“Shut up.”
Miles chuckles. “All right, all right, let’s lay off Killian—he’s going through enough.”
Damn right I am.
He continues, “Although, I heard, he brought a girl home and…she hasn’t been back to the room she rented. Did you kidnap her?”
I used to feel bad for these three. When they were each trying to find the people they love, the rest of us picked on them.
Now, I don’t regret any of it.
They deserved it and worse.
“Sometimes, I really hate Ember Falls,” I say and run out onto the field to warm up.
I start my jog, thinking about Tessa. Her smile, the way we fit together as though we were made for one another. I remember the way she looked at me in the bar, how my desire for her was like a living thing. How her heart-shaped lips were swollen after my kiss and those blue eyes became soft when I entered her.
Hopefully no one pieces together that she’s the girl from the bar.
Max would know, but one of the things Max prides himself on is that a bartender is equivalent to a therapist in some cases, and he would never share his patient’s information. It’s a stretch, but he’s discreet.
It’s the rest of the town that is relentless with their gossip.
A few seconds later, all three of my friends are running with me. “Don’t be mad, Pops,” Lachlan says.
“I swear, I could kill you.”
“Yeah, but you won’t. We are the four best friends that anyone could have,” he quotes the line from our favorite movie we’ve seen one too many times.
I scoff. “When did you become my best friends?”
“When you decided to join our team,” Miles explains. “It’s animpliedbest friendship.”
“Like fight club,” Everett tacks on.
“Only we disc it to them,” Lachlan supplies this time.
Everett laughs. “Dude, that was terrible.”
“Seriously,” I say, speeding up, hoping to lose these fools.
It doesn’t work, they keep pace.
“Listen, we just want to know about the girl you brought home. I’ve never heard about you hooking up with anyone.” Everett appears beside me, irritating me once again.
I roll my eyes. “Because I don’t kiss and tell.”
Also, because I don’t usually do it. Tessa was an anomaly. A woman who I just couldn’t look away from. Now, I have to physically force myself to do exactly that. Not that I succeeded last night. No, I went out there and spent time with her when I should’ve been in my room, pretending she wasn’t staying only a few rooms away.
Right now, the last damn thing I need is a story saying I’m sleeping with her. I’m sure the town gossips, also known as the Disc Jocks, would find a way to spin it into something ridiculous like I’m in love with her and we’re having a baby.
“What’s her name?” Lachlan asks.
My God. “Are you all so bored you have nothing else to do than worry about but me?”
“Someone needs to.”
The last thing I want is this damn conversation. I stop running, turning to face the three idiots. “Her name was none-of-your-business. It was one night. Thank-you all for the concern but it’s not needed. If you want to help, please find out why the hell I’m losing sales on the ranch.”
