So she needed a snazzier wardrobe. Indy would help her out.
Maybe she didn’t spread sweetened cream cheese on French toast but I was relatively certain that Shamus would like her. Then again, Shamus seemed to like everyone.
I stepped away from Hank. “It’s been busy, so I can’t leave and anyway, Indy and Jet are bringing back food. You two go to lunch, catch up, you know… old friends and al that.”
Hank was no longer staring at me like I’d lost my mind, he was staring at me like he wanted to strangle me.
I took another step away from Hank.
“I don’t think –” Beth said.
“Can I talk to you a second?” Hank interrupted her and then didn’t wait for me to respond. He took my hand, nodded sharply to Beth and said, “Just a minute,” and then dragged me out from behind the counter and toward the bookshelves.
While being dragged, I caught a look at Uncle Tex who was shaking his head at me like I’d let down the side.
Hank dragged me passed fiction, biography, crime, romance and straight to the open area that separated the front room from the back room (travel, health, social studies) and had a huge table on it with cartons of upturned vinyl wedged in them.
Then he stopped, turned and looked down at me.
I opened my mouth to speak but he said, “Don’t say a fucking word.”
I closed my mouth.
Hmm, seemed Hank was angry.
He took a deep breath through his nostrils, getting control.
Then he said, in a soft, dangerous voice, “Please tel me you didn’t just try to fix me up with a woman I used to date.”
“Hank –”
He didn’t let me say anything.
“I used to be patient. Now, I’m findin’ it hard stoppin’
myself from shakin’ some goddamned sense into you.”
“Hank –”
“Roxanne, I just experienced my girlfriend trying to fix me up with another woman.”
“I’m not your girlfriend, I broke up with you.” He stepped closer. I stepped back. My bottom slammed into the table fil ed with vinyl. He fil ed the space I’d opened.
“That wasn’t nice, doin’ that to Beth,” he said.
“Yes it was. You two could have hit it off, you’d asked her out before. I was doing her a favor,” I defended myself.
“She and I went out twice. She was the friend of the girlfriend of a buddy of mine in the Force. If I remember, she was painful y shy, but sweet, and on her way to some job in New Mexico.”
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
“I thought she was an ex-girlfriend,” I told him.
“She never made it that far and wouldn’t have. I was doin’ a friend a favor and even if it makes me sound like a bastard, I’l tel you I only did it knowin’ she was soon gonna move to another state.”
Oh shit. I thought.
“Damn,” I muttered aloud, feeling like a total bitch. It must have taken al she had to walk into Fortnum’s. I looked at Hank. “I’l go talk to her,” I told him.
“No, you’ve done enough. I’l take her out to lunch and I’l pick you up from Tod’s when you’re done tonight. When we get home, we’re gonna have a conversation and put this shit to rest, once and for al .”
I didn’t like the sound of that.
“Hank –” I started.
“I don’t want you goin’ to Tod’s with anyone but Tex, Duke, Lee or one of his boys. Got me?”
His eyes were glittering angry and I had the feeling he was barely keeping his temper in check.
I nodded.
The sleeping tiger had awoken and I was not about to prod him with a stick.
He stared at me angrily.
I bit my lip.
Then, I couldn’t help myself, I hated that he was angry with me. I put my hand on his chest and leaned into him.
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
“You can apologize later, after we’ve talked, when you’re naked and in my bed.”
Holy cow.
“Hank –”
He put a hand to my neck and tipped his head down to get in my face. “Roxanne, now’s a good time to be quiet.” Shit.
He was stil angry.
And I felt like a total bitch.
I braced, getting ready for him to explode.
Then, to my complete surprise, his anger cleared, he gave me a light kiss and squeezed my neck affectionately.
“We’l talk later,” he said quietly.
Then he was gone.
I stood there, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours. I just stood there, looking at the space where Hank had been, not quite able to process how easy it was to fight with him. Even when he was that angry, he could shift it and kiss me good-bye.
My phone rang.
I pul ed it out of my back pocket, flipped it open and put it to my ear. “Hel o?” I said, expecting just about anyone; Annette, Indy, Daisy, anyone.
I should have looked before I answered because it wasn’t Annette, Indy, Daisy or anyone.
It was Bil y.
“I saw you walkin’ his fuckin’ dog with him, sittin’ in his goddamned lap in the car, kissin’ him, you fucking bitch.” My breath left me and I stood stock-stil .