Page 24 of On the Wild Side
“I know. Erin called.” Millie winks at me. “And you’re not going to tell me any more, are you?”
“No.” I sip again. “I’m not.”
The bell over the door chimes when Remington walks in, takes his hat off, and nods at us. “Mornin’.”
“Good morning,” we reply in unison.
“How’s Holly this morning?” I ask him.
“Sleeping. Puked her guts out last night. Daisy?”
“Same.”
“He won’t tell me anything,” Millie says as she passes Rem his coffee. “It’s damn annoying.”
“Nothing to tell,” I reply, ignoring them when they both narrow their eyes at me. “Let’s sit.”
I gesture to a table, and Rem and I have a seat. A few seconds later, Millie walks over with two slices of huckleberry-lemon pound cake.
“On the house,” she says with a wink. “’Cause I love you.”
She bustles away, and I take a bite.
“Damn, this is good. So, what’s up? Do you want to drill me about Abbi, too?”
“Not drill,” Remington replies slowly, watching me. He’s always been the most serious, the broodiest out of all of us. And although I’m close to all of my siblings, Rem is the one I’m closest to. “But Iamcurious.”
“I like her.” I shrug. “It’s really that simple.”
“Yeah, except you don’t date.”
I nod, thinking it over. He’s not wrong. “Not usually. We talked about it last night, and we’re just taking it one day at a time for now, and we’re both okay with that. I’m not dicking with her or lying to her. I’m not an asshole.”
“Not usually,” he echoes.
“She’s a good mom,” I say quietly, fidgeting with my coffee cup. “And Daisy’s the sweetest. I tried to stay away, but damn it, I’m attracted to her. She’s so fucking beautiful. Who wouldn’t be attracted to her? Hell, I was pissed last night. Mad at myself, irritated with her. So, I went downtown, and Jen ended up being there.”
His eyes narrow, and now I can’t stop talking. It’s like the faucet’s been turned on, and it’s all just rolling out of my mouth.
“And I went back to her place.”
“Whoa.” Rem holds up a hand. “Are you telling me that you fucked around with the barrel racer andthenwent to Abbi’s?”
“I didn’t have sex with Jen,” I reply, scowling. “Jesus, Icouldn’t. I kept thinking about Abbi, so I told Jen the fuck buddy thing was over, and then I couldn’t help myself. I drove over to Abbi’s place.”
“And then the girls got sick and ruined your plans.” He laughs now, and that’s unusual for my oldest brother. I don’t love it when he laughs at my expense. “Oh, man, you’re fucked.”
“But that’s just it, it didn’t ruin anything. Sure, it…interrupted. But I didn’t mind helping with Daisy. I don’t know how Abbi does it by herself. It’s hard fucking work.”
“Yeah,” my brother says, eyeing me. He was a single dad for more than five years after his first wife passed away while giving birth to Holly. “Itishard damn work.”
“I don’t know what the fuck is up except that I can’t stay away from her,” I admit, running my hand down my face. “I guess we’ll take it one day at a time.”
“Fair enough.” He takes a bite of the cake. “What else is going on with you?”
“I got a call this morning.” I fill him in on everything that Sandy said, and Rem’s eyes widen when I tell him how much they want to pay me for the sponsorships.
“Holy shit, Brady.”