Page 36 of Laugh

“Let’s not broach that topic, shall we?” Haddie mumbles under her breath. I can’t stop the coursing need to shield her from her sister, so I put my arm across the back of Haddie’s chair and scoot her closer to my side.

Pointing a finger at Haddie, Amber looks to her friends for support and sneers, “Did you know that not only is she a fuckinglibrarian–”

“A respectable job,” Haddie defends, affronted by the way Amber belittles her job.

“But she writesporn?Did you knowthat, Beau? The woman you’re wining and dining writes porn in her free time!” Amber is breathing heavily, and her friends start laughing behind their hands, mocking Haddie. Amber grins like she thinks she’s won a point in her favor.

Leaning forward, I lay into her. “Ididknow that. Although, I suspect it’s not porn, is it Happy?” She shakes her head, so I continue. “From what I understand, your sister has quite the following with her writing, so how about you try being informed before you fly off the handle? Your jealousy is showing. Green isn’t your color.”

“Jealousy?” she screeches. Huffing out a breath, she picks up her purse, and shoots a malicious glare toward Haddie. “I’m not going to sit here and let you embarrass me, our family,andBeau. You should be ashamed of yourself for tricking someone into taking you out on a date. Fucking pathetic if you ask me.”

Haddie is chewing on her lip as her sister’s tongue lashing whips her. “I wouldn’t say I’m an embarrassment, just more like I’m not everyone’s favorite ice cream flavor.” Her statement comes out more like she’s considering Amber’s accusations rather than being upset by them.

“What iswrongwith you?” Haddie winces slightly when her sister’s question silences everyone in the bar, not just the people in our group.

I’m absolutely seething at the audacity of this woman, but my girl’s quiet snort of laughter stops me from reacting. Then she whispers, “If you say more, she’ll stay.”

My jaw is grinding as we watch Amber storm out of the bar, her friends following behind slowly, unsure if they should stay or go.

As Kandii walks past us along with her muttered “bitch,” I see fucking red and move to stand up to confront her. But Haddie’s warm hand on my forearm draws my attention away from her.

“It’s fine,” she insists. Then, looking around the table, she gives everyone a sheepish smile. “I’m really sorry, guys. I’d love to say that if I’d known she’d behave like that, I wouldn’t have come here. But it’s a total lie. It was totally my idea to piss her off tonight.”

Jensen laughs loudly, then waves the waitress over again. We were so distracted when we sat down that we never did get to place our order.

Haddie leans toward Marcus. “What are we drinking tonight? Ireallydon’t want to stick with beer.”

His eyes light up, then drains his glass. “Tequila? Please?”

“You guys really like your tequila, huh?” I ask with a grin. It’s never been my favorite liquor, but I’d be okay taking a couple shots with them tonight.

Addie snickers. “They are obsessed with the stuff, but the toasts are worth it.”

My eyebrows rise as I remember the first night I met this woman, and how she insulted me with her toast. “Are you going to bless us with more?”

Haddie bites her lip and grins up at me. “If you’re lucky, which you are, because I’ve got a few brewing in my head.”

“After that, I want to hear more about thisnotporn you’re writing, Haddie,” Jensen teases.

Addie leans into his side. “Her stories are brilliant. Twisted, and really weird, but so freaking hilarious.”

Thankful that he isn’t making her feel like she should be ashamed of her side job, I grin at everyone at the table. “She came up with one in my car a couple of weeks ago. It’ll be the first one I get to read.”

Haddie blushes, but I can tell she’s relieved that no one else is making fun of her. I suspect she hears a lot of shit about it from her worthless family, if Amber’s reaction is any indication.The bartender drops off two shots of tequila for everyone. When she sits up straight while picking up her glass, I know we’re in for a treat.

“You want to go first, Marcus?” she asks.

I hold back a laugh as he raises his glass and stares at all of us before he says, “Here’s to all my friends and lovers. May all your ups and downs be under the covers!”

Haddie, along with everyone else, bursts out laughing as we choke down our shots. Addie slams down her glass, then claps her hands together. “You next, you next!” she chants, cheering Haddie on. Everyone is holding up their second shots, ready for the second round.

I guess we’re doing these back-to-back.

Haddie giggles before she even starts, and I watch as Marcus’s smile grows until he’s fighting back a laugh. Leaning toward him, I ask, “Why are you already laughing?”

From the side of his mouth, he whispers, “Because she’s gearing up for a good one.”

“Hush, boys. Alright, you all ready?” Haddie asks after scolding us. Once she has our attention, she clears her throat. “When God made man, he had a little left, so he left a little thing. When God made woman, there wasn’t quite enough, so he left a little space. Here’s a toast to ‘little things in space’.”

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