"Not cool," Mike told her. "Besides, it wasn't like he was gonna date you anyway. Shit. You've been trying for years. Don't go acting like his new love life is why you're missing out. Maybe you're just not his type. Shit. Tommy and Lindy broke up, so throw yourself at him."
"They did?" I asked.
Mike lifted a brow at Mandy, waiting until she left before he decided to answer that. "Yup. Tommy's working for Simmons now, feeding the cows. And, speaking of that, guess who just got a new bumper? Yup, same Tommy. Said he had to pull a heifer out of the pond."
"This week?" I asked.
"Yesterday," Mike clarified.
"I am completely lost," Ash admitted. "Are you sure he didn't actually mess up his bumper with the cattle?"
I gestured to Mike that I had this. "At this time of year, the cattle are being fed up. There's always hay and cubes out for them. Now, weather's cooling off, so they're not getting too hot. That means the whole herd stands around the feeder getting fat, not wading out into the pond to cool off. The only reason for a cow to get herself stuck in the mud so bad that she has to be pulled out is because the pond's evaporating too fast. That's mid-summer, Ash. This time of year, the heifers are more likely to get their heads stuck in a tree or something as they try to scratch out their shedding hair."
"So, yeah," Mike told him, "means it wasn't a heifer in the pond. Even if it was, no young cow's gonna do that kind of damage. Bumpers are designed to be hit, right? Well, he hit it hard, prolly around thirty miles an hour, and the whole front end of his truck's fucked. Like bent steel kinda fucked. Wasn't like no damned door ding."
"But he knows you're friends with Luke, right?" Ash asked.
Mike shrugged. "I may have said that I didn't believe the stories. Told him the pictures had to be photoshopped, and the way I see it, people are just jealous because who wouldn't want to put their dick in the billboard girl." Then his eyes got wide. "Shit. Man, I'm sorry, Violet."
"You're fine," she told him, struggling not to laugh.
"Sorry," Mike told me next, then grunted. "To all her boyfriends."
That made Cy laugh. "So, you're one of those good Southern gentlemen too, huh?"
"Me?" Mike asked. "Shit, no. I just don't want all y'all to beat my ass - and I mean with fists. Well, or the other way. Not really my thing, but I'm kinda trying to learn about it. Been Googling. Did you know gay marriage is legal now?"
Cy snorted out a laugh. "Has been for a while, Mike."
"Yeah, well, we don't have those Pride parades around here, and no one talks about that shit." Mike paused. "You gonna go to one of those, Luke? They do 'em in Dallas. You should take me. I can be your backup. All y'all's."
"You can come with me and be an ally," Violet offered. "We'll let the boys kiss each other and cheer them on. Happens every year in June, which is Pride Month."
"I'm so there," Mike promised. "I was talking to Maisie the other night - "
"What?" Violet asked. "You know her?"
"Everyone around here knows everyone else," I reminded her. "And yes, we all know Maisie. Vi, she's nothing like she was in school. Mike's kinda got a thing for her."
"Jodi fucked her over," Mike explained. "Like, after they graduated, Jodi convinced Maisie to stay here for a bit. Well, because of that, she never got out of here. Jodi's been sleeping through her rent, if you know what I mean. Dump one guy and move in with the next. No need to worry about buying a house like that. Surprised she doesn't have a dozen kids, but Maisie? Nah, she's a nice girl."
Ash reached over for Violet's hand. "She was one of the three bullies who almost convinced Vi to starve herself to death."
"Because Jodi was bullying her too," Mike explained. "Yeah, she's been telling me about that. Like, if she didn't do what Jodi said, then Jodi would get her in crap with her dad, and he didn't just use a belt, you know? Man liked to punch too."
"Shit," Violet breathed. "I had no idea."
Mike shrugged. "We were all just trying to make it through. Luke dropped out. I damned near failed out. Maisie did what she had to, because college is the only way to get out of Cats Peak. Sucks that she's still here, but I kinda like it too. I mean, she's a real nice girl."
"You said that already," I fake-whispered to him. "So when are you going to ask her out?"
"Soon as I can afford to fucking take her out," Mike admitted. "Look, the garage is barely scraping by. I don't have any employees because I can't afford them. The last thing I want to do is ask that woman out on a date, then take her back to my place and cook her mac and cheese."
Ash leaned forward with a smile on his face. "Which brings me to the business proposition I want to make. Mike, how many people in this town need to get their car fixed up but can't afford it and don't know how to do it on their own?"
Mike sort of shook his head in confusion. "I don't know - most, probably."
"So, if you could offer a payment plan, do you think you might have more business at the garage?" Ash wanted to know.
