Page 47 of Between the Stars

My heart thumps faster in my chest and there’s a heaviness against my ribs. “What? Why would they do that?”

“Fuck if I know, but if I had to guess, he went under and it was the only way out. But he doesn’t tell me shit. Remember? I won’t work for him.”

“Does he realize they’re going to sell it off piece by piece and he won’t own but a small percentage of the company?” Unfortunately, this happens to most businesses around here. Start off small and either grow too quickly they can’t handle expansion and sell for a lot, or, they go under and bigger companies see the potential and use their products to go global.

“Does Abbi know?”

He’s about to answer me when Granger walks by, telling a ranch hand about his night before. “Sometimes you gotta stick your tongue where it might not shoulda been meant to go.”

They stop in front of us and Rhett’s eyes slide to Granger. “None of what you said makes sense.”

Granger chuckles, his mischievous blue eyes sparkling under the fire lighting up the side of his face. “If she doesn’t dip one titty into tequila, and the other in salt, and let me eat a lime outta her ass crack, I’m not gonna take her home for taco Tuesday.”

Josie wraps an arm around Granger. “I’m never coming over to your house on Tuesday’s.”

“Why not?”

Josie winks at Rhett and kisses Granger’s cheek. “Because nobody is tongue punching my fart box.”

I’m not fazed by much of anything Josie says anymore. I think most of it’s for a dramatic effect to embarrass people, but Rhett laughs beside me and takes her into a headlock. “We’ll see about that.”

Rolling my eyes, I leave them. I don’t need to think about Rhett and my sister fucking.

* * *

Two hours later,I can hardly stand up straight, I’m red-cheeked and feeling relaxed, product of the bottle in my hand. I approach Sev and Camdyn by the fire. They’re roasting marshmallows. If you can call it that. It’s more like setting them on fire and flinging them at unsuspecting people. Like Granger who now has a flaming sticky mess on his jeans. I have a feeling that isn’t the first time he’s had something sticky stuck to his ass though judging by the conversations I’ve had with him.

Camdyn sits next to me on a log across from her dad. “I gotta to tell you something, bro.”

I unscrew the cap off the bottle of whiskey I now have as Sev takes a seat on my lap. “What?”

Camdyn telling a story is a lot like listening to a someone with ADD tell one. There’s a beginning, middle, more middle, side plot, character change, almost to the end, nope back to the beginning, another character added, one died, or was forgotten about, this has to be the end, what is happening, end, and, alternate ending. Still no word about the main character. I think he is a missing person.

Twenty minutes later, she sighs and takes a long drink off the sparkling cider she’s carrying around like a wine bottle. “I don’t remember what happened next.”

“Me either.” I run my hands through my hair. “I’m really confused.”

Serenity sits next to us on the log, an empty cup in her hand. “Pour me some of that, cowboy?”

Sev isn’t having it and hugs my legs. “Hims my boyfren,” Sev tells her in her monster voice.

Serenity wrinkles her nose at her in a teasing way. “He’s too old for you, sweetheart.”

“No hims not,” Sev argues.

I look over at Serenity when Sev slides off my lap to chase Camdyn in the snow next to us. Tipping the bottle her way, I angle my wrist and pour some in. Did I mention I’m shirtless? I don’t know when that happened but I’m missing a shirt and Serenity is taking notice.

She stifles a laugh into her hand. “Your nipples are hard.”

Are yours?I don’t ask this, but I contemplate it. I smile and pull the bottle back when there’s only a splash of the amber-colored liquid in her cup. “You’re not twenty-one.”

She bites down on her lip. “But I’m legal.”

“I know.” I eye my shirt on the log next to me and think about putting it on, or passing out.

“So why are you still sitting here?” The smile in her eyes captures a young girl, wild intentions and a flawed sense of who she should give herself to. “Why not take me to the bunk house?”

My lips twitch into a smile. “I don’t know.” And I don’t, but I bet you it has to do with a redhead who haunts my heart.

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