“Anger isn’t the only way to respond to things.”
“You know what your problem is?”
“I have a feeling you’re going to tell me.”
“You’re too damned nice. It’s all that time as a teacher. You’re all Little Mary Sunshine with your third graders, and it spills over into unhealthy levels of niceness everywhere else.”
“It’s only unhealthy if it involves denial.” And she was done with denial. She’d turned over a new, denial-free leaf. “Enough about me. Tonight is about you exorcising your demons.”
“Damn straight.” Finn marched toward the bar.
Mary Alice and Margot flanked her, while Presley went on ahead to have a few words with the bartender. A moment later, Adele handed over Bob the Bastard and began pouring the requisite three shots. Presley marched across the bar to the dartboard and fastened Bob to it spread-eagled, as the ritual dictated, for Finn’s skewering pleasure. The bar patrons began to cheer and then quieted down for the show.
“Here hangs Seth Turner, Asshole Ex of the First Degree,” Presley announced. “Administering his sentence is Finn Watson, the Supremely Wronged Party.”
A few women, who were probably veterans of the ritual, booed Seth and called out encouragement to Finn like, “Get the bastard!” and “You go, girl!”
Adele nudged the salt-rimmed shot of tequila toward Finn. “Go on and start forgetting, sugar.”
Finn tossed back the shot. Her breath burst out in a wheeze as soon as she managed to swallow. “Holy shit, that’s nasty.”
Margot handed her the first dart. “List his crimes, sweetheart.”
Mary Alice was gratef
ul she hadn’t been talked into doing this. Oh, she’d thought about it, during those first few days after the breakup, when she was really angry and hurt. And okay, a few more times as she watched how quickly—and enthusiastically—Judd moved on. But what would she list as his crimes? Being too dedicated to protecting others? Being meant to be with someone else? Fooling himself? And if he’d been guilty of that one, so had she.
Anyway, it wasn’t in her nature to bad-mouth anybody, least of all the man she’d loved. He wasn’t a bad guy. He just…hadn’t been her guy in the end.
Finn stepped up to the line, having no such reservations about trashing Seth. Narrowing her eyes at the board, she snarled, “For lying to me, you gutless coward.” She let the dart fly. The toss went a little wide, pinning Bob through his left arm and earning a smattering of cheers and applause.
Striding back to the bar, Finn picked up the second shot. Whiskey this time. She threw it back without even blinking.
Mary Alice handed over the second dart. “Cheezits, Mary, and Joseph, woman. I’d be on the floor after all that.”
“That’s ’cause you’re a lightweight.”
Because Finn was weaving a little as she went back to the line, Mary Alice stepped back. Current circumstances aside, Finn wasn’t a heavyweight in the drinking department herself. She was going to regret this. Mary Alice just knew it.
“For being a selfish asshat.” The shot nailed Bob through one eye, to the collective cheers of the Mudcat’s other patrons.
Mary Alice felt a twinge of sympathy for Seth. She didn’t know the full story of what had happened between him and her cousin—Finn wasn’t ready to talk about the specifics yet—but she’d known and liked him all her life. This whole public spectacle just seemed mean.
Back at the bar, Presley handed Finn the final shot of Jaeger.
“Bottoms up.” Finn tossed it back and took the third dart, returning to the line and squinting at Bob. “For being able to walk away.” The words were quiet, but the throw was true. She swayed for a long moment, staring at the dart that was still quivering in Bob’s heartless chest as the crowd roared its approval.
Mary Alice’s heart twisted as she saw the narrow tracks of tears on her cousin’s face. All the fight seemed to have left Finn. She stood at the line, shoulders slumped, face pale and drawn. Yeah, Mary Alice remembered that part. She wasn’t too far past it herself. She didn’t think this was going to be the cleansing ritual Finn had hoped for. Grief took time, and dulling it didn’t speed up the process.
Time to get out of here.
Mary Alice reached out, intending to put an arm around her shoulders.
“Oh God.” Clapping a hand over her mouth, Finn made a staggering run for the bathroom. People scattered, leaving a clear path for Mary Alice to chase after. She banged her own elbow on the doorframe as she barreled through just in time to see Finn tripping over her own feet and into a stall. Her head cracked sharply against the toilet, as she hit the floor.
“God, it’s qui—”
A hand slapped over Chad Phillips’ mouth. “Don’t you dare say the Q word. That’s the kiss of death, and you know it.”