MacKenzie Fire(81)

“That girl happens to be my best friend, and she never did anything to you, so you better stop talking about her or else.”

Everyone in the restaurant has pretty much stopped talking or eating. All eyes are on us, and I totally don’t care. I’m all fired up, seeing that Hannah somehow believes she’s entitled to ruin my best friend’s life.

“You gotta lotta nerve coming in here and talking to me like that,” Hannah says, glaring at me. Her head bobs and weaves a little.

I lean over the counter a little and talk loud enough for the whole place to hear me. “You’ve got a lot of nerve making up lies about people you know nothing about.”

“I don’t make up lies,” she spits back. “I just tell it like I hear it.”

“Then you’re hearing wrong.”

“Says who?”

We’re practically nose to nose right now.

“Says me. So you can stop telling people that Andie broke you and Mack up because everyone knows you guys were never together. And you can stop telling everyone that she broke Ian and Ginny up because Ginny did that all by herself. Mack had nothing to do with it, and Andie had nothing to do with it.” I back up and let my words sink in.

“Well, guess what, Miss Know-It-All?” Hannah says, her mouth all twisted up, “I’m not the one saying all those things, so you can go sit on Ian’s gear shift and spin as far as I’m concerned.”

My mouth drops open as my face burns flame-red. Is it that obvious that I’ve sat on Ian’s gear shift?

Before I can answer, Ian puts his hand on my shoulder and pulls me back from the bar. “Hannah, if it’s not you saying stuff, tell us who it is.”

Hannah loses her angry expression and starts to pout. “Why should I?”

“Because if you don’t, I’ll tell everyone what I know about a certain drunken confession I heard on the fourth of July last year.”

She glances quickly at Boog and then at Ian. “You wouldn’t.”

Ian smiles. “Oh, you know I would.”

Her nostrils flare. “Ian you are evil, you know that?”

“No argument here. You gonna fess up or am I going to start talking?” He looks pointedly at Boog.

Hannah’s face goes white. “No! No, I’m talking, I’m talking.” She grabs her apron off the counter and turns to face the cook. “I’m taking a break.”

“A break? You can’t take a break now!” He’s talking to her back, though, because she’s already halfway down the counter on the way to the front door.

She only pauses to grab a red puffy coat off a hook at the door and then she’s outside.

Boog just gives me a lifted eyebrow before going back to his lunch.

“Come on. Let’s hear what she has to say,” Ian says in my ear.

I ignore the whispers and stares from the patrons of the diner as we make our way out.

“She’s not getting off that easy,” I mumble as we walk through the door.

“Just let her talk,” Ian says. He laces his fingers through my gloved ones and shoves both of our hands into his coat pocket.

I try to keep the grin off my face, but it’s impossible. He’s declaring to the world that we’re together and I couldn’t be happier about it. Even though this is only a fling, it sure is a nice one. I can’t remember ever being this excited just to hold someone’s hand. Not even when Jimmy Cunningham grabbed my hand with his clammy one between forth and fifth periods in high school was I this thrilled. Maybe I’m coming down with something. I’m going to Google my symptoms later. Breathlessness? Check. Hootchie on fire? Check. Mood swings? Check aaaand double check. One minute I want to laugh and the next I want to bang heads together like two coconuts. I’m definitely ill, probably with something serious.

Hannah stops a few paces down the sidewalk outside the diner and huffs out a breath of hair, making white smoke go all around her face. “You got some nerve coming into my work and talking to me like that.” She’s glaring.

I can’t tell if she’s talking to me or Ian, but I answer anyway. “Stop spreading lies about people and you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

“How am I supposed to know they’re lies?”

“Because they’re about you, Stupid, and you know the truth.”

“Don’t call me stupid,” she says, giving me the stink-eye.

“Don’t act stupid and I won’t.” I give her the eye right back.

Ian steps sideways so he’s almost between us. “Come on let’s just get this over with.” He turns to Hannah. “Tell us who’s making up the lies, Hannah.”

“Not me.”

“So you say.” Ian glares at her.

“Isn’t that good enough for you, Ian?” She pouts again, and I have to admit, she is pretty good at it. “We used to be friends, you know.”

“No, Hannah, we were never friends. You’ve always been a pain in the ass.”

“Well that’s just plain rude.” She tries to act all offended.

“Whatever!” I say, cutting in on their leftover high school drama. “Who’s talking bad about Andie behind her back!”

She turns on me, looking ready to spit. “It’s Ginny, okay?!” She turns her gaze to Ian, her expression going softer. “Sorry. I know you didn’t want to hear that, but it’s true.”