Page 153 of End Game

“Yes, Mama,” Rohan, Phin, and Cruz affirmed at the same time. They kissed their favorite ladies, then ran to their four-wheelers.

Phin jumped on the flashy red one, Cruz hit the black with metal flecks that perfectly matched the Stutz’s paint job, and Rohan slid onto the blue with computer code embedded. Brodie roared after the men.

A silence fell over their group, each woman smiling and shaking their heads at the same time.

Sadie propped a hand on her narrow waist. “Why couldn’t we go with them?”

No one said anything. Everyone was probably experiencing the same feeling of being left behind, like Kayla. Her phone pinged with a text.

Natalie.

During her eating-crow session, she’d managed to patch things up with her friend. Even promised to give Alex an opportunity to prove he’d changed.

At least she no longer gagged when she heard the man’s name. That had to mean something.

A loud motor from inside the garage had her head jerking up. A tricked-out dune buggy, with Grams in the driver seat, rolled to a stop beside Sadie. “We can’t let the boys have all the fun, can we?”

The illumination of a million stars couldn’t have competed with Sadie’s joy as she jumped into the passenger side of the two-seater.

“Grams,” Lynette warned.

The older woman waved off her daughter-in-law’s concern. “I won’t go over eighty, promise.” She turned to Sadie and winked. “Buckle up.”

Once the girl complied, Grams hit the accelerator and the electric vehicle shot off after the others.

Lynette muttered something about a heart attack and ran toward the more sedate UTV, a few feet away.

“Don’t worry,” Cilla said, nodding at the dust cloud in the distance. “Cruz picked that style specifically for its low center of gravity.” At their blank looks, she explained. “It’s harder to tip over a dune buggy.”

Lynette raised a brow at the rest of the group. “Who’s coming with me to pick up the body parts?”

Lena, Maddy, and Cilla piled inside the four-seater.

Soon, only Kayla and Liv were left. An ache settled in her throat.

Liv placed a hand over her small baby bump. “You didn’t have to stay behind to keep me company. They could have made room for you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Do you know how long it took me to get this wave in my hair?” She slid her hand over a blond lock draped over her shoulder. “Windblown isn’t my best look.”

Liv made a you-don’t-fool-me-for-a-second face.

“Besides, I need to make a phone call. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

She wandered a few feet away. Natalie picked up on the second ring. “Sorry to bother you, but I thought you’d want to know.”

“What’s up?” Kayla braced herself for whatever bad news her friend was about to impart.

“The governor signed HB821.”

Kayla blinked, not prepared for this news. “On Saturday? You’re sure?”

“Just received word from our Raleigh office. The new governor is working her ass off to get everything back on schedule. Cabrera signed eleven bills today.”

Emotion tingled against the backs of her eyes. The Women Entrepreneur Empowerment Act would help women across the state with startup costs and professional development.

We did it, Aunt Vicky.

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