“Thanks to the liquid courage, I think I am.” I lift my cup and realize I’m almost out. “I need a refill.”
I take a few steps in the general direction of the kitchen, and stumble forward. Eric’s hands go around my waist to keep me from falling. He doesn’t remove them right away when I’m steady. “How about we get you some water first?”
“But it doesn’t taste as good.” A small part of me realizes I’m coming off as whiny. Maybe Keith was right, I really can’t hold my liquor.
“I know,” he removes a hand and guides me to the kitchen. “But it will make me feel better knowing you are hydrated. If not, I’ll be holding your hair while you puke into the toilet.”
“Gross.” He isn’t wrong, and suddenly my entire body is hot. It could be the alcohol, embarrassment about possibly getting sick, or the fact Eric is glued to my side. A combination of the three? I don’t know, but I have the urge to get out of the house. “Does Lisa have a porch or something in the back?”
“Yeah.” His eyebrows furrow, and concern is written all over his face. “Are you okay?”
“Just hot.” I fan my face to emphasize the point. Honestly, I feel like I’m sweating.
“The back porch is through these doors.” He points behind him before grabbing a couple bottles of water.
He guides me to the door and cracks it open for us to slip through. It doesn’t feel any cooler out here than it does inside, but the lack of people definitely helps. There’s a chair to the left and he leads me toward it, but I can’t make it that far. I plop on the wood deck and lie back. I didn’t feel so bad when I was standing still. The second I started moving around, my stomach began churning. And it won’t stop. Is it just me, or are the stars spinning?
“I don’t feel so good.” My hand moves to my stomach, and Eric crouches down next to me.
“Did you happen to eat anything before we came, or when we got here?”
Closing my eyes, I think back through the night. I ate some wings Patrick made me during my break. Then we got busy, and I never took another break. When we got here, Lisa pointed out the finger foods, but I never actually grabbed any. Damn it. I should know better.
“No, I didn’t.”
“How many drinks did you have?”
With my eyes still closed, I answer, “Two. Maybe three? I can’t remember.”
“Can you walk?” I can feel him leaning over me, but I’m too mortified to open my eyes and look at him. There’s no reason I should have allowed myself to get like this. Especially so quickly after we got here. I’m a grown ass woman and I should be able to conduct myself better. Though, I rarely do things like this anywhere. And here I was worried about everyone else being out of control. I guess this is Karma’s answer to my misgivings.
I shake my head in response, which was a bad idea. What I assume are the water bottles thud as they’re set on the deck.
Moments later, Eric has one arm under my knees and he’s trying to put his other arm under my back. “Joan, I need you to wrap your arms around my neck.”
Can I do that with my eyes closed? I throw my arms up and hear a smack. I guess that answers that question. Slowly my eyes open and I hate how worried Eric looks. Hate even more that I’m the one causing it. I do as he says, and my arms are securely around his neck with my fingers interlocked.
He moves his other arm under my back and stands with me cradled in his arms. “Where are we going?”
“Home.” His steps are slow and steady as he walks across the porch and down the steps. He can’t mean my home. It’s almost an hour away.
“But I don’t have anything with me. And what about my car?”
“Your car will be fine.” He gently shifts me to get a better hold on me. “I’ll drive you over in the morning to get it.”
“Okay.” I lean my head on his arm, eyes pinched shut, hoping I don’t puke all over him. I know I’ve said it many times before, but I am never drinking again.
It feels like it takes forever to get to his car, and his silence isn’t helping. He’s most likely using all his focus to keep from moving me around too much. Finally, he sets me on the ground, but doesn’t let go as he opens the car door and helps me inside.
I want to look around his car but his body is blocking me, and I hear a click as he buckles me into the seatbelt. Then he’s gone. As much as I want to snoop, I don’t get the chance because the driver door opens and he slides inside. It doesn’t matter anyway. My eyelids are already sliding closed again. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
“It’s not a problem.” He turns the ignition and the car hums to life, “just rest until we get to my house.”
“Okay,” I murmur. “You’re such a nice guy, and attractive. Too bad you’re so much younger than me, I can see myself dating you.”
The last thing I hear is him chuckle beside me. “I hope like hell you remember saying that in the morning.”
7
