Page 52 of Fighting a Riot

Mallory made big eyes at me. “I am so sorry I didn’t get her out of here sooner.”

I pressed my lips together trying to fight it. After a moment, I burst into laughter. “Don’t be. Hearing her tell it like that, it’s actually kinda funny, because it was so damned disgusting.”

“You’re lucky I gotta be on base before sixteen hundred hours.”

I bit my lip and looked at Evan in concern. He only reverted to military time when he was focused on something or when he was angry.

“Why?” I asked.

Evan’s green eyes glinted with anger. “Because I remember moving you into that apartment with him, and I’m itching to go kick his ass after hearing what she just said. You didn’t even tell Mom that story.”

“No. Getting dumped before a wedding is as much as Mom needs know about it.”

Evan stared at me. “Except Mom hinted at maybe Destin would change his mind and take you back. Especially now that the surgery is done.”

“Why would she bother with an ass like that?” Mallory asked. She waved her hand over the table. “Sorry, it isn’t my business.”

Trixie laughed. “No, but I was gonna ask something similar. What about what Nora wants? She’s smart enough to see that asshole for the conniving weasel he is now.”

A benign smile played at Evan’s lips. “You’re both right, but our mom is a die-hard romantic.”

I smacked the table lightly. “Enough about that. Why did you come back early from Orlando?”

His eyes darted between Trixie and Mallory before he shrugged and said, “Kayleigh gave me the run-around. Again.”

“She’s a dumbass,” Trixie muttered.

My eyes slid to Trixie.

“What? You two are twenty-eight. If I were ten years younger, and into the clean-cut military type, I’d clear the decks when he came to town.”

I glanced at Evan and saw pink creeping into his cheeks which made me chuckle. “You are something else, Trixie.”

“That’s for sure,” Mallory said. “Now, seriously, we should leave them be.”

Trixie shook her head. “He just said he has to be on base by four o’clock. We should take them to Kickback’s.” She looked at me. “Have you been there before?”

I shook my head.

She pointed a finger at me. “Their Fluffernutter sandwich is exactly what you need.”

Evan’s head tilted a touch and he nodded. “Serve that up with a beer, and it sounds like it’s right up my alley.”

Trixie dug out her phone and I assumed she was tapping out a text.

Mallory stood up, grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter, and came back to the table. “What are you doing, Trixie? It’s almost twelve-thirty, we’re gonna be lucky if we don’t have to wait for a table.”

I hurried toward my bedroom for my phone and wristlet.

Halfway to my room, I heard Trixie’s response. “Since you and Yak are both so quick to tell me to mind my own business, I texted Roll with instructions to find out exactly why Yak cut his hair.”

“His hair was longer?” Evan asked.

“Almost as long as Mallory’s,” Trixie said.

I looked over my shoulder. “The weather’s warming up. He didn’t cut his hair for some special reason.”

Trixie’s teeth sunk into her lower lip as she contemplated my words. “That’s where you’re wrong. I got no doubt you’re the ‘special reason’ he hacked off nine or ten inches of hair.”

---