Read Online Crazy Little Thing by Saxon Bennett, Layce Gardner - Free Book Online Page B

thumb,” Ollie said. “That always works
for me.”
    Claire stuck her thumb in her mouth and sucked
baby-style. After a moment, she took it out. “Hey. That really does work.” She
could already feel the margarita working, too. Her butt had almost stopped
itching and twitching and her pulse had slowed to a normal rhythm. “Hit me
again,” Claire said, sliding her empty glass over to G-Ray.
    Claire didn’t notice Ollie gesturing to G-Ray to try
to slow down Claire’s conspicuous consumption. G-Ray pushed Claire’s glass back
over in front of her.
    Claire looked at the glass and wrinkled her nose.
“You didn’t fill it up. It’s half empty.”
    G-Ray smiled benevolently and said, “I prefer to
think of it as half full.”
    Ollie quickly changed the subject. “Did you have a
good talk with Scarlet?”
    Just the mere mention of Scarlet’s name made Claire
tip back the entire half-full glass. She put down the glass and quickly stuck
her thumb in her mouth.
    “I think that’s a no,” G-Ray said.
    Claire didn’t know if it was the margaritas or the
brain freezes but she suddenly felt better. Well, maybe better was the wrong
word. She felt looser. Not as rigid. Her muscles were relax-ier and her butt
wasn’t as scratchy. Itchy. Or was it scratchy? She was always mixing up those
words.
    When Claire looked up, Ollie’s mouth was moving. She
was talking to her. She said something about Scart-let. Claire giggled. Scart-let. She had meant to say Scarlet. “Scart-let, Start-let, Fart-let.” Claire giggled.
    “I think you need some fresh air,” Ollie said.
    “I’m allergic to fresh air,” Claire said. “Didn’t
you read Fart-let’s list?”
    “How strong are these margarita’s?” Ollie asked. 
She put the pitcher up to her nose and sniffed.
    “I ordered high octane,” G-Ray said, “but not that
high.”
    Ollie grabbed Claire’s drooping chin and forced her
eyes to look into hers. “Claire, did you take something? Did you take any type
of pill or anything?”
    Claire hiccupped. “Yope.”
    “What does yope mean?” Ollie asked.
    “Yope is the new maybe,” Claire said.
    “So you maybe took a pill?”
    “Weeeelllllll, just a teeny tiny weeny winy wittle
bittle pill,” Claire said in baby-talk. “Will you scratch my bottom for me? I
can’t reach it when I’m sitting down and it’s scratchy. Or is it itchy?”
    “Claire? Look at me. Focus.”
    Claire jerked her head back to Ollie and squinted
her eyes. “Stop moving. You keep moving. Sit still.”
    “I am sitting still. Claire, tell me… what kind of
pill did you take?”
    “Blue.”
    “It was blue, okay. Do you know what it was called?”
    “It didn’t tell me its name,” Claire slurred. “But I
called it Bruce.”
    “Uh huh,” Ollie said. “Where did Bruce come from?”
    Claire laughed. “Do you know how funny you look when
your lips move?”
    “My lips move when I talk. Now focus a moment. Where
did you get the blue pill?”
    “My purse. Bruce was playing hide and seek in the
bottom of my purse.”
    “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Do you know
where Bruce originally came from?”
    Claire nodded her head.
    Ollie smiled. “Okay. Can you tell me where Bruce
came from?”
    Claire nodded her head.
    Ollie’s smile tightened. “Good. Tell me.”
    “Bruce was the last of the blue pills that helped
Fartlet with her pain when she had her second liposuction,” Claire said. “I
stole some Bruces out of her medicine cabinet. When Fartlet gets mad at me I
sometimes take one. It helps me not be such an ol’ fuddy duddy.” Claire’s eyes
opened wide and she put her hand over her mouth, saying, “Whoopsy. That was a
secret.” She leaned in close to Ollie. “Wanna know another secret?” She
hiccupped before continuing, “When Scartlet the Fartlet yells at me I can see
her uvula vibrate. It’s not pretty.”
    “I’m taking you outside,” Ollie said. “We’re going
to walk this off.”
    “Okay, wait a sec,” Claire