Brent pulled her into his side.
Tia’s eyes swelled. “I won’t be that far and we won’t stay away from each other too long.”
Meadow stuck her pinky finger out. Tia didn’t hesitate to link her pinky with Meadow’s. They smiled like they always did as kids. Their pinky promise had saved their six-year-old friendship. The same pinky promise that held each other’s darkest secrets and wildest dreams.
“I won’t keep her away too long,” Blain winked.
Meadow stuck her finger out to him. He was her bro for life and she knew without a doubt he was going to make her girl happy. “Pinky promise.”
“Oh, I’m really in the family, huh?” he laughed, feeling crazy for actually doing it.
“You better know it,” Tia bumped shoulders with him.
Changing the subject, Tia leaned in from across the table. “How’s the range been? Your Daddy still out there sunrise to sundown?”
Meadow blinked, pulling herself out of Brent’s gravity. “Mmhmm. Still living and dying by the grass,” she said with a small laugh. “He’s got a guest coming soon, though, staying for a few months, I think.”
“Oh really?” Tia raised a brow. “It’s been a while since he saved some golfer’s career after an extended stay on his sacred land.”
“Exactly,” Meadow said, sitting up straighter. “I just hope they’re paying, ‘cause my lessons sure ain’t. I swear, between the gas for that crop duster and keeping the greens cut, I’m two invoices away from stress crying in the woods.”
Tia giggled. “Girl, you know your Daddy don’t care ‘bout none of that. He’d let half the PGA stay out there for free if it meant he could brag about fixing somebody’s swing.”
Meadow smiled, though her mind ran further than her words. There was so much more she wanted to say - about her Mama’s care, and the way bills were stacked higher than bookings but she swallowed it down. They were in mixed company, and she wasn’t about to bleed her real life all over a Sunday night table.
Brent must’ve caught the flicker in her expression because his hand gave a gentle squeeze, bringing her back to the present. His voice dropped low, right against her ear. “You stressin’ too much for somebody that looks so good.”
That made her laugh - soft, genuine, a little bit tired around the edges but still full of spark. “You always this charming, or I just bring it outta you?”
He grinned, leaning closer. “You bring it outta me. I just follow the leader.”
She smirked, brushing a curl behind her ear, that warm, fuzzy feeling spreading through her chest again. “Then follow close, Brent.”
His eyes dropped to her mouth. “That a promise?”
“Depends,” she said, her voice playful now, steady again. “How good are you at keeping up?”
Brent chuckled, like he’d just found his next challenge. And just like that, the weight in her chest eased. For tonight, therewere no bills, no range repairs, no half-empty schedule. Just a little heat, a little rum, and the sound of her laughter blending with the night.
The night thinned out.The music shifted from bass-heavy trap to slow jams. Couples crowded the dance floor for one last dance while the waitstaff wiped down empty tables. Tia and Blain had left an hour ago after too many goodbye hugs and one teary promise to FaceTime every morning.
Now, it was just Meadow, Brent, and the glow of the string lights flickering against her brown skin.
“You sure you don’t want me to follow you home?” he asked, leaning on his elbows.
She smiled, as she stood to grab her purse. “Follow me where? My Daddy’s house? He still cleans his guns every Sunday.
Brent laughed, head tilted back. “You got jokes, huh?”
“I have standards,” she corrected, tossing her curls over her shoulder. “And a curfew I make myself keep when the rum hits too good.”
He stood too, his eyes tracing her body slowly. “Aight, Miss Pilot. But don’t act like I can’t handle turbulence.”
Meadow smirked, tucking her phone into her purse. “Baby, Iamturbulence.”
Brent’s grin was like a promise that he’d be calling tomorrow. “Guess I’ll see you soon.”
“Maybe,” she winked, letting her fingers brush the collar of his shirt before she pulled away. Flirting with him was fun. The night could’ve ended on a funnier note, but Brent didn’t give her pussy that thump she listened to before she took a man down.Like, Meadow knew there was still a strong possibility that she’d find herself bent over with Brent behind her eventually, today just wasn’t that day.
