Page 40 of Collect the Pieces

My phone chirps and I hurry into the bedroom to grab it off my dresser.

Shelby.

We’d traded numbers but I didn’t really expect her to call me.

I click accept and answer with a tentative, “Hi.”

“Hey, Margot!” Shelby drawls, her rich, warm twang drawing out my name toMahhr-guh.“Jiggy’s on his way but he’s gonnabe a while. I thought I’d check up on ya in case ya got any questions? I know it’s your first clubhouse party.”

“Well, uh.” This is embarrassing. Am I really asking her for wardrobe advice like a teenager? “Jigsaw said it’s a bonfire in the woods, so my instincts say a dress isn’t the way to go?”

She laughs softly. “I mean, if you want to, go for it. I’m a Texas girl. When it gets below sixty, I’m wearing long johns under my jeans and a winter coat, ya know?”

“You’ve got a point. I don’t like to be cold, either. Jeans and a flannel sound better than a dress, then.”

“Yup. Anyway, I feel duty-bound to warn ya. Since I’m not sure Jigsaw will think of it,” she says.

“Warn me?”

“Since it’s your first clubhouse party, some of the guys will want to razz ya a lil’ bit. Test your mettle, ya know?”

“The guys? Jigsaw warned me some of the…uh…muffler bunnies might…” But I have to worry about his brothers picking on me too?

She lets out a disgusted sound somewhere between a snort and a whistle. “Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem upstate. Most of the girls are nice but a few are snotty lil’ hags. But I got your back, don’t worry ’bout them.”

Tears prick my eyelids. Shelby sounds protective of me already even though we barely know each other. And, she’s younger than me. “Thanks. I don’t want to do anything to…you know, embarrass him.” My cheeks flame hot. I can’t believe I just admitted that.

“Please. Jiggy’s so dang smitten with you. If one of them bunnies looks at you funny, he’ll probably send them cryin’ to their momma.”

He’s smitten with me?

Obviously, I know we’re…something. And I’m important to him or he wouldn’t be bringing me to this party. But to hear hisbest friend’s fiancée so casually say it sends a shiver of pleasure through me. Like it’s just a known, common fact.Jiggy’s smitten with Margot. I bite my lip to stop myself from squeeing into the phone like a teenager.

“Well, the feeling’s mutual,” I assure her. “So, if any of those girls get too close to him, I might push them off a ledge.”

“Ooowee!” she shrieks into the phone. “That’s the energy you need. I knew we were going to get along, Margot. I just knew it.” When she stops laughing, she says, “Anyway. Rav’s a lil’ rascal. He loves tryin’ to embarrass any newcomers. He’s just playin’ though. But don’t be surprised if he tries to get you to admit how or where you lost your virginity.”

I burst into laughter. “Wow. Okay. Am I allowed to make up something?”

“Huh. Dang it. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“He got you, huh?”

“Sure did. But Charlotte put an end to that game, I doubt he’ll try it again.” She pauses and I hold my breath, waiting for whatever advice she has next. “Lord knows what he’ll come up with instead.”

An idea so brilliant pops into my head, I blurt it into the phone without thinking. “I thought people tell scary campfire stories when they’re in the woods around acampfire.”

“Like,Legend of Bloody Maryurban legend type stories?” she asks carefully.

Not exactly.“Sure.”

She lets out an almost nervous-sounding laugh. “That might be more fun. Anyway, the guys like to joke around and bust on each other. It’s not personal. And like I said, Jigsaw won’t let anyone get carried away.”

I interact with different personalities every day. I’ve got this. It’s still nice to have a heads-up, though. “Thanks, Shelby.”

“You got it. I’ll see ya a lil’ later.”

We say goodbye and I set my phone down. I wander into my closet and find a bag big enough to hold a weekend’s worth of clothing. I have a hard time narrowing it down, but I end up with a few outfits that should work—including one dress. Just in case.

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