Page 41 of Them Bones

She almost fainted from relief, just as Shane’s truck pulled in the driveway. “Dusty!” she shouted. “Time to go!”

Dustin headed eagerly outside and Laney trailed after him, but the back of her neck pricked as Cary stuck his feet in some Doc Martens and followed them. He was wearing tearaways and a faded grey hoodie that saidMOIST, and Mara was standing at her kitchen window which looked onto their driveway, visibly blushing at the sight of him.

He didn’t notice.

Shane got out of the car, spinning the keys on his first finger.

“Cary,” he said shortly.

Laney could have kissed Dustin as he slid into the passenger seat. Cary watched Laney move to the back door, but she stopped with her hand on the handle, feeling slightly nauseated, as she watched them eyeing each other.

The tension was palpable, and Shane’s knuckles were white where he was gripping his key ring. Cary pursed his lips and nodded in Laney’s direction.

“It’s her birthday,” he said. As if it were an explanation for something.

Shane’s jaw clenched. “Yup.”

Cary’s nostrils flared, but then he produced a hundred dollar bill out of nowhere and held it out for Shane, who shook his head.

“No need,” Shane said. “I got it covered.”

Cary gave him a short nod and turned around, finally noticing Mara gaping at him through the window. He gave her a charming, boyish grin, and then with one last glance at Laney he took the porch steps two at a time and disappeared back inside.

Laney launched herself into the car as Shane slid into the driver’s seat, and she leaned forward over the centre console at the same time as he turned around to speak to her.

It was like being electrocuted, finding themselves that close together. Images of the night before surged in her mind – his hands all over her, his frantic mouth pulling at her lips, his hips desperately pushing up into her, his thumbs digging into her skin…

She swallowed, hard.

I’m not saying no. I’m saying not yet.

She tried to clear her head.Friends. For now.

She slumped backwards with a flourish, making a spectacle of pulling on her seatbelt.

“Hi!” she said brightly.

“Happy birthday,” Shane said, his eyes unfocused.

In an unusual turn of events, Dustin filled the air with chatter, Shane nodding along or commenting here or there. They were talking about recipes, or something… she didn’t really know. She was just trying to survive the car ride without screamingI NEED YOUR HANDS ON ME!

When they arrived at the tree lot and hopped out of the car, she watched as Shane quickly and discreetly adjusted his crotch, and she couldn’t suppress her grin.

He looked up at her, a slightly sheepish expression on his face, and shrugged.

I want my hands on you, too.

Best. Birthday. Ever.

MARA

Mara was holding a dollar store tin of crappy Christmas cookies that she’d burned while crying in the bathroom. Her kids had snooped while she’d slept, unwrapping every single gift. She’d never hated her children before, but for thirty minutes – the oven screaming at her as smoke started to fill the kitchen and her kids crying on the porch – she seriously considered burning the house down and leaving them all.

Eventually she stopped crying, turned the oven off, and let them back inside.

They’d been quiet as church mice ever since. The youngest, Jeffrey, sniffed and hiccupped now and then. He seemed to be taking the news about Santa not being real the hardest.

She couldn’t even bring herself to feel bad about it.

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