Frozen Barriers by Sara Shirley Page B

in the living room and play with Aspen as my phone begins ringing. Looking at the caller ID, I see it’s Courtney. Why would she be calling me? I know she was heading out for birthday drinks tonight at Eavesdrop with Sue and Emily. When I called Courtney on the way home from Manchester to tell her Happy Birthday, she was ecstatic that Emily was going to join her. Courtney isn’t hard to please, but she also has a soft heart, which she wears on her sleeve. Hopefully, Emily didn’t cancel at the last minute, and that’s why she’s calling me.
    Pulling the phone up to my ear, I say, “Hey, Court, everything all right?” I hear music in the background and what sounds like Sue and Emily talking about stripping and something about hooking up with the bartender. What the fuck?
    Courtney answers, “Jeremy, I have no idea who else to call. Sue and Emily are trashed, and they shouldn’t drive, but I don’t have my car here to bring them home. Sue picked me up, and now I don’t know what to do.” What the hell? Sue was supposed to be watching out for her.
    Dave gives me a questioning look as I respond, “Court, hang tight. Dave and I will be there in a little bit, okay?”
    I hear Sue in the background slurring, “Courtney, is that Jeremy? Aww, Jeremy and Emily sitting in a tree k-I-s-s-I-n-g.”
    Shit.
    “Okay, thanks, Jeremy. Sorry to bug you. I just didn’t know what else to do.”
    “It’s fine, Courtney. You did right by calling. I’ll be there soon. Bye.” I hang up.
    Dave glances over after pulling a toy out of Aspen’s mouth. “What’s going on?” he asks, eyeing me curiously.
    “Emily and Sue are toasted, and we’re needed pronto.”
    Dave and I hop into my truck and make the fifteen-minute drive to Eavesdrop. We quickly head inside since it sounded as though the girls were already tanked before we left. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could have prepared us for what we walk in on in the lounge. The first person I make eye contact with is Sue, and her eyes shoot wide open. “You! How could you not tell me about you two?!” she shouts. Holy shit, she’s now drawing attention to herself, and how much did she drink? Sue can usually hold her liquor, but I’ve never seen her this drunk, except for perhaps one of my birthday parties at my parents’ house when she was singing something from Mary Poppins or some shit like that.
    It’s now apparent that Sue must have poked Emily enough to get the details out of her about our little interlude the other day. So much for just coming to give the girls a ride home. Rubbing my hands over my face, I glance up to see Emily trying to stand and turn around. I hear Dave hiss next to me, whispering, “Holy shit, Emily got hot, dude!” I growl, not even sure why, but I see Emily eyeing me up and down. Damn, she’s smokin’ tonight and those heels. Shit, my dick stirs in my pants just thinking about them wrapped around me. Get your head off sex, asshole. You’re here to help the girls. At that moment, I notice her legs wobbling, and she starts to tilt over. I immediately rush over to her and wrap my arms around her before she hits the floor. I make my way to the chair and rest her on my lap with her passed out head in my neck.
    “Jesus, how much did she have to drink?” I ask the girls.
    Sue hiccups before saying, “I don’t know, maybe one more martini than I did. I lost count at four.” I glance over at Courtney, looking for a more sober explanation.
    She catches my silent question and chimes in, “I have no idea, Jeremy. I thought she was okay, but she didn’t really eat very much except some fruit. I’m really sorry. I didn’t know.”
    “It’s fine, Court. Can you just get me a bottled water from the bar? Dave, I need you to take my truck and make sure the girls get home.” Shit, I don’t even know if Emily still lives at the same house in Andover. I’ve somehow got to get her sober enough to talk to me, and that’s when I notice the clear plastic