Not one to argue—ha-ha—I go with, “It’ll be fine. You can use someone there.”
“Laura’s going too.”
“Great. There’s power in numbers.”
She makes a funny growly noise as she moves back to the spot curled up to my side. I wiggle around until it’s just like it was, grab a grape, and pop it into my mouth. “I could get used to bed picnics.” I’m positive I’ll like anything in bed with Prudence.
“Me too.”
* * *
Dressedin my one and only suit, I knock on Laura’s front door. Prudence told me to meet them over here. I borrowed Jackie’s SUV for the trip. It brings to mind the notion that it may be time for me to invest in a second vehicle. I’ve got a pickup that I drive in the winter, but it’s old as hell. The seats are all torn up, and there’s only paint on the side panels. The rest is all chipped away. As I wait for someone to open the damn door, I type a note to myself: Get new car.
Maybe Prudence will car shop with me. Her input on matters like this is of vital importance. It’ll be her sweet ass in the passenger seat most of the time, and…
Jesus. I’m so fucked over this girl. But I’m okay with it.
Laura finally opens her door and releases a startling whistle. “You clean up nice.”
I tug on the tie in an attempt to loosen it. “It’s my death suit.” That makes her laugh, but it’s not funny. The only time I wear this thing is to funerals.
Pulling open the door, I step into the foyer and search for Prudence. She emerges from a hallway wearing a tight black dress that shows all her damn curves. It’s shorter than any of the others she’s worn too, hitting her at about mid-thigh. My dick twitches imagining what it’d be like to slowly lift that dress up. I can’t help wondering what she’s got beneath.
Her eyes are checking me out. “Wow, Nate.” From here, I see her eyes darken. Hell yeah, she’s turned on.
“I feel the same about you.” I take three long strides until in directly in front of her. Placing my hands on her hips, I lean down and whisper in her ear, “You look sexy as fuck in that dress.”
With a croak, she replies, “Thank you.”
“I hope I’m around when it’s time to remove that.”
And there’s the blush I love so much. “Me too.” Better yet, those words take the cake. I reach for her hand. “Ready?”
“Yeah.” She frowns. “No.”
“It’ll be fine.” Laura says from the kitchen. “I’m bringing shots for the car. We’ll be wasted by the time we get to Mount Ayr.”
While Celeste lived in Des Moines, to be close to her son, she wanted to be buried in Mount Ayr next to her husband, mother, and father. According to Prudence, all of Celeste’s people are from that area, which means there’s going to be a lot of them in attendance.
“I’m not getting drunk before the funeral, Laura.” Prudence rolls her eyes at her best friend.
“Okay, then, ya wuss. Just enough to loosen you up. We’ll get wasted on the way home.”
“Fine.”
Fuck yeah. This ought to be fun.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Prudence
“Don’t makeme go in there.” We’re standing outside the church where Celeste’s service is going to take place in a matter of minutes. Even drinking two shots in the car isn’t going to quell the nausea I feel right now. Heck, it probably added to my issues.
“We’ll walk in and sit in the way, way back. We won’t go to the burial site, and we absolutely will not attend the luncheon. You’re doing the right thing here, Prudence. If you don’t go, you’ll regret it, and it’ll fester. You’re a festerer.”
Laura’s right. I’m a festerer.
“We all know she doesn’t deserve this from you, but this isn’t abouther. It’s about you and your conscience.”
