tired and needed to go to bed. Às she was going, Kallie asked her if she thought they’d had too much to drink.
Nicole looked positively exhausted. With heavy-lidded eyes, she nodded.
“They’re adults. They’ll pay for it tomorrow morning, I suspect.”
“I just hope they don’t get sick in the night. I’d be the one to clean up after them.”
Nicole laughed. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’m sure they’ll be going to bed soon enough. We’ve all had a long day.”
“Okay. Well, good night.”
“Goodnight,” Nicole said, and walked slowly upstairs.
Kallie returned to the party that was raging in the other room. Red was sitting, watching his parents talk and laugh and drink. His expression was bemused, but beneath that was a watchfulness that Kallie found disconcerting.
It was as if he’d only pretended to party, when in reality he was stone cold sober.
“That bottle’s getting light, Kallie,” Red told her. “Let’s bring out another.”
She gave him a concerned look. “Are you sure?”
“Of course he’s sure—he’s a goddamn Jameson, isn’t he?” Ray yelled, laughing once more.
Erica joined in.
Kallie brought more wine.
Eventually, she was too tired to continue serving them, and she asked Red if it was all right for her to also go to bed now.
“Yes, yes. I’ll take care of these two,” Red replied.
“We can take care of ourselves,” Erica corrected him. “We’re not children.”
“Speak for yourself,” Ray said. He guzzled more wine. “Damn, this stuff is good.”
“You’ve just about drunk me out of house and home,” Red said.
“It would take the U.S. Navy on Fleet Week to drink you out of house and home,”
Ray replied.
Kallie bid them good night and walked slowly to her room. She got out of her clothes and pulled on a pair of comfortable shorts, a t-shirt, and then crawled into bed.
She sighed, feeling some of the day’s tension run out of her body.
Imagine if he was here with me, she thought. She could imagine Hunter pulling her close to him, hugging her from behind, his arms wrapped around her like a cocoon.
A pang of loss hit her in the midsection as she realized she’d never feel him that way again.
Kallie drifted off into an uneasy sleep, and her dreams were dark and muddled, but full of angry faces and loud voices.
And then something woke her.
She snapped awake in the darkness, knowing she’d heard something.
Someone had screamed. Yes, someone had screamed, and in her dream it had been a woman at the deli counter of a supermarket. Kallie had been ordering pounds and pounds of Boar’s Head ham, and the woman taking her order had let out a shriek or rage as she’d weighed the ham on the scale.
Now that she was awake, heart pounding thickly in her chest, Kallie knew that scream had definitely infiltrated her dreams, and had taken place in real life.
Slowly she slid out of bed.
There was another noise, and this time it was unmistakably the sound of glass shattering.
Kallie let out a cry herself—put her hand to her mouth.
For some reason, the first thing she thought was that Terrence was breaking into the house to kill her.
Next she heard the pounding of feet running down the hallway, and then Red’s voice. He was talking loudly, and someone was responding.
Kallie opened the door to her room and stepped uncertainly into the hallway. “Is everything okay?” she said.
Nobody answered.
The voices were less frantic now. Kallie started to walk toward them, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Whatever had happened, it came from the guest room where Red’s father was staying.
Inside, Red was talking with his father, who was wearing an old, tattered pair of white boxers and nothing else. His chest was pale and hairy. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking rather casual. But he had a large red scratch running down the side of his face.
He looked at Kallie and smiled somewhat balefully.
Red was staring out the
Nicole looked positively exhausted. With heavy-lidded eyes, she nodded.
“They’re adults. They’ll pay for it tomorrow morning, I suspect.”
“I just hope they don’t get sick in the night. I’d be the one to clean up after them.”
Nicole laughed. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’m sure they’ll be going to bed soon enough. We’ve all had a long day.”
“Okay. Well, good night.”
“Goodnight,” Nicole said, and walked slowly upstairs.
Kallie returned to the party that was raging in the other room. Red was sitting, watching his parents talk and laugh and drink. His expression was bemused, but beneath that was a watchfulness that Kallie found disconcerting.
It was as if he’d only pretended to party, when in reality he was stone cold sober.
“That bottle’s getting light, Kallie,” Red told her. “Let’s bring out another.”
She gave him a concerned look. “Are you sure?”
“Of course he’s sure—he’s a goddamn Jameson, isn’t he?” Ray yelled, laughing once more.
Erica joined in.
Kallie brought more wine.
Eventually, she was too tired to continue serving them, and she asked Red if it was all right for her to also go to bed now.
“Yes, yes. I’ll take care of these two,” Red replied.
“We can take care of ourselves,” Erica corrected him. “We’re not children.”
“Speak for yourself,” Ray said. He guzzled more wine. “Damn, this stuff is good.”
“You’ve just about drunk me out of house and home,” Red said.
“It would take the U.S. Navy on Fleet Week to drink you out of house and home,”
Ray replied.
Kallie bid them good night and walked slowly to her room. She got out of her clothes and pulled on a pair of comfortable shorts, a t-shirt, and then crawled into bed.
She sighed, feeling some of the day’s tension run out of her body.
Imagine if he was here with me, she thought. She could imagine Hunter pulling her close to him, hugging her from behind, his arms wrapped around her like a cocoon.
A pang of loss hit her in the midsection as she realized she’d never feel him that way again.
Kallie drifted off into an uneasy sleep, and her dreams were dark and muddled, but full of angry faces and loud voices.
And then something woke her.
She snapped awake in the darkness, knowing she’d heard something.
Someone had screamed. Yes, someone had screamed, and in her dream it had been a woman at the deli counter of a supermarket. Kallie had been ordering pounds and pounds of Boar’s Head ham, and the woman taking her order had let out a shriek or rage as she’d weighed the ham on the scale.
Now that she was awake, heart pounding thickly in her chest, Kallie knew that scream had definitely infiltrated her dreams, and had taken place in real life.
Slowly she slid out of bed.
There was another noise, and this time it was unmistakably the sound of glass shattering.
Kallie let out a cry herself—put her hand to her mouth.
For some reason, the first thing she thought was that Terrence was breaking into the house to kill her.
Next she heard the pounding of feet running down the hallway, and then Red’s voice. He was talking loudly, and someone was responding.
Kallie opened the door to her room and stepped uncertainly into the hallway. “Is everything okay?” she said.
Nobody answered.
The voices were less frantic now. Kallie started to walk toward them, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Whatever had happened, it came from the guest room where Red’s father was staying.
Inside, Red was talking with his father, who was wearing an old, tattered pair of white boxers and nothing else. His chest was pale and hairy. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking rather casual. But he had a large red scratch running down the side of his face.
He looked at Kallie and smiled somewhat balefully.
Red was staring out the
Similar Books
