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“She didn’t either. Do you two not live in this town? Every year, the first day the temps hit zero again for the first time, Joe Jordan has a bonfire to celebrate. You know, a donut, a circle, a zero. Where have you two been hiding? Everyone knows about it. Today we hit the mark, and tonight is the party.” Mia plopped down in his guest chair.
“I don’t know who Joe Jordan is.” Anderson did not want to go to a party. Especially one that would take place outside—it was still freezing out there.
“You don’t have to know him to go to his parties, everyone is welcome. Come on, Anderson, we need a ride. My car is not starting,” Mia pleaded. Her excuse was believable after the cold snap they just got throw.
“You need a designated driver?” he leaned back in his chair. Out of the side of his eyes, he saw Ruth was leaning against the doorjamb between their offices, her eyes jumping from Mia to him. Nothing about her told him if she wanted to go or not.
“Not really, but my car is out, and if Ruth goes, she doesn’t have a car, so we are in need of wheels.”
Turning fully to Ruth, he asked, “Are you going?”
“I don’t know.” Her breath was short.
“Come on, you two. Come to the party with me. I don’t want to go alone!” Mia begged.
“Once you get there, you will be the center of attention.” Anderson knew the woman was friends with everyone in the town. There was no way she would be alone for more than a minute.
“I will not. I promise to spend my whole night with you two. And I am not drinking too much. I am done with drinking until I pass out. It hasn’t been turning out well for me for a while,” Mia stated, her voice firm.
“If Ruth goes, I will drive you.” Anderson turned to the woman. In reality, he wanted her alone and indoors, but if he can be with her outside drinking, that might work too. Being with her longer than eight hours a day was a plus.
Mia immediately turned her charm onto her friend, now that she had an ally. He knew it was going to work. Mia always got her way; Ruth had no chance.
Soon Ruth was agreeing, and they all had gone to get dressed warmer for the party. The temps may have hit zero degrees that day, but it was no longer that warm, if you even considered that warm. After getting on as many layers as he thought would block out the cold, he drove back to pick up the girls. They were as bundled up as he was and drove in silence, other than Mia giving directions to the bonfire.
It was dark when they got to the party, which was in full swing. People were everywhere, and there was a giant fire blazing in the middle of it all. Only in Landstad could there be a random party, and so many people would show up.
They were each handed a beer when they arrived, and they wandered around the throngs of people, stopping every now and then so Mia could talk to someone. He was surprised by how many people he knew as they went. Many stopped and said hi or just nodded at him. Once they had been there for a while, he started to enjoy himself, or maybe it was because he was on his second beer. Mia was on her fourth and in no rush to stop despite her earlier words. Ruth was still on her first. Anderson didn’t think she was even drinking it.
With Ruth close to his side, he wanted to put an arm around her. He could tell she didn’t enjoy being around all the people. One day over lunch, she had told him that crowds were one of her biggest fears, crowds and snakes. At least there would be no snakes here tonight.
Someone bumped into her, sending her hard into his side. Reaching out an arm, he steadied her and then just left his arm around her. She had dropped her beer in the incident, and Anderson reached down to get it for her, but she shook her head, and he left it on the ground.
Mia turned to them with a half-drunk smile. “Isn’t this great?”
“You go have fun, Mia. You don’t have to babysit me.” Ruth glanced around the crowd.
“I am not babysitting you, silly. I am partying with you.” Mia finished her beer and pulled another from her coat pocket like a magician.
Just then, Rafferty came up behind her and pulled Mia into his arms, whispering something only she could hear. Color drained from her face, and she pushed out of his arms.
Calmly, she handed her beer bottle to Anderson and turned on Rafferty. With everything she had, she punched at him, but he dodged it, and she fell into the snow. At the last second, she grabbed his feet and pulled him to the ground too.
At that point, Anderson dropped his arm from around Ruth and handed her Mia’s beer and his. The two were rolling around on the ground with Mia punching, kicking, and maybe biting, and Rafferty was just taking it and laughing. The woman could have done some real damage if her hands weren’t in heavy mittens, and the man wasn’t bundled against the cold. Anderson pulled the woman off him and held her around the waist so that she couldn’t go back at it.
“Never, ever speak to me again. Never!” she yelled at the man still on the ground.
“I think it is time to head home,” Anderson announced. Pulling Mia away from Rafferty, he hoped that Ruth would follow because he was busy keeping her friend from going back to attack his friend.
She stopped fighting him after a bit and soon, she was asking for her beer back as they walked to the car. Once there, she finished off the one she had just opened and then climbed into the back seat of the truck without incident.
“I will drive,” Ruth stated after Mia shut her door.
“I didn’t drink that much,” he informed her.
“I don’t care. I will drive. I haven’t had any more than a sip.” Ruth walked around the car to the driver’s side.
“Don’t you like beer?” Anderson asked as he got into the car on the passenger side.
