Page 121 of Double Dare
“Oh, yes, thank you. That would be lovely.” She smiles politely.
I look at Four with a what the fuck expression. He shrugs. “She had a shit day at work. Two of the patients she was overseeing in the ER died, and she’s a bit choked up about it. If she wants a whiskey, I’ll get her six.” He carries on to make her drink.
Nina looks at Bo and snaps her damn fingers. He laughs before getting up to grab her the one and only bottle of tequila that ever stays in this house just for her. “She had a shitty day, too.”
I’m baffled. So baffled. Where did all these girls come from? Weren’t we all players not that long ago?
“Fascinating,” Kolt says, snapping his fingers at Bo when he gets back. “Tequila,” he demands. All it gets him is a smack upside the head.
“Half my asshole family won’t come to my wedding because it’s here instead of at home,” Nina complains with a huff, sinking down on the couch. That sucks. Her family is weird, and I hate that they hurt her.
Rydan walks inside with Maddyn. She’s new here, but I like her. She’s got the outdoor stuff in common with Lakes, and they seem to get on alright. “Sit,” he tells her. “I’ll get you a drink.”
Maddyn joins the girls, and Gen asks if she’s having a bad day. “The shop I work at got new owners and now they’re cutting my hours down to like…nothing. I loved that damn shop, and now it’s all going to change.”
“Have you seen Maeve?” Kade asks me.
“She’s here?”
“Somewhere.”
“Waterline broke at the shop today,” Maeve says, walking from the basement with Laken and adding her misery to this shit pile. “Guess how much it’s going to cost me?”
Kade shakes his head, telling me not to guess.
“I’m twenty-one and having a kid,” Freya complains. “And I can’t even drink to cope.”
“Gonna be a cute kid, though. Gar’s bitchy girlfriend ruined my business, and I lost one of my major buyers today,” Laken adds, taking a shot of whiskey straight from the bottle before passing it to Maeve. “And I hate fighting with Gar.”
“I’m sorry, Laken,” Gen says. “I lost two patients today.”
The girls all console her.
Okay, seriously. What. The. Fuck? When did this happen? “Aren’t there ten of us?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Four searches the living room for Liam, but he and Dom aren’t here. “Be gay, Zahn. Kolt, Bass, get boyfriends. We need to raise the testosterone level here again.”
“Snacks!” Dad shouts, and the girls all swarm him like he’s God. Okay, tucking that tip in my pocket for a rainy day. Snacks are key to helping a woman’s misery. Noted.
“Okay, girls.” Mom charges in. “Eat and then get your shit. We’re going out.”
“Mom,” Four complains. “I had plans for Gen.”
“She doesn’t need your dick to feel better, honey. She needs a girls’ night.” Mom smiles and then shuts the rest of us down when we start to protest.
“Fascinating,” Kolt says again.
“Okay, definitely gonna try to be gay,” Zahn says.
Like a herd of wild animals, the snacks are demolished and outfits are changed, and then the front door is slamming and Dad is looking at all of us like we’re stupid.
“Sweet, salty, savory, and fattening,” Dad says. “Remember that.”
“Got any more for us?” Bass asks.
“No. Go snowmobiling or something. Get.” Dad dismisses us without any snacks.
“We’ve been replaced,” Zahn complains.