Page 144 of In Sheets of Rain

“Fuck me,” she muttered. “Here’s an idea: You go, I’ll watch TV.”

“There’ll be doctors there,” I said while waggling my eyebrows.

“Serial. Killer,” she offered with a smirk.

I chewed on my bottom lip and watched the attendees. Michael had skipped the dinner last time, as well.

“OK,” I said. “You’re on.”

Gail smiled at me brightly.

“I’ll bring the party-sized bag of lollies,” she said. “You bring the popcorn.”

“My room. Eight o’clock.”

We grinned like naughty schoolgirls.

* * *

“Ijust got told off,” Donna said as she plopped herself down on the seat beside my desk.

“Told off?”

“Yeah. I used the car to go to Tirau to play golf on the weekend. But I didn’t fill in a permission request for out of town travel.”

“Oh,” I said.

“Yeah, oh. I’m grounded.”

“Grounded?” I said with a laugh.

“Well, maybe not grounded, but I’m sure as hell not going to play golf out of town for a while.”

She looked distraught.

“You’re too young to play golf,” I offered.

She blinked at me. “Are you crazy? It’s the best game out there. Have you played it?”

“No.”

“Right. I’m taking you. You fill in the permission slip, and we’ll go in your car.”

“You just want to get to Tirau, and I’m your easy ticket out of town.”

She laughed.

“Girlfriend,” she said. “Wait until I teach you to play golf. You’ll be just as hooked as I am and will doanythingto reach a decent golf course.”

“I doubt that,” I muttered.

“Fill out that form,” she said. “I’ll even throw in lunch at the nineteenth hole.”

“You’re on,” I said, laughing.

* * *

“Have fun?” Michael asked when I walked in the door.