Brooke bursts into laughter beside her.
I take a slow breath. Then I reach forward, wrap an arm around Rae’s waist, and lift her straight up before she can launch into whatever speech she was about to deliver next. I hoist her over my shoulder in one smooth motion.
The entire booth erupts. Bella whistles loudly. “Atta boy, Ghost!” Bella calls out with obvious approval.
“Cole!” Rae shrieks.
“You’re drunk,” I say calmly as I adjust my grip around her legs.
“I am not!” Rae protests.
“You absolutely are,” I reply as I start walking.
She twists slightly over my shoulder, trying to glare at me upside down while I head for the door. Behind us, Rev is practically choking on laughter. “Need help carrying her?” Rev calls after me.
“No,” I say without turning around.
“Good luck with that,” he answers.
Rae smacks the middle of my back weakly. “Put me down!” she demands.
“No,” I reply.
“You can’t just kidnap people!” she insists.
“I’m returning you to your farm,” I tell her.
“Without permission!”
“Correct.”
The night air hits us the second I push the door open and step outside. Rae stops protesting almost immediately, hanging limp over my shoulder like she’s suddenly reconsidering the choices that led her here.
After a second she lets out a dramatic sigh. “Your shoulder is very bony,” Rae informs me.
“Thank you,” I reply.
When we reach her truck, I open the passenger door and carefully set her inside before shutting it behind her. She squints up at me through the windshield as I walk around the front. “You’re driving,” Rae says suspiciously.
“Yep,” I answer as I climb into the driver’s seat.
“Rude,” she mutters.
I start the engine and pull out of the lot before she can argue any further.
The road out of town is quiet. For the first few minutes Rae just stares out the window, watching the dark fields roll past. Then she slowly turns her head toward me.
“You’ve been fixing things,” Rae says again.
“Yes,” I reply.
“You weren’t going to tell me,” she says.
“No,” I answer.
“That’s suspicious behavior,” Rae says.
“It’s maintenance,” I tell her.
