Strangely Normal - By Tess Oliver Page 0,36
kind of stuffy in here, Cole. I think I’ll step outside for some fresh air.” I plastered a smile on my face. “Nice meeting you all.”
I stepped outside onto the small patio off the party room. There were several people sitting out there on chairs, so as far as I was concerned, I was technically still at the party. And according to my estimation, I had about half an hour of the drudgery left. Hopefully, Finley wouldn’t be too upset if I left early. A hand took hold of mine. My thoughts seemed to have conjured her.
“Eden, I feel bad. I hadn’t meant to abandon you like this. It’s just that I haven’t seen Max in so long.”
I held her hand in mine. “Finley, please don’t worry about it. I can handle this alone, but I’ll probably turn in early if that’s all right with you.”
“See, you’re bored. I knew you would be.”
“Really, Finley, it’s fine. I’ve never been much for big parties. I’m just glad you’re having a good time.” I smiled. “So do you still like him as much?”
Her blue eyes sparkled beneath the fringe of white bangs. “I do, Eden. He’s gotten even better, if that’s possible. And it looks like he’ll be sticking around town longer now. He’s going to work with his dad.”
“Great. So you’ll be able to see him more.”
“Yep.” A small frown pulled at her mouth.
“What’s the matter?”
She sighed. “It’s just Max knows I’ve had some problems in the past, but I don’t think he knows that I can’t leave the house. What am I supposed to say when he asks me out?”
“Can’t Cole explain stuff to him?”
“My brother doesn’t admit it much, but he’s embarrassed about me.”
“Then we better start moving forward on your goals so we can get you out on a date with him.” My optimism sounded a little forced even to my own ears, and the look on Finley’s face was gloomy with defeat. It was definitely a daunting situation, and I had no real answers for her except to continue with small steps and see where they led.
“You’re right,” Finley said quietly. “For tonight, I’m not going to worry about it. I’m just going to have fun.” The conviction in her tone and words seemed genuine, and I was relieved to hear it.
“Good idea. Go back to him, Finley. I’ll be fine. I might even have one more of those super sweet drinks just to help me get in the party mood.”
She hugged me and went back inside. Seconds later, my alcohol soaked friend had found me again. This time he had the nerve to take hold of my arm.
“There you are, garden of Eden. I was hoping we could share an apple together.”
“I’m not really in the mood for fruit.” I pulled away from him and hopped down the small flight of steps leading to the yard. I was confident he wouldn’t have the balance to walk down stairs, but he proved me wrong. Annoyance was quickly morphing into fear. I looked around, but the few party-goers who had stepped outside were too busy with their conversations to notice drunken Mike staggering after me like a horny Frankenstein. With large feet and a lumber that bordered on clumsy, he was alarmingly fast on his feet. He grabbed my arm and twisted it. There was nothing I hated more than a scene, and I concentrated on keeping my cool. After all, I had my wits and one big advantage, I was sober. He, on the other hand, was having a hard time focusing as he swayed back and forth like a giant tree about to fall. I shoved him hard with my free hand, but it was like pushing against a brick wall. My theory of him being an easy pushover had been squelched. Leaving the patio had been a huge mistake.
I took a step back and realized we were tucked securely into a corner of the rose garden wall. Unfortunately, our location did not escape his bleary-eyed notice either. With no small amount of force, he had me pressed against the wall. He stuck his thick thigh between my legs and held tightly to both my arms. He leaned forward and smothered my scream with his disgusting mouth. He released one of my hands and grabbed at the shoulder of my shirt. I shot my fist into his stomach, but at such close range, it had little impact. Then a hand grabbed his wrist.
“Damn, is that you,