“Thanks for fighting for me,” I said breezily. “You want me to buy you a beer?”

Eddie stared at me blank-faced for a second then his eyes went warm and the dimple came out.

What he didn’t do was answer.

“Okay then,” I decided for him in order to move past this latest fiasco (which I had, again, somehow survived and, luckily, so had everyone else). “Beer for you,” I told Eddie and went on. “Shots for the girls. Come on!” I yelled, turned, stepped over the prone Jerry and started to head to the bar.

Then I stopped, turned back around and leaned down to Jerry again. “One more thing. I know I zapped a bunch of your brain cells just now but the word you were looking for has three syllables.” I lifted my fist, shoved it close to Jerry’s face, my fingers flicked out and I counted them off as I spoke, “His… pan… ic, you moron.”

Then I straightened, saw Jet, Ava and Daisy grinning at me but I whirled on a flounce and stomped away on my new motorcycle boots.

I was shoving through the people (not really getting very far) when they parted like I was Moses and they were the Red Sea and Tex’s hand came to the top of my head.

“I’ll take a beer too,” Tex said to me, his hand leaving my head but he didn’t leave my side.

“I’ll buy you a beer. Heck, I’m rich. In fact, I’m totally loaded. I’ll buy everyone in the club a f**king beer,” I answered.

Tex boomed out a laugh.

“She’s not buyin’ the house a round,” Eddie said, materializing close to my other side and making me jump. I hadn’t even felt his approach.

“She’s rich, what’s there to do with money but buy a round?” Tex asked good-naturedly.

“She’s not f**kin’ buyin’ the house a round,” Eddie returned sharply.

“All right, badass, stand down. Shee-it,” Tex gave in.

I would not be denied some form of generous gesture, however. “I’m buying you both a beer,” I told Eddie, stopping at the bar.

“I’m drivin’, no beer,” Eddie looked down at me.

Blooming heck but being nice was not easy.

“Well then, I’m buying Tex a beer and the girls shots,” I returned.

Eddie grinned. “That you can do.”

I gave him the Ice Princess Icicle Ray of Death Glare.

“Well, thank you,” I said coldly.

His arm came around my shoulders, he tucked me into his side and he kissed the side of my head.

Unbelievable.

Was the Ice Princess, like, invisible to these people?

“Yo!” Eddie called, the bartender trotted up and Eddie gave my shoulder an affectionate squeeze as indication I should give my order.

Apparently, she was.

Oh well, so be it.

I decided to skip the fancy stuff and ordered straight tequila shots.

What the heck.

Right?

* * * * *

“I can walk to the door,” I told Lee as he walked beside me up to Hector’s front door.

Lee looked down at me and smiled. “I know.”

I weaved a little bit.

Seriously, he had a great smile.

And, at that moment, I decided that he should be made aware of this fact.

“You know,” I informed him (yes, I was drunk or more drunk or, say, uber-drunk), “I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this but you have a very handsome smile.”

He slung an arm around my shoulders (what was it with these guys and the arms around the shoulders, not that I was complaining, it was nice, but still, how touchy could you be?).

“It’s been mentioned,” he replied, his head coming up to look at the house and his chin gave a jerk.

My eyes followed his and I saw Hector standing inside his open front door. He was dressed, jeans, boots, white t-shirt under a buttoned-up but untucked flannel. The flannel was bunched up around the gun that was on his belt at the side of his hip.

I decided at that moment that Hector looked good wearing a gun.

Then again, Hector always looked good.

“Hi,” I called and waved to Hector as Lee and I walked up the front steps.

Hector just stared at me then his eyes cut to Lee.

It was then I realized Lee’s arm was still around me.

I looked up at Lee when we stopped in front of Hector and informed him helpfully, “You might want to take your arm away. Blanca tells me Hector doesn’t like men touching me.”

“Blanca told you that?” Lee asked, his smile (and arm) still firmly in place.

“Yes. She’s known Hector, like, his whole life so I think she’s in the position to know.”

Lee nodded, his smile somehow bigger like he was trying not to laugh then his eyes moved to Hector and he said, “I tried to stop it.”

Hector looked at Lee then looked at me then he muttered, “Oh f**k.”

“It was Ally’s idea,” Lee told Hector.

“What was Ally’s idea?” Hector asked Lee.

“It was not Ally’s idea!” I cried.

“It wasn’t!” super-power-eared Ally yelled from the open back window of Lee’s Explorer. “It was Sadie’s idea. I just was offering moral support.”

“Shut up, Ally!” Indy shouted out the open passenger side window.

“I will not shut up! I’m not taking the fall for this one!” Ally shouted back.

I turned to the car, dislodging Lee’s arm and lifted both my hands and pressed down. “No one’s going to take a fall. Everyone calm down. It’s all okay. It’s rock ‘n’ roll!” I screamed.

“Righteous!” Ally screamed back.

“Rock on, sister!” Indy screamed too.

“It’s rock ‘n’ roll?” Lee asked, sounding as amused as he looked.

“You all wanna quit screamin’ at three o’clock in the mornin’ in my f**kin’ neighborhood?” Hector suggested.

Mm, well maybe we were being an eensy bit loud.

“Time for beddie by,” I announced (sounding like Ralphie), got up on tiptoe, kissed Lee’s cheek (like Ralphie and Buddy would do to me), turned and gave Indy and Ally a double devil’s horns (like Ava taught me) and shouted, “Rock on!”

They shouted back in unison, “Rock on!”

“Christ,” Hector muttered but I ignored him, walked into the house and headed toward the stairs.

I was in his bedroom, I’d turned on the light by the bed and was sitting on its side when he arrived.

“What did Lee try to stop?” Hector asked when he hit the room.