him and wanted him back, it might be good to be with someone who wasn’t Marcus. That would maybe drill it home in my dumb head it was over, and my brain could go back to normal function.
Well, normal for me, anyway.
Some women hit midlife and had less sex drive, others had more. Me?
Pretty sure I was in the a lot more category.
“No?” She chuckled. “Still pissed about high school?”
“I… No. Just surprised.” Yeah, I was still pissed about high school. She made me hate myself. Of course, I was still pissed. But I wasn’t going to tell her that.
“Why? Because I love my dog?”
“No.” I shrugged. The truth seemed like a stupid plan, but I couldn’t stop myself from adding, “Because I never understood why you hated me so much.”
She hissed and turned away. “I haven’t had enough tequila for this discussion.”
“Here.” Of its own accord, my hand shot out and offered her my water bottle.
She raised a brow and took it, and took a long drink.“Damn, that’s the stuff. I want to get some of that monkshood tequila. I hear it can actually get vamps drunk.”
“Maybe we should get some. I know a guy.” I shrugged.
“The pups could play...” She returned the shrug. “It could be fun.”
But could it? Could it really? For an insane moment, I actually pictured us chilling by the fake river, having drinks and laughing away the bad times. Uh, no. Not a chance, brain. I wouldn’t be able to have fun drinking tequila hardcore enough to knock me on my ass if I spent the entire time waiting of her to pounce on my first sign of weakness and rip me to shreds.
I paused.
Shit. If her dog was telepathic, did that mean she could hear the thoughts I was having about her owner? I stole a glance at Mina and she looked up at me, no obvious outward sign that she’d heard my thoughts.
“So, I take it you’re still in town?” I asked, playing for time.
“Yeah. I moved to Texas for a while, but it didn’t suit me.”
We looked at each other. “The barbeque,” we said together and laughed.
“Actually, it wasn’t the barbeque. The tacos made up for it. Fuck, but I miss tacos.” She sighed. “I was Turned in Waco. It kind of soured the whole state for me.” She shoved her hands in her pockets. “So I came home. I guess you’re still here. Presley says you’re neighbors? How surreal is that?”
“Very. She came over yesterday morning with Lila Jean and they basically bullied me into coming.”
We were silent for a long time watching the dogs play.
“Why did you really come?” she asked, but then held up her hand to stop me before I could answer. “Please, don’t say you couldn’t say no or that it’s for a man. Not even one as great as Marc.”
I found myself liking her against my better judgment, and it pissed me off. “Maybe a last dance, you know.”
She nodded slowly. “I do know.” Then she looked at what I was wearing. “I hope you’re not wearing that to Prom Redux?”
“I would, but my daughter made me a dress. So I guess I’ll be wearing that.”
Fuck. Maybe I really was a reverse Breakfast Club. Or I would be, when I put on that dress and walked into that ballroom in an effort to recapture a slice of my past life. I was reminded of that scene where Ally Sheedy asked Molly Ringwald why she was being so nice to her.
But you’d pry my black eyeliner out of my cold dead paws.
Brooke handed me a business card that had her smiling face on it and the name of a real estate agency, along with her phone number. Real estate agent. Figured. Even in high school she could have sold graveyard dirt to a zombie.
“In case I don’t see you again this weekend,” she said by way of explanation. “Call me, and we can set up a playdate for the dogs.”
Call her? I looked at where Vlad still frolicked with Mina, and back down at the card in my hand. Well, I’d gotten her number. Whether I’d be able to use it was a totally different story.
“Sure,” I managed.
“Marge?”
“Yeah?”
“You can use it if you need any help with your hair or makeup tonight, too.” She rolled her eyes. “Even if it’s for a man.”
Part of me wanted to let this lie, but I couldn’t. “I don’t know, Brooke. You were really awful to me. I don’t know