Brady Remington Landed Me in Jail (15 page)

Brady asked him, "Do you have a towel or something?"

Matt laughed and held out his bare arms. "I've got my trunks and my booze in that other tube. If you're sure about this, I'm going to catch up with my booze."

"Who's got a towel?" Brady hollered out.

After one was located and handed over, he gave it to me. I knew my face was a deep shade of red, but I stood up and wrapped the towel around my bottom. Everyone else shouted their goodbyes before they took off down the river, eager to catch up with their booze too. The only one left was Derek, who still looked confused.

Brady turned to him. "Don't sweat it. You just got zapped by one of Clarissa's games, but she'll probably be at Barthal's tonight, looking to soothe her hurt ego."

Derek frowned more, but Brady urged me forward. I sighed, my insides all amass. Kid had looked at me once when Brady asked for the ride. I saw the genuine concern and I knew Brady hadn't, but it was going to be unmistakable in the car. He wouldn't like that Kid was worried about me.

When I got into the truck, I had a brief thought that skipping school had not been worth it.

The drive to my place consisted of two statements. The first was when Brady instructed beside me in the back seat, "You gotta turn up by Billard's farm. Then left again by the green post."

The second was a tense retort from Kid, "I know where she lives."

I grasped Brady's arm and hoped to prevent any explosion, but was surprised when he clenched his jaw and remained silent.

Clarissa harrumphed once, but was just as silent as the rest of us. And me, I was hoping not to die before we finally arrived. When Kid pulled into the driveway, I didn't stop to think. I shot out of that car and ran through the opened doorway as Grandpa Neil stood there, caught unaware. As his foot fell roughly onto the first step, I rushed past and up the stairs to my bathroom. Once I'd taken care of my business, I was in the safe zone. Then I sat there for a moment and went into the red zone—Brady and Kid were both downstairs. Together.

I dressed in a jiffy and ran back downstairs. I burst through the door with my arms up and my elbows flying as I pulled my hair into a ponytail. I knew my cheeks were red from my hurry, but I stopped abruptly at the sight of my grandmother standing in front of Brady, Kid, and Clarissa.

She stood with her hands on hips and a red apron tied over baggy jeans. I cringed when I saw she had pulled out her pepper apron. When she was feeling feisty and hot tempered, she always went for the red peppers. Everyone else rested against the car, but kept wary eyes on her.

When Brady saw I was okay, he turned away. "I'm going to check on Neil. He looked like he needed help in the barn."

Viola snorted and retied the apron's knot behind her back. "Run away, little boy. Run away."

"Grandma," I chastised. When she turned chilly eyes on me, I grimaced and remembered the last time I'd been in the same room with her and Brady. I'd been looking at a pregnancy test and we'd yet to talk about it.

Kid cleared his throat. "Are you okay?" He sent a furtive look towards my grandmother and shuffled awkwardly by his car.

I moved to stand next to Viola. "I'm fine and thank you for the ride."

Clarissa glanced between the two of us, and then turned to watch Brady's retreating back. I watched with a knot in my stomach as her eyebrows furrowed forward like she was figuring something out. She sent a skeptical look towards my grandmother, who was staring with hostility towards Kid and Brady. Then realization hit Clarissa's eyes. I gulped. This wasn't good. She whirled shocked eyes at Brady, but he was already in the barn. When she turned towards me and looked at my grandmother, Viola only stared at Kid like she wanted to eat him up in a carnivorous way.

"What do you mean if she's okay? Why wouldn't she be?" Viola barked out.

I gulped again and dried my sweaty hands on my shorts. I wanted someone else to speak, but knew no one else would. "Um…I'll tell you later."

Viola narrowed her eyes, looking me up and down. I wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she scoffed, "You have a doctor's appointment in a few hours. Good thing you got home when you did."

"What—oh!" I'd forgotten what my period actually meant. "Uh…um…"

"Rayna?" Kid asked again. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"She's fine!" Clarissa clamped a hand on his arm and forced a smile. "Look at her. She's a shining beacon of health and fertility. Let's go."

"Fertility?" Kid questioned.

"Yep. Like Aphrodite. Let's go."

Viola watched the exchange with narrowed eyes. Then she turned her piercing beacons towards me. When she saw how uncomfortable I was, she looked at Clarissa again. "Now, hold up."

Kid froze. Clarissa sighed in disgust. "We have to go. I'm sorry." She pushed against Kid, but he wasn't budging.

Viola waved a hand towards the barn. "You boy, you go to the barn. You girl, you get inside. I need to feed your skinny behind."

Surprised and then a little offended, Clarissa placed both hands on her hips and brazenly stood in her black bikini. "You don't know me. You don't owe me anything and you can't order me around."

Kid's eyes widened.

Viola threw out her arm. "Give me your keys. Now, you go, Kid."

He threw them over Clarissa's head and tucked tail. They exchanged a glance, hers in mystified anger and his in a silent apology before he darted towards the barn.

"You can stew out here if you'd like, but you heard me. I've got food inside for you. Now, git."

I looked away when Clarissa sent a scorching glare at me. I wasn't going to bend to her will and go against my grandmother. Viola had spoken.

Clarissa snorted in disgust. "Fine. Whatever. It's just a biscuit, right?"

Little did she know.

Viola retied the pepper apron and gestured toward the baby chair. "Girly, you sit there."

"Wha—huh? Are you joking? What is that?"

"It's a chair." I quickly took my normal chair against the wall. I pointed out, "Brady sits there."

"It looks like a baby."

"It is, but it's a chair, too." I felt stupid having this conversation.

Clarissa perched at the edge. "Okay. So what do you have to eat?"

Turning back from the counter, Viola held two glasses and a bottle of bourbon. She placed them on the table. She pushed one towards Clarissa and the other in front of her. Then she poured a small amount in each glass and sat back. Her eyes didn't leave Clarissa's face once, like a hawk.

"What is this? I'm underage. You can't give me alcohol."

Viola smiled. "Something tells me you're already half-doozied up anyways. Besides, if I had a heart to heart with your grandma Bertha, I'm pretty sure you'd be in more trouble than me. She's real tight with Judge Bailor and Deputy Doug."

"You mean Deputy Dog." Clarissa rolled her eyes.

"I call him by his God-given name," my grandmother murmured, deceptively soft, as she leaned forward on her elbows. She nudged the drink closer. "Go ahead. It's just us girls. No one else around."

With a disgusted sigh, Clarissa picked it up and looked between us. She sniffed the drink, then grimaced and tossed it down her throat.

"There you go." Viola smiled in approval and refilled it.

"What are you doing?" Clarissa's eyes were wide in shock.

"I figure if you can do one, why stop there? Everything's best in doubles. How about it? What's your name?"

"Clarissa."

"Drink up, Clarissa. Let's see who the real partier is."

"What?"

Viola nodded towards the drink and then drank hers slowly, savoring it. She wiped her mouth. "That was good. I'd like another. Your turn, Clarissa."

"Grandma, what are you doing?" This wasn't going to end well.

"Take the drink, Clarissa. Show me how tough you are."

The two stared at each other and I felt a shift in the air.

As I watched, completely baffled, Clarissa reached out with a sturdy hand and took the drink in one gulp. She placed the glass back on the table, jaw firm, and seemed to say 'so there' with her eyes.

Viola poured a third.

Clarissa downed it. Viola took hers and the contest kept going. Each for each until Clarissa started to waver as she reached for her umpteenth drink. She slurred as her eyes began to droop, "Thisss i soo illwegal. Yooou gould go do jawel."

My grandmother straightened in her chair and wiped her mouth. Her voice was clear. "No, honey. I'm not going to jail. I know too much dirt on our town's officials."

"Thenn whiii…?" Clarissa fell back against the chair and winced in pain.

"Why'd I get you drunk?" Viola stood up and put the bottle away. "Because I want you to tell me what you did to my granddaughter. I heard your snide comments out there and I didn't like them. I know your game. You think you're the queen around these parts, but I won't have my grandbaby be a part of your games."

Clarissa hiccupped and squinted at my grandmother. "Whah made you tink awll hurt her? I'm da one gidding hurd. Sthe took Brady away frob me."

"Brady—" Viola started.

Clarissa interrupted with a finger in Viola's face. "Kid likes her, her her more than me, too. I know this, but I hade that. She—Rayna…I don wanna hurd her. I'm hurding too…"

"Don't be one of those girls!" My grandmother pounded the table with both hands. "You don't be one of those girls."

"Huh? Waddya mean?"

My eyebrows bunched together. I had no idea what she meant either.

Viola was passionate. "If Brady and Kid like you then you've got something in you, something more than other girls. I hate to admit it, but Kid's got some backbone." She looked at me. "I still don't want you to have any part of him, but…" She looked at Clarissa again, who was starting to waver back and forth in her chair. "You don't be that girl who plays games. You don't get involved in those bitchy snide comments any longer."

"I'm darry." Clarissa frowned and scratched her head. Her wet hair was now disheveled, but she still pulled off the sexy look.

"Guys are only going to like you for one thing." Viola pressed as her voice gentled. "They're always going to want sex, but a few will care for you because of you. You keep those around and you listen to me, you have to find yourself some friends of the female sorts."

"I liked Rayna," Clarissa let slip, but gasped and covered her mouth. Her eyes widened in guilt. She whispered, "I'm so darry, Rayna. I wab just…Brady luvs you. I alwayth thought heed come back do me. I'm so darry. I'm tho drunk. I cand believee I'm thaying any of thiss."

"Me neither," I whispered against my own volition.

Viola waved a hand in the air. "You're saying this because I'm making you. Listen to me, whatever beef you have with my granddaughter, you bury it. You make nice with her. You make genuine with her. You do that from now on. You keep away from those girls who are only going to backstab you."

"I don't gibe those bithes the time of day." Clarissa hiccupped again and pressed a hand to her forehead. "How many did I have? I'm tho drunk. I can't beliebe you did this do me."

I could. My grandmother was ruthless at times. Deputy Doug had professed it enough.

Then Clarissa slapped the table and leaned forward. "She had thex. Did you know that? You need do know that. If I'm being right with Rna, I habe to tell you that. She had thex, but I won't tell you wib who. That's for Rayna to thay."

Viola patted Clarissa on the arm. "I know who she had sex with. Honey, there'd only be one boy she'd be foolish about."

"Oh, good. Thaths good. I really think Brady luvs her. I didnna realize it until when he starded bringing her around. She neber came outh before and Brady was always mine, sorta. You can see why I got so jealous, right? I'm jud human. I'm jud…I liked him so much…" She paused and I heard the tear in her throat. When she wiped at her eyes, I felt my own starting to tear up.

Viola cursed, grasping Clarissa's arm and stood her upright. Clarissa 'wooed' as she stumbled to the side, but grabbed my grandmother's arm for better balance. Then I heard the front door open and slam shut. It opened again to slam shut a second time and then a third time. No voices were heard, but I could hear my grandpa unsnap one of the clips on his coveralls. His boots were shed next. Then Kid and Brady traipsed inside still in their swimming trunks. They had shirts on now and all three males stopped in the doorway to study us.

No one said a word for a moment.

"What are you all looking at?" Viola barked. She shoved Clarissa towards Kid.

"She's drunk." Brady stared. "She wasn't that drunk when we went to the barn."

Kid kept silent.

Grandpa Neil shook his head with a resigned expression and turned for the basement. I was in awe at his smarts.

"We had a little heart to heart," Viola replied curtly and nodded at her. "Get her home. Don't kill each other on the way out. Me and my granddaughter have a doctor's appointment to be getting to."

Brady glanced from the two empty glasses to Clarissa and Viola. He cleared his throat a second later and offered, "I can take her…"

"Like hell you will!" Viola barked, but blanched a second later. "I mean, this is something for the girls to be doing. I'm her grandmother. I should be there for her." She gestured to Kid again. "Go on. Take her out of here. Brady, you go home."

Kid swept intelligent eyes over Viola, me, and Brady. Then he tightened his hold and pulled her after him. Once the door had closed behind them, Brady hesitated for a second, "All due respect, Viola, you've been drinking. I'll take Rayna to the doctor. I'm a part of this anyway."

"You ain't a part of this!" Viola cried out and then paled. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Brady. I know you've got a good heart. I know you care for her. I know you're not like him—maybe I
have
had too much."

My mouth fell open as Viola wiped her eyes and stumbled past Brady up the stairs.

I watched as she left again. A tear pricked at the corner of my eyes and I let out a sob. As I fell to the chair behind me, I tucked my forehead into my knees. Everything was coming down on me. The storm had been held off, but now I couldn't deny what I'd done to my grandmother. She'd gone a little crazy and I couldn't help to wonder if I was the cause of it. Did she push Clarissa because of me? Maybe she was trying to save me a different way? I felt like such a disappointment.