“And I’m just reiterating. I don’t think he did that to be a villain.” She tosses the remaining bit of popper in her mouth. “I think he was protecting his heart.”
“Ooh, right. That makes sense,” Sky adds. “He’s afraid of getting in too deep with his emotions. So he ran. Even though his fingers were literally inside you.” She makes a really bizarre motion with her hands, flinging her arm up and pointing her fingers—all five—straight while wiggling them back and forth.
Sage shakes her head. “Nope. No. Not how fingering works.”
“This could be fingering!” Sky announces, not exactly quietly. “You all just aren’t creative enough.”
“Ahem.” I’m not surprised our server is back the moment Sky is miming a robotic hand gesture indicating peril and calling it fingering. “Ready to order entrées, ladies?”
I pick the hazelnut-crusted chicken-fried steak, and Sky and Sage both order chicken pot pie. Our server still won’t make eye contact, but he is also no longer bright red, so I guess he’s recovering.
“No more man talk,” I declare after he’s out of earshot. “Right now we’re celebrating our official librarian of a sister. So let’s celebrate.”
We eat and laugh for the better part of two hours. Carter texts two more times (Let me know when you’re going to be homeandWe should probably talk). Instead of responding, I order more and more whiskey. Too much more whiskey. By the time I stand up after we pay, the floor is legit spinning under my feet.
Sky holds me up by my arms while Sage digs through my Fendi baguette for the keys. “Looks like I’m driving us back.”
“You don’t have to do that, Sage,” I blubber. “You always do everything for us. Since we were little. You shouldn’t have to do everything anymore.”
“I want us all to get home in one piece, Teal. So I’m driving.”
When we get back in my car, I open the back door and sprawl in. Sky has to help me with my seat belt, but I’m far too gone to be embarrassed.
“You better drink a ton of water when you get home,” Sage tells me from the driver’s seat. “Or you’re going to be sorry tomorrow.”
“You’re going to be sorry tomorrow!” I shout, pointing out the window. “You’re the one who’s pregnant.”
“Pregnant, not drunk off her ass,” Sky says, smirking at me like she finds something hilarious about all this.
“I’m going to text Carter back,” I announce, pulling my phone from my bag.
“Oh no you don’t,” Sky responds, wrestling me for it. It’s nota fair fight since my grip is nonexistent right now. “I’ll text him for you.”
“Tell him I’m so pissed at him. Tell him he’s dead to me. But only after he fucks me first.” Sage is cracking up. “What’s so funny?” I demand. “He didn’t finish what he started. I want him to finish it, that’s all this is.”
“Sure, Jan.” She shrugs. “I just think you and Carter are hiding from your feelings in different ways.”
“I don’t have feelings.”
“Whatever you say, Miss It Rains When I’m Sad.”
“There.” Sky hands me my phone. Though the letters are blurry, I can see she’s written Carter,Hey it’s Sky. We all went out to dinner and Teal drank too much. Sage is dropping me off at Nadia’s, then Teal at your place, and Tenn will pick Sage up so you don’t have to worry about Teal’s car. Oh, and Teal keeps saying you didn’t finish the job…Here she inserted an emoji of a hand with the peace sign alongside a winky face.So you better get on that.
“Damn right,” I mutter before leaning my head against the window and promptly passing out.
Next thing I know, I’m being pulled out of the car by both Sky and Sage. I blink groggily at them. “Why didn’t I get a name that starts with anS? Didn’t Mama know I’d feel left out?”
“Hey.” Carter appears from the shadows, wearing a thin gray shirt and flannel pajama bottoms. It only occurs to me now that we’re in his driveway. “I got it.”
“No, you don’t,” I hiss at him. “You proved to me earlier you don’t gotitat all.”
Sky erupts into giggles. “She’s all yours!”
“Stop laughing at me,” I mumble. “I forgot to tell you guys, Mama’s in town. I heard all about it from the viejitas.”
There’s a pause, and somewhere to my left, Sage says in a gasp, “What did you just say?”
“She can barely stand,” Carter says, his voice gruff as he lifts me and tosses me over his back. I’m far too gone to argue with him about this, mainly because he feels so good—warm and sturdy and smelling like a mix of salt water and cinnamon sugar. “I’ll take it from here.”
