Page 33 of Redemption

She snorted. “I’ll bet. What else?”

“I asked Duke Raleigh for advice.”

“Dickhead Duke? No, Kitty Kat,” Gertie sighed.

I snickered at his old nickname. “Yeah, he wasn’t too bad actually. He’s still a douche but he showed a moment of weakness. He’s, uh, kinda the reason I got Jack to start helping me out.”

“What!”

I tugged the phone away from my ear again, flinching at Gertie’s screech. “I need a hand here. I can’t do it all on my own and I need someone who has no other choice and he’s…”

I could hear the suspicion in Gertie’s tone when she said, “…he’s what, Kitty Kat?”

“Well, he’s plenty strong and I need that here.”

“Uh huh, strong huh? Like muscley?”

I felt my cheeks heat. “Yes muscley, men have muscles Gertie!” Right as I yelled that, movement at the side of the porch caught my eye and I saw Jack walking past. He briefly met my stare and I wanted the ground to swallow me whole when he smirked at me. Clearly he heard that. He dipped his head slightly, acknowledging my presence and kept on walking.

“I wasn’t insinuating anything, no need to get defensive!”

“He heard me, Gertie!” I hissed when Jack was out of earshot.

“How did he hear you?”

I slapped a hand over my face, groaning. “He waswalking past!”

“Uh huh,” Gertie said, all kinds of meaning in her tone. “And where is he going at this time of night?”

I paused. She was right, it was six thirty in the evening. Did he have plans to meet someone for dinner?

“Maybe he’s got a hot date?” Gertie teased. “Him and all those muscles. He’s got a lot of pent-up sexual energy to expend I bet.”

“Gerts, stop, please. You can’t make those jokes after what he did.”

Gertie abruptly stopped laughing. “You’re right, I’m sorry Kat, I was being insensitive.”

“It’s fine. I just need to remember who I’m dealing with. He’s got this charm that just gets under your skin, and he acts like a lost puppy and makes you forget for a second what he did and this is a good reminder.”

“Do you think there’s a world where he can make it up to you?”

I sat down on the porch steps. Further away, the cows lowed in the pasture. “I don’t think so, Gerts.”

“And there’s nothing wrong with that. I just don’t want you to be hanging on to so much anger. It ages you, honey, and you’re too single to keep developing wrinkles at the rate you are.”

I snorted. “How dare you! I look great for my age.”

“I ain’t disputing that I just—” She broke off as a crash sounded in the background and then a muffled shout. “Ah sugar, I gotta go Kitty Kat, kisses!” And then she was gone.

“See ya,” I muttered, staring at my blank phone screen where she’d already ended the call. Talking to Gertie tonight had made me feel a little better although I couldn’t deny I missed her like crazy. I made myself a promise that I would visit her soon, whether she wanted me to or not.

I stayed outside a bit longer, hearing the crazy antics going on inside the house. Clearly there was some kind of game going on, likely Pictionary judging from the loud shouts. I knew I should go inside and be with them and have fun but I didn’t have the energy. I felt older than my years, bone tired, and I had no clue when it would end.

I snuck back inside the house and dragged my ass upstairs where I put my comfy pajamas on and got into bed with my Kindle. It was a Friday night and I was in bed by 7pm. Boy, did I know how to party. I was so boring. Too tired and stressed and acting like an old lady. I was no fun anymore. Sometimes I felt like fun didn’t exist without Gertie.

Memories of the two of us tearing up the town and getting into so much mischief flew into my mind. The nights we came home late, drunk, my dad chewing us out for underage drinking, then making us work the ranch hard in the morning until we were throwing up in the pastures at the smell of cow shit. I shook my head, laughing, God those were the days.

Swinging my legs out of bed, I stared at myself in the full-length mirror. Who even was I? I didn’t go out anymore, not even with the girls. I didn’t date either. Enough jabs had been made recently about my personal life and the longer I stared at myself, in my heavy pajamas, make-up free face and bland ponytail, a fire stirred in my gut.

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