Page 51 of Fast and Dirty

“But you turned your shit around, and now you run a successful business. Plus you’ve been keeping my shitstain of a brother busy,” Hunt presses on. “You keep all the riff-raff in check,” he jokes in an old man voice.

“Can we get back to the game?”I chuck a small handful of popcorn at his face, making him chuckle. “Maybe get through this hand, at least?”

They both seem to concede as they pick their cards back up.

“But seriously, the old coot is retiring,” Jace informs us. “If he doesn’t die first. Seriously, one of these days he’s not going to wake up from one of those afternoon naps.”

“And who is going to take his place?” I ask pointedly as I rearrange my cards, making sure they realize that won’t be me.

Jace shakes his head. “No one wants to run.”

“So there will be no mayor?”

“Won’t be any different than the last five years, really,” Hunt shrugs absently, studying his cards and Ned retrieves a cigar from his inside jacket pocket. Jace glares at him as he strikes a match and starts puffing his stogie to life.

“What?” The old man look defensively at him, and Jace’s eyes dart to the ceiling, just in time for the sprinklers to deploy.

“Fuck,” he mutters, pushing out of his chair.

19

KIRA

“So you’re telling me,” Maggie garbles around a mouthful of buttermilk biscuit, “that you didn’t wait for the butter to soften all the way before you mixed it in?”

I cringe. “I didn’t…. I was kind of antsy and impatient, not to mention trying to keep moving so I wouldn’t fall asleep. But that was the only thing I defied you on, I swear. I didn’t think it would make that much of difference.”

“Mmmm..mo,” she shakes her head still moaning with her mouth full. “The temperatutre and consistency of the butter can make all the difference. But in this case, for the better,” she points a knowing finger at me as Toby agrees.

“It’s like a warm and fluffy orgasm in my mouth.”

“Don’t ever say that again,” I admonish him and even Agnes gives him a sideways glare, grimacing.

“You know what these would go amazing with?” Hattie pipes up from across the kitchen island where we’re all standing around. “Maxine’s Salted Caramel Maple Syrup.”

Eyes light up all around the kitchen. “Oh my god, yes!” Toby agrees and I moan at the idea myself. Maxine’s Mercantile has an amazing collection of syrups, honeys, jams, and spices as well aslots of handmade crafts.

“Do you have any, gramma?” Hattie asks, eyebrows raised in hope.

“Dammit, no,” she plants a hand on her hip. “Kira, go get some,” she orders.

“I’d love to, but you know she’s closed. Besides, I don’t want to miss the next movie.”

“Invite Maxine over then,” Toby suggests.

“Yeah, tell her the cover charge for movie night is a bottle of her syrup,” I nod with a smirk.

“And have Jeanine bring over a bottle of rosé from her vineyard,” Hattie adds.

“Yeah, have a festival right here in Agnes’s house,” I joke.

“We never have those, there’s no point.” Agnes scoops up another biscuit and her whiskey flask and sashays back to the livingroom. “Putting on Deadpool in two minutes!” She hollers over her shoulder.

“Why don’t you guys have festivals?” I ask Hattie as we slowly stroll towards the living room. “Don’t little towns do that?”

“Yeah, I’ve always wanted to go to one like in Hope Floats or Sweet Home Alabama,” Toby sighs dreamily.

“What kind of Hallmark town do you think Coyote Creek is?” She raises an eyebrow.

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