Then he disconnected.
I flipped the phone shut and handed it to Indy just as the bel over the door rang. We al turned to see who it was and my eyes widened at what I saw.
“Ohmigod!” Indy yel ed. “Beth! I thought you were in New Mexico.”
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
Indy hugged Beth and Beth said to her, “I moved back. I heard you final y hooked up with Lee.”
“Yeah,” Indy showed Beth her left hand, wiggling her fingers. “We’re getting married.”
“That’s great!” Beth replied, smiling happily at Indy. Then her eyes slid to me and her face got pink. “Um, Roxie. Can we talk?”
Shit!
Shit, shit, shit!
Indy, Jet, Duke and Uncle Tex al stared at me. Only Uncle Tex knew about my earlier idiotic blunder.
“Sure,” I said to Beth.
We were al eating our sandwiches at the book counter.
Beth and I walked over to a couch and sat down.
I turned to her and said quickly, “I’m sorry. It was stu –” Her eyes were kind as she looked at me and she interrupted softly. “Don’t be sorry. Hank told me about your… ordeal.”
I gaped at her. “He did?”
“Yes. I’m so, so sorry you went through that. He told me, because of that, you’re behaving erratical y and you have trust issues,” she patted my knee. “That’s understandable.” Behaving erratical y?
Trust issues?
Good God.
I was going to kill Hank.
She went on. “Anyway, what I wanted to talk to you about was… um…” she stopped, looking uncomfortable.
“Yeah?” I prompted, smiling at her even as I mental y planned Hank’s untimely demise.
“You dress real y cool,” she blurted. “And I thought…
maybe, if you don’t mind, could you, maybe, um… take me shopping?”
I gaped at her again.
She went on in a rush. “I know, we barely know each other and it’s like, real y weird that I’d ask but –”
“I’d love that!” I cried excitedly, not thinking before the
“I’d love that!” I cried excitedly, not thinking before the words flew out of my mouth.
Then I thought.
Oh shit.