Page 125 of One Big Little Secret

“Hardly the only thing.”

I cough awkwardly.

“The evening’s over, dude. I really appreciate everything you’ve done but… you don’t need to keep up the act.” Even though every single word he says reverberates in my chest, carving another mark on my heart.

Yes, this is pure insanity now.

Reckless and dumb and self-destructive.

But I don’t stop him as he heads into the room and finds me on the patio a minute later, carrying a leafy green blanket that feels like a cloud.

“There,” he says softly, passing it over and holding up a couple drinks he pulled from the mini fridge in our room. “No need to be cold. Or sober. Nice selection of local brews, if you’ll join me.”

No need for another drink. I had plenty of wine over dinner, and I can already feel it going to my head, but I accept it anyway.

We’re already drowning, aren’t we?

Why fuss when I can just admire the waves, even as they swallow us up?

“How’d you know I was a beer girl?” I ask, clinking the bottle against his. The loungers are soft, but I opt for the floor, leaning against the wall as I stare at the night sky. It’s vast here. The near lack of moonlight makes the stars stand out like multicolored diamonds.

“Intuition, I guess.”

“Did I ever tell you?”

“You told me a lot of things.” He shrugs and sits beside me, popping open his can. “You’re a dreamer, Lady Bug, always looking at the sky. That’s the important part.”

“I guess the sky’s usually prettier than what’s down below.” I sigh. “Not counting the present view, I mean.”

“Didn’t say you were wrong.”

I open my can and slurp beer.

My tongue tickles with delight and fizz.

It’s not the cheap, watery stuff you can get everywhere—this stuff is locally brewed and there’s real depth, an apple and toffee flavor that goes perfectly with this cool, fall-like evening.

“You outdid yourself tonight,” Patton says after a moment, leaning his head against the wall. I pull the blanket up to cover my bare shoulders. “I know it’s not easy mingling with that crowd of show-offs and blowhards.”

I smile. “It wasn’t so bad once I got the hang of it. You helped a ton.”

“Helped you find your confidence? I hope so. I remember the first time I came to one of these things with Dex, years ago…” He rubs a hand across his face. “I felt like a minnow in a roaring ocean.”

“And now all the big fish salute you and want a piece of your business.”

“Ourbusiness,” he corrects sharply. “I might be alone, but I’m representing my brothers, too.”

“Didn’t they want to come?”

“Dexter’s too busy with married life these days, and Archer justhatesthis shit. Socializing, I mean. If it wasn’t for Colt, I think he’d find the last cave in Kansas City and crawl into it forever.”

I laugh at the ridiculous image.

I haven’t seen much of Archer. Although he’s pretty reserved, there wasn’t anything obviously anti-social about him.

“So you’re the social butterfly?” I nudge him in the side. “Or are you the bootlicker?”

He hesitates before he speaks.

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