Page 81 of Bone’s Choice

I pulled the plug from the kitchen sink and watched the water drain. Dinner had been a grilled chicken breast, salad, and a baked potato. Nothing exciting, but I’d cooked it in my kitchen and eaten it at my table, so that counted for something.

I grabbed the dish towel and dried my hands.

The window over the sink was open, but there wasn’t much of a breeze coming through.

Wisconsin was supposed to be cold.

That was what everyone said.

Snow. Freezing temperatures. People driving on lakes like that was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

Nobody had warned me that summer apparently showed up pissed off.

I’d spent most of the day in a pair of short denim shorts and a thin tank top that barely reached the waistband. Anything more would’ve been unnecessary.

I tossed the towel onto the counter and opened the refrigerator.

A wine cooler sat on the top shelf waiting for me. I grabbed it and twisted off the cap.

There wasn’t much left to do tonight. Nothing I wanted to do, anyway.

I could watch television, read, go to bed ridiculously early, or sit outside for a while.

Outside won.

I walked through the living room and pushed open the front door. The heat hadn’t completely disappeared, but it was better than it had been a couple hours ago.

I stepped onto the porch. Quiet.

I sank into the chair I’d put on the porch a few days ago and stretched my legs out in front of me. The sun was dropping behind the trees and I took a drink. “Not bad.”

No one answered, which was probably good.

If the trees started talking back, I’d officially been alone too long.

I smiled and settled deeper into the chair.

This was nice.

I’d spent the last nights at Bing’s surrounded by people, music, beer bottles, orders being shouted across the bar, and Kori and Crystal talking nonstop.

I’d liked it. Loved it, actually, but this was nice too.

Nothing needed me. Nobody wanted another round. Nobody needed their check split four different ways after they’d spent two hours ordering everything together.

Just me, my house, a cold drink, and a sunset.

Pink’s screen door slammed.

I turned my head. “Hey, Pi—” The rest died.

It wasn’t Pink because Bone stepped out onto her porch.

Oh.

Well.

Hello.