Page 157 of Back in the Saddle

So, yeah.

I had a feeling I knew what was to come, and the wait seemed like torture.

But Harlow was right.

This was Eric.

We were building something, something pretty damned beautiful.

It’d be worth the wait.

Had I said how much I loved my besties?

Just to reiterate, I seriously loved my besties.

I gave Harlow’s hand a squeeze back and said, “Thanks, babe.”

Everyone jumped when we heard shouted, “Where’s the crazy coffee guy?”

We all turned in the direction of the shout, and I saw the guy who Tex snapped at about the sugar cookie syrup a couple of days before standing just in from the coffee cubby.

“He’s not here!” the guy yelled. He then stabbed a finger toward the coffee cubby. “That guy’s good, but he’s not the crazy coffee guy. No offense!” he shouted toward the cubby.

“None taken!” Otis shouted back.

The guy kept yelling. “But you can’t give him to us, take him away, give himbackand thentake him away again!”

“Chill, dude,” I ordered.

“You chill!” he screeched. “I want the crazy coffee guy back!”

“He’s moving to Phoenix. He has a wife, cats. They all need somewhere to lay their heads. He’s house hunting,” I lied. “Give him a chance to settle in, man. Yeesh.”

“So he’s gonna be back?” the guy asked.

I had no idea.

Though, I hoped so.

“Yes,” I told him.

“Promise?” he pushed.

“Promise,” Raye cut in. “Now go get your coffee from Otis. Tex will be back soon.”

“When?” the guy asked.

“Soon!” Luna snapped. “Go back to Otis. Get your coffee. And chill, sucka!”

The “sucka” was a good touch, and it worked.

The guy hung his head and moped back to the coffee cubby.

I moved to Raye. “Is Tex coming back?”

She nodded, a happy light glinting in her eye.

“Tito officially hired him. Though, he gets to make his own schedule, you know, just in case he has to go undercover at a moment’s notice,” Raye replied, then, in an afterthought, she added, “Or clandestinely meet with his arms dealers to replenish his supply of grenades.”

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