Page 16 of Legal

Perry’s eyeballs were burrowing into the side of my head. I glanced at her. “What?”

“What? You know very well what. Funeral home? What the hell is that about, Jills?”

I headed back to the safety of the hatch with her tripping over my heels. “I didn’t do that on purpose. I panicked and threw out some number; I didn’t know whose it was.”

“Oh, andhe’sthe young one?”

I hopped up in the truck and downed half my beer. She was right, I knew. It was stupid and childish, but as I’d mentioned, I panicked.

I took a slow, deep breath. “He asked for my number, and I didn’t want to give him my real one, so I changed the last couple digits. I honestly didn’t think he’d remember it, anyway. I can’t believe he did.”

“Why even play those games? You should have just told him you didn’t want to give it up.”

I watched two little boys tossing around a baseball. Daniel had a shirt just like that once. “I know, but I’ve never done this before, Perry. I didn’t want him to think I was a total tramp. I meet him only an hour before having sex with him? At least it wouldn’t seem as bad if I agreed to see him again. I was a little dazed, not exactly thinking clearly.”

“Why would you care what he thought about you if you never wanted to see him again?”

“I told you—”

“Holy shit!” Perry bounced, shaking the whole back. Then she jumped in front of me. “It didn’t even register at first. He asked for your numberafteryou had sex, not before?”

“Well, yeah. So?” She stared at me like I’d lost it. “I’m sure he was just being polite.”

“Polite? It doesn’t work that way. He’s not going to ask for your number to be polite. And he sure as fuck isn’t going to try calling it to be polite.”

“Okay, maybe not polite, but I already proved I was easy. He probably—”

“Oh. My. God.” She dug her fingernails into my arm. “What if you popped his cherry?”

“What is the matter with you two?” Stephen stepped up in our faces. “There’re kids around.” He zoomed in on Perry more since she was the loud, sweary one. “And who were you talking to?”

“It’s the funniest thing. Remember that guy your sister met last weekend?”

“Perry.” I dropped my head in my hands, still reeling from the virgin comment. “He’s not interested.”

“That’sthe guy you hooked up with?” I peeked up. “What the fuck, Jillian, is he even legal?”

“Of course he is,” I snapped back.Oh God, oh God, oh God. “He’s drinking, isn’t he?”

Stephen rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah. Because underage drinking doesn’t exist.”

“Now, now, darling,” Perry said, in a tone that reminded me of the sickly drinks she liked to suck down. “There are children around.”

“And you think what Jillian’s doing is perfectly fine?”

“Jills can do whatever the hell she wants. She’s a grown woman.”

Stephen threw up his arms. “That’s the fucking problem!”

I felt like a little kid whose parents were taking sides. “Enough, okay? It was a mistake, and it’s over. We shouldn’t even be talking about this right now.”

“Damn right about that. Daniel’s probably older than him.”

I almost passed out on the spot. I hadn’t thought about it in those terms before. I was going to be sick. Thank God I was sitting down because I was positive my legs would have crumbled beneath me.

“But what if it wasn’t a mistake?” Perry said. “Who cares if he’s younger?”

Stephen took off his hat and plowed his hand through his hair. “Perry,” he spoke calmly. “There’s young, and then there’syoung. You didn’t grow up with us. You didn’t see what our mother went through. Jillian would never put Daniel through the same thing.”

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