I process what he says. Douglass wants to have the house ready for when Nat comes back from her trip, so she can sell it. It sounds like that’s not likely to happen with the amount of exterior work the house needs.
“Want to help me convince Douglass to let us call Blake?” I ask.
Blake is the contractor Mike and I know. He helped Mickey with the bar’s renovations a few years ago. Blake’s company is the one I wanted to call, and the one Douglass immediately shot down with an emphatic “No, thank you.” But that was before. Hopefully, she’ll be more amenable to the idea now. If not, I think I can persuade her. Orgasms are a great motivator.
“From your tone, it sounds like you’ve already tried. Hey, you never did say where you’d disappeared to.”
For some reason, I cross my arms over my chest and get defensive. “Talked to Chase.”
He slowly lowers the can of soda. “I’m sorry. I think I misheard what you said.”
I knew as soon as I told him, which I’d planned on doing tomorrow, he’d give me shit.
“Food ready?” Bennett asks, putting a temporary halt to the Spanish Inquisition Mike was about to give me.
Not looking at Mike, who’s now sending me the evil eye, I bump fists with Bennett.
“Almost. Waiting for Danni,” I reply.
Speaking of dishing out shit, I don’t call Mike out when he perks up at the mention of her name. He can deny all he wants, but he’s definitely interested in her.
“She went to get the side dishes,” I add for Bennett’s benefit.
Danni has been acting off all day, and I don’t know whether it’s because she’s still upset at me about my hidden bottle of Jack, or if it’s something else.
I search for Douglass again. Mason has his arm flung across her shoulders, whispering something in her ear that has her eyes wide and shining with amusement. When I slam the grill tongs down a little too hard, Bennett’s eyebrow jacks up.
“What time’s your flight?” Mike asks him.
Bennett steals a pickle spear off one of the platters. “Have to leave here around eight.”
Mike picks up one of the covered plates of food, ready to get to the eating part of the evening.
“Sucks that you guys don’t get a longer break, like a long weekend or something.”
Bennett slides the large tray of burger fixings across the narrow countertop and hefts it with both hands, which leaves me to carry the plate of burgers and the foil-wrapped buns.
“It is what it is. Part of the job. I just hate being away from Harp all the damn time.”
The longing in his voice is glaringly apparent. I don’t know how he and my sister make it work. I think about not seeing Douglass every day—not being able to touch her or kiss her whenever I wanted, fall asleep next to her every night and wake up every morning to have her beautiful face be the first thing I see. She hasn’t said anything about sticking around long-term. She hasn’t said much of anything at all regarding the matter. Does she want to go back to North Carolina once Natalie settles in at the memory care facility? Hopefully, things will go the way I think they will on Wednesday when I meet with the president and dean of Rice, and I can give Douglass one more reason to stay.
As soon as Mike walks off, Bennett sticks out his elbow, blocking me.
“About what happened this morning.”
Thirty minutes ago was the first I’d seen him since this morning. He and Harper took off for one of their long rides on the back of his motorcycle. When Douglass started laughing about it after I told her, she clued me in to what they were really doing. Come to find out, my sister and brother-in-law like to naked canoodle on his bike.
“Will never happen again,” I reply, not wanting to rehash Mason kissing Douglass. All it’ll do is piss me the hell off again. “Douglass and I talked. She talked to Mason. It’s all good.”
Hopefully.
So far, Mason has been behaving himself and hasn’t been too touchy-feely, with the exception of his arm currently wrapped around her.
“Shut the fuck up, Bennett. Got it. I don’t know the whole backstory of what happened between you and Dee, and I don’t care to. Just wanted to say that I’m happy for you both. She’s a great girl and deserves a great guy.”
“Thanks, man.”
I appreciate how Bennett gets straight to the point. Then again, from the stories I’ve heard from Harper, he never used to talk, like at all.
