Page 88 of Jackass

“I’m Greg, and you’re—”

“Married,” I replied.

“I was going to say beautiful,” he said with a grin. I turned to the end of the bar where Johnny sat watching Greg.I’m ok,I mouthed to the prospect. His eyes landed on me and he nodded.

I didn’t need him losing his shit. He may be young, at a guess around twenty or twenty-one, but he had the biker glare down to a tee.

“So, where’s your husband?” Greg asked.

“Home with our children,” I told him with a smile.

“Any man who would let a woman that looks like you out ofthe house without him is stupid, or no longer interested. I can give you what you’re missing at home, gorgeous.”

“Do lines like that actually work on women?” I asked him.

“Every time,” he said with pride.

It would have to be false pride. There was no way a woman would fall for that crap.

“I can assure you, the man I have at home is neither stupid nor uninterested. In fact, it would be inyourbest interest to not talk to me.”

“You’re a real bitch, aren’t you?”

Well, that escalated quickly.

“Yup,” I answered, popping the p for emphasis.

“I’ll get you later. You’ll be changing your tune then,” he whispered as he left the stool and disappeared into the crowd behind me.

“Everything ok?” I jumped, hearing Jingles voice behind me.

“Yea, all good,” I replied, taking a long drink of my cocktail. “Let me guess. That was Jack on the phone?”

“Yea, he wants you home,” Jingles said, sitting down next to me.

“And what did you tell him?”

“I told him I would make sure you got home safe when you finished your drink.”

I looked over at Jingles. These guys hated going against a brother. When they did, it meant something.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Hey,” he said, bumping my shoulder. “He didn’t hear the conversation you had with Carrie. I told him you needed that drink.”

“Yea, I did,” I agreed. “I recorded it, so Jack could hear it all.”

“Me too.” He smiled and winked.

I chuckled.

“What is wrong with her, Jingles? She was never like this,” I asked. “She gave up everything for me and Charlie.”

“It sounds like she has an unhealthy obsession with either you or Charlie, maybe both.”

I looked at him. He heard everything I did and came to the same conclusion.

“That’s what I was thinking, too. I need to figure out why. She needs help,” I said.