MacKenzie Fire(67)

Boog’s eyes crinkle up at the corners. “I’ve upgraded after each fight. This time I’m going for the fifty-inch high def model.”

I laugh at the obvious excitement in his voice. “You’re kind of crazy, you know that?”

His smile fades. “You’re kind of beautiful, you know that?”

I’m too stunned to respond, but he keeps on going.

“Just be careful. With Ian, I mean.”

“What? Ian? He’s harmless.”

“I don’t mean be careful as in he’s dangerous … I mean be careful with his heart. It’s pretty tender.”

I snort, so fed up with all the pandering I see going on here. Boog’s getting free TVs when it’s practically his fault the fighting keeps happening. They’re all co-dependent sorrow addicts. “Please,” I say with as much scorn in my voice as I can manage. “You guys are all just a bunch of enablers.

Boog stands up straighter and looks confused. Maybe a little mad too. “Come again?”

“You’ve let him act like a giant baby for the last three years instead of kicking him in the butt and telling him to grow up and get over it. That’s not on me, that’s on you.”

And they have the nerve to warn me away. Ha! They should warn themselves away. They’re doing more harm to Ian than I ever could.

I grab the front door handle, more than ready now to leave this lame party. Boog just went from cool guy to butthead on my list. I don’t care if he gave me free chocolate.

His hand on my shoulder stops me just before I pull the door open.

“I didn’t mean to insult you. I think you’d be good for him. But only if you’re committed to seeing it through.”

I don’t turn around when I answer, my voice going out into the cold as I open the door and step outside. “You don’t need to worry about any of that. I’m over him.” Just saying the words makes me hurt.

The truck that Andie was driving before is parked at the curb, the engine rumbling and smoke coming out of the tailpipe. I trudge through the falling snow to the passenger side and get in next to Mack, ignoring anything Boog might be saying or thinking behind me.





Chapter Thirty-One





THE TRUCK IS WARM, BUT the reception cold. Mack says nothing for a few blocks. It’s so quiet in the car I can’t stand it.

“So, thanks for the ride,” I finally say, trying to break the ice. It’s horrible to think that he’s blaming me for the fight at Boog’s. And how did he get here so quickly? Was he already in town? Why not with Andie? I want the answers to all these questions, but I’m too embarrassed to ask them.

“No problem.” After a few seconds he glances over at me. “You okay?”

I shrug, not returning his gaze. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just …” I can’t say the rest.

“Just … what?”

I give up quickly on the idea of confessing to Mack. He’s not the confessor type. “You don’t want to know.”

He makes a right turn, and the back end of the truck slides a little. He gets it under control before responding. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”

I’m debating whether to tell him what’s really on my mind or to make something up when he continues.

“Andie asked me to talk to you about Ian,” he says before I can decide what I’m going to say.

I’m instantly on the defensive. “What about Ian?” I’m kind of offended that she didn’t just bring it up with me herself. Since when does my friend have conversations with me through her husband? That’s not cool. That’s not cool at all. It makes me angry at him that he thinks he can be that person, that intermediary in our friendship that was in place long before he came sauntering into her life, and it makes me doubly angry at Andie. It feels like our friendship is taking a very distant position behind her entire family. And maybe that’s the way it’s supposed to work when a girl gets married and has a baby, but it feels pretty terrible and I don’t like it one bit.

He sighs. “I suppose she’s worried you’ll get hurt.”

“Me? Or is it Ian she’s worried about?” I roll my eyes as I look out the side window at the snow falling in the glow of the streetlights. “Like everyone else in town seems to be.”

“Oh, it’s you she’s worried about. Definitely not Ian, believe me.”

I look at him sharply over his tone. “What’s that mean? You don’t agree with her?”

He taps his thumbs on the steering wheel. “I guess it’s a little complicated where Ian’s concerned.”

“Un-complicate it for me.” I really want to get to the bottom of this thing for Ian. It’s so stupid how he’s gotten stuck in time like he has. Even though I’m no longer planning to get into his Wranglers, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to help him.

“I wish I could.”

“Try.” I’m getting crankier by the second. It’s like Ian is a lost cause to everyone or something, which he totally isn’t.

Mack starts talking, but he doesn’t sound all that tough or confident like I expected him to. He sounds … sad.

“My brother has had a hard time of it lately.”