Page 41 of The Way We Score

Craig shakes his head likeduh. “So? She hasn’t had a ring on the whole time she’s been here.”

“Well, she told me she’d just signed the papers before she came.” The day she left town, she’d said.

“Doesn’t it take a while to get to the signing papers part? She’s had plenty of time for a rebound.” Craig crosses his arms. “I’m not buying it.Youare not a rebound, my friend.”

“Look, all I know is if you went through a painful divorce, it makes sense that a reunion-type situation with an old high school boyfriend would be a good way to get over it. Right?”

“Wrong.” Craig shakes his head. “That is not how you get over it. A hottie in the club with a big dick is how you get over it.”

“You’re thinking like a guy, and a gay guy at that.” This coffee really is helping me focus on reality. “Liv is a woman. Women like to feel safe in their sexual relationships.”

“What the fuck?” Craig cries. “When did you turn into Esther Perel?”

“That’s a total stereotype.” Hendrix strolls in talking like he’s been here the whole time and goes straight to the coffee pot. “Some women love to be sexually adventurous, take it from me.”

I’m about to take it from him—and stick it down his throat.

“It’s closed-minded to think all women are looking for their daddy,” he continues. “Also, what’s this about her mom and the walker?”

“Yeah,” I exhale a laugh, distracting my urge to pick up my younger brother and throw him in the dumpster. “Apparently, Ms. Plum pretended to be lame so Liv would stick around for Dylan’s wedding.”

She didn’t explicitly say it, and I don’t know for sure, but I think her mom wanted us to have a “reunion” weekend as well. Ms. Plum was always on my side. It’s probably because I always mowed her grass and helped her move furniture around and cleaned the limbs out of her yard after storms. She would say I was the son she never had.

The thought makes me smile.

“The important question is did you give her that BDE?” Hendrix waggles his eyebrows.

Craig makes a groaning noise. “Incorrect usage. YouhaveBDE. You slip her a BD… or a BBD, depending on your persuasion.”

“I’m not talking about having sex with Liv with you two big mouths.”

“Uncle Grizzlaaaay!” That little voice shuts down all our locker-room talk.

“Lord, I love that little girl, but somebody turn down her volume.” Craig puts his hands on his face.

Small shoes slap against the tile floor, and my niece bursts through the double doors, heading straight to me. Bending down, I scoop her onto my back, feeling a lot better since I had a mug of coffee.

“You’re up early, Peanut. What are you doing?”

“Daddy said Uncle Craig was making omelets, and he said everybody was coming here for breakfast, and Aussie gave me a ride.”

“I don’t know about omelets, but I’ll scramble up some eggs.” Craig opens the door of the industrial size refrigerator and takes out a cardboard box.

“You’re here with Austin?” I glance over to the doors. “Where’s your dad?”

Our phones light up with a text.

Jack

Roll call. Who’s around for breakfast?

I glance up to see my younger brother’s fingers moving over the screen, so I don’t worry about it. I bounce Kimmie over to where Craig and Clint are dragging out shredded cheese, a bag of minced onions, green peppers, spinach.

Hendrix

Garrett’s here with me.

It only takes a few minutes for the rest to reply.

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