Page 54 of His Eighth Ride

“She’s a night-owl, baby,” Mike said. “You know what time she gets up.” He grinned at her and lifted his bowl to drink the milk out of it. “You’re here every morning when she finally gets up.”

“How are you so calm?”

“Because we’re not asking her to donate a kidney?” He quirked his eyebrows at her. “Why are you freaking out?”

“Because,” Gerty said with plenty of frustration in her voice. “We should’ve talked to her about this a month ago. Then she wouldn’t have wasted time looking for places.”

“We’ll be lucky if she says yes,” Mike said. “Do you have your hopes up?”

“I know this is the right thing to do,” Gerty said firmly. “She’ll know it too.”

“Who’ll know what?”

Gerty spun toward Opal’s voice. She’d come into the living room, and she dropped to the ground beside West. “Morning, baby.” She gave him a kiss and smiled up to Gerty and Mike. “Double day off.”

“Triple,” Mike said. “You’re not working today either.” He got up and took his bowl into the kitchen, leaving Gerty to face Opal alone. Before she could begin, he returned to her side, and Gerty leaned into him to hopefully steal some of his strength.

“Opal, we want to talk to you about something.”

Opal looked up from West, her smile fading away when she saw the two of them standing side-by-side. She got to her feet, and still wearing her pajamas, she folded her arms. “About what?”

Gerty looked at Mike, but he simply looked back at her.

“I’m moving out,” Opal said. “I swear, I am. I’m going to get that place in Willow Springs, I think. I already have another appointment to walk through it again tomorrow, just to be sure.”

She wore defiance in her gaze that almost made Gerty laugh. “I know I’ve lived here too long. I’m sorry. I’ll be leaving soon—I can leave right now if I need to. I can stay with Jane or get a hotel.”

Gerty started shaking her head about the time Opal apologized. “No,” she barked out. “It’s not that.”

“It kind of is that,” Mike said.

Opal looked between them, her dark eyes trying to find the answers she needed. “What?”

“We know you want to move out,” Gerty said, everything she’d rehearsed now gone. “We agree that it’s best for everyone, but we don’t want you to take that place in Willow Springs.”

Opal’s eyebrows bent down. “You don’t?”

Gerty shook her head and took a step toward her best friend in the world. “No,” she said. “If it’s so perfect, why do you need to go see it for the third time to be sure?” She ignored West as he screeched at one of his toys. “We want to give you five acres right here on the farm. You can build the exact house you want and have room for your vegetable garden and that big back lawn you want for your future kids and dogs and cats.”

The words out, now Gerty just felt hollow from where they’d been caged inside her.

Opal stared at her and then switched her gaze to Mike. “Five acres?”

“It’s not as much as you think.”

“Yes, it is,” Opal said. “Who’s going to mow that much grass?” She shook her head. “No, thank you.”

“Opal.” A bolt of fear struck Gerty. “Is that a ‘no, thank you’ to the acreage or the offer itself?”

Opal fixed her cool gaze on her now. “I’m not sure.”

“Why don’t you want to live here? It’s close to us. Close to West. Jane and Cord will find something closer to us out here.” She swallowed, not sure she should say the next thing. But Opal and Tag had been dating for almost two months now, and by all accounts, they were getting along really well.

“Close to Tag,” Gerty said, lifting her chin, almost daring Opal to say she wasn’t considering Tag while she’d been looking for a place to call her own.

“Okay, let’s go there,” Opal said with a bite of acid in her tone.

“Here we go,” Mike said. He sank onto the couch with a sigh. “You guys sit down. We’re not in combat.”

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