Page 56 of The Bad Brother

When I mention Colt, River visibly relaxes. “Good.” Giving me a decisive nod, she digs through the basket of onion rings between us, looking for the biggest one. “Then can we talk about Mindy?”

“Mindy?” Confused, I shake my head. “Who’s Mindy?”

Finding an onion ring that passes inspection, River looks up to scrunch her nose at me. “Mindy—” She says the name like I should know who she’s talking about while she drowns her onion ring in a soup bowl full of ranch dressing. “Teresa’s sister. You said you’d go out with her, remember?”

Shit.

Yeah, I remember.

I also remember that I agreed to it before she dragged Sloane home and rented her my loft. And it wasdefinitelybefore I lost my mind and started wondering what her pussy tastes like.

Seeing the look on my face, River’s scrunch turns into a frown. “You promised, Jen.”

I didn’t promise anything—but I said yes.

To River, it’s the same thing.

“I’m not sure this is the right time, Riv,” I say cautiously. “After last night?—”

“You said Colt was looking into it,” she reminds me, her tone sharpening slightly, accusation dancing on its edge. “You said that?—”

“He is,” I tell her firmly. “But?—”

“Then there’s no reason you can’t at leastmeetMindy.” When I don’t argue, River keeps pushing. “I can call her. Have her come to the Mill tonight for?—”

“No.” It comes out too hard. Too sharp and River jerks back, her eyes widening slightly like I just slapped her in the face. “Just…” Swiping my hand across my mouth on a sigh, I shake my head. “Let me look at my calendar, okay?” It’s a stupid thing to say. I don’t keep a calendar. I don’t have important meetings or appointments that I have to keep straight. I own a fucking dive bar and day trade on my phone for fun. The most important thing I do all day is turn on the fryers in the kitchen and keep drunk tow-truck drivers and cowboys from killing each other between George Strait songs. “I’ll find a day when I’m free and let you know, okay?”

Why aren’t you telling her about Sloane? That would be theeasiest, quickest way out of this mess. Tell her about Sloane—that the two of you are seeing each other. River is almost as crazy about her as you are. If you told her, she’d be over the moon. Cade knows, and if Cade knows, you can bet that Sera and Colt do too—so, why aren’t you telling River?

Because all Colt knows is that Sloane and I hooked up last night. He doesn’t know that it happened before and he sure as fuck doesn’t know that there are actual feelings involved—at least on my end.

And that’s the real reason, isn’t it?

Because even though I’m picking flowers for her and buying her shampoo, Sloane and I aren’t seeing each other. We fucked a few times and no matter how I feel about it or what I want, that’s all it is. She just got out of a shitty relationship and I highly doubt she’s ready to jump back into another one, especially with a guy like me.

“I’m not saying no, Riv,” I say, even though no is the only answer I want to give her. “Just… give me a day or two to get used to the idea, okay?”

“Okay.” Giving me a nod, River offers me a smile. “I’ll give you a day… or two.”

PULLING INTO THE MILL’S PARKING LOTwith River, after lunch, I see him right away.

Ethan, leaning against the hood of his black BMW coupe, arms crossed casually over his chest, expensive sunglasses shielding a gaze that’s aimed at the building in front of me. He’s not really looking at the building though.

He’s looking at Cade.

Standing in the open doorway of the bar, there’s nothing casual about the way Cade looks. He’s staring at Ethan with a single-minded intensity that would’ve driven someone smarter and less arrogant than my brother into his car and back over the bridge. And if the look on his face didn’t do it, then the Louisville Slugger in his grip sure as shit would’ve done the trick.

“Who’s that?” River asks from the seat next me, her tone full of trepidation because after last night, nothing is safe. Everyone is suspect.

When he spots me, Ethan turns away from Cade and smiles while lifting his hand in a friendly wave. “That’s my brother.”

“What’s he doing here?” she says, the trepidation in her tone turning to distaste. While she knows about Ethan’s part in breaking up my engagement to Hanna, she doesn’t know about the nastier things that he’s done and she’s never seen him until now.

“I don’t know.” Parking my shitty hatchback next to River’s jeep, I cut the engine. “Go inside with Cade while I find out.”

“But—”

“Now, River,” I tell her, the hard clip of my words leaving no room for argument.

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