Page 128 of Broken Skulls

“Oh, come on. I’m going to need more than that.”

He rubs his hands together excitedly. “Okay. Remember that girl I was telling you about?”

“Yeah. The right girl but the wrong time one?”

“Yep. She’s flying in to Reno. I can’t fucking believe it! She called me this morning and asked if I’d want to drive over there and have a drink.”

It warms my heart to see how happy he is. “Aw, what a nice surprise. What’s her favorite color or flower? Do you know?”

“Well, I was kind of hoping for some daisies. You have a shit ton of them in your yard.”

I laugh, because it’s true. “They’re my favorite.”

He follows me outside, and I begin cutting some daisies and a few other flowers to make a bouquet for his date. “I think I have some brown paper in the house and some ribbon.”

“Fuck yeah. You’re a lifesaver.”

Jacob shuts off his loader and starts toward us. Brody waves at him. “How’s JD been doing?”

“Good. We’re still riding the wave of being newlyweds.”

I stop what I’m doing to ogle my husband. He slaps his gloves on his leg as he approaches.

“You out here harassing my old lady?” he teases his brother. He walks over and wraps his arm around my waist, kissing me on the cheek.

“He’s here for flowers,” I tell him, wagging my eyebrows. “He has a date.”

Brody’s face turns red. “Well, I don’t know if it’s a date. We’re just having drinks.”

“Sounds like a date to me. Do I know her?” Jacob asks him.

“Naw. She’s not from around here.”

Both of the men follow me inside so I can wrap my masterpiece.

“So, is Lexie excited that Ash is coming home next week?” Jacob asks. “I’ve been kind of disappointed she hasn’t stopped by to see us.”

“Me too,” I add.

“She says she doesn’t want to see him. Little brat’s been holed up in that big fucking house all by herself for weeks.”

Brody walks over to my new cookie jar and helps himself. It’s one of my recent thrifts. It’s a nineteen fifties Humpty Dumpty. It has a chip in it, but I don’t mind. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

Jacob shakes his head. “I’ll head over there tonight. Sounds like she needs a little tough love.”

“She needs something all right,” his friend agrees.

I arrange all the flowers and then wrap them up, tying them with a bright yellow ribbon.

“You know what this town could use? A flower shop,” Brody mumbles, changing the subject as crumbs fall into his beard.

Jacob leans over the table, running the ribbon through his fingers. “Maybe Brody is on to something here. This is real pretty. You’re a pro at it.”

“Fuck yeah, I’m on to something. There isn’t anywhere in town that sells these fucking things.”

I roll my eyes at him.

“He’s got a point. Maybe you could try selling a few at Junkyard Creations,” Jacob suggests.

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