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I saw a light flicker on in Ace’s bedroom and knew that the slamming of the doors had woken him.
Starting the truck up, I was halfway down the driveway before I answered.
“I’m going to stay,” I said. “But me helping you fix stuff isn’t enough. You’re gonna have to let me pay rent.”
She snorted. “I don’t even pay rent.”
I didn’t have anything to say to that.
“Just stay. Help me fix the place up. Kill the spiders and I’m happy,” she informed me.
“Kill the spiders?” I asked curiously.
“Yep,” she confirmed. “I don’t like spiders. If you’re there, and I see one, it’s your job to take care of it. Okay?”
Grinning like a loon, I drove until we were parked in front of Catfish Charlie’s and shut the truck off.
“This place is the bomb,” she told me again as she bailed out of the truck. “Hurry up.”
I didn’t hurry, but I didn’t take my time, either.
“Nice place,” I said. “I didn’t know they remodeled.”
She looked at me over her shoulder with confusion.
I gestured to the new porch.
“The outdoor seating is new,” I said. “It’s been a very long while since I’ve come here.”
“It has,” an amused male voice said from inside.
I turned to see my sister’s husband, Nico, standing at the counter paying.
I grinned at him and offered him my hand, then introduced Waylynn.
“Waylynn, this is my brother-in-law, Nico. Nico, this is Waylynn,” I said.
Nico stuck out his hand and Waylynn took it, shaking it with a fierceness that surprised me.
“Nice to meet you, Nico,” Waylynn said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
She had?
Nico’s eyes flicked to me. “This one hasn’t been telling stories, has he?”
Waylynn grinned. “No. His best friend, Gibson, has. All of them having to do with you setting Darby’s ass straight.”
Nico grinned.
I rolled my eyes.
“GQ talks too much,” I muttered darkly.
Waylynn’s eyes twinkled. “You’re just mad that he told me, and he was right.”
“Whatever,” I muttered. “You here with Georgia?”
Nico pointed to the corner, and I saw Georgia gabbing with the waitress.
“Have y’all already eaten?” I asked.
Nico shook his head. “No. I was ordering food for Bourne and Booth. My sister has the kids.”
Waylynn gestured to where Georgia was sitting. “You mind if we join you?”
I grinned down at her, happy that she was willing to spend time with my family.
In fact, there were a lot of things that I was beginning to like about her.
One of those being her sweet ass pressed up against me.
“We order here?” I asked.
The lady behind the counter nodded.
Nico lifted his chin and walked back to the table.
Georgia’s eyes perked up when she saw me, then she immediately got up and moved to a bigger table that would fit the four of us easier.
After ordering, I placed my hand on Waylynn’s back and urged her forward.
She didn’t shrug off the touch, and I didn’t move it away even though my sister’s gaze was pinned on our contact.
Georgia grinned and hopped up, throwing her arms around my neck and hugging me hard.
“I’ve missed you, baby bro,” she said. “Who’s this?”
I introduced her to Waylynn, and we all took our seats.
“So Ace called me yesterday,” Georgia said, her eyes on mine as if she was waiting for me to explain.
I knew what she wanted, but I wasn’t going to give it to her.
Not unless she flat out asked.
Which she did in the next second.
“Did you really move out?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Yeah.”
“But… why?” she asked. “Ace said that you got pissy about something and decided to leave.”
I growled under my breath.
“Ace tell you I found a job?” I asked.
Her eyes widened. “You did?”
I nodded again. “They were mad that I decided to actually utilize my degree instead of helping them on the ranch. I’ll be teaching classes at the college and working at the forestry service. They’re mad because I won’t be there to be their bitch boy anymore.”
“I… that’s not how he put it,” Georgia finally settled on.
“And I didn’t say that I wouldn’t be helping anymore. I said that I’d still do my chores—like I did today—but that they wouldn’t have me fully at their service twenty-four-seven like they used to.”
It was Nico speaking up that surprised me.
“Good for you,” he said. “And shame on your brothers for trying to diminish your accomplishments.”
I blinked.
Hearing that from a man that I looked up to for quite some time now made me feel things I wasn’t sure that I wanted to feel.
“You’re smart, Darby,” Georgia said. “Don’t let them make you feel bad for choosing yourself.”
My sister’s words made my ire not quite so overpowering.
“And Ace will come around,” she continued. “He’s just used to having to take care of you, and now you’re all grown up on him and he doesn’t know what to do.”
I didn’t know if that was the case or not, but her words did make sense.
