Page 60 of Clinch'd

Pulled from my thoughts, I say, “Of course, sweetheart. I’m always listening.”

It doesn’t help matters that Taylor showed up at the hotel insisting we go to dinner. I’m not in the headspace to talk and she’s always been good at sussing out my moods.

I don’t relish the thought of telling her that I failed when I should have been protecting our sister.

Where are you, Monroe? How hard can it be to find one slip of a girl? Apparently, it’s beyond my fucking capabilities.

We’ve held off telling Mom and Taylor but eventually they’re going to have to know. It’s a small miracle neither of them hasn’t asked already.

Case in point, she cocks her head and says, “Who is she?”

“Who?” I ask but I’m not fooling her, and she smiles.

“You have the same look on your face as you did when you thought you were in love with Sissy Jenkins.”

Chuckling, I shake my head. “Fuck. I haven’t thought about her in years.”

“Yeah well, that was high school. Now, tell me…”

She raises an expectant brow and I sigh. “Her name is Minnie.”

I don’t particularly want to talk about Minnie either considering I’m not sure what’s going on between her and Beast. The game was fun for a while but the more I get to know Minnie the more I wonder if Beast isn’t playing her just like he did my sister.

Despite her sassy way of sticking up for what she believes is right, there’s a vulnerability that belies her being some sort of a double agent for Beast.

None of it makes sense beyond my surprising need to be around the luscious spitfire.

Beast knows that I know he doesn’t have a cousin. Does Minnie?

“Do tell,” Taylor says leaning in with a gleam in her eyes.

Raising my palms, I say, “I just met her. There’s nothing to say.”

“Oh no. No way. This is the first time my big brother has ever mentioned a woman. I want all the details.”

Shifting in my chair, I consider what I can say. “Well, she’s gorgeous.”

“Of course,” Taylor says, waving her hand.

“She lost her mom,” I say quietly and Taylor’s mouth curves into a sad frown.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Maybe this is why I feel such a strong connection. We both know loss. It’s something you can’t explain to anyone who hasn’t been faced with it.

Especially when it’s not the gentle, dying of old age type. Nope. Our respective parents died before their time and this changes how we moved forward, irrevocably.

Does Minnie walk through life with something missing? I know I do and that piece of me continues to try and fill the void with stupid ass shit.

“I can't wait to meet her,” she says.

Me too, I think, but don’t say before changing the subject.

Chapter 23

Minnie

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