Page 54 of Dahlia Made A List

“Wyatt, are you listening?”

I turned back to my brother. I’d definitely not been listening, no. I figured I tuned him out about fifteen years ago and not seen much reason to tune back in in all the years since.

“What, Waylon?” Dahlia skated right behind me, her hand coasting along my lower back as she passed. I watched her sweet ass as I waited for my brother to hit on whatever he wanted from me.

“God damn it, Wyatt.” Impatience added bite to my brother’s voice. “Come with me to see Minerva.”

I dragged my eyes from Dahlia to give my brother my full attention. “Just installed a new projector. Repaved the track you’re standing on. Got the sound set up. Refurbished the screen.” I rocked back on my heels, my gaze holding his. “‘Bout all I have left to do is the concessions and the entry booths. Figure I’ll have a handle on them come summer.”

“Holy hell, Wyatt, why in the world would you throw all that cash away on a dump like this?”

I stiffened. The Royal may have fallen into a little disrepair over the years, but I’d spent too much time with Granddad out here to ever call the place a dump. Too many hours watching movies, too many stories told over the open hood of the Firebird. “Thinkin’ it was my money to waste.”

Not that Waylon had any idea about the state of my finances. I’m not sure where he thought my income came from as he’d never questioned how I paid my bills. I’d never gone to him for money, never would. Maybe he never wondered. Maybe he did his best to ignore the existence of his broken little brother.

“Maybe you can work a deal with Minerva, get a little cash out of the deal for yourself.”

I barked out a laugh at that. I could buy The Royal a dozen times over and not feel the hit.

The sun dipped lower, long shadows crawling over the asphalt. On the other side of the paved track, all the way across the grassy parking area, Dahlia’d set up some cones and was practicing her figure eights. When she jumped the last, I didn’t fight the smile that pulled at my lips. I’d been watching her do these drills for weeks now. My girl’d set her mind to derby and nothing was holding her back.

I let out a loud whistle to get her attention. She looked up with a grin. I swirled my finger in a circle, time to wrap it up. I had plans for sundown. She nodded, her pony tail bobbing as she bent to snatch up her orange cones.

“Wyatt, J.T. wants a deal with the Erwin Group.”

“Think you care a lot more than me about what J.T. wants.”

“You’re not going to help with Minerva?”

“Nope.” I strolled over to the Silverado, digging out the box I’d prepared earlier and setting the laptop inside.

“She can’t afford to prop this place up indefinitely.”

“Maybe let Grams decide what she wants to do.”

“You are one selfish son of a bitch.”

A minute later, Waylon slammed the door of his dumb-ass G-Wagon and tore out of the drive-in like the place was on fire. The sight nearly brought a grin to my face.

“Well,” Dahlia said, “that was productive.”

I nodded toward the exit. “He’s gone.”

“But he still thinks he’s gonna sell The Royal.”

I shook my head and strode over to the truck. Grams wouldn’t sell the property to anyone my brother or uncle lined up. She might be playing games right now, but she kept her promises and she’d promised me the drive-in years ago.

“Lose the skates and grab the blankets from behind the driver’s side of the truck.”

With a sloppy salute, Dahlia skated over to the far side of the truck while I hauled out the cardboard box I’d loaded up this afternoon. A minute later, she caught up with me as I transferred the box to the back of the El Camino.

“I think you need to talk to Ms. Minerva and get that paperwork so everything’s all official, Wy. She knows you’re helping me with The List. Your brother doesn’t seem like the type to give up easily.”

She’d be right about Waylon sticking his nose where it didn’t belong. But my brother had never been able to match my tenacity, not when it mattered.

I nodded to the El Camino. “Back your ride into a parking space.”

She notched her hands on her waist, pushing her tits out and her chin up. “I am parked in a space.”

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