Page 162 of Love in Riverbend
“You did it. The only home run of the night.”
“Come with me to Decoy Ducks.”
We both turn as Justin’s name is being called by a few of his teammates. I can’t help noticing Ricky. He’s watching us and his expression is unreadable. I push up and kiss Justin’s cheek. “I have a meeting early tomorrow morning at the school with the science department to discuss curriculum. Have fun with your friends.”
“I’d rather have fun with you,” he says, flashing his sexy smirk.
I tilt my head toward my brother. “I want you to myself. I also won’t take you from the guys who have been your comfortable rut. We need to work on balance.”
Justin nods. “Tomorrow night. Dinner.”
“How fancy?”
“I’ll wear a clean shirt.”
“Oh, lucky me.”
He gives me one more kiss and our hands slowly release one another.
“Six o’clock,” he says.
“I’ll be ready.”
Chapter 23
Justin
Cory sets a pitcher of beer on our table near the pool tables at Decoy Ducks. “Great game,” he announces. His eyes land on me seated beside Ricky. “Hell of a lot better than I anticipated.”
It’s Ricky who speaks up. “You’re all whispering like old ladies at a church social.”
The entire table around me laughs. I know my teammates have been whispering about Devan and me.
Ricky refills glasses around the table, draining the new pitcher. With his glass in his hand, he stands. “The rumors are true.”
My heart is slamming against my breastbone.
“My little sister Devan has decided to give this asshole a chance.” He shrugs. “You are all my witnesses.” Ricky looks at me. “If Justin doesn’t treat Devan right, I’m going to need help hiding his body.”
Glasses raise, clinking together as the discussion goes from the best way to transport a body to the best locations for hiding a body. The entire conversation would be entertaining if I wasn’t the body they were trying to dispose of and if their ideas weren’t so well thought-out.
The thing about living in rural America not far from major thoroughfares is that more than once, the land around Riverbend has been the location of said bodies. No one wants to find a partially eaten, decomposing corpse in the spring after the thaw. It’s not a pretty sight.
That may be the reason my friends have such wide-ranging opinions.
“Plastic is a must,” Galvin says. “Dexter was onto something.”
“State park, deep in the woods.”
“No, weigh him down in one of the quarries.”
“I heard if you plant chili peppers, the cadaver dogs can’t smell the body.”
Ricky perks up. “We grow some great peppers.”
“My grandma,” Nick says, “mentioned endangered species. No one would cut down a whitebark pine to look for a body buried beneath.”
“Is that why she had the Christmas tree farm?” Mick asks.
