90 Days (Prairie Town Book 2) (13 page)

     “It’s going to be okay, sugar.” Aggie tried to console her friend as she wrapped her arms around her, but they all knew it wasn’t going to do much good at the moment.

    At first Benji had found the whole ‘bridezilla’ thing to be adorable.  Now? No, it was not even cute.

    Lydia shrugged her friend away and buried her face in her hands, releasing a muffled sigh.

    “I don’t even know how an entire building floods like that.” Jeb muttered as he passed by with a suitcase in tow.  It must have been Laney’s because it was covered in stickers.  Benji didn’t really peg Jeb as the sticker type.  Plus, he didn’t live in the complex, so he didn’t have anything to pack.

     “I guess we’ll find out after the plumbers are finished?” Laney, adorably disheveled and wet, said as she exited the building with a grocery bag full of food. “I just hope the landlord plans to pay for damages.  Everything’s pretty much ruined in our apartment.”

    “That bad?” Benji asked with a frown.  “Our bathroom is the only place flooding as far as I know.  Aggie was about to take a shower when the sink and showerhead went crazy.”

    “Lucky.” Lydia growled.  “My poor apartment.”

     “Everything can be replaced, Lyds.” Jeb offered as he patted the top of her head.  “We’ll take care of it—don’t worry.”

     “That’s easy for you to say!” She snapped, shoving his hand away. “It wasn’t your wedding invitations you worked on for hours and hours.  I had them on the kitchen table and you moved them to fix breakfast.  They are gone because of you, you thoughtless, pigheaded ape!”

     Everyone stared at her in stunned silence, but none of them seemed to be more surprised than Jeb. The hurt in his eyes made Benji feel bad.  Before he could try to diffuse the situation, it only got worse.

     “Hey, I was trying to do something nice for you. You’ve been so stressed about the wedding, Lydia.  And I, the thoughtless, pigheaded ape, thought it would be nice to fix breakfast for you. So sue me! I moved them, okay?  How the hell was I supposed to know the faucet was going to explode, huh?  But go ahead and blame me, you little nightmare with a bow.  I feel sorry for Callum.  He has to put up with this for the rest of his life. You’re an ungrateful brat, Lydia.”

     “Oh!” She gasped, eyes growing as big as saucers. “You take that back, you big… you big turd!”

     “Whoa! Everybody chill out.” Laney demanded as she stepped between them and lifted her arms up.  “What the hell is wrong with you two?  It’s
no one’s
fault the invitations are ruined—unless you blame Poseidon, okay?  This is stupid. Fighting isn’t going to help anything.”

     Lydia folded her arms across her chest and looked away, mumbling something beneath her breath.  Jeb mirrored her, and the scowl on his face said enough. 

    God, the McIntosh clan sure was stubborn.

     Callum had perfect timing, as per usual, as he pulled into the parking lot and rolled to a stop. He got out, cautious and unsure if he should proceed.

    
Smart man.

     Benji was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to talk again, specifically to one another, when Laney groaned and looked to Callum for help.

     “Uh… do you guys need help with anything?”

     That was the wrong question to ask.

    “Only if that help involves replacing three hundred signed wedding invitations and—”

     “Oh, for Christ sake!” Jeb groaned. “Let it go, Lydia! I’ll buy you some more damned invitations, okay?”

    “Oh, you will, huh?” She asked sarcastically. “Are you going to fill them out and pay for the stamps, too? Because that’s what’s going to have to be done, you moron.”

     “Mor—Moron?” His jawline tightened as he took a step towards her and Laney stopped him.  It was like watching a mouse, try to stop an elephant as she pressed her small hands against his chest.

     “Cool your jets, Jebson!” Laney demanded through clenched teeth. “Get in the car and let’s go to your house before you say something you’ll regret.”  She glanced at Lydia when she said the last part.  It was definitely a warning.

     “Good idea.” Callum nodded, approaching Lydia and gently gripping her arm. “Why don’t we go to my place for a little while, huh?”

     “Perfect.” Lydia lifted her chin into the air.  “I’d rather go to your house anyway.”

     “Fine!” Jeb frowned. “Go on then. Let Callum deal with your crazy ass for a little while.  I didn’t want you at my house anyway.”

    “Fine!” Lydia shot back.

     Benji was just waiting to see who would stick their tongue out first.  It was highly possible at the moment.

     “Are you following us then, Benji?” Lydia asked as Callum guided her to her car.

     “Uh…”

     “
Benjamin.
” She stared at him with a promising threat in her eyes.

     Uh oh. 

     “We’ll be right behind you.” Aggie said sweetly. “Don’t you worry, sugar.”

     Lydia seemed pleased with Aggie’s response. Nodding firmly, she kissed Callum’s cheek, shot another glare in Jeb’s direction, and then got in her car.

     Shutting her door, Callum stepped back and waited for her to back up and pull out.  Giving them all an apologetic shrug, he got back into his Tahoe and pulled out behind her, following her down the street.

     “Oh my
God
.” Jeb muttered, smacking his palms down against the hood of his truck.  “She’s lost her fucking mind.”

     “Like you were acting any better!” Laney scolded, sighing and turning to face Benji and Aggie.  “I am
so
sorry you had to witness that.”

     “It’s all right, Honey. But we have to meet up over at Callum’s or Lydia is bound to think we love Jeb more than her.”

     “Stupid.” Jeb commented.

     “She’s under a lot of stress, Jeb. Shut up.” Laney peered at Benji and gave him a small, sad smile.

     He felt bad that she had to be caught up in the drama of her brother and sister.  She already had enough to deal with. What it was, he had no idea, but he knew something was lingering over her head.

     Maybe she’d tell him one day.

     “Well, we’ll see you guys later then. I know Callum has room at his place and all that, but Mom and Dad said you are more than welcome to stay at their place. That’s where I’ll be at least.”

     “Thank you, Laney. We appreciate that.” Aggie hugged her and then glanced at Jeb.  “Will you be okay?”

     He pursed his lips together and shrugged.

     “He’ll be fine.” Laney promised, her eyes moving to Benji’s again.  “So... we’ll see you later then?”

   
I hope so.

     “Of course.” He grinned. 

     It was probably a stupid and deceitful decision, but he was already thinking of excuses as to why he couldn’t stay at the Reynolds’ residence.

----------

Laney

     After the storm had blown over and she was settled in her old room at her parents’ house, Laney decided to call and check on Lydia.

     She hoped she was okay.  The argument between her brother and sister had definitely rattled her nerves, but she clung to the hope of a cease-fire in the near future.  It always bothered her when they fought, and though it wasn’t often, when it
did
happen, it was always so dramatic.

     Lydia’s voicemail greeted her after two rings and she sighed.

     Was she getting ignored, too?  She hadn’t called anybody crazy! She was the most innocent in the whole situation.

     “Way to be mature, Lydia.” Tossing her phone aside, she gazed up at the ceiling and released a sigh of dismay.

     Why did her siblings have to act this way right now?  Their apartment was out of commission for God only knew how long, their stuff was waterlogged and pretty much useless now, and she was trying desperately not to let her mind slip back into darkness.

     What a fool she had been to think the night before could save her from herself.

     Not even the tingle of a memory of Benji’s lips against hers could keep the paralyzing sadness at bay.

     It seemed like all hope was lost. Again.

     And it only made her frustrated with Lydia and Jeb as the hours dragged by.  She didn’t move, not even an inch, from where she was as her thoughts grew louder and angrier.

   
You’re pathetic!
That tiny, wicked voice hissed. 
You really think someone like Benji would want to be with you?

     You really think your brother and sister want to waste their time on a loser like you?

     Get over yourself.

    Just give up already.

    You can’t beat this.

     “No.” She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut.  A tear escaped between her lashes and trickled towards her ear, and even that seemed to annoy her as she finally lifted a numb hand to wipe it away.  “Fucking fuck…shit…stupid.”

     That was it.  She wasn’t dealing with the chemically imbalanced shenanigans known as her life. Jumping up from the bed, she grabbed her suitcase and threw it on the mattress, glaring at the thing like it was her worst enemy.

      Why did she have to take medicine just to feel like a normal person?

       Unzipping it in an infuriated manner, she sorted through her clothes and found the small orange bottle filled with little circular tablets of happiness and calmness.

        A loud thump on her door made her nearly jump out of her skin.

     “Yeah?” She sounded a little more irritated than she intended.

     “Laney, sweetheart?”

     “Yeah, Mom?”

     “Supper’s going to be done in about fifteen minutes. Do you know if Lydia’s friends will be joining us tonight?”

     That was a good question, and as much as her heart soared at the thought of Benji sleeping over, the odds weren’t good.  Lydia’s childish behavior would ensure they stayed at Callum’s and worse—her brother probably wouldn’t come back around any time soon.

     “Can you call and ask?” Mrs. McIntosh probed further.  “I don’t mind setting out two more plates.  Oh, and call Jeb, too. I can’t get him to answer his phone.”

   
Well, duh.
  She rolled her eyes.  Jeb and Lydia were cut from the very same cloth.  There weren’t two people more stubborn than them.

    It was super annoying.

     “Sure, Mom.  I’ll try to call him.”

     “Thank you, honey.” There was a brief pause.  “Is everything okay in there?”

     “Perfectly fine, Mom.” She lied.  And she hated to lie—she really did.  But she didn’t want to add anything else to her mom’s list of things to worry about.  Wasn’t worrying about her dad’s heart and Lydia’s wedding enough?

     “Okay then.  See you in fifteen minutes.”

    Listening as her mother’s footsteps retreated, Laney released an exasperated sigh and leaned against the door, clutching the bottle of pills in her hand.

    “Definitely going to need a few of you tonight.” She whispered. 

     With any luck, the nightmares of the day would fade and her evening would be much better.

    
It would be much better if Lydia and Jeb could act like decent people instead of reverting to their childhood again.

     True.

    
It would be much better if Benji could come over and we could talk about that kiss.

    Even truer.

    Had it meant as much to him as it had to her? 

     That kiss had replayed in her mind all night, morning, and day.  She could still taste him on her tongue.  She could still feel the cool metal of his lip ring teasing over her lip.

    Oh, God.  She wasn’t going to survive if she kept thinking about that damn lip ring.

   
Not to mention his tongue ring…

    Quickly popping two tablets into her mouth, she hurried into the bathroom and lowered her head to the faucet for a drink, swallowing them.

    Yeah, she knew it was a gross habit. Lydia had scolded her countless times over the drinking-from-the-faucet-problem, but Lydia wasn’t there to yell at her at the moment, so…

     The
Dukes of Hazzard
theme song began playing on her phone and she immediately perked up.

    So that weird sibling ESP was finally working again.

     She turned the water off and ran back to her bed, answering the phone before it had a chance to go to voicemail.

    “It lives.”

     “Very funny.” Jeb replied, definitely not amused.  “Is Lydia there?”

     “Nope. She’s being a stubborn ass, too.”

     “I am
not
being stubborn.”

     She switched ears and rolled her eyes at the same time.