Page 43 of Wild Hit
Marty nods. “That makes sense.”
Rose leans forward in front of me, hands on her knees. “How could you agree to something so ridiculous? Do you have no self preservation?”
Hope plucks one of my hands that had fallen back on my lap to hold it. “I’m so sorry for your loss, I had no idea.”
My chin trembles. My vision grows blurry again.
“Dad, I think she needs more water,” Marty whispers.
A little laugh comes out of my throat, and all eyes turn to me again. “Thank you, guys.”
“Why are you smiling now? I’m still angry at you.” Rose scowls.
“Would you really like more water?” Miguel asks, looking up at me with soft eyes that threaten to make mine spill over violently once more. “I’m afraid that I don’t have something stronger, other than energy drinks and protein shakes.”
Hope interjects. “Electrolytes might be a good idea. She’s practically lost half of her weight in waterworks already.”
The guy nods and smacks his thighs. “Right on.”
As he marches back to the kitchen, I mumble, “What I really need is a locksmith and a way to escape an arranged marriage to a creep.”
“A locksmith?”
Marty’s the one who responds, “Her dad changed the lock.”
“I will kill him,” Rose mutters through gritted teeth.
“Okay.” Hope squirms and produces her phone. “At least that part can be solved pretty quick. What do we do about the arranged marriage?”
Crickets. This time with no frogs.
Miguel comes back from the kitchen, circling around the coffee table to kneel back in front of me and offer me a new glass of water. As I’m taking it, his daughter breaks the silence.
“What if you marry my dad?”
My motor skills go to shit and I drop the glass. Cold water splashes like a fountain—yet that’s the least of our concerns.
Even when absolutely every person gets wet, nobody has a single braincell to spend on the accident. We’re all looking at Marty like she’s a unicorn.
“What?” She glances back at all of us in turns. “You were already going to fake being engaged. This is an even better plan. Carpet the diem and such.”
Hope turns to me. “You what?”
“Audrey, are you Spider-Man?” Rose scrunches up her face. “Why do you have so many secret lives?”
I squirm. “It’s complicated.”
“If you say that one more time I’m going to smack you up the head.”
I clamp my mouth shut, knowing that Rose does good on her threats.
“Let’s do it.”
The three words would normally be crystal clear in any other scenario, but when they spill out of Miguel’s lips in a moment like this, they make every thought flee from my head.
He has the gall to shrug.
Shrug!
