Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 117494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
She was ripping off all the Band-Aids.
“Why aren’t you married?” Even as I asked, intending to turn the interrogation her way, she perked up. I’d forgotten how much my sister loved talking about herself, and everything that was going on in her life. I shot a hand up. “No. Never mind. I changed my mind.”
“Oh.” She deflated, her shoulders slumping forward. But her grin was back in a flash. “I know you’re all reserved and cautious, the type that wades into the lake. Not me. I run down the dock and do a belly-flop in, no matter if there’s water or ice or whatever. That’s me, but I need to respect you. You’re big on boundaries and shit. So yeah.” She eased back, straightening on her stool with a nod. “I’m here. Respecting that.”
Oh Lord.
This was painful to watch.
She was going to puff out her cheeks, move her tongue around. She was five years old sometimes.
Fine.
She was here. I was here.
Also, drunk funny Claudia could be fun sometimes. It was when she got sober, that was the other story. Or a mean drunk.
Caution be damned, let’s do this.
“I had two boyfriends in high school,” I told her. “You blew both of them.”
“I like giving blow jobs,” she shot right back. “And you’re welcome. It was a test. They failed.”
“You lied and said you slept with my husband.”
“I lied about the part that it was me. So again, you’re welcome.”
“I worked three jobs in high school to buy my first car. You crashed it the day I brought it home.”
She opened her mouth.
“If you goddamn say ‘you’re welcome’, I will find your vehicle and drive it into the river. Tonight.”
She closed her mouth and blew out a breath, laughing a little. “Same Kal, that’s for sure. And I was going to say your car wasn’t safe. That’s why it crashed.”
Right. I’d take a bat to Claudia’s car first. Might as well get some therapy done.
I started to slide off the barstool.
Claudia, knowing me just as well as I knew her, stopped laughing and grabbed my arm. “I’m kidding! I’m totally kidding. And I don’t have a car you can crash. I already crashed it. Seems there’s a pattern there with me. Roadie’s letting me borrow the cage while they’re here.”
I frowned. “Cage?”
She grinned, a laugh snorting from deep in her throat. “What they call a car—or a truck in his case. He said they needed to bring it on this trip. I don’t know why. He doesn’t say shit to me about anything with the club. He just likes to get drunk and fuck, and he’s really good.” She giggled and leaned close. “And he likes blow jobs too. We’re perfect for each other.” Her eyes trailed past me, lingered on someone, and then softened. “Goddamn, sis. I’m in love with him.” She blinked, sniffing, and sat back. “I wasn’t expecting that. You do that. You make me see things clearly. Everything gets all muddied up, and then my sister comes back in my life and it’s like—” She whistled, her hands touching each other and moving in opposite directions. “—the parting of the Red Ocean.”
“It’s the Red Sea.”
“—the Red Sea. Just like that.” She beamed at me. She patted my arm. “I really missed you. I’m glad you’re back, but for fuck’s sake, get a job at the hospital. You’re too smart to be doing Otis’ job.” She jerked, sitting straight up. “I just had an idea. Let’s get Otis fired! Tonight.”
My sister had been uptight, jealous, and insecure when we were younger. A sinking realization came to me: I could’ve been friends with her if she’d been like this back then. I mean, I couldn’t have trusted her, but we could’ve been friends.
No.
We had been friends.
That’s why it hurt every time she did a “Claudia.”
She stole from me.
She took credit cards out in my name.
She hit on Harper, thinking he and I were hooking up. That was before she learned he was gay.
She spread rumors about me. She spread a few about Aly.
There were so many other things, too many.
I wasn’t here for her. I needed to remember that.
She watched me, waiting. In her way, she was asking for forgiveness, or maybe she was just asking to be let back in, but… I wasn’t here for her.
I took a breath, pushed back from the counter, and slid off the stool.
I looked around the bar.
That’s when I saw him, at the back.
My eyes caught his immediately, and everything went blank for a full beat.
Shane King.
Connor’s friend. Connor’s “brother.”
He stood in the doorway of the back section, holding a beer. He looked like he’d been waiting for me to notice him. Once I saw him, he took a step back and walked outside.
The door shut behind him.
Well, alrighty then. Seemed he was waiting for me.