Page 17 of River Ride

Dry Run Roadhouse. Coyote Creek. Montana.

After dinner we stopped into the roadhouse to drink a pitcher and Dad and Billy were sitting at the bar talking to Jack while me and Virge sat in our booth yakking about the girls coming.

“You decided yet what you’re going to tell Penny about Lucy?” Virge asked me.

“Nope, but I’ve been thinking on it.”

My phone signaled a text right then and that set Virge into laughing at me.

“What’s Lucy saying?”

“Can’t wait to get you alone in the barn, Harlan. Do you have a girlfriend?”

“She’s asking me if I have a girlfriend.”

Virge chuckled. “What are you gonna tell her?”

Another text came in and it was from Penny.

“Is that Lucy again?” asked Virge.

“Nope. It’s Penny.”

“You asshole.” Virge snorted. “What a fuckin mess you’re in.”

“Shut up.” I took a minute to read what Penny was saying before I answered Lucy.

“Are we going out this weekend?”

“Probably not. We’re having family from Texas staying with us and I’ll have to do family stuff.”

“Too bad.”

Virge was staring at me waiting to bust out laughing again when he got a text.

“Who’s that?”

“Vicki.”

“Hope she’s text-dumping you, bro. That’ll make you stop laughing at me.”

“Hope she is. I don’t like her that much.”

“Come and see me at the laundromat tomorrow.”

“Okay. I’ll run across the street when I’m not busy.”

“We can lock the office door.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Did she dump you?” I asked my brother.

“Yep. It’s for the best.”

“Aw, fuck. I liked seeing you squirm a lot.”

“You’re the only one squirming in this family.”

---