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“Luckily, my daddy owns the place,” she threw back

I snorted, watching her disappear into the ballroom

Michael rubbed his face with his hand “I don’t even knohy I try” He sighed and turned around “I need to pick less fights, because the ets”

“You can say no, you know?”

But he just shot me a look like I was crazy “I didn’t raise that kid to take no for an answer”

Oh, right

He sive it to her yet?”

I cocked an eyebrow “Not yet,” IBanks to hear “Can I count on you for a calht, so I can enjoy my wife?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“Because every holiday, shit hits the fan over so,” I barked

He thinned his eyes “Thanksgiving was not my fault”

“The Fourth of July was your fault”

He folded his ar the candles “And who gave Thunder Bay’s basketball team your uncle’s trucks last March so they could du the state championships?”

“Notout invisible dirt froernail “I siive them to anybody”

He scoffed, the guests filling the room around us

“Besides, we didn’t lose,” I told him “They fouled The ref just didn’t see it”

“Well, the next ti inhis voice “Re screamed at for twenty-five minutes”

I openedcame out Yeah, okay He had a point That wasn’t exactly fair, I guess

“Fine,” I said

I’d behave tonight, but I expected the same from them No drama

The townspeople filled the house, solittering in the candle light I did a double-take, zoning in on their eyes to see who I could recognize in their disguises