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“Where you left it.”I scan the room and spot her keys on the floor near the empty tray.
She tiptoes through the bottle caps and snatches up her keys.“Come on.Let’s go get my car.”
“Give me a minute.I need to change clothes.”I trudge back to the bedroom, take something for my headache, and swap my dress for shorts and a T-shirt.
As I drive back out to the barn, I try to piece together events after Ingrid left.“Did I send you any other texts?”
“Nope.Just the one about Pretty Face.”She leans forward as I pull into the field.
Hers isn’t the only car still here.
As soon as the car stops rolling, Ingrid jumps out.“I see people in the barn.Let’s go talk to them.Maybe Hannah’s here.”
With my headache, talking doesn’t sound appealing, but maybe someone knows the identity of my rescuer.And I’m pretty sure Hannah hosted the shindig.I’ll ask her about the cowboy.
Ingrid tiptoes across the ground, shaking her head and mumbling.Forgive me for not bubbling over with sympathy, but she knew we were coming out here and could’ve changed shoes before we left the house.
When we step into the barn, a woman, who I think is Hannah, drops a trash bag and slaps a hand over her heart.“I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
Ingrid hugs the lady.“Who?And by the way, great party, Hannah.”
Hannah points at me but looks at Ingrid.“Your friend was so wasted last night.She licked chocolate off a guy’s hand.I mean, it was funny, but wow.Way to drop a hint.”
Perhaps filling in the gaps in my memory is a bad idea.
Ingrid whips around and grabs my shoulders.“Girl, you are holding out on me.”
“I don’t remember doing that.”If I licked a guy and can’t remember, what else have I blocked out?
The woman taps on her phone.“It was hysterical.I got part of it on video.”
Ingrid leans in close, and I move so that I can see.I can survive a few minutes of embarrassment if it means discovering who helped me.Although I don’t even know for sure that the guy I licked is the one who drove me home.
The video shows me with my face buried in a guy’s hand.And I’m dragging my tongue over every inch of it.Repeatedly.His face isn’t in the frame, but the way he tugged his hand back, I’m guessing he wasn’t a fan of my display.
Ingrid and Hannah squeal with laughter as they click to watch it a second time.
Since watching it again would just add to my horror and not help me learn anymore about the cowboy, I move away.
When it ends, Hannah tucks her phone away.“Then y’all left.Not a big surprise, I suppose.”She winks.“He carried you off into the night.”
I don’t remember that either.“What’s his name?”
Her jaw falls open.“Oh my.He slipped away without giving you his name?I’m so sorry.That’s horrible.”
Ingrid puts her hand up, blocking her mouth, but her whisper is so loud that cows in the next county can hear her.“She doesn’t remember what happened.”
“Yikes.”Hannah shakes her head.“I’d never seen him before.Don’t know anything about him.”
Talking to people is only making me feel worse.
“Thanks.”I don’t bother telling Hannah my theory of what happened because having someone else look at me like I’m making up stories is more than I can handle right now.At this point, I’m doubting myself.
Growing up, my stepfather accused me of making stuff up to get attention.Once he berated me when I complained that my arm hurt.After he ridiculed me until I cried, I stayed in my room for hours and didn’t come out until he left the house.Then I begged my mom to take me to a doctor.She did.Thankfully.Turned out, my arm was broken, which was why I was in pain.
That day I learned to keep quiet and take care of myself.
My poor mom didn’t have it in her to do that.She convinced herself she wouldn’t be happy or even survive without my stepfather.So to protect myself, I moved out as soon as I was able.
