“Thanks for taking care of my drunk butt, Magnolia. I owe you one. Remind me of that in the morning, okay?”
I nod, and he stares at me for a minute longer before his eyelids droop. His grip on my wrist loosens, and I remove my arm from his grasp.
Now what?
Contrary to what Collin said, I don’t quite trust him not to upchuck at some point tonight. I could never live with myself if I left him to potentially asphyxiate on his own vomit.
So I guess I’ll be spending my night in his recliner.
I send off a text message to Poppy, letting her know I’m staying at a friend’s house.
Do I consider Collin a friend? No. More like a sworn enemy. Then again, the man did ask me to be his wife five minutes ago, so I decide I’m not telling a bold-faced lie.
I settle into the recliner and stare at him. A crazy notion springs to the front of my mind, and I grimace, certain I’m about to spend a sleepless night wrestling with my thoughts.
5
Hungover Hiccups
Collin
The first thought I have when I wake up is,where am I?
The second thought I have is,who bashed me over the head with a baseball bat?
I crack an eye open, but my eyelids feel like they’re coated in sand.
“Morning, sunshine.”
I moan and force myself to blink.
Staring back at me is Magnolia Kasper.
I try to get my bearings, scooting myself up into a sitting position. My face feels stiff, and I reach up to find a dried line of drool running from the corner of my mouth to my chin. Lovely.
“How’re we feeling?”
I grunt. “Like death.”
“Good,” she says.
I hear a wicked smile in her voice. What is she doing here?
“Here. More ibuprofen.”
Never mind what she’s doing here. I reach for the medicine like it’s a pot of gold.
Noli hands me a glass of water. I down it in several gulps.
What is that smell? I discreetly breathe into my hand.Oh no. It’s my breath. What happened last night?
Noli chuckles.
I couldn’t be more embarrassed if she caught me with my pants around my ankles. “You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. What do you remember about last night?”
I try to think back. The night comes into focus in brief flashes. “I remember being at Jason’s. I had several shots of whiskey—which, I’m guessing, is why I’m in the state I’m in. Why are you here?”
