Page 14 of Rough
My eyes glance again in the direction of the living room, so I finally ask, “Is Betsy still sleepin’ in there?”
“Of course not.” Renee chuckles at me. “That girl left a few hours ago. She waited until I was up to make her breakfast and got an early start. Never any rest for that one. You ready to eat, honey?”
I’m disappointed that she’s already gone, but I nod once and sit down. Renee pushes a plate piled with food in front of me, then Remy, and I dig in while he ignores his. Wilder and Trina come back into the room, assuring Renee they can make their own plates, before sitting down to eat with us. It doesn’t go unnoticed by Renee that Trina only serves herself a biscuit and one egg.
The five of us eat in silence, with the exception of Remy, before his mom finally breaks the silence.
“I need to go down to the funeral home and start making arrangements.” She dips her head to catch her son’s attention. “Remy, would you like to come with me?”
His body lurches forward, finally releasing the untouched mug of coffee. “Mom,” he croaks out, not finishing his plea.
Renee sighs in understanding and reaches over to grasp his hand. “It’s alright, baby. This part is easy. Your daddy already had everything set. I’ll go and just sign some papers. You stay here with your friends.” She looks at us, then hesitantly at Trina, before continuing. “I’ll take care of it. You all need anything while I’m in town?”
Remy shakes his head, silently. The rest of us give her a soft smile as she stands and scrubs her hands down her pant legs. Trina opens her mouth to respond, but I can tell the moment Wilder silences her. His hand is below the table, so I assume he’s squeezed her hand or thigh to keep her mouth shut.
“We’re good, momma. Thank you. Is there anything you need done ‘round here while you’re gone?” Wilder asks, ignoring the scowl from Trina.
Renee gives Wilder a pleased smile. “Nothing that isn’t already taken care of.” She moves over to Remy and presses a kiss to his head before looking at me. “Let me know if you change your mind on needin’ anything. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
We say our goodbyes and watch her leave. Once she’s gone, we meet each other’s eyes before Wilder asks, “What now?”
We’re all saved from having to answer when the door opens again. I perk up, hoping it’s Betsy coming back, but when a booming, “Boy!” rattles the walls, I deflate. “You here?” It’s obvious Wilder is happy when he jumps out of his seat to meet his uncle Murphy as he storms into the kitchen.
“Uncle Murph!” Wilder says, grinning as they give each other a pounding back slap hug. Murphy chuckles after they release each other, then makes his way to the coffeepot.
“How’s your momma doin’, Remy? Sorry about your dad. Good man your dad was.” From the corner of my eye, I can see the way my best friend flinches, but he won’t let Murphy know it bothered him.
Taking a large gulp of his coffee, he forces a smile. “Thanks. She seems to be doin’ alright. Just headed down to the funeral home to get shit settled. You takin’ a break right now?”
Murphy snorts, then turns around to lean against the counter. “Hell no. Just crawled out of bed.” That surprises me. He’s been Donny’s right hand for as long as I can remember. It’s not like him to push off farming, especially when there’s shit that has to be done every day.
Trina finally catches his notice, and he stands up taller, pushing himself from the edge of the counter. “Well, who do we have here? Mornin’ little lady, I’m Uncle Murphy.”Fuck, that was fuckin’ creepy.Grinning, he steps toward her with his hand outstretched. “Didn’t realize we had company.”
With a giggle, she shakes his hand and gives him a real smile, unlike the fake one given to Renee earlier. “Trina Colby. I work with the guys.”
“Oh yeah?” he asks, not releasing her hand while looking around at us. “What kinda work you doin’ with theguys?”
Clearing my throat, I draw his attention to me. I choose not to respond to his innuendo laced question. “You need some help? We got nothin’ to do for a bit.”
If his statement about just waking up surprised me, the snarl that he lets loose downright shocks me. Releasing her hand, he moves back against the counter. “Fuck no.She’sgot it handled. I ain’t workin’ forthat… little girl,” he bites out girl like he’s cursing. “There’s nothin’ for you boys to do, neither.”
“What do ya mean? Who you talkin’ about?” Wilder asks, also surprised by the way Murphy got pissed so quickly.
Staring at us like we’re idiots, his brows slowly crawl up his forehead, huge wrinkles form on his forehead as he realizes we’re completely clueless. Then he huffs out a loud laugh, bending over to slap his hand on his thigh. “You gotta be kiddin’ me, right? You don’t know, do ya?”
“The fuck are you talkin’ about?” Remy bites out. Today isn’t the day to mess with him. It’s obvious he’s on edge.
Murphy jabs a finger at him, snarling, “You ain’t got a farm no more, boy.”
You could hear a pin drop with how silent the room is right now. Not even a breath being exhaled. Remy’s face is pale as he stares unblinkingly at Murphy, both Wilder and I watching him, ready for an explosion. I don’t know how long we all stand here, but when Trina’s soft, “I’m going to give you some privacy,” whispers into the room, Remy shoves his chair back and stands.
Nobody says anything while she leaves, but Wilder makes his way closer to our friend, whose chest is heaving as he processes Murphy’s words.
“That’s ridiculous,” he hisses out. “That doesn’t even make sense. What are youtalkin’about?” Remy’s voice grows louder by the end, and I’m shocked when I catch Murphy’s smile spread, like he’s finding an obscene amount of joy in delivering this blow. It’s definitely not a kind one.
“What I’m talkin’ about,” he clips out, “is that your daddy signed the farm over to Betsy Harper.Yesterday. For a real cheap price, too.”
“You’ve gotta be wrong, Uncle Murph. That farm’s been in the family for decades. Why would…” Wild trails off, just as confused as I am. I agree. There’s no way he’d sell.No. Fucking. Way.That man lived and breathed this farm.
