Page 29 of Waiting in Wyoming
They finally found Charlotte in the game room—playing pool with Fletcher. Not exactly what Meyra—and definitely not Dylan—really wanted right now.
“What are you three up to?” Charlotte asked them suspiciously. Well, Charlotte worked in law enforcement when she wasn’t making movies with Rowland Bowles. Suspicious was part of Charlotte’s makeup. Especially where Dylan was concerned. That worried Meyra a little. Dylan was kind of sensitive sometimes, even if people didn’t always realize that. She’d hate for Charlotte to hurt her somehow and them never like each other or anything. Maybe she should tell Charlotte that, give her a heads-up. Charlotte wouldn’t ever want to hurt someone—she was sensitive, too. “You are definitely, obviously up to something.”
“We need access to your closets,” Daisy told her. “Like fast.”
“Okay, why? What’s going on?”
“One of us has a hot date at that new, really fancy place in Pinedale with a famous movie star tomorrow night,” Daisy said. “And well, you have the best clothes. You or Darcey, but Darcey’s won’t fit.”
“None of you three fit in my dresses, except?—”
“Dylan will need to borrow shoes, too,” Meyra said. Why waste time? No one else in the family had feet as small as Dylan’s.
“You? You’re going out on a date tomorrow?” Fletcher asked. It was kind of a mean question, Meyra thought. He did like to say stuff to Dylan that he probably shouldn’t. “Really?”
“Don’t act so shocked,” Dylan glared at him. “I am old enough to date, you know, as long as I am in by curfew. And behave myself—it’s the last part I am having so much trouble with.”
“Which actor? That might determine the best dress,” Charlotte said, hitting Fletcher on the chest and glaring at him, too.
“Quade Davis, actually. We met here in the inn. And he asked me if I’d like to go out to dinner in Pinedale with him. And talk,” Dylan said. She crossed her arms and glared at Fletcher. Well, Daisy was glaring at him, too. And he shouldn’t be so mean to Dylan all the time. “I said yes. But…I don’t evenowna dress, Char. And not the right kind of shoes. Which I definitely can’t weartheseshoes on a date with…him. Talk about the irony. I really hope he didn’t look down or anything.”
Meyra looked down. Dylan was wearing her Wonkus McBubbles tennis shoes that she said the twins Devaney and Dahlia had ordered her for her birthday. That would have been kind of funny, really. Quade probably would have gotten a kick out of it. He had a quirky sense of humor, too. Kind of like Dylan, actually.
“You have no business going out with Quade Davis,” Fletcher told Dylan. He was standing over her with his own arms crossed. He was glaring down at her again. He was six three or six four and really muscled. He was very attractive—Meyra had always thought so. But he looked really big and intimidating next to little Dylan like that.
Meyra half thought Dylan was afraid of Fletcher. She didn’t know why she thought that, maybe the way Dylan looked at him when she didn’t think anyone was watching. Dylan seemed really nervous right now. And she looked a little afraid. She was stepping back, too. Dylan did that when she was nervous sometimes. Meyra had seen it before.
“What is it any business of yours?” Dylan asked him.
“He’s worlds more sophisticated than you. He’s been playing the game since you were practically in diapers.”
“Truckie, Quade is twenty-eight. I am twenty-three now. That is only five years’ difference. Are you aware there are almosteightbetween my sister and your brother and they boink each other just fine? Like…constantly boink each other!”
Meyra winced. Dylan did like to say outrageous things—especially to Fletcher. But it was true—Ben and Dusty were in the “newlywed” stage, Miranda said. Even though they weren’t married yet, they disappeared together all the time.
“And there are eight between you and I, too; what does that have to do with Quade Davis? The guy has way more experience than you. And wasn’t he just engaged six months ago?”
“He was. But she died, actually. From a sudden heart attack. I really doubt the guy wants anything serious right now, but so what if he does? Ilikehim. And in case you missed the memo—you are not in charge of me at all,” Dylan told him. “Not my father, remember? You don’t even look like his identical twin, dude! Back off.”
“She has a point. Dylan is old enough to make her own choices about who she might potentially boink, Fletch,” Daisy said. “Besides, it’s not like she’s a virgin or anything.”
HadDaisyreally just said that? In front of a guy?
Fletcher jerked around in a really weird way. “I don’t even want to know that.”
“What? Did we shock you?” Dylan asked, grinning up at him. She was really small—especially next to Fletcher. “I am not a virgin, Truckie. Haven’t been foryears.Neither are Daisy or Meyra, and weallknow Charlotte isn’t. Charlotte has really bad taste in the guys she boinks. Everyone can see that. So what’s the big deal if I go out with Quade tomorrow night, followed by one of his brothers the next night? And then the third brother the night after that? You don’t get a say.”
“They are going to argue again,” Meyra said to Daisy. “And we still haven’t answeredmyproblem.”
“What is going on?” Charlotte asked. “Mey? I just can’t keep up around here lately.”
“Brandt Barratt kissed her and said he has waited long enough,” Dylan said, turning away from Fletcher. “Now she has to decide what she wants to do next. He has also threatened, promised?—to carry her off somewhere and do wicked, wicked things to her. I suspect boinking may be involved, actually. We’re trying to figure out what she wants to do next. So we can plan her next move instead. I think she should go upstairs and seduce him before he can carry her off and everything, but Daisy thinks she needs a better plan first. Meyra’s still trying to decide. I vote for the carrying-off part. Sounds wicked fun, honestly.”
“Heaven help me, you three need keepers,” Fletcher muttered beneath his breath. “Or jailers.”
“When did this happen?” Charlotte asked.
“Probably about the same time Dylan was capturing Quade in the hallway from the dining room,” Daisy said. “Apparently, life is getting really interesting around here lately. I mean, we did have a brawl on the front steps.”