Free Return of the Dixie Deb by Nina Barrett Page B

wouldn’t you say, honey?” Jan asked brightly.
    Honey ? What was going on? He hadn’t heard that before. He turned to where Jan was audibly chasing the last of her drink around the bottom of her glass with a straw.
    “Mac could tell you a lot about stealing. He’s kind of an expert,” Jan said. Under the table he felt her hand on his thigh, squeezing it, slowly moving up… Geez !
    He drew a long, less than steady breath, and curled her fingers in his own to move them away. Jan raised her glass and waved it in Dahlia’s direction.
    “Yoo-hoo! Refill, please!”
    He pulled her down as she started to rise. Dahlia, offering a serving dish to her mother, smiled, and nodded at them.
    It was evident what had happened to his doctored glass. Somehow, he didn’t think Jan was going to get the drink she thought she would. Thankfully, with the food continuing, her tipsiness would become less evident. He hoped.
    The Derby pie was too sweet for him. He pushed it away as he waited on his coffee. Jan draped an arm about his neck as she picked nuts out of his dessert sucking the chocolate off, playing with them with her tongue.
    He took a quick sip of his coffee. It was scalding, but he didn’t think he had time to let it cool off. He needed to get Jan up to their room while she was still ambulatory.
    “I believe we’re done if you folks will excuse us. It’s been a wonderful meal. Thank you.” He bowed his head in Miss Lily’s direction. She favored him with a mystified nod.
    “But I’m thirsty, Mac.” Jan pouted.
    He held her elbow as he pulled the chair back.
    “You know what I could use now?”
    “Probably a little rest, dear.” He detached Jan’s fingers from her glass to replace it on the table.
    “Steal away, steal away.” She giggled. “Steal a-w-a-y.”
    Supporting her with an arm, he pressed her face into his chest.
    “Long day,” he said to the Japanese couple staring in concern at them. “Probably too much time in the sun, um, heat exhaustion, you know. Sun stroke, or something.”
    Her voice muffled, it sounded like Jan was trying to sing. Slumped against him, her feet slid on the marble of the entryway as he guided her toward the staircase.
    “Okay, Jan, we need to go upstairs now. Let’s take it easy.”
    “Easy, peasy, Mac.”
    With one arm around her, his other gripping the railing, he got her up to the landing a step at a time. She counted the steps for him between hiccups and giggles. Turning to continue upward, he caught her as she sagged into his arms, her head falling back. She gave him a big grin.
    “Mac, I feel good.”
    “I can tell.”
    “I mean I feel really good. Like we just pulled off a really, really, really good bank job. You know? Set a new record? Maybe a world record?”
    Down below, he could hear the sounds of chairs being pushed back in the dining room as dinner broke up.
    “Really good.” Her eyes rolled back.
    “Oh, hell.” Well, Rhett had done it. He bent over to scoop her up. She sighed into his chest as he climbed the rest of the stairs. Letting her down, he balanced her as he found his key and got the door open. Carefully, he guided her in and held her as she swayed against the wall and he got the door closed.
    “Mac, Mac, Michael, Mac McKenzie.’
    “Yes, Scarlett.” Twilight was coming through the window. It looked like Dahlia had turned down the bed, leaving behind a rosebud and two chocolates on the pillow. Early as it was, it seemed bed was the best place for Jan. He put his arm around her waist to walk her over to the bed. Her legs wobbled as they took a circuitous route around the armchairs.
    “Special Agent Michael McKenzie. How special are you, Mac McKenzie?”
    He lowered her down to sit on the bed and bent over to slip her shoes off.
    “I think you need to rest, Jan.”
    Her arms were around his neck, one hand doing something to his ear. Her eyes half-closed under the long curling lashes regarded him with a look he hadn’t seen from her