Page 26 of Stay for Forever

I spit out the drink. “What?”

He pats me on the back. “I told you not to worry.”

“You also mentioned people drugging me.”

He shrugs. “Not drugging as in killing you. More like drugging you so you can have a good time.”

I hold up my hand. “Say no more. I don’t want to know.”

“Mrs. West put you to work, did she?”

“I came here to talk to her about how to figure out a way to win over her daughter and she gave me this lining thing and left me here.”

“You best get to work. Ruby is a hard ass.”

I motion to the bleachers. “What’s going on with them?”

“They’re here to watch the show. What else would they be doing?”

“What show?”

“Dude, you took off your shirt. You are the show.”

I puff up my chest. I work hard to keep my body toned. I don’t mind showing it off, although it does feel a bit creepy how everyone’s watching me work while – I squint at them – eating snacks and drinking beer.

“Are they drinking beer at a high school?”

Rowan growls. “Ashlyn better not be drinking.”

He tries to march off, but I step in front of him. He may be nearly a foot taller than me and have a good fifty pounds on me, but I am not letting him dictate to his wife.

“And you better not be dictating what your wife can and cannot drink.”

He claps me on the shoulder. “We’re trying to get pregnant.”

“Ah.” I step out of his way.

“And we’re having a ball.”

“Nope. I don’t want to hear about Juniper’s baby sister’s sex life.”

“She’s not my sister.” He smirks before sauntering off.

Ashlyn screeches before sprinting away and he gives chase. I chuckle before picking up the lining machine and getting back to work. When I reach the corner and turn around, I notice the crowd has grown. I scan the people but there’s no Juniper.

Damn. I know Juniper still wants me – she can’t hide the way her eyes flare or her cheeks darken whenever her gaze lands on my chest – and I’m not above using her physical attraction to me to reel her in. This unexpected job is the perfect opportunity to show off for her, but she’s apparently avoiding me. Good thing she can’t avoid me forever.

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