Page 10 of Coyote

I poured us some coffee and we got started on the painting. Thanks to my hard work over the last two weeks, we were down to the trim work in the office today. As we got started, Breaker asked, “Anything new and interesting going on in your world lately?”

I sighed, my brother-in-law might think he’s a joker, but maybe he’d be a good sounding board. “Yeah. I bumped into Bethany working for an event planning company in Patterdale. I thought she left me three years ago and ran off to LA, and she was living practically next fucking door.”

Breaker frowned. “Did she say why she ghosted you?”

“No, and I didn’t ask,” I replied sharply.

My firmly delivered words didn’t keep Breaker from giving his opinion though. This brother-in-law of mine was relentless sometimes.

“You know what happened with her was all kinds of fucked up. You were good to her, man. The two of you had the spark that everyone is looking for. She was a fucking idiot for running out on you.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sure she doesn’t see it that way. I’ve thought long and hard about the situation and I know she must have had her reasons. The only reason that makes sense is she fell for someone she knew I wouldn’t like being replaced with.”

“Like a banker or a lawyer?”

I slowly turned to look at my oblivious brother-in-law. “No bruh, not like a fucking banker or a lawyer.”

He shrugged. “Why are you getting your panties in a twist? Bankers are cheats and the modern-day equivalent of money lenders of ancient times. Jesus wrecked their tables for a fucking reason if you ask me.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Of course, I don’t believe that bankers are evil, but I don’t wanna argue about it either.

Breaker ran a small brush along the seam between the wall and the baseboard. “And lawyers are the worst. Bunch of ambulance chasing assholes. You know all the jokes about lawyers.”

“No bruh, I don’t. What in the hell are you talking about?”

He carefully laid his brush down on the edge of the paint can and glared at me. “Why did scientists replace rats with lawyers?”

“This feels like a joke of some sort,” I murmured.

“It’s because there are some things even rats won’t do.”

I threw my head back, stared up at the ceiling and silently counted to ten. That was the lamest joke I had ever heard. When I glanced at Breaker, he was looking up too.

Then he commented reassuringly, “Don’t worry about the ceiling, we can paint that too. We’ll need to rent scaffolding to reach it though.”

“I wasn’t planning on going quite that far.”

He switched up the topic. “Have you thought about how far you want things to go with Bethany now that you found her again?”

“No. Because she doesn’t want me in her life. If she did, she’d walk back in the same way she walked out.”

“Yeah, women don’t always know what they want. If you want her, you’d best go for it before someone else does.”

“For all I know, someone already did. She could be married.”

“She’s probably not,” he reassured me.

“How in the hell would that even be possible? She’s fucking drop dead gorgeous and sweet as apple pie. She could have any damn man she wanted. She doesn’t have to settle for me.”

He persisted, like he had some kind of vested interest in seeing us together. “What would it look like if you did go after her again?” He coaxed.

“I can’t afford to get involved with her again. My unconscious mind gave it whirl in my sleep the other night and I ended stroking my cock in the shower like a goddamn teen.”

“You’re not the only man who’s resorted to stroking his own damn cock, so don’t act like it’s some kind of Greek tragedy.”

“I’m just saying she provokes strong feelings in me and that’s not cool since she’s made it clear that I’m not her guy.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. So far Callie and I have resorted to planning our date nights. Otherwise, kids, work, and her schooling squeeze out all the us time.”

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