Page 144 of Duke
“You’re gorgeous.” I head her way.
Grinning, she crooks her finger. “You are too. Promise me you’ll kick my dad out if he offends you? Same goes for Preston.”
“I’m not kicking anyone out.” Curling my arms around her waist, I bury my face in her neck and inhale her scent. “I will gladly kick some ass, though.”
She reaches around to squeezemyass. “I like the sound of that.”
Wheeler’s family arrives a few minutes later. We make more awkward small talk over drinks by the fire on the porch. Wheeler sips a fake tequila and soda I made her that’s just soda with lime.
“So Wheeler’s staying with you here.” Preston lifts a finger in the general direction of the cottage.
“She is.”
“And how long have y’all been dating?”
“Long enough.” I sip my beer. Watch Wheeler laugh at something Haines says. “The minute I met your sister, I knew I wanted to date her.”
Preston chuckles. “Yeah. Right. Sure you did.”
“You sayin’ something?” I eye him.
“Just saying you didn’t know her then. Like,knowher know her. She’s always been so…” Shaking his head, he tips back his tequila soda.
I hold my bottle in a death grip. “So what?”
“How do I say this nicely?” He squints. “She’s not an easy person. Like, she’s a little off, you know? Just really hardheaded. She wouldn’t even hear out my dad about going into law, even though he has really great connections at a bunch of big law firms and could get her a plum job, no problem. She gave upa lucrative career to do what, make stupid cowboy boots for Barbie?”
I see it: me calmly setting my beer down on the table. I’d push up my right sleeve a little bit more. Curl my fingers into a fist. Then I’d turn around and hurl that fist into this smug bastard’s face.
He’d cry.
I’d smile, satisfied I let him knowexactlywhat I think of him talking about my girl this way.
Talking aboutanygirl this way. Who the fuck does this kid think he is? God’s gift to the world, just because his parents are rich?
But decking Preston in the mouth would upset Wheeler, so instead I paste on a smile and say, “I know Wheeler pretty well. Just like I know the quality and craftsmanship of her boots is top notch. She’s smart, she’s capable, and she does amazing work. I’m proud of her.”
But Preston just raises his brows and rolls his eyes, letting out an annoyed breath. “Whatever you say. Good luck with that one.”
My turn to chuckle. “You know, it’s funny.”
“What?”
“You went to law school, right?”
“I did, yeah.”
“And now you work with your dad?”
Preston nods. “I’m the youngest partner in the firm’s history.”
I bet you think you earned that too, don’t you? When really it was handed to you on a silver platter.
“Congrats. But really, we should be congratulating your sister, because she’s going to make more money doing her ‘stupid’ cowboy boot thing than y’all ever will pushing paper behind a desk for ninety hours a week for the rest of your lives.Because turns out that ‘stupid’ cowboy boot thing isn’t so stupid. It’s actually really cool and really lucrative too.”
Preston blinks, a pink flush working its way up his neck. “Dude, I’m not, like, attacking you—”
“But you are attacking Wheeler.” I put a hand on his chest. “And that’s something I’m not gonna tolerate. You understand me,dude?”
