Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 135522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 678(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 452(@300wpm)
The afternoon gives way to the evening, and soon, we’re out of sunlight and saying our goodbyes. I make sure to thank Tamika for some advice she gave me on my “talent”, as I was having some doubts earlier and shared them during our lunch break. Nadine heads into the house with Gary and a few of the others, including Burton and his dad, to finish up some business stuff.
“Oh, it’s okay,” Noah tells Tamika when we’re gathered by the cars, going our separate ways. His words are drowned out by the coughing of Anthony’s loud, rumbly truck nearby. “I don’t need a ride. Cole’s gonna take me.”
“Cole, did you say?” Tamika calls out over the noise.
“Cole,” confirms Noah with a nod, then throws his thumb in my direction. I smile at Tamika. “He’s giving me a ride.”
“That’s nice of him.” She gives me a sweet and appraising look before pursing her lips in thought. “You two have gotten awfully close over the last several weeks. Practically best buddies.”
“You can say that,” I agree, throwing an arm over Noah’s back and hugging him close. He stares at me, surprised. “Ever since I saved this guy’s life, we’re—” Anthony’s truck makes a booming noise that causes us all to jump, followed by him cursing loudly. “—inseparable,” I finish awkwardly.
Tamika’s eyes dance back and forth between us, a twinkle of delight in them. “Get home safely, boys. I’ll see you at the dress run in a couple days. Oh, and please don’t forget to answer those questions I sent you. Tomorrow’s our last push before the thing!”
“Fuckin’ shit piece a’ junk!” shouts Anthony from his driver’s seat as he attempts to start his truck again, the noise persisting.
“I’ll gladly wade through the noise of sex offers and marriage proposals cramming my inbox to fish out those questions you sent me and will answer them pronto,” I assure her with a wink and a saluting gesture.
Tamika chuckles, then peers at Anthony’s truck with concern. “Should someone … uh … help him?”
I wait a moment, watching, then shrug. “I think he’ll be fine.”
After another loud noise that sounds like metal grinding in a food processor, the truck wheezes and goes quiet, hissing smoke out of its exhaust. “Motherfucker!” shouts Anthony with a smack of his steering wheel that sets off the horn, which then startles him.
Noah and I exchange a look.
“Do we dare …?” I quietly asks Noah.
Noah winces, then peers over his shoulder at Anthony, who seems to have given up all hope and has dropped his head onto the steering wheel, the horn blaring ceaselessly.
That is how, five minutes later, I am on the road heading back into Spruce with Noah in the passenger seat next to me.
And Anthony in the back, who won’t shut up. “I can’t afford for my damned truck to sit on some ranch halfway out of town. I got jobs to get to tomorrow, shit to do. I feel like a goat kicked dirt into my engine or somethin’ just to be an asshole. Goats are all a bunch of assholes. And y’know what else? I think the—”
Noah and I keep looking at each other as Anthony rambles on.
Does he regret us taking Anthony back into town yet?
It only gets worse. The second downtown Spruce is in sight, Anthony’s suddenly a hungry baby that needs feeding. “Hey, guys, aren’t you starved? We haven’t eaten since noon. Pull into Biggie’s and let’s get some burgers. My stomach’s speakin’ languages.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” says Noah. “It’ll be busy around this time. Dinner rush. And with all of the extra people in town, and you’re both bachelors, which is the reason they’re even here, they might—”
“Big deal! You scared of a few people?” He smacks me on the arm. “C’mon, Cole. Let’s go to Biggie’s. I’m hungry. Hangry.”
Noah’s stomach growls right on cue. He stares down at it, as if astonished that it betrayed him, then looks over at me.
I grimace. “Maybe we can swing by for just a quick bite.”
“I guess,” agrees Noah unenthusiastically.
We should have heeded his warning. Biggie’s is packed from one end to the other. It’s nearly an hour before the three of us finally get a table squeezed right into the heart of the chaos. I nearly spill my drink when someone passes by and knocks into my elbow. Noah looks like he’s huddling over his food as if to protect it from being stolen. Anthony, despite being the one whose idea it was to come here, won’t stop complaining about getting his chair shoved by every passerby. We can barely even hear each other talk over the noise of the busy diner.
It’s while we’ve all got our hands messy with stuffing burgers into our faces that our unnoticed onlookers become brave. “Hey, you’re two of the bachelors, aren’t you?” asks a young woman who approaches our table with her friend, both of them brunettes with big boobs and long straight hair. Just the airy sound of her voice suggests instantly what she and her friend want.