also let her take a lot of it home, and Nancy had brought her coffee.
“But the coasters,” she muttered.
“Huh?” Kenny looked at her.
“Nothing. I still think she’s nice, and I want to keep being her friend. I don’t…” Margot grew silent. She had been about to say she didn’t have many friends. The only one from the past who stayed in touch was Edna, but Edna was many miles away in North Carolina.
Kenny shrugged. He didn’t appear to care one way or another. They headed over to the rest of the group, and Margot took a seat among them.
“Margot,” Nancy said, holding court and gesturing like a queen, “this is Greg and Debra Armitage. Greg is a marine biologist, and Debra works as a college professor of English literature at Kingsborough.”
Jimmy made a rude noise with beefy arms folded across his chest. “That’s what they say, but why are they living here? Sounds fishy if you ask me.”
Kenny covered a guffaw with his hand, and Margot thought she heard a chuckle from Mercer too.
“Jimmy!” Nancy’s eyes flashed fire, all sweetness vanished. “I will not have one of my guests insulted. If you have to be mean, you will do it elsewhere.”
Debra had blanched from Jimmy’s comments and had gone as still as a statue, but Greg took it all in fun. “You got me, Jimmy,” he joked. “I’m not really a scientist. I’m an associate at the mall.”
“Yeah,” Jimmy chuckled. Now his cheeks were red.
Kenny whispered, “Jimmy works at the mall.”
Greg’s gaze swung to Margot, and his smile grew. “Good to meet you, Margot. Welcome to our community. Where are you from?”
Margot had expected this question from the start, and she was surprised she had lasted this long and met so many who hadn’t asked. “I’m originally from a small town in North Carolina, Briney Creek. Have you heard of it?”
“Can’t say I have. My wife Debra has people from Virginia, but she’s been here most of her life. Isn’t that right, honey?”
Margot sensed all attention shift to Debra, who still hadn’t spoken or moved since Jimmy had accused her and her husband of lying about their jobs.
“Debra?” Greg reached for his wife’s hand, but she moved it out of reach. Her husband gasped, but she ignored him as she jumped to her feet and fisted her hands while she glared at Jimmy.
“You’re a murderer,” Debra shouted.
Nancy cried out and sagged against her chair. Mercer started and dropped the plate of food Nancy had served him facedown on the carpet. Margot gripped her chair arms in a fright, Kenny dragged a struggling Dottie into his arms, and Jimmy turned beet red.
“What did you say, fruitcake?” Jimmy asked in a deadly tone as he rose to his feet.
Now Greg was on his feet, pushing his wife behind him, but she kept stepping around him. In fact as Margot took them both in, Greg with his slim build was no match for his stouter wife.
“You’re not going to talk to my wife like that, Jimmy,” Greg threatened.
“Oh, yeah, what are you going to do?” Jimmy started forward, but Kenny thrust Dottie into Margot’s arms and ran between them, pushing Jimmy back. Jimmy was a big, solidly built man, but even for a teen, Kenny matched him.
“Whoa, you’re not going to fight a woman, are you, Jimmy?”
“Kid, get out of the way,” Jimmy warned. “You heard what she said to me. I don’t know what you think I did, lady, but you’re wrong.”
“I don’t think,” Debra said. Now she trembled from head to toe, whether in rage or in fear, Margot couldn’t tell. “I know you killed Coley.”
“There are children present,” Mercer squeaked. No one listened to him. Nancy had rushed to the kitchen to get supplies to clean up the mess on the floor. Margot tried to split her attention between the arguers and Nancy, trying to memorize what she used to clean the carpet and how she went about the task.
“You know I did it, huh?” Jimmy said. “Well, maybe I should kill you too!”
Margot
“But the coasters,” she muttered.
“Huh?” Kenny looked at her.
“Nothing. I still think she’s nice, and I want to keep being her friend. I don’t…” Margot grew silent. She had been about to say she didn’t have many friends. The only one from the past who stayed in touch was Edna, but Edna was many miles away in North Carolina.
Kenny shrugged. He didn’t appear to care one way or another. They headed over to the rest of the group, and Margot took a seat among them.
“Margot,” Nancy said, holding court and gesturing like a queen, “this is Greg and Debra Armitage. Greg is a marine biologist, and Debra works as a college professor of English literature at Kingsborough.”
Jimmy made a rude noise with beefy arms folded across his chest. “That’s what they say, but why are they living here? Sounds fishy if you ask me.”
Kenny covered a guffaw with his hand, and Margot thought she heard a chuckle from Mercer too.
“Jimmy!” Nancy’s eyes flashed fire, all sweetness vanished. “I will not have one of my guests insulted. If you have to be mean, you will do it elsewhere.”
Debra had blanched from Jimmy’s comments and had gone as still as a statue, but Greg took it all in fun. “You got me, Jimmy,” he joked. “I’m not really a scientist. I’m an associate at the mall.”
“Yeah,” Jimmy chuckled. Now his cheeks were red.
Kenny whispered, “Jimmy works at the mall.”
Greg’s gaze swung to Margot, and his smile grew. “Good to meet you, Margot. Welcome to our community. Where are you from?”
Margot had expected this question from the start, and she was surprised she had lasted this long and met so many who hadn’t asked. “I’m originally from a small town in North Carolina, Briney Creek. Have you heard of it?”
“Can’t say I have. My wife Debra has people from Virginia, but she’s been here most of her life. Isn’t that right, honey?”
Margot sensed all attention shift to Debra, who still hadn’t spoken or moved since Jimmy had accused her and her husband of lying about their jobs.
“Debra?” Greg reached for his wife’s hand, but she moved it out of reach. Her husband gasped, but she ignored him as she jumped to her feet and fisted her hands while she glared at Jimmy.
“You’re a murderer,” Debra shouted.
Nancy cried out and sagged against her chair. Mercer started and dropped the plate of food Nancy had served him facedown on the carpet. Margot gripped her chair arms in a fright, Kenny dragged a struggling Dottie into his arms, and Jimmy turned beet red.
“What did you say, fruitcake?” Jimmy asked in a deadly tone as he rose to his feet.
Now Greg was on his feet, pushing his wife behind him, but she kept stepping around him. In fact as Margot took them both in, Greg with his slim build was no match for his stouter wife.
“You’re not going to talk to my wife like that, Jimmy,” Greg threatened.
“Oh, yeah, what are you going to do?” Jimmy started forward, but Kenny thrust Dottie into Margot’s arms and ran between them, pushing Jimmy back. Jimmy was a big, solidly built man, but even for a teen, Kenny matched him.
“Whoa, you’re not going to fight a woman, are you, Jimmy?”
“Kid, get out of the way,” Jimmy warned. “You heard what she said to me. I don’t know what you think I did, lady, but you’re wrong.”
“I don’t think,” Debra said. Now she trembled from head to toe, whether in rage or in fear, Margot couldn’t tell. “I know you killed Coley.”
“There are children present,” Mercer squeaked. No one listened to him. Nancy had rushed to the kitchen to get supplies to clean up the mess on the floor. Margot tried to split her attention between the arguers and Nancy, trying to memorize what she used to clean the carpet and how she went about the task.
“You know I did it, huh?” Jimmy said. “Well, maybe I should kill you too!”
Margot
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