Page 132 of GAF Factor

“Oh, I met him. He’s nice. Well, it’s nice to meet you, too. Do you work here, also?”

“Nope. I just come here sometimes and help out with the IT stuff.”

He turned and started walking away without a word. Curious, I ran after him and fell in line with him. “So, do you live on the property, too?”

“No, I have a place on Red’s property. Zoe’s having another baby.”

“Awe, that’s sweet. Babies are great.”

“They cry a lot,” he said matter-of-factly.

I smiled at his blunt response. “They do.”

He continued walking, not saying a word.

“So, do you want to give me the five-cent tour?”

He stopped walking and cocked his head at me. “I don’t charge people for tours. And if I did, it wouldn’t be five cents. I’m worth more than that. However, if you would like a tour, you’ll have to ask one of the other people. Rae is expecting me.”

I opened my mouth to explain, but realized it wasn’t worth it.

“Hey! Cotton!” Dash ran toward us, waving eagerly at Cotton. They must be best friends or something. “Hey! I got your note.”

“And?”

“I think it’s doable. I mean, I might have to talk to Laura about getting a boat, but it would be worth it.”

Cotton shrugged. “We’ll see. The scooter is getting boring.”

“Hey, I told you, we can look into getting you some new wheels. I saw a car for sale in town.”

“Red wouldn’t like that.”

I watched the way Cotton brushed off Dash’s excitement and almost ignored him and the way Dash was so eager to gain his attention. It was strange.

“Hey, who’s your guy? I can talk to him. You know me. I got this.”

Dash slapped him on the shoulder and took off in excitement. I turned to Cotton and stared at him accusingly.

“What?”

“I saw the way you manipulated him.”

“I did.”

My jaw dropped in surprise. “You’re not going to even deny it?”

“Why would I do that?” he asked, walking past me.

“Because it’s wrong!”

“I’ve been doing it for years.”

“Why? Dash is a nice guy.”

“Because it’s fun.”

I rushed ahead of him and got in his way, stopping him from going any further. “Why would you do that? Can’t you see he wants to be your friend?”

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