Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 81285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
I wasn’t one to hide my feelings well. When I was mad or annoyed, you could see it all over my face, so I took a drink of my beer, hoping it would help hide my expression. I didn’t want Luke picking up on any bad vibes, especially when he actually seemed to be buying this charade.
Or maybe he was an even better actor than his brother.
It was hard to tell.
“Is that so?” Luke asked. And damn it. He actually sounded pleased.
I wanted to tell him none of it was true, but I couldn’t. I had to play this thing out, but that didn’t mean I was happy about it. The guilt sat heavy in my chest, and it only got heavier when Davis told him, “Trying to get my feet under me, you know? I gotta do better.”
“That’s great, Davis.” Pride filled Luke’s eyes as he told him, “I’m really glad to hear that.”
Guilt stabbed me again. Harder this time.
Right there, square in the heart.
He was buying the bullshit. Or maybe he didn’t buy all of it, but he sure wanted to. He wanted to believe that his brother was doing right, and who could blame him? Davis was his brother.
Davis kicked back and smiled. “How about you? How’s the club life treating you?”
“Been going good. Damn good.” Luke lit up as he told him, “Been keeping busy either here or at the Black Crown, and when I’m not working, I’m usually at the clubhouse with the brothers. You know how it is.”
“Work hard. Play harder.”
“Exactly.” Luke took a pull from his beer and smiled at one of the waitresses as she walked by. Yep. Still a player. “But it’s not all about playing hard. We’ve made a hell of a life here, and I think we’ve got a good thing. You should come around more and see it for yourself.”
“I will.”
Davis nodded at him like this was just a moment of brotherly bonding and nothing more. And I was sitting there, drowning in loud music and deception, pretending to be the supportive girlfriend. He nudged me, pulling me from my thoughts, and I quickly smiled and took another sip of my beer, hoping it was enough to hide my unease.
They went back to talking, and for a minute—one blessed, heartfelt moment, I genuinely thought I might survive this little outing. I mean, it wasn’t all bad. Davis was doing most of the talking, and Luke was taking it all in.
I nodded and smiled.
I even gave him the occasional “supportive girlfriend” touch on the arm.
I deserved an Academy Award.
And then, Luke looked at me. Not just a glance. Not a flutter of eye contact.
He. Looked. At. Me.
And only me, and the whole table shifted.
“So, Presley,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “What’s the latest with you? I haven’t seen you around these parts in years.”
My soul left my body.
This wasn’t part of the script. I didn’t know what was okay to say or not to say. I was just supposed to sit here and smile. Not answer questions.
“I’m a hair stylist at a salon downtown.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right.”
I had no idea what he meant by that, but I had a feeling it was a jab. And I didn’t like it. I didn’t judge him for working at a strip club or a casino. As far as I saw it, he had no business judging me. So, I crossed my arms and snapped, “I’ll have you know I do quite well. I have a wait list a mile long.”
“Good.” Luke didn’t even blink. “You’ve always worked hard. I figured you’d be doing alright.”
Oh, great.
He was giving me a compliment. I love that.
Just add a little more pressure to the pot. I’m basically boiling alive at this point. I forced a tight smile and nodded, hoping he’d go back to talking to Davis.
No such luck.
“What about Lila Kate? She still all over the place?”
“Yeah, I thought she’d settle down when she got older, but she’s still at it.”
Luke smiled, and it nearly sent me sliding out of my chair and into a puddle on the floor. “She was always easy-going and never met a stranger. I liked that about her.”
Of course, he did.
Everyone liked that about her. Her chaos was part of her charm. My chaos was dealing with her mess. I was over this.
I didn’t want to speak.
I didn’t want to lie.
And I didn’t want to talk about Lila Kate or my job or anything personal. I just wanted out of there. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen any time soon.
5
GOOSE
“Glad you came by tonight.”
“Me, too… It’s been too long, and that’s on me.”
Davis smiled that old Davis smile. I had to give it to him. Davis looked and sounded the part of the remorseful brother, but that didn’t mean he was sorry.