Her snort makes her sound like a pig. “What, like anyone’s going to call?” She pries the gap in the costume hat so I can dab in the glue.
“Scotty wants to know if you’re single. Hold it tight.” I watch her nose wrinkle as I bead droplets along the sides.
“I thought he had a girlfriend?” She pinches the pieces together after I finish.
I just shrug and set the bottle on the nightstand.
“Ah. Well, that’s too bad. Holy shit, it worked! You’re the best!” She flashes me a wide smile and stands.
Freaking psycho.
“Are you going to the Halloween party at Hilltop?” Her expression is conspicuously neutral.
“Yea, Val said she could use some help.” I squint at her, glancing towards the hall. “It’s a nice change of pace, ya know? But I don’t think Dad knows.”
The blues of her eyes roll again. “Dad has a master’s in keeping secrets. I’m fine with having at least one on him.”
That makes me snicker. “Yea, he really did one over on you with Lori.”
Damn, Sophia was pissed.
I didn’t know how she couldn’t see that Dad and Lori were a thing that summer.
Well, she was pretty fucked up with a broken leg. I’ll give her that.
“Right?” she exclaims. “He won’t hear it from me.” She feigns pulling a zipper across her mouth.
“I need to take a picture of that. The only time in history you swear to be quiet about something.” I’m still chuckling as I shoo her out the door.
“Just when I was starting to like you!” she yells behind her with a laugh.
Maybe it’s the glue making my heart race on the way up to the bar.
It has to be. Or an exhaust leak in my old Toyota?
That’s why I feel like ants are crawling under my skin.
Not because I might get to have Val look at me again like she did last weekend.
Like she was hungry. Starving. And she was going to tear my shirt off.
I’m earlier than usual so I can help with the last minute decorations.
But when I walk in and the bell chimes, as soon as she sees me, her eyes narrow.
“Sawyer? Where’s your costume?” Val’s voice carries from the back where I can just see her eyes peering at me over the doors to the kitchen. What’s that black thing on her head?
Shit.
“I’m a truck driver!” I grin at her and adjust my baseball hat so it sits up a little higher as I walk closer.
She rolls her green eyes and waves her hand at me. “I got this, I need beer and liquor restocked, stat!”
“Got it.” Turning on my heel, I veer down the hall and double hop the stairs down.
I didn’t ask which brand, so I just grab three different cases to start.
Just in that few minutes, more people have filtered in.
