Julie had to rap on the door twice before she got an answer. Finally, Pete called, "Yeah?" He sounded wary.
"May I come in?" Julie called through the door. It sounded stupid in her own ears, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. Then she added, "Max wants me to get him something."
"All right, come on." He still sounded a bit wary. Julie opened the door and walked into the bedroom. Pete wasn't in the bed, as she had expected, though Connie was there. She had the covers pulled up to her chin, as though she were embarrassed at being caught in the bedroom with a man. Pete was standing in the corner farthest from the bed, and he had his shotgun in his hands, trained at the door.
"Did you think I was going to attack you with my bare hands?" Julie asked.
"Get whatever you came in for," Pete ordered. "And never mind the shit."
Julie walked to the closet and took out a pair of Jim's slacks and a sport shirt she had bought for him last Christmas. It was a particularly beautiful shirt, and he hadn't worn it more than three times. She took a pair of shoes, too, brown and white saddle oxfords, and then walked to the dresser and took out some socks and underwear. She held the socks against the shirt to make sure they were a good match.
"Hurry up," Pete said with annoyance. Julie shoved the dresser drawer closed and headed for the door. "Just a minute," Pete said. Julie turned back to him, "You and Max been fucking?"