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Laney grinned and beelined for the fridge.She stuffed the beer inside but grabbed a Bud Light with clamato juice and offered me one.
“No White Claw?”I asked.
“After your text about Bruce, I figured we needed something stronger.”
Good thing she hadn’t brought hard liquor.I accepted the drink and led her to the bedroom.I stopped at the foot of the bed.
Laney’s gaze swept the room.“Cool lamp.”
Residual guilt faded, both for placing Liam’s gift in the bedroom I had shared with Derek, but also for the round of phone sex.Having her in here made it feel more like a room.A place I could mold and change.This bedroom wasn’t a mausoleum for my marriage.“Liam made it.”
She sent me a measured glance, like she realized its placement hadn’t been an easy decision.When he’d given it to me, I’d wanted to keep it close.It was like I put it next to my bed as a signal to my mind that this was no longer a room I shared with my husband.
She put her hands on her hips and studied the wall.“That’s some atrocious wallpaper.”
The paper curled at the top of a few seams.The birds were a sun-faded blue, the flowers they suckled out of paled to a baby pink.“I’m sure it was cute forty years ago.”
Her expression saiddoubtfulas she set her beer on the top of my dresser.“Those birds have seen some things.”
“That’s why they need to die.”
Laney barked out a laugh and bent to pull the bed away from the wall.I set my can next to hers and helped.For the next few hours, we fought the wallpaper, and, at times, the wallpaper won.We drank through the six-pack.
“Damn,” Laney announced from the kitchen.“We’re in a paradox.”
I followed her voice.She stood in front of the open fridge.The old college shirt she’d borrowed from me clung to her curves.I definitely did not sex up that shirt like her.
“What’s wrong?”
“We drank all the beer and need more, but because we drank all the beer, we can’t go get more.”
“I shouldn’t keep drinking anyway.”The birds were getting blurry.I’d been fighting for control for so long it was freeing to have a little of it willingly given away.
“No one should keep drinking; that’s why it’s fun.”She pulled a face.“My husband refused to drink beer.”She never said his name.“The kicker was, I think he really liked it, but it wasn’t an approved drink according to his rich friends.”
“Your ex was rich?”
“Mm.”She tossed a knowing look over her shoulder.“Money was almost as important as image, and I was like beer: I didn’t fit the image.”
“Dick.”
“Grade-A asshole.”Her voice was tinged with longing.Asshole or not, her feelings for him had been real.
My phone buzzed.Liam would call in the next hour or two, but he was still working.I had a message from Aspen.OMG, I just ran into Z.What’d you do?!?!Another message came in.You know I’m kidding, right?I know whatever happened, it was Z.
“What the hell?”I could only imagine what Mrs.Z was saying about me.
Laney let the fridge door close.“Who do I need to kill?”
I smirked.My first two years in Coal Haven, I’d heard several comments about her.People had wondered how Derek could stand Laney.Why had he dated her for so long?They’d been inseparable.Laney might’ve been in love.Derek, maybe a little, but he’d been dedicated to her until he met me.He’d never said, and maybe later in our relationship when so many years passed it wouldn’t have mattered, he might’ve confessed that he’d missed her friendship.I’d seen the signs and, at times, worried that maybe he’d go back to her.That the uniqueness of the new girl would wear off.But I saw it now.Liam was like a brother to him, but she’d also been Derek’s close friend.
“It’s my friend from work.She’s the one that got hired after I left.”
“You haven’t said no.I have a shovel and a lot of land.But you’re doing the digging.”
I rolled my eyes, but the image of us out in the dark with shovels made me giggle.“No.She’s great.But she must’ve heard that I kind of lost my temper at work.I didn’t think anything came of it.Guess it did?”
“God heard our dilemma and sent us your drama.Tell your friend to bring a case over and tell us about it.”
