Page 36 of Perfect Bragg

“Act surprised,” Brody orders before opening the door and shoving me inside the bar.

“Surprise!”

It sounds as if the entire town of Winter Falls is here. I search the place but I can’t find Harmony anywhere.

“She’s not here,” Miller says.

“Tomorrow’s the wedding,” Brody adds. “You can’t spend the night before your wedding with your bride.”

Riley wiggles his eyebrows. “No matter how much you want to.”

“Here.” Cassandra, the owner of the bar, shoves a tray of shots at us.

I hold up my hands and back away. “No way. I’m not drinking tonight. I can’t trust these bozos to not paint my face with clown makeup when I’m passed out.”

Brody rolls his eyes. “That happened once.”

“Or short sheet my bed.”

“I haven’t short sheeted a bed in years,” he claims.

“Or replace all my underwear with underwear a size smaller.”

He grins. “Good one. I’ll add it to my repartee.”

“Or handcuff me to a blow-up doll.”

He scowls. “I’ll have you know I spent good money on that doll.”

“Or put my foot in a cast and claim I broke it.”

“Oh, come on,” he huffs. “That one was hilarious. And you got out of classes early for the rest of the school year.”

“I also hobbled around on crutches for two weeks until Miller got annoyed and told me the truth.”

Brody shakes his head at Miller. “I thought I could trust you.”

Miller grunts.

“One shot of tequila won’t kill you,” Cassandra cajoles.

Brody rubs his hands together. “Tequila?”

“I am not on Brody duty the night before my wedding,” I say as I hand out shots. My youngest brother is a menace when he drinks tequila.

“You have to admit a bit of burglary would be a good ending to a bachelor party,” Brody says.

“I am not hauling your naked ass out of a bathroom window again,” Riley says.

And I’m not listening to this argument again. “Brody Bunch!” I shout as I lift my tequila in the air.

I expect the liquor to burn as it travels down my esophagus but it doesn’t. In fact, this shot tastes a lot like water.

“Is this water?” I ask and Cassandra bursts into laughter.

“Gotcha!” she shouts as she saunters away. “I know better than to give Brody Bragg tequila.”

“Project Baby was too easy,” Sage says as she enters with the other gossip gals – Feather, Petal, Cayenne, and Clove – trailing behind her.

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