Page 28 of On The Rocks

“Both of you eat.”

“Yes, Mom,” we chorused.

“Get out of my kitchen. You don’t need to check on me.”

“Fine.” Instead of returning to the dining room, we took our bowls out back to the picnic tables.

The days were getting longer, and the crisp air felt good after all the last-minute organizing I’d been doing all day. I didn’t need to be flair Lennon tonight, but I was prepared to show off a bit if the crowd was flat.

I climbed over the bench at the far picnic table and tucked into my bowl.

Annette did the same, and we ate in companionable silence for a few minutes.

I looked out on the side of the old barn. The porch had been built out to the parking lot for people to enjoy. Since we’d started using food trucks, the front of the old barn was getting just as much action as the back patio.

It was crazy to me just how much we’d grown in a few short years.

They.

Notwe.

“So, you’re really gonna make me ask again?”

I stabbed at the broccoli and red peppers before trapping one with my chopstick. “I don’t do relationships, you know that.” I crunched through the perfectly cooked veggies.

“Who said anything about a relationship? Just bang that man like a drum. The way he looks at you, all he’d need is a high five, for God’s sake.” She chewed around her own rice, clearly consuming more protein than veg. We were very much the exact opposites when it came to food.

“Kain is his brother.”

“You’re not sleeping with Kain.”

“Bells would kill me, and my body never would be found.”

Annette snickered as she stabbed her fork into her bowl. “Accurate. But seriously, you should just have a fun fling. I’d do it.”

I arched a brow at her.

“Yeah, you’re not interested. Totally.” The sarcasm was as thick as the sauce in my bowl.

“No, more like since when would you have a fling?”

“Since I didn’t even get to the naked part with Matthew, and I’ve been off men ever since.” She tucked one of her dark curls around her ear. The rest were wrestled into a messy bun on top of her head.

“Gonna take Dawn for a spin?”

She almost spit out her mushrooms and rice with a laugh. “Maybe I should. Women can’t be as bad as men.” She sighed. “Too bad I enjoy dick so much.”

It was my turn to almost choke. “Annette!”

“What? I’m not as hot as all the women crawling around here?—”

“Stop right there.”

She pressed her lips together and color blazed under the freckles across her cheeks. “C’mon, I have mirrors.”

“You are gorgeous.”

“I’m on par with a puppy. Cute with a side of cuddly, but not the kind of woman a guy wants to get with. Best friends, though, right?” She framed her fingers under her chin and tipped her head, then rolled her eyes. “Hell, even Matt didn’t really want me. Just access to stuff he could steal.” She stared down at her bowl and stabbed at the contents without actually forking anything up.

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