Noah rolled his eyes. “Making Megan fall in love with Josh. What the hell else would I be talking about?”
But the seeds of doubt had been planted in Libby’s head, and she turned her discerning eye on Josh.
Josh picked up his bottle. “Trust me, no one’s more surprised by this turn of events than I am.”
“So we agree no breaking up tonight, right?” Libby asked.
“I may not have a choice,” Josh said, glumly.
Noah was about to protest when Nicole, who was now standing by the edge of the deck, began screaming. “What have you done?”
Three big dogs burst through the back gate, racing for the food table. Everyone started shouting as the dogs jumped onto the deck, snarling over the pans of pork, brisket, baked beans, and coleslaw.
“What are they doing?” Nicole screamed. “Somebody stop them!”
But everyone either ran screaming or watched in silent horror as the dogs knocked over the table. The pans of food fell to the concrete, and the two candles rolled off, one of them setting the tablecloth on fire.
The black cat ran past the spilled food and burning tablecloth, hissing and screeching. One of the dogs looked up, a string of brisket hanging from its mouth, and took off running after the scared cat, which found its exit to the back yard blocked by the bar Kevin had set up the night before. The cat skidded around the corner, the dog gaining on it, while the two other dogs dragged the pans of food away from the now-raging fire.
“Fire!” Nicole shouted. “Bart! Do something!”
Bart ran toward the fire, grabbed a plastic cup off the table, then knelt by the pool and started scooping up some water and tossing it toward the fire.
The cat continued its race around the pool with the dog closing the distance. The fifty-pound lab crashed into one of Megan’s younger cousins, a girl who looked like she was around six years old. The girl fell sideways into the pool, creating a huge splash that drenched the people nearby.
One of the drenched women began screaming, while Megan—who was with them—watched the melee in horror. The little girl surfaced but began flailing in the deep end of the pool.
“I don’t think that little girl can swim,” Josh said to Libby, his voice panicked.
“Oh, God,” Libby shouted. “I think you’re right.” The black cat continued to circle the pool, the dog in hot pursuit. In its haste, the dog knocked over a small table, sending the cups and candle that had been on top skittering across the concrete.
The fire from the tablecloth spread to the nearby table.
“You’ve ruined everything!” Nicole yelled at Bart, who continued to douse the flames with scoops of water.
The back door flung open, bouncing off the house with a loud bang. Gram stood in the doorway, her feet spread apart, holding a fire extinguisher and wearing nothing but her birthday suit. “Did someone say fire?”
The girl was still in the pool, but now she was under water.
Josh kicked off his shoes and dove in, finding the girl close to the bottom of the ten-foot-deep pool. He grabbed her waist with one arm and swam for the top. When they broke through the surface, the girl gasped for air and started crying. She flailed and kicked as Josh swam to the edge of the pool, dragging her with him.
Noah was kneeling at the edge, reaching toward them. “I’ll take her.”
Josh swam over to him, and Noah grabbed her arms, lifting her out. As he set her on her feet, the little girl leaned over Noah’s arm.
Crying out in surprise, he dropped his hold on her. “She bit me!”
Josh clung to the side of the pool, heart racing.
The other two dogs, having devoured the food, joined in the cat chase.
“Take care of those animals!” Nicole shouted over the confusion.
“What do you want me to do?” Bart shouted, still throwing water onto the now raging fire.
Gram stopped in front of the burning food table and fumbled with the fire extinguisher. One of Bart’s brothers moved toward her, trying to keep his gaze averted as he blindly reached for the extinguisher. “Maude, hand it to me and let me do it.”
“I’ve got it,” she said, exasperated.
Megan’s uncle moved closer, still not looking while he held his open hand out—a tactic that accidentally led to him grabbing Gram’s butt. The man shouted in horror, but a wide grin spread across Gram’s face. “I think I just got goosed.”
“For God’s sake, Mother!” Megan’s mother shouted. “Put some clothes on!”
But Gram pulled a pin and tossed it on the ground, then shot foam onto the fire. Once the fire was out, she kept spraying, covering two of the dogs running past. They skidded to a halt, then turned the other way, barreling into Nicole and shoving her into the pool in the shallower end. She went under and came back up, mascara streaming down her face, looking more unkempt than Josh had ever seen her.
“Somebody get those dogs!”
A man in a khaki uniform stood in the open gate, his mouth hanging open as he took in the destruction of the backyard. “Did someone call animal control?”
Nicole climbed up the steps at the entrance to the pool, though part of her hair stayed floating in the water behind her.
“Josh.” Megan knelt next to him. “Are you okay?”
He looked up at her. “I think your mother just lost something.”
She grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “I’ve suspected for years that she wore a headpiece. This disaster was worth the proof.”
He couldn’t help but laugh.
“The ladder’s over there. We better get out of here while we can,” she said.
“What are you talking about?” he asked, swimming to the ladder on the other side. She picked up his shoes and walked around the edge of the pool, meeting him as he climbed out.
“I mean, Knickers is about to go ballistic, and we need to be as far away from ground zero as possible. Trust me. I know this from firsthand experience.”
“I thought she was already there.”
“You’re cute.” She grabbed his hand, her fingers curling around his. “Let’s run upstairs and get you changed first.”
“What about Noah?” he asked, looking for his brother.
“I think Libby has him covered.”
She swung wide of her mother, who was giving the animal control officer an earful. They snuck in the back door and headed for the stairs, leaving a trail of water from Josh’s dripping clothes. “We have to hurry and leave before she notices we’re gone, or we’ll be stuck.”
“Okay.” She pushed him into the room and shut the door, standing back as he rummaged in his bag and pulled out a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He went into the bathroom to change.
“We don’t have a car,” he said through the door, unbuttoning his top button and tugging his wet shirt over his head. “How are we going to leave?”
“My dad kept my old Explorer. I’m going to sneak down to the kitchen. Come downstairs to meet me when you’re done. But whatever you do, don’t let Knickers see you.”
“Okay.” His jeans stuck to his skin, and he struggled to get them off. His cell phone was in his pocket, and he tried to turn it on, not surprised to find it dead. He considered leaving his soaking-wet wallet but worried someone would find it and discover his real identity. He kept it in his hand as he crept down the stairs, making sure Megan’s mother was nowhere to be seen.