“I reckon six will do, that way we can have three giving rides and break the other three,” Mrs Hamilton works out.
“Six we can do just fine; I’ll make sure Colter brings ourcalmest for the kids,” I agree alongside her.
“Amazing. Colter knows where to go.” Mrs Hamilton loves my brother a little too much.
“He’s all set and can’t wait to help,” a hint of sarcasm leaves my mouth, but Mrs Hamilton’s none the wiser.
“He’s a good man that brother of yours,” she exclaims.
“That he sure is.” I smile. He is a good man, although a little annoying in my eyes.
“Thank you, dear, send my love to the family.” Mrs Hamilton says as she hangs up the phone.
I put the receiver down; it’s two-thirty in the afternoon and I’m finally done with my list of to-dos for the day.
“Knock, knock-” Iris says as struts through my office door unannounced.
I smile at her, happy to see her.
“Hey girl, whatcha’ doing here?” I ask as she takes a seat.
“Well, a little birdie told me you were in early this morning, so I presume you’ll finish early?” she asks, confirming her knowledge before reaching for a beer out my mini fridge.
“Little birdie, as in my mom?” I laugh, taking the beer, she’s offering me.
“Gotcha,” She winks.
“Talk about break the gossip in town now huh?” I smirk.
I’ll give my mama that, the old girls have been running out of things to gossip about these days. Not much goes on in our little town for them to keep a good string of conversation going about it.
“Those old girls need something interesting to gossip about,” I laugh, taking a swig of my very welcoming ice-cold beer.
We both laugh at the notion of the old girls we call our mothers. One thing about this place; our moms have been friends since forever, our Daddies too. They all started pairing of together under the sky full of stars, falling in love and promising forever, further down the line of their forever, creating us. The cycle then rolled around back onto us. We’ve all known each other since we were babies.
“You know we aren’t far off being them,” Iris smirks into her bottle.
“I reckon we got a fair few more years to go,” I give her a dirty look, trying to hold onto my youth a little while longer.
We laugh together, finishing our bottles. “Anyway, I’m just here to make sure you’re maybe heading to McCoy’s tomorrow?” Irisasks.
McCoy’s is our towns popular dive bar.
Been there since before even I was born. I couldn’t tell you who owned it before Cole, but the old man in his sixties is still going strong and trying to play along with the times.
For some reason, it was decided long before even I walked this earth, that Friday nights are the one around here. Everyone’s exhausted from working and ranching, yet we decide that Friday nights are the night to let loose.
“Oh, honey, I don’t know. I have Ellie-” I start.
“Oh, come on, Jake’s playing.” She interrupts me as I hear her pause, pulling in a breath. “Besides you haven’t been out in a while. We all miss you,” Iris says, giving me those puppy dog eyes, trying her best to interrupt my polite decline to her invitation.
I stare at her, giving her the look that shows that shit don’t work on me while taking another sip of my beer.
“Please,” she begs. “Besides, Jane said you can,” she says in a playful tone, laughing before settling with a wink.
“God’s sake,” I mutter before looking back at her, “You know now you’ve asked my Mama, now I have too.” She laughs at my defeat. Mama will always have Ellie for me. No need to ask.
“Fine. But I’m not staying out all night,” I huff, finally admitting defeat on the subject.
