“Jesus. I’d forgotten about that. Those pigtails were so damn wrong, and yet so right.” He folded his hands behind his head. “But I’m not in trouble. Trouble is what happens when you forget to put gas in the car. Or you forget a Sharpie in your pocket and before doing wash. This isn’t trouble, my friend.”
“A shit storm then. I heard about you and the dog walker from Elizabeth.”
That secured his attention. “What’s Birdie got to say about this?”
“You know her—lots. Guess the two of them were becoming fast friends.”
“Of course. Because God hates me.”
“Hang on.” Beau made a show of glancing around. “Have you seen where I put it?”
“What?”
“My tiny violin.”
“Shut up.”
“No, no. I want to compose a concerto in your honor. Too bad I spent more time in middle school orchestra trying to peek up the first chair flutist’s skirt.”
“Stop.”
“She had pigtails, too.”
“Come the fuck on.”
“You’re in luck because I’m in a tell-it-like-it-is mood.” Beau was warming up. “You live in a small town where people give a fuck about you and your happiness. The Back Fence is a bunch of older ladies who have known you since Sunday school and hate seeing you alone and miserable. They want you happy, with a wife and a minivan and two-point-five kids. Same as your sister. Except with less rugrats.”
“My sister’s uterus is a clown car.”
“She’s gotten what she wants. And meanwhile you act like people caring about you is a burden.”
“I’m trying to stay—”
“True? Stay true to what? I loved your mama like she was my own. But if she could, she’d come back from the grave and kick my ass for not kicking yours. What she wanted was for you to live. Not to suffer or sacrifice.”
“And what am I doing?”
“Making excuses.”
Rhett responded with a fist.
Beau took the punch. “I knew it was coming, still, damn, didn’t make it hurt any less. Feel better?”
“Not really.”
Beau slugged him, cracking his lower jaw. “Now?”
Rhett saw stars. “Fuck. What’s that for?”
“Trying to see if there’s any sense left in there.” He passed over a stainless steel bottle. “Don’t get excited, it’s only water. Drink up.”
“I asked Pepper to stay.” Rhett slumped over, elbows on his knees, head ringing from the punch. “Stay in Everland.”
“The answer wasn’t yes?”
“See her here?” Rhett drank deep. “She’s on her way to Maine. Her dad is in the hospital, and she wants to look after him.”
“You can’t fault her for doing the right thing.”
