“I take it you’re divorced then.” He chuckled. “Is he still alive?”
“Not quite, and for now.”
The buzzing stopped as Mel joined her client and stared.
Gareth’s laughter died on his lips. He cleared his throat. “You need to look after it, keep it dry for a while. Here’s some antibiotic cream.”
“Thank you, Gareth, but I won’t be needing that.” Then Black Death strutted out the door.
The tattoo was a promise to herself. A sealing of fate as dire as a doomsayer’s inscription. A future she had planned for Karson.
Chapter 22
A Place Of No Return
Georgie drove slowly. But she didn’t seem to be paying particular attention to the road. I stared nervously ahead as we veered too close to the edge, and a sharp drop, more than once. Music filled the car, as she chatted about Jeff and how excited she was he would be home in time for the ball.
Apparently, Trent, Jodie’s boyfriend, would be home too. BJ had a date, and I’d be tagging along like a boil on their asses. I tried to protest about going, like I tried to protest about the sickening love songs that ground into my ears the whole ride. But she wouldn’t hear of changing either.
She asked a lot of questions about home and family. I gave her sheltered versions of the truth. But I told her the story of Tom and Kelly’s betrayal.
“Oh, Amy, that sucks. Your best friend. Jesus, what a cow!” She looked at me with a mixture of sympathy and annoyance. An an oncoming car blasted its horn as she veered toward the wrong side of the road. My heart skittered in my chest and my nails gripped the edge of the seat. She corrected the car and glanced back, scowling. “And Tom, he’s a fucking ass, no wonder you ignore every male who looks at you.”
Two Peaks was appropriately named from the two mountains looming directly behind the town. It was a lot larger than Church Heights and had a lot more shops, including the dress shop we were headed to today. Georgie jerked the car to a halt outside of the store.
“What’s that saying? You have to get rid of the clutter to make way for the new? You have us now. So goodbye Tom and Kelly, hello Georgie, Jodie, and BJ.” She smiled, and it was infectious. “Oh, and Sarah—I can’t wait for you to meet her. She’s Bob’s daughter. She’s awesome. Funny like me and sweet. You guys will hit it off.”
Bob was going to close the shop for a while when she came home to spend time with her. I’d offered to keep it open for him, but he said it was a quiet time of year, and avid readers would stock up. I got the impression he didn’t need the income, and the bookstore was just something to fill his days.
“Is she coming to the ball?” I asked, hopeful she was, and then maybe she would be dateless like me.
Georgie shook her head. “No, I’m not sure when she’s coming home. They are all going traveling—Bob has hired a camper van and Sarah is beside herself. Can you imagine being that cooped up in a caravan with your parents?” She chuckled, as she pushed the shop door open.
I lagged behind her. “Does everyone else have a date to go with?”
“Yes, probably.” She glanced over her shoulder and must have noted the look on my face. “Why don’t you ask Karson to take you?”
“What?” The shock stopped me in my tracks. “Don’t be absurd! Girls don’t ask boys.”
She shrugged. “It’s the twenty-first century, Amy. BJ’s date, Gina, asked him.” She leaned in and spoke in a hushed tone,raising her eyebrows. “She’s a cow, by the way. I can’t believe he said yes.”
The dress shop was huge, and beautiful. There were full-length antique gold-framed mirrors and large chandelier crystals caught the light and glittered around the room.
Gowns hung neatly along the wall to the right on a copper railing. Huge changing rooms divided the room in half, and the other side was full of men’s suits.
Georgie bounced over to the gowns.
“Here, try this one,” she said, pulling out a long, fully sequined silver gown and holding it out for my appraisal.
I wrinkled my nose. “Um, no. Perhaps something a little less standout.”
Georgie folded the dress over her arm. “Oh well, I’m trying it.”
“Let me take that to a changing room for you.” A petite saleswoman with bobbed blond hair approached us with a pleasant smile. The name badge pinned to her white blouse saidJane.
Georgie grabbed a long red one, a full blue dress with a sequin bust, and a white strapless, fitted gown. She came out in the blue dress first, with a full tulle skirt and sequin bodice. I tried not to laugh—she looked like a toilet dolly.
“Too much?” she asked, seeing the expression on my face.
