Page 77 of The B!tch List

“Minnesota,” Hunter said, with a tightness to his voice. “You still haven’t left to finish your travels?”

“Nope.” He didn’t even look up, the arrogant bastard.

“Have you ordered?” Carter asked, sitting next to me. “I don’t know what to have.”

Hunter snorted. “We all know exactly what you’ll have.”

“I think that I might go healthy.”

Hunter and I raised our eyebrows knowing that would never happen. When Delphine appeared at the table with her pad and pencil ready, my brother-in-law proved us right by ordering what he always had.

“All-day breakfast please, Delphine.”

“Okay.” She grinned undoubtedly thinking the same as us. “Minnesota?”

“Burger and coffee please Delphine.” He didn’t sound particularly happy, and I wondered if he’d had a fight with Nancy.

Damn it, I hoped he’d had a fight with Nancy.

“What’s with your face?” I asked.

“Nothing.” He shook his head. “What makes you say that?”

“You look like you lost fifty dollars and found a cent.” I had to poke that bear. “You on the outs with Nancy or something?”

Carter’s head shot up from looking at his phone and he made a strange sound in the back of his throat. By the look on his face my little shit of a brother had told my gossipy sister about Nance and me. She’d told Carter, who was now wondering where this conversation was going.

Minnesota folded his arms over his chest and studied me. “Well, you’d like that wouldn’t you.”

“I would?”

“We all know you’ve got a permanent hard on for her, Shaw. You’ve had it since high school and still do.”

“You’re a dick,” I growled.

“You’re not denying it then?” He snickered and then picked up the sugar dispenser, drawing a circle on the red and white check tablecloth.

Carter took it off him and slammed it down on the table. “Don’t. Delphine doesn’t want to have to clean up your shit.”

Minnesota sighed and held his hands up in surrender. “You guys all get married and turn into boring old men. Even Alaska.”

“We can’t all go roaming around the world,” Hunter replied. “Some of us don’t even want to.”

Minnesota looked at me and grinned. “Nancy did though, yet you think you’re what she needs. Isn’t that right, Shaw?”

What the fuck was with him? Why was he talking shit like that? No, we’d never been big buddies, but we’d never been openly hostile to each other before. Okay, maybe I’d started it, but he deserved it after what he’d done to Nancy.

“What the hell is your problem?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No problem. I have nothing but good memories of my time with Nancy, if you know what I mean.” He winked and smirked and I wanted to punch him in the fucking face until he at least spat a tooth out.

“You disrespectful, dick,” I hissed quietly as a woman walked past with her two small kids. “Don’t you dare talk about her like that.”

“Why’s that Shaw because you’ve got similar memories? Wanna trade experiences?”

That was it. I stood up, toppling my chair to the floor and leaned over the table pointing in his face.

“Shut your fucking mouth.” I looked over to the woman, who I didn’t recognize. “Sorry ma’am but he’s been discourteous about a lady that we know.”

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