Page 57 of Ridin' Solo
I threw the phone down on the bed and shoved my hands against my swollen eyelids. One thing was certain: I was tired of crying over him. He didn’t deserve my tears, time, or attention. Making decisions the morning after being shot at wasn’t the best time, but I knew what I’d say when I got ahold of the sheriff this morning. I’d ask to come in to work the desk and I’d ask for a new partner. If I had to disclose our fraternizing and risk punishment for it, then so be it.
I refused to work with Wyatt any longer.
Loud whispering, a muffled bang, and a snort echoed down the hallway, signaling the cavalry had arrived. My sisters were here. Esme nearly fell into the bedroom, the door hitting the wall with such force it bounced back, nearly clipping Izzy in the face.
“Careful,” Izzy warned, shooting Esme a dirty look.
Vee pushed past the two girls shooting each other looks that only twins could understand and jumped on the bed, officially waking up Mom and almost landing on my injured leg. “Mom made us promise not to come last night. Said you’d be too tired. But we’re here now, sister dear.”
“Oh joy,” I deadpanned.
“Hey!” Esme planted her hands on her hips, her tweed trousers and kitten heels looking ever so fashionable against my bedhead and pajamas. “Don’t bite the gift horse in the mouth, lady. We’re here to help out around the place and make sure our wrath is felt by he-who-shall-not-be-named.”
“Girls, why don’t you start by making us some coffee and then we can get into the other stuff?” Mom sat up against the headboard, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
Vee stuck her bottom lip out, but hopped out of bed just the same. “Fine. Coffee for us all, but then we want the full scoop. Dad was not a fountain of information, to say the least. Something about Wyatt not being Wyatt and ditches out back.” Vee threw her hands in the air. “Sometimes Dad makes zero sense.”
Esme stayed in the room to help pick out an outfit for me, though I had to talk her out of the sundress that seemed way too happy and carefree to fit my current mood. I had an old pair of bootcut jeans that would probably fit over the new boot on my foot. A ratty old sweatshirt would do just fine as well. She huffed and rolled her eyes more times than a tween, but she got me dressed just in time for Izzy and Vee to come back with steaming hot mugs of coffee.
Mom put her hand on my arm. “Only share if you feel comfortable, dear. I can get these hyenas to leave if you’d like.”
“Oh my God. Seriously?” Vee took the pout up a level.
Esme snorted her displeasure and Izzy just looked like Mom had kicked a puppy right in front of her. As annoying as younger sisters could be, I needed some womanly advice, and they were perfect. Well, close enough.
“Wait for me!” Amelia huffed into the room, looking frazzled. “I thought the morning sickness was over, but the full barf bag I left in the car says it’s not.” She plopped down on the bed and I barely got my injured leg out of the way fast enough to avoid a second visit to the emergency room.
“Ew!” Vee turned away from Amelia like morning sickness could be catchy.
“Be quiet, you guys. Oakley got her heart broken,” Izzy stated quietly, looking at me with such firm commiseration, I knew talking to my sisters was the very thing I needed to heal.
And so I did. I told them everything. Every little detail between us. All the sweet things, all the moments of confusion and doubt. And then I ended with telling them who he really was and how I’d found out from a stranger.
“Dolby?” Vee shouted, knocking over her empty coffee mug as she leapt to her feet. “They’re fucking—oh, sorry, Mom—farking rich!”
Esme swung to her. “Who cares? He’s a jackass who lied to her the whole time they were dating. All the money in the world isn’t worth that.”
Vee frowned. “Well, yeah. Of course. But it’s still kinda cool you dated a Dolby.”
“I worry about this next generation,” Mom said absently, sipping her coffee and staring at the wall.
“Well, I don’t care how much money he has. If he broke your heart, then he’s enemy number one to me.” Izzy stood and clapped her hands. “And this makes me doubly glad I brought my stash with me.”
“What stash?” I asked, feeling better just having told my family everything.
She hooked a finger over her shoulder. “In the kitchen I have three bottles of wine, four ice cream flavors, a box of tissues—the real expensive kind with lotion embedded in it which I never truly understood—and Sleepless in Seattle.”
My heart still felt split in two, but it was pumping again with the support of my sisters. “Thank you. This means the world to me.”
Amelia stood abruptly and left the room without saying a word.
“She okay?” I asked, frowning.
Vee shrugged. “Probably has to pee. She does that, like, every fifteen minutes. I’m warning you…never drive somewhere with her.” Her eyes went wide and Esme snickered.
Izzy and Mom went to the kitchen to make waffles while Esme cued up the movie.
“I can’t believe you still have a DVD player.” Esme shook her head in disgust.
