Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail(44)

Viola retied the pepper apron and gestured toward the baby chair. "Girly, you sit there."

"Wha—huh? Are you joking? What is that?"

"It's a chair." I quickly took my normal chair against the wall. I pointed out, "Brady sits there."

"It looks like a a baby."

"It is, but it's a chair, too." I felt stupid having this conversation.

Clarissa perched at the edge. "Okay. So what do you have to eat?"

Turning back from the counter, Viola held two glasses and a bottle of bourbon. She placed them on the table. She pushed one towards Clarissa and the other in front of her. Then she poured a small amount in each glass and sat back. Her eyes didn't leave Clarissa's face once, like a hawk.

"What is this? I'm underage. You can't give me alcohol."

Viola smiled. "Something tells me you're already half-doozied up anyways. Besides, if I had a heart to heart with your grandma Bertha, I'm pretty sure you'd be in more trouble than me. She's real tight with Judge Bailor and Deputy Doug."

"You mean Deputy Dog." Clarissa rolled her eyes.

"I call him by his God-given name," my grandmother murmured, deceptively soft, as she leaned forward on her elbows. She nudged the drink closer. "Go ahead. It's just us girls. No one else around."

With a disgusted sigh, Clarissa picked it up and looked between us. She sniffed the drink, then grimaced and tossed it down her throat.

"There you go." Viola smiled in approval and refilled it.

"What are you doing?" Clarissa's eyes were wide in shock.

"I figure if you can do one, why stop there? Everything's best in doubles. How about it? What's your name?"

"Clarissa."

"Drink up, Clarissa. Let's see who the real partier is."

"What?"

Viola nodded towards the drink and then drank hers slowly, savoring it. She wiped her mouth. "That was good. I'd like another. Your turn, Clarissa."

"Grandma, what are you doing?" This wasn't going to end well.

"Take the drink, Clarissa. Show me how tough you are."

The two stared at each other and I felt a shift in the air.

As I watched, completely baffled, Clarissa reached out with a sturdy hand and took the drink in one gulp. She placed the glass back on the table, jaw firm, and seemed to say 'so there' with her eyes.

Viola poured a third.

Clarissa downed it. Viola took hers and the contest kept going. Each for each until Clarissa started to waver as she reached for her umpteenth drink. She slurred as her eyes began to droop, "Thisss i soo illwegal. Yooou gould go do jawel."

My grandmother straightened in her chair and wiped her mouth. Her voice was clear. "No, honey. I'm not going to jail. I know too much dirt on our town's officials."

"Thenn whiii…?" Clarissa fell back against the chair and winced in pain.

"Why'd I get you drunk?" Viola stood up and put the bottle away. "Because I want you to tell me what you did to my granddaughter. I heard your snide comments out there and I didn't like them. I know your game. You think you're the queen around these parts, but I won't have my grandbaby be a part of your games."

Clarissa hiccupped and squinted at my grandmother. "Whah made you tink awll hurt her? I'm da one gidding hurd. Sthe took Brady away frob me."

"Brady—" Viola started.

Clarissa interrupted with a finger in Viola's face. "Kid likes her, her her more than me, too. I know this, but I hade that. She—Rayna…I don wanna hurd her. I'm hurding too…"

"Don't be one of those girls!" My grandmother pounded the table with both hands. "You don't be one of those girls."

"Huh? Waddya mean?"

My eyebrows bunched together. I had no idea what she meant either.

Viola was passionate. "If Brady and Kid like you then you've got something in you, something more than other girls. I hate to admit it, but Kid's got some backbone." She looked at me. "I still don't want you to have any part of him, but…" She looked at Clarissa again, who was starting to waver back and forth in her chair. "You don't be that girl who plays games. You don't get involved in those bitchy snide comments any longer."

"I'm darry." Clarissa frowned and scratched her head. Her wet hair was now disheveled, but she still pulled off the sexy look.

"Guys are only going to like you for one thing." Viola pressed as her voice gentled. "They're always going to want sex, but a few will care for you because of you. You keep those around and you listen to me, you have to find yourself some friends of the female sorts."

"I liked Rayna," Clarissa let slip, but gasped and covered her mouth. Her eyes widened in guilt. She whispered, "I'm so darry, Rayna. I wab just…Brady luvs you. I alwayth thought heed come back do me. I'm so darry. I'm tho drunk. I cand believee I'm thaying any of thiss."

"Me neither," I whispered against my own volition.

Viola waved a hand in the air. "You're saying this because I'm making you. Listen to me, whatever beef you have with my granddaughter, you bury it. You make nice with her. You make genuine with her. You do that from now on. You keep away from those girls who are only going to backstab you."