Page 25 of Bad For Me (Rock Canyon, Idaho 5)

“Damn. Good. Mood!”

Callie hung up the phone with a groan.

Chapter Six

“YOU KNOW THIS is kidnapping, right?” Callie said as she climbed into Caroline’s Corolla.

“Please, you know you want to come play with me.” Caroline tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder. Callie caught herself envying her friend’s straight hair as she pushed her own unruly curls off her forehead.

“What I want to do is sit at home watching side-splitting comedies with a bowl of popcorn drowned in butter.”

“Wah, wah,” Caroline said.

“Seriously, where are you taking me? I thought you had given up the whole bar scene unless it has to do with business.” Callie relaxed into the seat as Caroline pulled away from the curb.

“I did.”

“So?”

“Don’t you want to be surprised?” Caroline asked. “We are going to the Haunted Houses of Albion! It’s opening weekend, and it’s going to be epic!”

It took a split second for Callie to process that before panic lit her body on fire.

“Take me home,” Callie said, her throat constricting. The last thing she wanted to do was go to a place that glorified crazy people and murder, even if it was supposed to be fun. She’d already lived through that once.

“What? Why?” Caroline asked. “Come on, it’ll be great—”

But Callie wasn’t going to give into Caroline, not about this. “If you want to do something else, fine, but if you want to go walk around with people dressed up as psycho clowns and mental patients, I’m going to pass.”

Caroline didn’t say anything for several moments; she just stared straight ahead.

Why had she snapped? She could have opened up a little and told Caroline why, instead of jumping down her throat. But she didn’t want to tell anyone, didn’t want to watch their looks of horror turn to pity.

She didn’t deserve pity. Everything that had happened to her, she’d brought on herself by believing Tristan when he’d sworn he was fine. For months, he’d told her it was just exhaustion, that he was spread too thin, and she’d tried to make his life easier, enlisting her mother to help make dinners and making sure he got plenty of rest.

But that hadn’t worked. Instead, she’d come home to a living nightmare, and there was no way in hell she was going to experience it again for entertainment.

Taking a deep breath, Callie broke the silence. “I’m sorry if I spoiled your night.”

“Naw, don’t worry about it. I’ll just go with my sisters.”

“Sorry, it’s just . . . ” Callie wasn’t sure she wanted to get into her past with Caroline. She enjoyed their fun, uncomplicated friendship. Caroline knew about her drinking and that Ratchet was trained as a therapy dog, but Caroline had never pressed her about why she needed one, and she was grateful. She didn’t talk to anyone about Tristan.

“Hey, really, it’s fine. I have issues with bowling alleys, so we’re even.”

“Noted,” Callie said, adding, “So what do you want to do instead?”

“We could go to a movie. Grab some dinner and some coffee?”

“Sure,” Callie said, relaxing into the seat.

“How about the new one with Rachel McAdams?” Caroline asked.

Yeah, because watching a picture-perfect romance is exactly what you need when you’re all tied up in knots about a guy.

“Or we could go see something funny that doesn’t make me want to gouge my eyes out.”

“Och, lassie, but ye’ve got nah romance in ya soul.”