Rhonda and I didn’t skimp when we picked out the industrial sewing machine for her birthday. With all the bells and whistles, it cost a little over ten grand. Ash spent about the same on a high-end DSLR camera and some lenses for Rhonda’s birthday. Apparently, she’s always wanted to try her hand at videography.
Riggs:Rhonda helped me pick it out.
Maddie:I love it. It’s super thoughtful, but I can’t accept this.
Riggs:What did you expect when your new best friend can afford nice things? And in case you’re serious, if you send it back, I’m going to buy your brothers brand-new Dodge Ram trucks. And for clarification, that’s two trucks, one for each of them. And if you don’t think I will, try me. I’m pretty sure your brothers won’t send them back.
Maddie:I would hate you until the day you died.
Riggs:Enjoy your new sewing machine :)
CHAPTER 20
Maddie
I’ve always hated gifts, and this is no different.
Last Christmas, Dad got Mom a new microwave from Walmart. The old one stopped working the week before. The thing is, Mom hardly used it when it was working. She preferred her stove and oven. But Dad and my brothers used the microwave all the time, so of course he got a new one. But why couldn’t he have just replaced it and gotten Mom something nice? When it comes to Dad and my brothers, giving gifts is usually self-serving like that. But that’s not why I hate them. I hate it when they’re given as charity, and that’s what Riggs has a habit of doing.
But honestly, he makes it really hard to be mad at him. The new tires were such a lifesaver.
At the same time, I love giving gifts. Mom’s birthday was three weeks ago, and even though Dad totally forgot, I didn’t. I had to wait until I got paid for a wedding dress to be able to afford the small shopping spree, but today I can finally giveher everything.
When I set the neatly wrapped boxes on the end of her bed I hear a commotion in the living room. At first, I’m stricken with panic. As soon as Riggs’s big box was delivered, I put it in my bedroom to hide it from my brothers. If they find out I have a billionaire best friend, they’ll try to find a way to get to know him real fast, and that would be a nightmare for me. Did Riggs send something else? Something my brothers just found? Heaven help me if that’s what’s happening.
Hastily, I leave Mom to check. As I come around the corner, I see Josh and Keegan with brand-new bowfishing rigs, and not the cheap kind. I’ve had enough redneck friends to know exactly what they are and how much they cost—about four hundred each.
I’m standing here, hands on my hips, shaking my head. “Did you get Mom anything?”
They look at me like I’m speaking Chinese.
“I didn’t think so. Somehow you can afford those, but you never have any money to help with the bills around here?”
Josh is two years older than Keegan, who is two years older than me. They hate being scolded by their baby sister, but they hate it even more when they know I’m right.
Keegan may be younger, but he’s the hothead and definitely the one in charge. Josh just goes along with whatever dumb idea his overbearing brother comes up with. And from the look on Keegan’s face, I can tell he’s brewing up an epic comeback. This should be priceless.
Keegan holds his bow up with, “You dumb bitch, we are helping. This will put food on the table.”
Always late to the party, Josh holds his bow up and nods with, “Yeah.”
“When was the last time you two mud flaps brought home any fish?”
I wait while they stand there staring at me with their mouths hung open like my question just overloaded their tiny brains. But what can they say? They’ve never brought home so much as a minnow, and they knowit.
I fold my arms across my chest. “That’s what I thought.”
Keegan gives me a heated glare, but I stand my ground, unimpressed. “C’mon, Josh,” he says. “Grab the beer. We don’t have to take this.”
I watch from the front doorway as they load their gear into the back of Keegan’s piece-of-trash truck. “Don’t worry about your breakfast dishes,” I call out. “I’ll take care of them. It’s the least I can do since you’ll be bringing dinner home tonight.”
Josh hops in the passenger side while Keegan pulls the driver’s side door open, then stops and turns to me with veins bulging in his neck and a face so red, it looks like he’s about to have a stroke. “You always ruin everything!”
And that’s it. He gets in, slams the door, and peels off leaving tire tracks in the driveway.
Whatever. “Just another day in paradise,” I mutter under my breath with a sigh.
When I return to Mom’s room, she looks worried. “What was that about?”
