Page 45 of Truck Me
“I think Grams is equal parts excited and jealous that another woman is cooking for you. Tonight, her jealous side won, and she wanted to be the one to feed you. You know how she is about taking care of her boys.”
I grunt at the emphasis he puts on boys. ’Cause he’s not wrong. But it’s not just us Grams loves to feed. She’d feed the entire town if she could.
“Tell her I said thanks. This is way better than canned soup.” I conceded.
He nods, then takes a seat in the only chair I have in this small space. He drops his head back and crosses one leg over the other like he’s settling in to get comfortable for a while. “Finish eating, then go shower. We’re going out tonight.”
“No.” I glare at him.
He raises a single brow at me as if to tell me I don’t have a say in this. “Yes, you are. It’s karaoke night at Posey’s.”
“Don’t care,” I say around another bite, only to scrape the bottom of the container to find it’s empty. On instinct, I turn to the sink to wash it. Grams taught us at a young age to never leave dirty dishes in the sink. It’s a habit that’s stuck with me.
“Your brothers want to spend time with you. I want to spend time with you. Now go shower.”
“I don’t want to go out.” I grumble.
He shrugs like my protests don’t mean a damn thing. “You’re going. Get to it.”
He crosses his arms over his chest and closes his eyes like he’s going to take a nap. A fucking nap.
I stare at him for a moment, feeling the scowl on my face deepen. I want to shove this container at him and toss him out of my house. Instead, I spin around, head down the narrow hall to my closet, and grab a change of clothes.
Looks like I’m going out.
* * *
It’s not often all my brothers get together in one place at the same time. And tonight, we’re all here except for Warren. I’ve no doubt if he lived close by, he’d be here too. My brothers keep trying to convince him to move back home, but so far, he’s resisted.
Right before he left for college, he and Liam had a huge fight. He left and rarely comes home. When he does, he and Liam don’t talk that much. No one knows what they fought about, and neither of them will speak of it. We all suspect their fight is largely why Warren stays away.
Maybe I should have moved away too. I thought about it, but just couldn’t get myself to leave. No matter how many bad memories this place holds for me, it will always be home.
Although, I don’t know why I’m here tonight. I never come out to the bar to just hang out. The only thing I come out for is poker night. I can sit around bored, drinking beer, in the privacy of my home. I don’t need an audience for this shit.
My brothers, along with Mac’s girlfriend Sophia and Ash’s childhood best friend Clara, are all sitting around this table wasting oxygen by talking about the most useless things ever. I’m not one to engage in small talk like them.
Who cares how Chase stubbed his toe on the new bumper for a racecar, or how Ash keeps flirting with every pretty girl that gets within fifty feet of the garage—which apparently has been a lot lately.
Then they went on about how Sophia has made it her mission to make Christian smile. It sounds like she succeeds sometimes. Although I have to admit that conversation was kind of interesting. Like me, Christian rarely smiles. Neither of us has a lot of reasons to smile.
All Liam wants to talk about is business. They’re expanding the racing team and looking for fresh blood. Racing has been a huge part of Mutter Truckers Auto & Racing since Mac was a teenager. I’m glad to hear they’re expanding. I just don’t know why I have to be here to listen to it. It doesn’t affect me since I’m not involved in the day-to-day management of the garage. I trust my brothers to do what’s right to keep it successful and growing.
It’s all boring talk that I’d rather not be here for.
But it’s the talk about Mac and Sophia making out in the garage all the time that’s really getting to me. That’s the last thing I want to hear about. It’s giving me all sorts of ideas of what I’d do to Charlotte if I got her in my garage again.
It makes me think about kissing her. Her lips were so full and soft and greedy for mine. I didn’t kiss her nearly enough that night. Fuck, what I wouldn’t do to get the chance to kiss her again. This time I’d appreciate it. I’d take my time with her—savor every touch and lick and taste.
But I can’t let myself go there. The secret I harbor would destroy her and her family.
Maybe if I found someone else to fuck, it would help get her off my mind.
I take a quick sweep of the bar. It’s not like there are a lot of options in this small town. Besides, I know everyone. It’s impossible not to when our population is so low, and it’s not like new people move here often.
Most of the women here are either already taken or else I wouldn’t touch them with a ten-foot pole. The only single woman in the bar that has possibility is Lina Lange. She’s by far the most beautiful woman here tonight. She’s not as stunning as Charlotte, but she’s a close second.
With long dark hair, curves for days, and one of the nicest racks I’ve ever seen, Lina is definitely good on the eyes. But she carries a bad girl vibe that’s not really my style. I may have told Charlotte I was all wrong for her because she’s a good girl. But her good girl qualities are what attract me to her the most.