Chapter 18

Phoebe had dropped Jonathan at the house with his dinner supplies, refusing to answer any of his questions, which had frustrated him, but she knew he wasn't one to give up. He'd just double down and come at it from another angle.

Driving to the Rollaway, she'd thought about Brody and his drawings. She'd then attempted to forget about him and focus on having a good time. Brody Duke had taken up far too much space in her head already; she wasn't giving him anymore, she vowed.

Entering the Rollaway, she barely recognized the place. A disco ball was hung above the dance floor, and there seemed to be a lot of pink everywhere. Pink bows were stuck to the bar, and Red was in a tight pink shirt that said, honorary girl, which his expression told her he'd rather not be wearing.

Finding Cill and Zoe already here, she joined them and started forgetting about Brody. Many hours later, she'd managed it… mainly.

"Look up!" Cill shrieked at her .

Closing one eye, Phoebe focused on the hanging balloon decoration above her on the dance floor.

"I think it's a large inflatable phallic symbol!" Phoebe replied loudly.

"It's a penis, shitty girl, just call it like it is," Cill said from the barstool beside her.

Phoebe was now onto her fourth pink sparkly unicorn drink. Her head still felt on straight, but she couldn't say the same for Cill. Her friend was well gone.

"Did you just call me a shitty girl?"

Cill leaned in closer to Phoebe, so their noses nearly touched, and her eyes crossed.

"City girl," she said slowly, enunciating every word. "I love that you're back. Gone too long."

"Here. Eat this, you lightweight." Nina waggled a chicken finger in front of Cill. She opened her mouth like a baby bird, and her friend stuffed it in. She then handed her a glass of water. "Then we dance some more."

Looking around the room while she, too, ate a chicken finger, Phoebe saw that most of the women in town she knew were here. Clearly having the night off from the diner, Linda, owner of the Do-Si-Do, and Nancy, who owned Circle Left, where you could get a meal, a room for the night, or a drink, were dancing together. With them were Robyn Duke and Meadow McAllister.

"Hello, dear. I haven't seen you since you returned. Are you transferring your medical records to my practice?" Dr. Hannah said, having appeared at Phoebe's side.

She was a force of nature like a lot of the older members of Lyntacky. She'd given Phoebe her first lecture on birth control and stitched up her foot when she'd stood on a piece of glass when she was ten.

"Ah, I hadn't thought about that yet, Dr. Hannah."

"Well, you never know when you're going to get sick, so get to it. I like to have all the information I need about my patients when I treat them."

The doctor was short, round, and always dressed in a cardigan and plaid skirt.

"You still drinking those peachy keens, Doc?"

"Nothing else worth drinking. Besides, I've built up a tolerance for them now. Not sure my body will cope with anything else. Now you get those records sent through to me, please, Phoebe."

"Will do." The problem was, she wasn't sure she wanted anyone in Lyntacky reading her medical notes. Family knew what she'd gone through, but no one else.

"Shots, shots, shots!" The shouts rang out, and the women moved en masse to the bar, pinning Phoebe and Cill in.

"Holy crap, I'm exhausted." Blue slumped down on the other side of Phoebe. "Those old ladies can dance. I need to work out more."

"Yeah, you're out of shape, no getting around that fact," Phoebe said, eyeing her friend's tight minidress. Blue raised a middle finger.

"I forgot how much I like this place and these people. You go, and it slips out of your head, but then you come back and remember."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Phoebe agreed.

"Look at my little sister. She's so happy."

They both looked to the dance floor, where Zoe was in a line with Birdie and Robyn Duke. They appeared to be attempting some kind of leg kick while laughing hysterically. Those women could have been family.

"I'm heading home now, Pheebs, because Finch is here, and I have a meeting on Zoom soon," Blue said. "Mom's coming with us too. "

"You're drunk," Phoebe said.

"I can handle my liquor," her friend said.

"I can see that," Phoebe said as Blue listed to the right. "I'll come now too and get my car tomorrow."

"No need, we'll get you home," Dee said from behind the bar. "We have drivers."

"Really?"

"Really."

Phoebe hugged Blue, who left when Finch showed his face in the doorway.

"Finch!" SJ shrieked. He disappeared back out the door.

"Jesus, these women are terrifying," Red Heckler said, dropping into the seat Blue vacated. "Save me."

"Awww, come on now, Reddy," Cill said, attempting to plant a kiss on his cheek and missing. He braced her as she pitched forward into Phoebe.

"No more alcohol for you, Cill, or Jed will be pissed with me," Red said.

"He's the best man," Cill said with a sloppy smile.

"The best. I would have married him if Dee hadn't lured me in with her sweet temperament."

As one, they all looked at the dance floor and found Dee there. She wore an open white shirt with a pink bra, beneath which was a short leather skirt.

"Sweetness itself," Nina said with a straight face.

Red snorted. "You know what I love most about my girl?" He looked from Nina to Phoebe. Cill was now tucked under his arm.

"What?" Nina asked.

"She's exactly who she wants to be. Dee never cares what anyone thinks about her and lives her life how she wants. You can't help but love that in a person, especially when so many of us can't even dress without asking someone if we look okay."

"I love that about her," Phoebe said.

"I love that you two are still so in love, Red," Nina said, kissing him loudly on the cheek.

"Boys' nights are a lot easier than girls' nights," Red said, easing Cill upright as he stood again. "They drink, they talk shit, they occasionally hit each other, but then they're friends again. You women make things complicated and talk about feelings." Red shuddered.

"I'm fine!" Cill shrieked, making him wince. "Let's dance."

Red wandered off to collect glasses with a shake of his head. He then circled back to where Bradford, another local, also wearing an honorary girl shirt, was attempting to serve the women flirting with him.

Phoebe moved with her friends to the dance floor and thought it had been too long since she'd really let herself go, but she felt safe doing this with people she liked and trusted. She laughed and danced and then joined the conga line Dee started.

"Time-out," Phoebe said four dances later. "I need a drink." She staggered back to her seat. Looking for her bag, she didn't find it. Something made her look to the door, and she saw a woman with a bag slung over her shoulder. She ran to catch her.

"Hey. That's my bag!" Grabbing the strap, she tried to wrestle it free. The woman swung a fist at her. The blow connected with her cheek, but she held onto her bag.

"Stop!" The roar came from Red, and the woman let go and fled.

"What's going on?" Dee asked, arriving.

"That woman stole my bag, and she could have others." Phoebe's knees felt weak as she remembered the last time she'd been in an altercation. Then she hadn't been as lucky as she was tonight. Then she'd ended up bloodied and unconscious on the floor.