Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 132321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 441(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 441(@300wpm)
“Jesus Christ.” He glares at me. “She was really okay with that?”
“Yes. You might think I’m an asshole, but I’m always honest.”
“I don’t think you’re an asshole. I think you’re a horndog.” He sighs. “So, what’s got you so stressed?”
“We had an arrangement. That was working fine.” I blow out an annoyed breath. “And now I’m the one who caught feelings, okay. Are you happy now?”
Rooster bellows loud enough to shake the fucking house. “Oh, man. This is good. I believe this is what they call karma.”
“Only if she doesn’t feel the same way,” Shelby says, returning to her chair across from me.
“You heard all of that?” I ask.
She flicks her hand in the air like she’s swatting a fly. “Just the highlights.” She meets my eyes. “I missed the big reveal of who it is, though. I know you told Logan.”
I sigh. “If I tell you, can you please keep it to yourself for a little bit? Don’t share with Serena. Or Heidi. Or Trinity. Or Lilly. None of the girls. No one.”
“My lips are sealed.” She pulls a black box out of a black velvet satchel. “You said I’m your best friend now. And I would never break a bestie’s trust.”
“It’s Margot.” I wait for Shelby’s reaction.
Her eyes light up. “Oh, the pretty little mortician?”
“She’s actually the mortuary cosmetologist. But she has her funeral director license…you know what, I don’t quite understand all of their roles.” I wave it off, not the point. “She tends to dead people and their families, yes.”
“Cool job,” Shelby says. “Must be real sad, though, sometimes.” She casts a quick glance at Rooster. “Not everyone’s death is a relief. She must see some of the worst humans do to one another.”
“Yeah. It’s rough on her some days. And there’s certain stuff she won’t do because she’s seen a lot of consequences,” I say carefully.
“She doesn’t ride,” Rooster guesses immediately.
“Don’t make a big deal—”
He holds his hands up. “No judgment. As long as she’s not gonna try to make you stop riding.”
“Never even hinted at it.” I drill Rooster with a look. “And I won’t try to talk her into it either.”
“Fair enough.” Rooster nods.
“Daaang.” Shelby whistles and somehow even her whistle sounds Southern. “Y’all worship at the altar of Harley-Davidson. You must be head over boots for her.”
“We don’t…never mind.” Nah, she’s got a point.
Rooster drums his fingers against the tabletop. “So, did you ride home from Deadbranch and go straight to her place?”
“Uh.” I scratch the side of my head. “Yeah. I only planned to see her and say hi, you know. But then one day turned into two and…” I shrug.
“How’d you leave things?” Rooster asks. “You know, when you finally left?”
I curl my fingers around my mug and stare at a few rogue cookie crumbs floating at the top. “She was working, so I left her a note.”
“A note?” Shelby scowls at me. “What’d it say?”
Not enough.
“That’s personal, songbird.”
She and Rooster share a look.
“Do you think she feels the same way?” Shelby asks.
“Sometimes. I don’t know.” My jaw clenches as I think over our “semester.” “She kinda asked about my ‘no relationships’ stance once and I bailed for a bit,” I admit, feeling like an asshole.
Shelby rolls her eyes but holds her tongue.
“She expressed some strong opinions about my behavior.”
Rooster shakes with the effort of holding in his laughter.
I squint at the wall above Shelby’s shoulder. “And she might’ve indirectly called me a fuckboy.”
Rooster loses it, clutching the edge of the table and laughing his big, bearded face off.
Shelby wrinkles her nose. “Yeah, truth hurts, don’t it?”
“I’m not…never mind.” I wave my hand at the cards. “Are we doing this?”
She clutches the cards in both hands. “Are you going to take it seriously?”
I side-eye Rooster. “Well, he hasn’t been very helpful, so maybe the cards can provide some answers.”
“What do I need to be helpful about?” Rooster throws his hands up. “You haven’t asked a serious question, yet.”
“Yes, he did,” Shelby says quietly.
Rooster finally works the smirk off his face.
Shelby starts shuffling the cards. “Clear your mind,” she instructs. “Focus on what you want to ask the universe.”
Am I boyfriend material or destined to be a fuckboy forever?
Jesus Christ, is that what I’m really asking the universe? But now that the question’s formed in my mind, I can’t stop it from repeating over and over.
She sets the deck in front of me. “Cut it.”
The cards are smoother than I thought. They slide when I pick them up and I almost spill them all over.
“Relax,” Shelby says. “This is just a tool to get you thinking about your life.”
“You’re going to need more than one deck,” Rooster says.
“Logan!” Shelby shakes her head.
He runs his fingers over his lips as if he’s capable of keeping his mouth shut.
“All right. Focus on your question, Jensen. We’re going to do a five-card relationship spread and see what we can figure out.”