Chapter 23 They're Exaggerating

• Mary's birthday dinner ends up being less unpleasant for Ragnar than it was at the beginning. He chats with some council members he hadn't seen in a while due to his trip to New Zealand.
• With a few glasses of wine in him, Ragnar decides it's time to leave, although Mary tries every means to detain him.
• "Don't you want to go out for a drink tomorrow night?" the woman suggests, taking Ragnar's arm just before he climbs into his truck. "Just a couple of drinks. We haven't gone out in a long time."