Chapter 2
“We are not going to another bar, Monroe.”
“Yes, we are!”
“No, we’re not. This is getting ridiculous. We’re in a strange city, searching for a man we barely know, and our only clue is that he told you he works at a bar in Billings. We’ve been to twenty bars so far and no one has heard of him!”
“Which means he might work at the ones we’re going to tonight!” Monroe replied, getting up into Dotty’s face. “And I do know him. He’s my husband!”
“Who you married on a drunken whim in Las Vegas. You hadn’t even known him a day.”
Monroe shrugged. “He was a good tipper.”
Dotty just gaped at Monroe. “And that’s a good reason to marry him?”
“Well, he was also cute and fun. Do you remember what fun is, Dotty?” Monroe asked, hands on her hips.
“No! Because I’m too busy taking care of you in order to have any fun!”
The words slapped back and forth between them, making Addie grow more and more tense. A large boulder filled her stomach and she grabbed hold of Snaggles, who was on the couch next to her. Holding him up, she ran his ear under her nose in an effort to soothe herself.
Addie hated it when Dotty and Monroe fought. And that’s all they seemed to be doing on this trip. Addie didn’t like being away from home. The house she shared with her sisters was her safe space. Where she never had to interact with anyone. And no one could scare or judge her.
However, she’d known that she wouldn’t be comfortable staying in the apartment on her own.
This was the lesser of two evils.
She’d tried to tell herself that this might be a fun trip. That she’d get to spend some time with her sisters. Back home, Dotty worked really long hours. And when Monroe wasn’t working, she was out with friends. While Addie hid in her room like a coward.
But that seemed preferable to sitting here, watching her sisters fight.
“Monroe!” Dotty said, throwing her hands up into the air. “Can you hear how crazy you sound? You got married to a man because he gave you some tips and he was fun.”
“He paid attention to me.” Monroe crossed her arms over her chest and glanced away from Dotty.
Addie let out a sound of distress and Dotty turned to look at her. Addie’s oldest sister sighed and dropped her head. Her shoulders were slumped as she sat on the armchair across from where Addie was sitting.
“I’m sorry,” Dotty whispered. Poor Dotty. She looked so tired. Her strawberry-blonde hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, and since she hadn’t bothered with makeup today, so Addie could see the bags under her eyes. The pallor of her skin.
Dotty needed a proper vacation.
Monroe stared down at Dotty in surprise. She glanced over at Addie, her face softening as she ran her gaze over her.
Addie knew she probably looked terrified. When didn’t she? She now had her legs up against her chest, her feet on the sofa and was rubbing Snaggles’ ear under her nose.
Her grandfather had given her Snaggles when she was seven. He was a saber-toothed tiger. Grandpa had found him in a museum shop. Dotty had gotten a woolly mammoth while Monroe had been given a ground sloth.
Which was kind of funny when sloths were known to be rather slow and Monroe was always on the move.
Snaggles was her best friend.
She’d only met her grandfather once but he’d seemed like a really nice man.
“I shouldn’t be yelling,” Dotty said. “I’m just worried. I don’t want anything to happen to the two of you and we left the worst bars until now.”
“You don’t need to protect us, Dotty. You guys don’t even need to come. I can go alone.” Monroe straightened her shoulders. “This is my mess and I need to fix it.”
Monroe was losing her mind. Did she really think they were just going to stay in this hotel while she went off to some bars in terrible areas alone?
“That’s not happening,” Dotty said firmly. “It’s all for one and one for all. You know that.”
“But I don’t want anything to happen to you guys,” Monroe said.
“And we don’t want anything to happen to you,” Dotty told her.
“I’m the person who married a stranger,” Monroe said morosely. “What was I thinking?”
Addie glanced over at Dotty, who sighed. “It doesn’t matter. It’s done now, we just have to find this guy so you can get an annulment.”
“What if I can’t find him, though? Such. An. Idiot.” Monroe smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead. “It’s just . . . he paid attention to me, you know? He listened to me.”
And that was Monroe’s Achilles’ heel. Having someone pay attention to her, be kind to her. She hadn’t gotten any attention growing up so now she tended to latch on to any attention she got.
They each had their issues from growing up, and coped in their own ways. Dotty buried herself in work. Monroe attached herself to the wrong people. And Addie?
Well, she was too scared to even live.
What an idiot.
Her own father didn’t even want her.
He probably figured out that she’s ugly and dumb.
The words hurt as much now as they had when she’d first heard them. They’d been like gunshots to her heart.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Taking a deep breath, Addie pushed those memories aside. Right now, there were more pressing things to worry about.
Like finding the guy that Monroe had married a few weeks ago. The same guy who had disappeared the next morning without a word. Just leaving the freaking marriage certificate on the bedside table.
Dotty had told her to just have it annulled on the basis that she was insane at the time.
Of course, Monroe had rejected that idea. Addie didn’t blame her. She wasn’t insane . . . just drunk and high on the guy’s attention.
So now Monroe was on the hunt for her missing ‘husband’ so he could sign the divorce papers she had in her handbag.
Or so she said. Addie wasn’t entirely sure that Monroe wanted the divorce.
She thought her sister might have some romantic notion about this guy.
That he’d had a good reason for leaving and that when she found him, he’d explain everything and they’d go on to live this amazing life with two kids, a dog, and a crippling mortgage.
Ahh, the dream.
At least for Monroe.
Addie wasn’t interested in anything like that. She knew she’d never have a normal life.
Because there was nothing normal about Addie. She’d probably still be living with one of her sisters when she was ninety. She’d be the ‘weird’ aunt to her nieces and nephews.
“Look, hopefully we’ll find Vex tonight and then this can all be over with so we can go home.”
Monroe had always been the optimistic one. Dotty was the practical one.
And she was the burden.
Dotty sighed and nodded. “All right, we’ll do this. But what if we can’t find him or any information about him?”
“Then we’ll head back to Vegas. I just have to show ‘due diligence’ that I searched for him. I think I’ve done that, right?”
“What I want to know is who names their kid Vextar?” Dotty asked.
Monroe frowned at her. “Don’t be mean, Dotty. And we still don’t know that he doesn’t have a good reason for leaving me.”
“No, but I’m not sure that any reason would be good enough to walk out the morning after your marriage. Even if said marriage was done on a whim after a few drinks.”
“I know you’re looking out for me, but he really is a nice guy.”
Dotty looked skeptical and Addie didn’t blame her. Nothing about this Vex seemed nice. Trying to find him was definitely a long shot.
Dotty glanced over at her. “What do you want to do, Addie? Are you going to come with us or stay here?”
She pointed at Dotty.
“You’re coming?” Dotty checked.
Addie nodded. Normally, she could easily speak to her sisters. It was just when her anxiety grew high that her voice failed her. That her throat closed over and the words couldn’t get through.
Unfortunately, right now, she was all anxiety and not much else.