them. He’d been mostly silent since his pronouncement, but Mandy was well aware of the anger rolling off of him.
James stripped out of his jeans – after a lot of contorting and shimmying – and wordlessly handed them to her. He watched as she held them under the nozzle and hit the button. They were going to take forever to dry that way, but he didn’t see a lot of choice in the matter.
“Are you going to yell at me?” Mandy asked, shifting her worried blue eyes to his dark orbs.
“Yes.”
Mandy waited.
“Where is my shirt?” James asked, glancing around the bathroom.
“It’s on top of that stall over there,” Mandy said, biting the inside of her cheek.
“It’s still wet,” James said, running his fingers over the shirt.
“It’s going to take some time to dry.”
“I guess it’s good we’re stuck here then.”
“I … please just yell at me now and get it over with,” Mandy said. “I can’t stand walking on eggshells around you.”
“You never have to walk around on eggshells where I’m concerned,” James replied. “You’re my wife. I’m not your father. I’m not going to ground you.”
“It feels like you want to … hurt me.”
James snapped his head up. “I never want to hurt you. Don’t ever say anything like that again.”
Mandy took an involuntary step back. “Okay.” Her voice was so small it tugged at James’ heart. He wasn’t ready to make up, though. They had a few things to talk about first.
“Grady was with me when I left the office.”
“Where is he?” Mandy asked. “Is he here?”
“We found Sophie’s car on M-59. It was tipped on its side and it had been slammed into some trees.”
Mandy’s hand flew to her mouth, and she almost dropped James’ jeans before recovering. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine,” James said. “She’s sore, and she has some superficial burns on her wrist from the air bag, but she’s okay. Grady stayed with her to wait for the ambulance.”
“She’s going to the hospital?”
“Grady insisted,” James said. “I don’t blame him. If you’d seen that car … .”
“I’m so glad she’s okay.”
James grunted in assent.
“I … what are you mad about?”
James shifted his gaze to his wife, love for her washing over him even as anger settled in the pit of his stomach. “What do you think I’m mad about?”
“That I insisted on staying in this class even though you didn’t want me to.”
“Is that why you really think I’m mad?”
“I don’t know what else it could be,” Mandy said. “If I hadn’t been a stubborn pain I would’ve gone home right after work. You wouldn’t have almost died trying to find me.”
“Dammit, Mandy!” James smacked his hand against the metal door of the stall. “I don’t understand why you insist on staying in this class, but that’s hardly something to be angry about. That’s not why I want to throttle you.”
Mandy’s shoulders slumped at the same time the air dryer flipped off. She hit the button again and lifted the jeans. “I guess it’s good these are hooked up to the emergency generator.”
“I think it’s a sanitation thing,” James said. “They have the air dryers so they can say they’re green and not waste money on paper products. If they want to do that, though, they have to make them available even in times of emergency.”
“You know a lot of things.”
James growled. “Don’t try to distract me.”
Mandy flashed James her best “you love me and you can’t stay mad at me” look. “I would never try to do that.”
James extended his index finger. “You’re the queen of doing that. We have a little something to talk about first.”
“What?”
“Do you honestly not know?”
“I don’t,” Mandy said, shaking her head.
“Did you tell me your class got over an hour later than it really did?”
“Oh,” Mandy said, her heart sinking. “That.”
“Yeah, that .”
“I didn’t want you to sit home and worry,”
James stripped out of his jeans – after a lot of contorting and shimmying – and wordlessly handed them to her. He watched as she held them under the nozzle and hit the button. They were going to take forever to dry that way, but he didn’t see a lot of choice in the matter.
“Are you going to yell at me?” Mandy asked, shifting her worried blue eyes to his dark orbs.
“Yes.”
Mandy waited.
“Where is my shirt?” James asked, glancing around the bathroom.
“It’s on top of that stall over there,” Mandy said, biting the inside of her cheek.
“It’s still wet,” James said, running his fingers over the shirt.
“It’s going to take some time to dry.”
“I guess it’s good we’re stuck here then.”
“I … please just yell at me now and get it over with,” Mandy said. “I can’t stand walking on eggshells around you.”
“You never have to walk around on eggshells where I’m concerned,” James replied. “You’re my wife. I’m not your father. I’m not going to ground you.”
“It feels like you want to … hurt me.”
James snapped his head up. “I never want to hurt you. Don’t ever say anything like that again.”
Mandy took an involuntary step back. “Okay.” Her voice was so small it tugged at James’ heart. He wasn’t ready to make up, though. They had a few things to talk about first.
“Grady was with me when I left the office.”
“Where is he?” Mandy asked. “Is he here?”
“We found Sophie’s car on M-59. It was tipped on its side and it had been slammed into some trees.”
Mandy’s hand flew to her mouth, and she almost dropped James’ jeans before recovering. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine,” James said. “She’s sore, and she has some superficial burns on her wrist from the air bag, but she’s okay. Grady stayed with her to wait for the ambulance.”
“She’s going to the hospital?”
“Grady insisted,” James said. “I don’t blame him. If you’d seen that car … .”
“I’m so glad she’s okay.”
James grunted in assent.
“I … what are you mad about?”
James shifted his gaze to his wife, love for her washing over him even as anger settled in the pit of his stomach. “What do you think I’m mad about?”
“That I insisted on staying in this class even though you didn’t want me to.”
“Is that why you really think I’m mad?”
“I don’t know what else it could be,” Mandy said. “If I hadn’t been a stubborn pain I would’ve gone home right after work. You wouldn’t have almost died trying to find me.”
“Dammit, Mandy!” James smacked his hand against the metal door of the stall. “I don’t understand why you insist on staying in this class, but that’s hardly something to be angry about. That’s not why I want to throttle you.”
Mandy’s shoulders slumped at the same time the air dryer flipped off. She hit the button again and lifted the jeans. “I guess it’s good these are hooked up to the emergency generator.”
“I think it’s a sanitation thing,” James said. “They have the air dryers so they can say they’re green and not waste money on paper products. If they want to do that, though, they have to make them available even in times of emergency.”
“You know a lot of things.”
James growled. “Don’t try to distract me.”
Mandy flashed James her best “you love me and you can’t stay mad at me” look. “I would never try to do that.”
James extended his index finger. “You’re the queen of doing that. We have a little something to talk about first.”
“What?”
“Do you honestly not know?”
“I don’t,” Mandy said, shaking her head.
“Did you tell me your class got over an hour later than it really did?”
“Oh,” Mandy said, her heart sinking. “That.”
“Yeah, that .”
“I didn’t want you to sit home and worry,”
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