her invitation. I wouldn’t mind seeing you strutting down a runway in a bathing suit.”
“Forget it. Once in a lifetime was enough.”
Johnny turned south onto a county highway. “Ridge Runner Road, right?” Johnny asked. “The big white house?”
“How did you know that?”
“Found out where you lived when we were in high school. I had a crush on you.”
“You did? On me ?”
“I would have asked you out, but I was scared of your brothers.”
“Yeah—they were a tremendous asset to my dating life.”
“Scully’s running your family’s farm these days, isn’t he?”
Mazie burped in a very unladylike way. “Uh-huh.”
“And the other brother? Jim?”
“Jimmy’s a contractor. He builds houses.”
“Huh. I would have guessed home demolition.”
Mazie was about to ask Johnny what he did for a living, but they were already pulling into the farm’s driveway. A distance that took twenty minutes on a bike took only five in a car.
Johnny parked in the shade and turned off the engine. They both looked at the house, where the entire Maguire family was clustered on the front porch. Gran, Scully, the twins, Muffin, and—oh God—Labeck, all of them staring. Mazie heaved open the Caddy’s heavy door and got out. Her foot twisted under her—stupid slippery gravel—and she crashed to the ground.
Muffin streaked over and gave her a doggie face-washing, sniffed at her breath, then wrinkled his nose. Scully ambled over and hauled Mazie to her feet, grinning ear to ear. “Hell, Mazie, you smell like the Smirnoff distillery. Hey, Chief—how you doing?”
“Good. Uhh, some guy tried to run your sister off the road. She didn’t get the plates, but I’ll look into it, see what I can find out.”
Wrenching herself away from Scully, Mazie straightened to her full height, brushed dirt off her shorts, and waved to her family. “Hi, everybody. Miss me?”
Scully’s grin widened. “My baby sis, the wino.”
Johnny took the bike out of the Caddy’s trunk and leaned it against a tree. Ben stepped forward, and Mazie performed the introductions. “Ben Labeck, this is Johnny Hoolihan. Johnny’s an old classmate.”
The two men sized each other up, loathed each other on first sight, grimly shook hands, and held an unspoken conversation:
Hoolihan: Dude, I could have bagged her if I’d wanted .
Labeck: If you laid a hand on her I’m going to punch you so hard your tonsils will squirt out your ears .
Tight smiles played over their faces, neck veins stood out, and their grips were so hard that both of them were going to have to stick their hands in tubs of ice water later.
Finally the stag display ended and Johnny returned to his car. “Nice seeing you all again. Give my best to Emily,” he called before driving off.
Gran turned to Mazie, eyes snapping. “Well, young lady, what do you have to say for yourself? We were all worried sick.”
Mazie raised her chin. “You shouldn’t have worried. I was just getting the eggs, remember?”
“And where, may I ask, are those eggs?”
Mazie gazed around as though expecting the eggs to materialize out of thin air. “I didn’t get around to it. I was busy.”
“Aunt Mazie’s dru-u-nk,” Joey chanted, and Sam took up the chant as they all trooped into the house.
She ought to give the boys a lecture on respecting their elders, Mazie thought, but at the moment she didn’t feel up to it.
They’d waited on supper for her. She’d figured it was around four in the afternoon, but somehow time had been sucked into a black hole and spat out again hours later. It was actually six o’clock in the evening. Supper was sauteed bass—apparently the fishingexpedition had been successful—along with red potatoes in butter and parsley, baby carrots from the garden, and spice cake with cream cheese cinnamon frosting. As Mazie’s vodka-induced ebullience evaporated, guilt settled in to take its place. She should have been here, helping Gran fix supper. Good
“Forget it. Once in a lifetime was enough.”
Johnny turned south onto a county highway. “Ridge Runner Road, right?” Johnny asked. “The big white house?”
“How did you know that?”
“Found out where you lived when we were in high school. I had a crush on you.”
“You did? On me ?”
“I would have asked you out, but I was scared of your brothers.”
“Yeah—they were a tremendous asset to my dating life.”
“Scully’s running your family’s farm these days, isn’t he?”
Mazie burped in a very unladylike way. “Uh-huh.”
“And the other brother? Jim?”
“Jimmy’s a contractor. He builds houses.”
“Huh. I would have guessed home demolition.”
Mazie was about to ask Johnny what he did for a living, but they were already pulling into the farm’s driveway. A distance that took twenty minutes on a bike took only five in a car.
Johnny parked in the shade and turned off the engine. They both looked at the house, where the entire Maguire family was clustered on the front porch. Gran, Scully, the twins, Muffin, and—oh God—Labeck, all of them staring. Mazie heaved open the Caddy’s heavy door and got out. Her foot twisted under her—stupid slippery gravel—and she crashed to the ground.
Muffin streaked over and gave her a doggie face-washing, sniffed at her breath, then wrinkled his nose. Scully ambled over and hauled Mazie to her feet, grinning ear to ear. “Hell, Mazie, you smell like the Smirnoff distillery. Hey, Chief—how you doing?”
“Good. Uhh, some guy tried to run your sister off the road. She didn’t get the plates, but I’ll look into it, see what I can find out.”
Wrenching herself away from Scully, Mazie straightened to her full height, brushed dirt off her shorts, and waved to her family. “Hi, everybody. Miss me?”
Scully’s grin widened. “My baby sis, the wino.”
Johnny took the bike out of the Caddy’s trunk and leaned it against a tree. Ben stepped forward, and Mazie performed the introductions. “Ben Labeck, this is Johnny Hoolihan. Johnny’s an old classmate.”
The two men sized each other up, loathed each other on first sight, grimly shook hands, and held an unspoken conversation:
Hoolihan: Dude, I could have bagged her if I’d wanted .
Labeck: If you laid a hand on her I’m going to punch you so hard your tonsils will squirt out your ears .
Tight smiles played over their faces, neck veins stood out, and their grips were so hard that both of them were going to have to stick their hands in tubs of ice water later.
Finally the stag display ended and Johnny returned to his car. “Nice seeing you all again. Give my best to Emily,” he called before driving off.
Gran turned to Mazie, eyes snapping. “Well, young lady, what do you have to say for yourself? We were all worried sick.”
Mazie raised her chin. “You shouldn’t have worried. I was just getting the eggs, remember?”
“And where, may I ask, are those eggs?”
Mazie gazed around as though expecting the eggs to materialize out of thin air. “I didn’t get around to it. I was busy.”
“Aunt Mazie’s dru-u-nk,” Joey chanted, and Sam took up the chant as they all trooped into the house.
She ought to give the boys a lecture on respecting their elders, Mazie thought, but at the moment she didn’t feel up to it.
They’d waited on supper for her. She’d figured it was around four in the afternoon, but somehow time had been sucked into a black hole and spat out again hours later. It was actually six o’clock in the evening. Supper was sauteed bass—apparently the fishingexpedition had been successful—along with red potatoes in butter and parsley, baby carrots from the garden, and spice cake with cream cheese cinnamon frosting. As Mazie’s vodka-induced ebullience evaporated, guilt settled in to take its place. She should have been here, helping Gran fix supper. Good
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