Page 92 of Lemon Crush

The six twenty-somethings nodded at the confirmation and stripped off their shirts in a well-practiced bit of choreography that sent my jaw plummeting to the driveway. “What is happening right now?”

“Our job,” Tablet said with a flexing shrug. “We’re The Magic Movers. Like thoseMagic Mikemovies, but with furniture. We deliver the goods while delivering the goods.”

“We’ve got your package right here. That’s all you had to say,” Bernie added before I lightly nudged her with my elbow.

“Ow.”

I had no idea something like this existed in the world.

“He shouldn’t have done this.”

“‘You Need to Calm Down.’” Bernie snapped a few quick photos with her phone, smiling like a mad woman. “Apparently, I’m okay with making Swift references when the situation warrants it. Let’s relax and enjoy the view. After today, we deserve it.”

“Youenjoy the view. And you guys hold your abs for a minute. I have to make a call.”

20

WADE

Now what?

I pulled up to the curb behind the bug and stared at the large box truck backed into August’s driveway at an angle, crowding Myrtle and taking up all of our other usual parking spaces. Was she getting a delivery? And why hadn’t Bernie told me about it? She’d texted me about every other move they’d made all day, for some mysterious fucking reason.

Bernie: Yoga with August. You need to take another class to stay flexible too. Just in case.

That had come first thing in the morning. Then?—

Bernie: Road trip with A! Don’t worry, I have a plan and she’ll love it.

And—

Bernie: She spilled the beans. Proud of you for not Wade-ing. *winky face*

Followed a few hours later by?—

Bernie: Almost home. We had a DAY.

That last one was accompanied by a picture of August removing her helmet beside a go-kart, looking sweaty and flushed but beautiful. Bernie had taken her all the way out to the MSR track?

My sister was a menace, but a clever one. Letting August get a feel for the location was smart, and though I never would have thought to start her training with the go-karts, it was an ingenious, lighthearted way to safely get her in the right mindset. I was impressed.

What I hadn’t been sure about was August’s expression, which was all it had taken for me to leave work early to check on her. I had three employees who could handle the last few hours before closing and the icehouse would call if there was a problem. I needed to be home.

Yeah, I caught that.Home.

My phone buzzed while I sat there.

Bernie: You aren’t going to believe what her friend Chick sent her.

The picture attached to that message had me out of my pickup and storming toward the truck, which was thumping with a loud bass beat. He’d sent her fucking strippers?

“I wish my deliveries came with that kind of service.”

I spared a glance at the neighbor across the street, who was standing at the edge of her driveway and watching the show on the far side of the truck with undisguised envy. I didn’t know what to say to that, so I nodded and kept moving.

When I rounded the hood of the truck, August and Bernieboth had their backs to me, and the two men in front of them were holding a dresser between them. Their shirts were missing.

“This is a brilliant business model,” Bernie was saying in clear admiration. “Do any of you do yoga? Because this is giving me all sorts of promotional ideas for my hot yoga classes.”

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