Page 12 of The Heartstrings of Harry
On the way out the door, Norm muttered to Andy, “We’re never invitingheragain.”
Madeline laughed good-naturedly and shouted after him from the doorway, “Hey, I heard that, Norm.”
Norm had already disappeared into the dark, grumbling to himself.
Under Andy’s porchlight, Madeline thumbed left like a hitchhiker. “Well, I’m this way.”
“So am I,” I said. “I’ll walk you.”
She gasped playfully. “Such a gentleman. So, chivalry isn’t dead after all.”
“Of course I’m a gentleman. And I’d do anything for my friends.” With a jerk of my head I gestured to Andy, who was swaying in the hallway, barely able to keep his eyes open. “Although I draw the line at putting this one to bed when he’s had one too many whiskeys. Pulling his boots off requires a gas mask. You have been warned.”
“Warning heeded. Thank you.” Madeline turned to Andy. “Are you sure you’re okay to get yourself upstairs to bed?”
Andy’s head wobbled on his neck, brow furrowed, words slurring—“Upstairs? You wanna go upstairs with me? But I invited you here to meet Harry. He’s the one whose mattress needs a good workout, if you know what I mean.”
Madeline raised both eyebrows and couldn’t help but giggle.
I blushed instantly.
Andy swung an unsteady arm around my neck, almost hitting me in the face accidentally. “Ain’t he just the most adorable fuzzy bear you’ve ever seen. And single too. What a catch, huh?” He gave Madeline a wink so sloppy it looked as though he was in the middle of a medical emergency.
Swiftly I pulled his arm off me. “Okey-dokey then, I think someone’s had enough truth juice for one night. You got a big day tomorrow, buddy. Dean’s coming home. Now why don’t I just pop you downstairs on the sofa and you can get a good night’s rest down here.”
I guided him toward the living room, but he was pitching like a ship in a storm and Madeline grabbed the other side. Together we steered him into the living room, plopping him down on the sofa where he sank onto his side, snoring before his head even hit the cushion.
I lifted his legs up, but I decided to spare Madeline the trauma of removing his boots.
“Will he be okay?” she asked.
“He’ll be fine. He’s not usually this drunk, the booze just seemed to go straight to his head tonight.”
“I guess he’s overly excited about Dean coming home.”
I wanted to comment that he wasn’t the only one, but instead I said, “Just for the record, my mattress doesn’t need a workout, but I’m still happy to walk you home.”
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”
We locked Andy safely inside his house and set off along the quiet streets of Mulligan’s Mill, the night still warm and the gravel crunching beneath our feet.
“So, evidently you’re the reason there was no beef jerky tonight,” I said out of the blue.
“What? Wait… I am? How? Why?”
I shrugged and smiled. I couldn’t tell if she was mocking me or genuinely outraged. “Andy told me not to get any jerky. I think he probably thought it’s not something you eat in front of a lady.”
“What? That’s crazy. I love beef jerky.”
“Me too. Apparently, Andy thought you’d be offended.”
“I work in a classroom. You teach kids for long enough,nothingoffends you anymore. Wait till he gets to know me better.” Her voice took on a teasing, sing-song lilt. “Which is obviously something he wantsusto do.”
“Oh no, please don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Please let’s not try to unpack Andy’s attempt to play Cupid. I have no idea what that was all about. I’m sorry, I’m so embarrassed. He’s never tried to do that before.”
