Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 51122 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51122 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 204(@250wpm)___ 170(@300wpm)
With her genius IQ, and my not one, it took a lot of brain power on my end to keep up with her. And there was almost a never-ending feeling of inadequacy that came with raising a kid who was smarter than me at six years old.
“Three Blackened VooDoos,” Banner ordered the moment we reached the bar.
The bartender went to work, and I took a second to see if Blue was good on her drink.
It was nearly empty.
So when the bartender handed us our beer, I held up my finger before he could go to the next person.
“I’ll also need a strawberry lemonade,” I ordered.
The bartender frowned. “Non-alcoholic?”
I nodded. “Virgin, please.”
The bartender went to work, and Banner and Slone looked at me like I was annoying.
“What?” I asked.
“When did you turn into such a little bitch?” Slone asked.
I gave him a look that clearly indicated ‘fuck off’ before saying, “Remind me again. Don’t you work in a circus now?”
Banner started laughing. “That video Ari sent last week was the fuckin’ best. He screamed like a girl when they put that snake on him.”
That ‘snake’ was actually a twenty-foot boa constrictor. So I could see why he’d been a little freaked. He’d never been too good with animals, and he’d never in his life been good with anything amphibious or reptilian. Frogs. Turtles. Snakes. He’d been wary of them all.
“I’m not in the circus, moron,” Slone grumbled. “It’s the off season. I’m just spending time with my new wife. Sue me.”
“She was your new wife two years ago,” I pointed out. “Now you’re just getting led around by your balls.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
I turned to find Rebel, another one of our old high school friends, standing behind us with her empty martini glass.
“No,” I answered and reached for her.
She came into my arms with the same giggle she had in high school.
“How have y’all been?” she asked.
“We’ve been great, Reb.” Banner reached for his own hug. “How about you?”
“Livin’ the traveling anesthesiologist life and runnin’ a bar in my spare time.” She beamed before turning to Slone and giving him a hug. “I worked with your mom on the last hitch I did. Did she tell you that?”
He nodded. “She told me all about how you’re rakin’ in the dough. And how your parents want you to come home and you never do.”
She laughed. “I come home all the damn time. Swear. My parents just like to tell everyone that I don’t.”
Once I’d flown the coop, so to speak, my mom and dad had sold their house and started the travel life. I hadn’t come home to a place in Kilgore other than a hotel in years.
Us staying at Ash and Ford’s place in their RV with all of our kids was going to be interesting tonight. Though Banner and Perry were staying in their guest room, that still left Ari, Slone, Briley—Slone’s daughter—me, and Annabelle in Ford’s travel trailer meant for four.
Though, in the years that we’d been traveling together for football, Slone and I were more than used to spending all kinds of time together—our kids, too.
The bartender handed me the lemonade, and Rebel looked at me with raised eyebrows.
“Still obsessed with her, I see,” she mused.
I shrugged. “Not something you really shake off all that easily.”
Rebel’s eyes were mischievous as she said, “Follow me, boys.”
We did, winding our way through classmates who had done well for themselves. And some who hadn’t.
“Grab a chair,” Rebel urged.
We did, grabbing from a table that had four extras.
Chair in hand, we all walked up behind the women at the table.
Blue, Tempy, and now Rebel.
“Do you ever wonder how many houses you’ve passed in your lifetime that have people locked in their basements?” I heard Blue ask.
A chuckle rose out of my throat just as I said, “Well I do now.”
Blue whirled, and my god, my breath caught.
The ten years since our high school graduation had been good to her. Really good to her.
From across the room, she’d been breathtaking. From a few inches away from her? She was downright soul stealing.
“Hello, Blue,” I said quietly.
Like always, her face flamed, and she opened and closed her mouth a few times before squeaking out, “Titus?”
I grinned. “In the flesh.”
One thing that was definitely different about her was the way she dressed.
In high school, she’d been the queen of sweatpants and baggy t-shirts.
Now, she was in a black, back-baring dress, and black high heels.
Her beautiful hair was down, and a few blonde curls were bobbing toward and away from her face as she breathed heavily.
Before I could think better of it, she launched herself at me.
I had to lift both of my hands high in the air to avoid her knocking the drinks out of them.
Then, for a few long seconds I was stunned because never in my life had Blue actually acted like she liked me in the least.