Page 18 of Barefoot Lake

I feel an immediate rush of gratitude to the two women for standing up for Scotty when I wasn’t there to do it myself. I look toward each of them and nod my thanks, not quite sure how to put it in words.

“Let’s get out of here,” I offer, jerking my head toward the door and turning. The three troublemakers follow me outside, but Alice stops when we’re standing under the light by the door.

“You don’t need to drive me and Piper back. I’ll take care of us,” she says.

I roll my eyes. Unless she’s going to get back in a police car, I don’t see how she’s getting home. Does this woman have an innate need to argue with me?

“How do you plan on managing that without a car?”

“I can figure it out.”

“At this hour, you have no other options. A Lyft won’t come. Don’t be stubborn. We share a driveway.”

“No. I’ve got it. Really.” Now she’s pouting. I respect her pride, but this is ridiculous.

I groan and turn to face her head-on. “I’m tired, and I want to go home. Get in the truck, Ace.” I point her in the direction of my parked truck.

She opens her mouth like she’s going to keep arguing but snaps it back shut after surveying the glare on my face. She crosses her arms and follows my outstretched hand to my truck. I do not watch her go as she walks away from me, purposefully looking skyward in prayer instead. When I look back down, I see Scott and Piper exchange a look, and I’m grateful neither of them says anything as they hurry to the truck. This excursion needs to be over.

As I walk over, I hit the remote on my key fob to unlock the doors and watch Scott open the back passenger-side door of the cab and help Piper in. When Alice gets to him, he scoots around to open the front passenger door for her before she can go in the back seat with Piper.

“You can take shotgun. I’ll sit with Piper.” The guy just got out of a police station, but it seems like he’s still going to shoot his shot with Alice’s friend.

I can’t see Alice’s face since the car door blocks her, but I hear Scott’s “Please?” clearly enough. She climbs in the front seat, and Scott is basically giddy as he closes her door and launches into the back seat with Piper, grinning like a doofus.

I try not to be frustrated with Scott for choosing to sit next to Piper, but it’ll be much harder to ignore Alice with her beside me. I already caught a hint of her perfume when she walked by, and I can’t imagine surviving the drive back with the annoyingly pleasant smell so close by. I say another prayer for strength before I climb in.

The drive home is tense and silent, aside from the twittering whispers between Piper and Scott behind me. I consider turning on the radio, but that would be admitting I’m uncomfortable, and I refuse to give any more evidence than I already have that Alice is getting under my skin. I stare straight ahead for the whole trip, only giving my right mirror the most minute glances and only when absolutely necessary.

The ride feels like it takes three times longer than usual, but I’m finally pulling into our shared space around Barefoot Lake. Even though the houses are side by side, I pull in front of Alice’s first so she and Piper don’t have to walk across the gravel lot in the dark. I don’t see Alice’s car tucked beside her house, where she’s kept it every time she’s home. I figured the police had brought her to the station, and she’d just hitched a ride with somebody to the bar earlier.

“Where’s your car?” I blurt before I remember my mission to ignore Alice.

“Outside the bar with a flat. I’ll get it tomorrow — today. Whatever,” Alice says, finally sounding tired, quiet. As abrasive as her usual tone with me is, I certainly prefer it to this defeated-sounding version of her.

My manners choose now to show up.

“I’ll take you to get it later.” I can’t not help her.

She looks at me quickly, obviously surprised, but I just put the truck in park and climb out before she can object like I know she will. Alice’s eyes track me as I come around to her door and open it. Scott slides out of the back to help Piper down.

Alice is still staring at me, silent and unmoving. I go to reach across her to unhook the seatbelt, but she snaps out of whatever daze she’s in and does it herself. I step back, and she slides down from the truck.

“It’s ok. I’ll take a Lyft back to the bar tomorrow for my car.”

I roll my eyes and repeat myself.

“I’ll take you to get it later.”

“I—“ she starts, but I cut her off.

“We can go at nine.” I give her a pointed look, silently asking if she wants to go another few rounds of bickering. Despite being clearly exhausted, she looks ready to take me on.

“Just say yes, Ace,” I plead. She blinks, looking confused, but her expression softens.

“Ok. Thank you. And —” She pauses but seems to reconsider. “And good night. You too, Scott.”

My brother and Piper have just been watching us behave like the two most awkward teenagers on the planet. One look at Scott tells me I’ll hear all about this once we get inside.