Alex and Annie: A Bad Jokes Spinoff

Chapter 7 (Alex): Into The Void

Why was Annie holding on to Creighton's arm when I'd offered her mine? I'd shaken Shelby off the minute she'd curled her fingers around my bicep and thought my sister was right -- we were approaching a new category of clinger.

I kept looking back at Annie and trying to figure out a way to separate her from Creighton at the table. Annie, in her sweetness, may not have noticed, but I watched him check out my sister and cousins.

He was out with the most gorgeous girl -- so how could he even look at anyone else? I wanted to shake him, maybe blacken his eyes so he couldn't look at other women, but Xane had taken Rory's hand -- guess he'd noticed Creighton checking out his wife -- and stepped into my line of sight.

"No," he said quietly, but that was all he needed to say.

Fine. But I was going to be watching to make sure Creighton didn't treat Annie disrespectfully.

Eyes on your date, asshole. But that didn't sit well with me, either, because I really didn't want his eyes on Annie. She was way more than simple eye candy and deserved better than Creighton checking out other women when he was out with her. Annie was funny, smart, sweet as hell -- she was the total package and I couldn't believe he wasn't more appreciative.

We were led to an eight-top round table, and I made sure that I snagged the chair on Annie's right, with Creighton on her left. Justice was next to Creighton, then Xane, Rory, Gracie and Shelby was on my right. I'd been trying to get my sister or Justice to jump into the seat to my right, but they'd just given me bland smiles and didn't take the hints I was throwing at them.

If Gracie hadn't recently gone through something traumatic with a stalker, I would have had ten yards of cow manure delivered in her driveway for ignoring me like that. Since Justice currently lived in an apartment above our grandmother's horse barn, I figured manure wouldn't bother her, so maybe I'd just fill her Jeep with bouncing balls and cover it in Post-It notes.

"This is so nice," Shelby began after the server took our drink orders. "So, how do you all know Alex?"

She was looking at Gracie and Justice in a non-friendly way. The drinks couldn't get here fast enough.

"We grew up with him," Justice said after a minute.

"Oh, so like old friends but nothing else," Shelby clarified.

"Well, I wouldn't say nothing else," Gracie jumped in. "That wouldn't be accurate at all."

"What does that mean?" Shelby asked, her tone getting unfriendly.

"It means we're his cousins," Justice said pointing to herself and Rory, "and Gracie's his sister."

"Oh," Shelby said, suddenly all sweetness and light. "I've been dying to meet you all. Alex has told me so much about his family."

I'd told her I had two female cousins and a sister when we were talking one night while I was away on assignment.

"Really?" Gracie said, reading my face and just knowing me well. "What did he say about us? I'd love to hear what tales my brother's been telling you."

Shelby realized she'd just been trapped in a lie. "He told me that he had a sister and two cousins. And...other things. Nothing really in-depth."

You could see her trying desperately to recall if there was anything else I'd mentioned. There wasn't because I didn't talk about my family except in the most general, superficial sense.

"Like what?" Justice pushed.

Shrugging, Shelby smiled and fluttered her hand. "Too much to recall. Oh, look, our drinks are here!"