Page 2 of Her Honey Pot (Sweet Treats 3)

But Tex Major makes me feel small by comparison. He must be at least six four, with powerful arms, and thick tree trunk thighs. But it’s strange to think of him like this because I’ve known Jess since we were kids, and Tex has always been a part of my life. He was there at my fifth birthday party, when my parents rented a pony for the kids to ride. He was there when my parents threw me a lavish sweet sixteen to celebrate my entry into womanhood. And he was there when my parents got divorced last year. I cried on his shoulder once, and he was so considerate and kind as he patted my curls.

Tex has always been friendly, as long as I can remember. It’s kind of impressive that he’s been a big part of Jess’s life all these years because he and Jess’s mom got divorced when she was practically a baby. As a result, my friend has had to shuttle between her mom’s house and her dad’s house constantly, which she loves whining about.

But now, Jess is fixated on my dad, and it’s pretty gross.

“Please stop talking about Brent,” I warn her again. “Otherwise I’m going to go home, and you’re going to have to study for our American History test yourself.”

Jess rolls her eyes.

“Oh please, Marni. You always have a stick up your butt. Seriously, pull it out. I promise, it’ll feel good.”

I roll my eyes.

“Your choice of words is just so delicate, Jess. I swear, you’re going to win a Pulitzer for your sweeping prose.”

She merely sticks her tongue out at me before turning back to her book. But then I get curious.

“How’s your mom’s divorce going?” I ask. “Is that moving along?”

Jess shrugs.

“It’s finally done, thank god. It feels like it’s been dragging on for two years, and the truth is that it has. But I think my mom finally got a settlement from Rex, and they’ve signed the papers and all. God knows, I haven’t seen Rex in ages. He moved out when this process started, not that I blame him. Regina is a fucking tyrant, and she always bossed him around like he was a little kid.”

It’s hard to believe that Regina’s gotten divorced a second time because Rex, like Tex, is insanely handsome. Jessica’s stepdad is also powerfully built with a thick head of dark hair, bright blue eyes, and wide shoulders that look like they could lift an ox. And coincidentally, both Tex and Rex are long-haul truckers as well. It’s a common occupation in our small town. We live in the middle of the United States, so a lot of shipping companies base their head of operations here. There are a lot of jobs for long-haul truckers, and our men make good money doing honest work.

But long-haul trucking isn’t easy on a man’s family. Our dads are often on the road for weeks at a time, if not months. They sit in small cabs up to sixteen hours a day, and then park at truck stops to grab dinner and a shower. Then it’s a night’s sleep in a pull-out in the back of the cab, before the whole thing starts again the next day.

As a result, it’s pretty amazing that we even know our dads. They’re on the road a lot, but I have to say that Brent and Tex made a lot of effort to keep in touch with me and Jess. Even Rex made an effort, although Jess is only his stepdaughter. They’re good men, all three of them.

“Okay, what should we tackle next?” I ask, pointing at the study guide. “Should we ask each other hypothetical test questions, or should we try to recite facts in chronological order?”

Jess purses her lips like she’s just tasted a lemon.

“There are so many wars,” she complains. “Not just one big war called the Civil War. It feels like there are hundreds of battles that made up the Civil War.”

I sigh.

“That’s right, Jess. The Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865 and lasted four years. There were many battles, big and small, along the way.”

Jess gets a disgusted look on her face, and throws down her book.

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” she says flatly. “If I get an F, then so be it. I’m already headed to Emerald City College after graduation anyways. I did the math, and even if I get an F in this class, my GPA will still be high enough for Emerald to accept me.”

I stare at her.

“Just like that? You’re giving up?”

She nods and grins again before taking out her phone. Her fingers scroll through her Facebook feed, but then suddenly, she lets out a huge gasp as her eyes go wide.

“Oh my god,” she squeals. “Your dad is SO HOT. Check this out, Marni.”

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