At Wits' End - Kenzie Reed Page 0,59
two.”
I know this will get under Miss Independent’s skin. I mean, we’ve got a troubled history, but will she ever lay it to rest? Why won’t she let me help her? She’s still bugging me to tell her how much the furniture cost. She won’t even let me make her coffee. I was shocked that she asked me to do the cow horn thing.
I stuff my frustration down deep and head into the locker room. Angus, Pamela’s husband, is changing back into a suit. A tall, rangy man with a shock of blond hair, he was a couple of years ahead of me in high school. He greets me with a wave.
“Hey, Angus. How’s the wife?” I ask. “Is she still sticking pins in a voodoo doll with my name on it?”
He flashes me a friendly grin. “I can neither confirm nor deny. Mostly because she’s a demon of vengeance when she wants to be, and I’d like to maintain the ability to father more children. But the fact that she was willing to rent you an office in our building is a sign that she’s not currently feeling too murderous towards you. How are you settling back into life in Greenvale?”
“Very nicely, thank you. Seriously, though. I know that Pamela’s very protective where Sienna is concerned. I just want you to know, and maybe tell Pamela, I care about Sienna a lot more than my actions in middle school and high school may have demonstrated. I have no ill intentions towards her whatsoever.”
“Well, that’s reasonable. We were all little assholes back then, weren’t we? I tried to pull Pamela’s pigtails once when I was eight and she was six, because I had a crush on her.”
“Oh no.” I shudder. “How did that go?”
“About how you’d expect.” He chuckles ruefully and grabs his gym bag. “She pivoted out of my reach, then whirled back and punched me in the nuts. The next day, all of her brothers met me on the playground and informed me that if I even looked at her again… Well, let’s just say I still have flashbacks in which I remember what they described. I didn’t even speak to her again until high school.”
He fishes in his jacket pocket and hands me a card. “Call me if you ever need anything, or if you want to grab a drink in town. I usually hang at Shaughnessy’s a couple of nights a week.” That’s a pub owned by one of Pamela’s brothers. “I will relay your message to my wife. Not sure it’ll help.”
I head out to the treadmill room. Unfortunately, the only free treadmill is two down from the ones where Carrie and Tonya are perched like vultures. How do they manage to be everywhere I am?
I make a big show of putting my headphones on so they won’t try to talk to me, then proceed to do a punishing hour-long run. Some of the tension fades from my body.
Carrie and Tonya finally finish up on the treadmills, but they don’t leave. They stand there checking their phones, gossiping with each other, and stalling so they can pounce on me as soon as I’m done with my run.
As I’m finishing, Heather walks by in a strategically slashed gym shirt that reveals her bra.
“Whore,” Carrie and Tonya say at the exact same moment.
“Bitches,” Heather sneers, but she quick-steps back away from them.
“She’s had so much work done she can’t stand next to a radiator or she’ll melt,” Carrie smirks.
“You’re so old you were a waitress at the last supper.” Heather takes a step towards the door.
“You’re such a slut you’ve got a turnstile on your bedroom door.”
“You’re so ugly, your portraits hang yourselves.” Heather spits out the words.
“Bitch!” Carrie screeches, and she and Tonya charge towards her. Heather screams.
I leap between them. I’ve had it with pointless fights today. “Knock it off, or the manager’s going to end up calling the cops!”
Heather takes the opportunity to bolt out the door.
“And stay out!” Carrie screams after her. “Quit skanking up my gym!” Then she returns her attention to me. “Why aren’t you at Greenvale Used Auto?” Her lips curl up in a snide, angry grimace that’s meant to approximate a smile.
Has she finally cracked? I mean, Carrie’s annoying AF, but her needling normally makes sense. “I like my car just fine, thanks.”
“No, I mean to give your wife a ride home.”
I look at her blankly.
“You know, because she just sold her car.”
Normally, when it comes to anything important,