Page 215 of No Need to Run

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“And don’t get drunk beforehand.”

“Helpful.” He shakes his head. “Especially when there are rakes lurking in the wild.”

Callie’s eyes fly wide. “What?”

I smirk. “Drew stepped on a rake. That’s the reason for this.” I gesture to his mark on his forehead.

Callie doubles over, wheezing.

I shake my head while Drew takes a drink.

When she gets herself under control, she says, “What a night. First, there’s a screaming squirrel outside. Then?—”

“It wasn’t a squirrel.” Drew’s face turns red.

Her eyes widen. “Oh my God. That was you?”

Drew glares at her. “I don’t scream like a squirrel. It was a startled gasp.”

Callie’s wheezing.

“It was a death shriek.”

I take the glass from him before he can spill it during another argument. “

I give Callie a look.

She lifts both hands. “Leaving. I’m leaving.” She backs away, still smiling. “But for the record, I approve.”

“Of what?” he demands.

Callie disappears down the hall without answering.

The air shifts again.

His gaze drops toward the doorway where Callie disappeared. “I didn’t mean to scare her.”

“She had a tennis racket. She was fine.” I grin. “She knows how to use it.”

I pat his chest once, then step back. “You should eat something before the whiskey wins.”

“The whiskey already won.”

I raise my brows. “You sure about that?”

He stands, a little unsteady, and I put a hand on his arm. He looks down at the contact, then at me.

I guide him toward the door. “Come on, worst stalker ever.”

He groans. “Please don’t call me that.”

“Would you prefer squirrel?”

“No.”

“Rake victim?”

“Violet.”

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