Page 77 of Bears Behaving Badly
“We’re actually in a great deal of danger,” Annette added.
“Really?” he replied, enthralled.
“Oh yes.” She had to smile at his enthusiasm. “We’ve stumbled across a huge conspiracy, and at least four people have been killed in fewer than ninety-six hours. There’s no telling how high the body count will go, or if we’ll even survive.”
“That’s so cool!”
“Jeez, Jim.” Now Jenn was throwing elbows. “It’s not cool if it’s real life. Our friend’s in danger. And so’s his friend.”
“Our friend can take on any number of assholes without ruffling his fur,” Jim retorted. “And Annette probably could, too. Right, Annette?”
“Well.” She shrugged modestly. “Maybe notanynumber of assholes. And we’re not friends.”
“No?”
“No.” From David. “Definitely not.”
Ow.
So it was settled. The sleeping arrangements, at least; God knew nothing else was. They’d spend the night, and not long after Annette finished all the milk, she found herself lying down in the Griffiths’ spare room, in a borrowed nightgown, while Jim had made up the hide-a-bed for David, also in the spare room. David had eschewed the offer of pajamas and went to bed in his black boxer briefs, and Annette definitely didn’t sneak appreciative peeks.
“There are extra blankets in the closet if you get chilly,” Jenn said.
“No, thank you. I like it a little chilly.”
“She keeps her house at fifty degrees,” David added, sounding not unlike a third-grade tattletale.
“I do not!”
“I’ve been in your house, Annette. I know the truth.”
“Well, the next time you’re in my house, you’ll see that you had it wrong. So you’d better come over. Soon!”
“Well, I will!”
“Fine!”
“Okay.” Beat. “You wanna put some money on that? And no fair tipping Pat off in advance so he can turn up the therm to a balmy sixty-two degrees.”
“David, you know I never gamble! Anymore.”
“I thought you guys weren’t friends,” Jenn said, puzzled but smiling.
In unison: “We’re not.”
Once that issue was put to bed, and they themselves were put to bed, after assuring their hosts that they didn’t require anything else, Jenn shut off the light and left them in darkness, thinking.
Well, Annette was thinking. She had no idea what David was doing.
“Are you awake?” he stage-whispered.
She snorted. “You know I am. It’s been…what? Fifteen seconds since the light went out?”
“Oh. Right.”
Has this case just turned into a slumber party? I think it’s turned into a slumber party. Certainly Dev and Caro must think so.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have the bed?” She’d lost the argument, but now that David was actually trapped in the thing, he might see reason.
