Page 8 of Hot Four Teacher
"I'm serious, Ronnie,” I tell her. “I want to go out, drink, and have fun.”
Liz adds, “Our dear sister wants to make sure she’s still got it going on.”
My face scrunches up. “Maybe youarethe old one. Anyway, we thought maybe you’d like to have girls’ night with us.”
Ronnie drops her fork so hard that the fried rice on it goes flying everywhere. “Yes! I’ve been waiting so long to hear you say that!”
Liz asks, “Should we invite Leah?”
Ronnie snaps her fingers. “Yes!”
Leah is dating our only brother, Dylan. She may not have been a Lawson, but ever since she got pregnant with our niece, she’s fit in with us perfectly.
I ask, “Anyone heard from Jo?”
Liz answers, “Our baby sister is still living it up in Vegas.”
Ronnie jumps back in. “Okay, so just the four of us. One of you call Leah. Michelle, I’ll be over in ten minutes.”
“Why?” I ask.
“To help you get ready. I’m going to make sure you look hot.”
“Are you saying I can’t get hot on my own?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I’ll see you in ten.”
She hangs up, and Liz asks, “Regretting this yet?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Chapter four
Old Friends
Dane
“Where the hell did you bring me?” My friend, Tim, asks me from across the table.
He looks around at the country and western themed bar. It’s the epitome of over-the-top. Country music blares through the speakers. Deer heads hang on every wall. And there’s even a mechanical bull in the corner.
I tell him, “This is my favorite bar in town. I wanted to bring you here because I thought you’d love it.”
His face falls as he prepares to back track. “Oh, shit, man–”
I can’t hold my laughter in any longer. “I’m just giving you shit. Since I just moved to town, I Googled bars in the area. This is the first one that came up.”
He takes a swig of his beer.
“Seriously, though, you live in Texas now. Shouldn’t you be used to country bars?” I joke.
“Hey, you can take the boy out of the Northwest, but you can’t take the Northwest out of the boy. I still won’t willingly listen to country music.”
“I still can’t believe Jane convinced you to move down South.”
“She got a job opportunity that was way too good to pass up. And I figure she dealt with me in the service for so long that I can bite this bullet for her.”
Tim and I were in the Marines together. We’ve seen some of the worst shit you can imagine, and if I were to ever consider anyone a best friend, it would be him. And that’s saying a lot since we live across the country from each other.
