Shine Not Burn(95)

Tears came to my eyes. “I’m so sorry,” I said, my voice breaking partway through. The shame was unbearable.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Maeve, obviously unhappy. “This is not your fault.”

“Of course it’s not her fault,” said Bradley. “She was attacked by that woman over there. I hope she knows she’s looking at a civil suit.”

I held up my hand. “Stop, Bradley. I’m not suing anyone.”

“Of course you are. We’re not going to let some inbred criminal attack you like that.”

“Man, I don’t know who you are, but you’d better watch your mouth.” This threat came from Ian. I glanced over and saw him standing off to the side with Boog who was looking after a distraught Hannah Banana. I don’t know why I thought she looked like Chuckie before. Now she just looked pitiful, with makeup smeared under her eyes, one of her heels broken off, and her hair in frizzy clumps all over the place.

Mack got me to my feet and held onto me until I had my balance back. I nodded to let him know he could let me go and he did, stepping away.

Bradley moved in to put his arm around me. “Come on, we’re leaving.”

I shook him off, getting angry when he made it difficult. “No, stop. I’m not going with you.”

Bradley stood there with his arms out in a frozen embrace. “What do you mean you’re not going with me? You just got hit on the head. You can’t travel by yourself.”

“If she needs to go back, I’ll take her,” said Mack. He looked at me. “Or you could just not go back. You could stay.”

Bradley laughed, a very snobbish unkind sound coming from his throat. “Oh, man … do you really think a girl like Andie’d be interested in staying out here in the middle of bumf*ck Oregon with you? … Just because you’ve got a cowboy hat on and a swinging dick? Please. She has more class than that.” He reached for me again, but I stepped out of his range and closer to Mack.

“Don’t talk to him like that,” I insisted, embarrassed about the fact that I’d actually considered marrying this jerk. All the times Ruby and I had made fun of him at the firm came back to me, along with all the feelings of loathing they had engendered. I realized then that I had some freakishly superhuman powers of distraction, somehow managing to trick myself into forgetting all that and actually sleeping with him for almost two years.

“You’re defending him?” Bradley took a step back. “I don’t get it, Andie. What the hell is going on here?”

The ladies who’d been straightening up the buffet moved closer to listen in, Maeve and Grandma Lettie at the head of the group. Angus, Ian, and Boog came over too, all of them forming a large ring around the three of us: Mack, Bradley, and me. It was like the showdown at the OK Corral, only without guns and a lot more embarrassment.

I cleared my throat, my gaze darting to the faces around me. I saw questioning looks, accusatory ones, and sad ones. The only one that mattered to me was Mack’s, and of course his face was a mask I couldn’t read.

“Tell him, Andie,” Mack encouraged. ‘Tell him what we did.”

My voice caught in my throat as the tears spilled over onto my cheeks. I shook my head slowly, the humiliation of telling everyone what I’d done to both Mack and Bradley with my carelessness too much to bear.

“Do you want me to do it?” he asked gently.

I couldn’t say yes. It was wrong to make him shoulder this burden. “No,” I finally said through the tears that continued to fall. “I’ll do it.”

“Tell me,” said Bradley, angry now.

“Don’t be mad at Mack,” I begged. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

“What’s going on, Andie?” said Angus, his voice calm and soft. “Whatever it is, I’m sure we can work it out.”

I put my hand on my lips to keep them from quivering. Reaching deep down inside me, I pulled up the last bit of reserves I had to calm myself enough to talk. I cleared my throat and looked at Grandma Lettie. She nodded her head once and winked at me, her face completely serious. I used her confidence as my guide and then looked at Bradley so I could deliver the crushing blow to both of our hearts.





Chapter Forty-Two





YOU COULD HAVE HEARD A pin drop when I started talking.

“Two years ago I went to Las Vegas with my two girlfriends. While I was there I met Mack.” I looked over at him and my breath hitched when I saw the longing in his eyes. I had to turn away so I could continue. I focused on Bradley’s angry expression instead. I owed him that much.

“We played blackjack but then we drank a lot. I’d already had quite a few cocktails before I’d met him, but then we had more, and eventually we ended up … getting together.”

“Aw, Jesus, come on, Andie, this has nothing to do with us,” said Bradley. “We didn’t start dating until after you met him and came back.”

“Yes, it does have something to do with us. It has everything to do with us. Just … let me tell it.” I took a deep breath and looked at Maeve. Time to pay the piper.

“When we were in Vegas, we got married. At one of those twenty-four hour chapels.”

Maeve’s eyes opened wider and she looked at her husband. He seemed more stunned than she did.