Page 50 of Trouble Walked In

“So,” Carrie said, drawing the word out. “What else have you two crazy kids been up to? That’s a lot of missing time.”

Lizzie’s cheeks heated instantly. She took another long swig of wine instead of answering.

Carrie leaned forward and peered at her. “Oh…my…God.”

“What?”

“Your cheeks are radioactive they’re so red.” Carrie pointed at her. “You had sex!”

Lizzie tried and failed to meet her accusing gaze. “We had a nice time.”

“Oh ho!” Carrie stood up and danced a little jig. “I’m right, I’m right, I’m so, so, right! You bumped uglies with Jackson Renic.”

Lizzie held the wine glass in one hand and covered her face with the other. “Stop sounding so gleeful about it.”

Carrie plopped back down on the sofa, a big grin on her face. “Why? I think it’s fantastic. I can’t believe it. You and the man you said you hate. Iknewit was foreplay. Iknewit.”

Her words echoed Renic’s about Della and Mark so closely that Lizzie cringed. “It wasnotforeplay.”

Carrie nodded with smug satisfaction. She poured more wine. “Was too. So what tipped you over the line? I want all the details.”

Lizzie sagged back in the chair, exhausted in the face of her friend’s enthusiasm. “I think you can use your imagination. You don’t need the whole picture.”

She swallowed half the glass of wine and avoided making eye contact.

“Come on, you know you want to tell me. Was it amazing? Where were you? Did you get a hotel room? Tell me you didn’t use sleazy Stackhouse off the thruway.”

Lizzie blinked at her. “What? No. Eww. It wasn’t like that.”

“Well. Go on.” Carrie pulled her feet up under her and drained her glass.

It took the rest of the bottle of wine and part of another to tell Carrie the whole story because her friend kept interrupting.

“You did it in the parking lot of the Still & Grill?” Carrie howled with laughter. “Oh my God, that’s perfect. You know that place used to be an adult video store, right?”

Lizzie was sure her cheeks would be permanently red after tonight. “No, I didn’t.”

“You’re right. You probably aren’t the first to do it in the parking lot. But I promise you I’ll never be able to look at it the same way again. I’ll be picturing a black SUV bouncing up and down—”

“Stop or I’m throwing this wine all over you.” Lizzie held her glass aloft, ready to make good on the threat.

“No you won’t, you wouldn’t want to stain the sofa.” Carrie grinned and looked supremely proud of herself. “Besides, you have to admit that’s a romp just perfect for a porn movie. Hot, sweaty car sex…damn. I’m impressed, and I have to say more than a little jealous. I’ve never had car sex. Not once. It always looked sort of painful.”

“It was, a little,” she admitted. “The seat belts really get in the way.”

Carrie nodded. “You should have laid the seats down. Just a tip.”

“I didn’t exactly plan it out. It just happened.”

Carrie saluted her with the wine glass. “I’m glad for your sake that it did. It’s been a pretty long dry spell for you.”

“Yeah, well.” Lizzie finished off the last of her wine and set the glass down. “It was a moment of insanity, but it’s done.”

“More?” Carrie wiggled the second, nearly empty, bottle of wine at her.

Lizzie waved her off. “If I have any more I’ll throw up.”

“Don’t waste it like that,” Carrie said. She put the bottle down. “What do you mean it’s done?”

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