“How do you not feel like death?” I ask her.
“I didn’t drink as much as you did.”
“Why not? And why did you let me? This is your fault,” I blame her. However, there is no heat in my tone. We both know I’m a big girl and did this all on my own.
“You needed to let loose. You never do.”
“Wait, did we walk home last night?” I try to pull up the memories from our night out with the girls at Pony Up. I remember lots of shots, and the guys were there, but they didn’t bother us.
“Nope. Grayson gave us a ride.”
My arm that’s thrown over my eyes falls to my side, and I peel my eyes open, blinking a few times to adjust to the bright light. “Say that again.”
“Grayson Davis. He gave us a ride home. You should call him and thank him, make him some cookies or something. He did carry you upstairs.” There is a smirk playing on her lips, and I remind myself that I’m glad that she’s home.
I sit up. My head pounds, but I need to be looking at her for this conversation. “He did what?” I ask, suddenly not feeling as hungover as before, as panic sets in.
“He carried you upstairs. It was very sweet.”
“No. No. No. Oh my God, Leni. I’m never drinking again!” Closing my eyes tight, I fall back against the pillows and try to pull up my foggy memories from last night. I vaguely remember him helping me into his truck.
“What happened?” I ask my sister.
“He helped us both into his truck and out of it. You were passed out, so he carried you. He put you to bed and left.”
I swallow hard. “What do you mean? He put me to bed?” Lifting the covers, I look to see what I’m wearing, and I’m in nothing but my shirt and panties. Looking over the edge of the bed, I see my skirt on the floor. My wide eyes find hers, and she chuckles.
“You did that all on your own. He simply laid you in bed, covered you up, and left.”
“Perfect,” I say sarcastically.
“Come on. It’s not that bad. We’ve all been there.”
“Did I do or say anything that I shouldn’t have? And for your information. I’ve never been so drunk that Grayson or any man had to carry me to bed.”
“No, you were fine. Come on. Get up and get moving. I need to go see my boy.”
“Fine,” I grumble. Tossing off the covers, I make my way to the bathroom to shower. As I’m stripping out of my clothes, I think back, and nothing new comes to mind. I wish like hell I could remember. Grayson freaking Davis was in my apartment, and he carried me to bed, and I can’t remember. Just my damn luck.
There’s a knock on the bathroom door. “Yeah!” I call out, cringing when the sound of my own voice causes my headache to throb even more.
“You might want to take a look at the MC Scoop.” Lenora chuckles when I groan.
“Damnit, Tate!” I curse.
Wrapping a towel around my body, I go back to my room, grabbing my phone and pulling up the blog.
Pony Up Shenanigans
Buckle up, ladies and gents. Looks like our fire chief and bookstore owner are moving
forward with their romance. With the perfect embrace, the lady in question, along with
her sister, were escorted home by our handsome chief.
Love is in the air.
Tossing my phone on the bed, I stomp back to the shower. My sister’s laughter follows me. Not only did Grayson have to drive my drunk ass home, now he has to deal with this. I need to stop and have a talk with Tate. Not that it will do a damn bit of good. She’s relentless in her reporting of Mason Creek gossip.
“You coming inside?” my sister asks when I pull into our parents’ driveway after we’ve collected my car.
“No. I don’t need a lecture from Mom. I need to go to the store, and do laundry. If I get in there and start playing with Trace, I’ll never get home and get everything done.”
“Fine. Trace and I will stop by the store one day this week to see you. I’ve got some things to figure out, and we need to find our own place, stat.”
Leaning over the console, I hug her tight. “I’m so glad you’re both home. I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too, Laken. I’ll see you this week.” She climbs out of the car and leans down, sticking her head through the window. “Don’t forget you owe Grayson some cookies or brownies or something.” She winks and rushes away, bounding up the front steps of our parents’ house.
I can’t even be mad about her teasing. She knows I crushed on Grayson hard in high school, and she also knows the adult me is still freaking out about last night. And well, she’s home, where she belongs. I’ll take all the teasing she can dish out. I’m just glad she’s here to do it in person.