Page 24 of Tempt

“Oh Kyra, you shouldn’t have,” Casey tries to take my flower and I pull it back.

“It's mine,” her brow arches. “Garrett left it on my windshield on his way to work."

I don’t offer them more, instead I continue to the backroom and hang up my things. Grabbing my apron I tie it around me and just before I walk out to get to work I text Garrett a thank you.

I can already tell today is going to be a good one.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Garrett

Kyra:Thank you for the flower, it's the first one anyone has ever given me.

I stare at the message a lot longer than I should.

What is she talking about?

“It's better you know now than when you can’t turn back.” Glancing away from my phone I see both Mike and Rhett standing a few feet away staring at me.

“Huh?”

“Though she’s a lot more forward than I gave her credit for if she’s already sending you nudes.” Rhett says and Mike nods in agreement.

“Though by the confused look on his face I’m wondering if he even knows what he’s looking at. I could have sworn he knocked that off the list when he was seventeen with Rachel Rhoades down by the lake, but I guess I was wrong.”

The two dumb asses carry on like I’m not even there.

“I remember seeing him smiling and all bright and cheery the next morning.” Rhett adds.

“That was until Colt told him that he’d also lost his virginity to Rachel at a party three days before that.” Mike chuckles. “And then Terrance,” he continues, and I interrupt him.

“Okay you two idiots,” they both stop. “I’m not a virgin, Rachel slept with half the town of Brooklet and was already moving on to those in Statesboro before she graduated high school. I wasn’t shocked about Colt, because Colt is or was the male version of her. The chances of finding one girl he hadn’t boned was limited. And,” I hold up my phone and they both look at the screen. “It's not a nude, it's a, thank you for the flower message.”

“What flower?” Mike asks.

“Exactly,” I agree, feeling my stomach tense.

Hitting the call button next to her phone I lift it to my ear and wait for her to answer. When it goes to voicemail the tension in me only grows.

“Are we done here?” I ask, seeing the concern in my brother's eyes, though I ignore it.

“We’ve got to clean up,” Rhett replies,” but we got it.”

“Why don’t you give me a minute and I’ll ride along with you?”

“I’m just gonna go over to Sugarland. She’s probably just busy baking something.” Turning around I start for my truck and just as I am about to reach the door I stop and glance out toward the road. There parked along the side is an old beat-up Ford I recognize. Leading up against the side, with his arms crossed over his chest is Phil. Technically he isn’t doing anything illegal, it's a public road. But I know he’s taunting me, and I also know he’s fucking with Kyra too.

When I hear the scuffle of Mike and Rhett’s feet against the gravel driveway of the house we’ve been drywalling I don't look away from him. My hands shake and anger builds within me.

“Miles better do something with this prick, or I’m going help him out and do it myself.” Mike says at my side.

“With elections coming up you’d think Miles wouldn’t want any scandals. Seems to me he’s gonna go down with the Louder’s.”

Phil lifts his hand like he’s gonna wave before turning it around and flipping us off. He wants us to react, he’s baiting us, but we don’t give him the satisfaction.

It does take everything I have not to climb up in my truck and follow after him. I’d embarrassed him, Phil is the kind of guy that likes to win. When he doesn’t it hits his pride, and he gets dirty.

I took away his power.

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