Page 50 of Rough
His smile is forced, but he’s at least polite. “I appreciate that. I should probably see if mom needs help with anything.”
I got to stand with him to offer the same when Trina stops me. Trying to shake her grip from me gently, she doesn’t let go. “Stay here with me, Wild. We could go grab something to eat if you want.”
“Umm, thanks, but I’m gonna help out if I can.” I don’t miss the frown on her face, unsure why she’d care since we’ve been working our asses off for the past few days.
Clyde has stayed essentially mute since Betsy confronted us. So, when he says, “She’s leavin’,” I’m surprised. Whipping my head up, it only takes me half a breath to find the back of her head just as she disappears around the side of the house. I barely hear his added, “She’s tired.”
“I’ll be right back.” I’m entirely focused on catching up to her, pushing Trina’s hand from my arm to run and catch up to her.
“Wilder!” Uncle Murphy calls for me, but I wave him off as I jog through people milling around. There hasn’t been an opportunity to talk with him about the bullshit he told us, but we’re going to have a sit down in the next day or so.
By the time I catch up, she’s near the old Ford she’s been driving since she was fifteen. “Bets!” I shout. When she doesn’t slow down or acknowledge me, I yell again, more desperate than I meant to sound. “Please! Please, don’t leave.”
Finally, she stops and turns around. “What, Wilder?”
“Why you takin’ off? I was hopin’ we could talk with you once people started leavin’.”
She looks away from me, and immediately I feel the loss of her attention. It’s never been a thing before, and I don’t like how empty it makes me feel. It’s easy to take for granted what you’ve always had, not realizing how important it was until it’s gone.
“Gotta get back to work.”
“Come on, Bets. Don’t leave just yet. I’m sure it can wait for the afternoon.” My tone is teasing, but when she jerks her eyes back to me, I really take in how exhausted she is. Clyde was right; sheistired. But it’s more than that. She’s worn down, dark circles under her eyes, and shoulders that seem tense, but with a slight hunch to them.
“It can’t wait.” Her answer is clipped, so I try a different approach to soften her up.
“Still drivin’ the Ford, I see. Girls that drive trucks are pretty hot.” My grin is huge when I add the wink, making her roll her eyes. I love that she’s never reacted the way most females do when I lay on the charm. Betsy Harper is most decidedlyunimpressed.
“Woman. I’m not a girl.”
“But you’remygirl, aren’t you, Bets?” My question sounds playful, but the moment it’s out there, we both know I’m asking a much bigger question.
She takes a small step away, frowning. “I’m nobody’s girl, Wilder.”
Moving forward, I swallow up the space until I’m standing right in front of her. Close enough that the faint scents of her shampoo fill my lungs. “Keep tellin’ yourself that, and since when did you stop calling me Wild?” With lips pressed together, she refuses to answer. I sigh. “Come on, Bets. Stay for a bit longer.”
“I’m serious. Itcan’twait.” Her teeth are gritted, like she’s trying to temper her anger. “Thanks to all of you, I haven’t had my guys for a week. There’s a lot of shit to get done for half a dozen people, let alone one. Thanks for that, by the way. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go. Give Remy my condolences.”
“Fuck, I forgot about that. We’ll—”
“Ya’ll forgot about a lot of shit. Includin’ the fact that you got yourself a house guest. Best take care of her ‘cuz Renee’s about to run her out.” She lifts her chin toward the house. Checking over my shoulder, I see Trina watching us with wide eyes and Clyde a foot behind her.
When I turn back to Betsy, I’m disappointed to see her already turned around and climbing into her truck. “We’ll get your workers straightened ou—”
Her truck door slams, effectively cutting me off. I don’t move from my spot until the old Ford is gone. Turning around, I jerk back and scream like a little kid when I practically slam into Trina. “Fuckin’hell!Why are you standin’ so close? Jesus, you scared the piss outta me.”
She giggles and shakes her head like I’m ridiculous. Then she lowers her voice like we’re sharing secrets. “Wild, we need to talk about your accounts. I bought some time after the fiasco of thatfight with her went viral, plus the funeral. But people are starting to wonder if you all are just hiding. Maybe tomorrow we can take some time to get some clips?”
“Listen, I’m not worried about all of that shit right now. We’ll talk about it later, okay?”
“But it’s really important we get you all back out there.”
“Ya’ll should listen to the girl.” Uncle Murphy steps toward us, swaggering like he hasn’t a care in the world. I narrow my eyes at him while patting her shoulder. I move past her over to where Clyde is still waiting. “We’ll figure it out. Clyde! We gotta go find those boys that were workin’ on her farm.”
“Rem’s already talkin’ to ‘em.”
I immediately start looking around, asking, “Where they at?”
Instead of answering, he jerks his head for me to follow. Remy has five of them sitting at the table, talking softly. Trina is hot on my heels, still calling for me to talk about videos. I know we have to discuss it, but it’s just not that important to me right now.
