it was my mom. Sometimes a teacher. Sometimes another kid. They all thought the same thing. Either I wasn’t trying because I was lazy, or Iwastrying and I screwed up because I was stupid.
But Tamilee didn’t know me well enough to hit thatsore spot on purpose, and I wasn’t going to bring down the vibe of girls’ night by telling her. I didn’t beg for compliments from anyone, and I didn’t need Tamilee to tell me she didn’treallythink I was dumb.
Or maybe I was afraid she’d confirm it.
Tonya set a bottle in front of me. I nodded my thanks and pulled it closer. “Holly gets under my skin,” I muttered into my beer.
Tamilee shook her head. “Holly never takes an inch if she can steal a mile. If you keep letting her wiggle in there, one of these days she’s going to show up in a full Lennon skin suit. You don’t want that.”
I wrinkled my nose at the mental image. “Ew.”
They all loved Holly, though. I didn’t get it, but they did. I glanced at Jeremiah’s booth again because I couldn’t help myself and nearly fell off my barstool at the sight of his face in Holly’s hands as she leaned across the table to him.
“Is there…is there something going on with Holly and Jeremiah?” I stuttered.
“What? Holly andJeremiah?” Emma burst out laughing with her head thrown back like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. “Girl, no. Jeremiah isn’t messy like that. Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with a woman who wasn’t an employee or a friend. Whatever he gets up to, he keeps that shit locked down tight.”
Then why was Holly’s face so close to his?Not that I cared. But seriously. Their mouths were almost touching. It was unsanitary, that’s what it was.
I drained my beer. “I need some air.”
13
JEREMIAH
“If you don’t stop staringat her, I’m going to pluck your eyeballs out.” Holly’s fingernails scraped against my five o’clock shadow. “You’re making me nauseous.”
“How can I be looking at anyone but you when you’re two inches from my nose and blocking everything with your enormous head, Holly?”
Almosteverything. In my peripheral vision, I saw a blur of dessert-hued hair as Lennon twirled off her stool. She was heading for the exit—alone.
I covered Holly’s hands with my own and pried them from my face. “I’ll be back.”
I slipped out the door, ignoring Holly’s dramatic sigh behind me. There were bears out there. Probably notright by the door, but somewhere nearby. At the very least, there were raccoons. Raccoons didn’t used to be a problem in Wyoming, but then the rich people came and somehow they brought the raccoons with them. And now Lennon was outside all alone with the raccoons.
I pushed through the heavy wooden doors and tripped right over Lennon. With a startled yelp, she drove her elbow straight into my ribs.
