“Don’t question me. You work for me, not the other way around.”
“Then, I’ll ask. What the fuck are you doing?” This comes from Preacher, who never offers an opinion about my personal life.
“You can come to the wedding or not.” Hazel gives me the stink eye while she hands me a T-shirt with the diner’s logo on it. I toss my Henley in the trash and put on the cheap alternative. “You two need to remember who the fuck runs shit around here, and it’s not you.”
Hazel snorts. “You don’t run shit up in here, Daxton. This is Hazel Haven, and I’m the head bitch in charge. Remember that. And your sorry ass got exactly what you deserve.” She gives me one more disgusted look before walking out.
“The fuck do you think you’re doing, going after my wife’s best friend out of all the women in—”
“Says the man who went after the sheriff’s daughter after he blackmailed him. I supported you.” I point at King’s face.
“She chose to be with me. It’s not the same.”
I snort at that. He’s tight-lipped about how they got together.
“How did you get her, though?” I challenge. “I guarantee it wasn’t because you asked her to dinner and a movie. What did you do to get Eden Rose, King? Everyone in this town is scared to death of you. You don’t think she heard the rumors about you?”
“I didn’t bribe her.”
“Only because it didn’t come to that. You’re not above it, and you know it. Neither am I. I want Cori Lamb, and I figured out a way to get her. Everyone, including my soon-to-be wife, will have to get the fuck over it and capitulate.”
“I don’t think women are that easy.” Preacher shakes his head in disbelief. “You just got your ass kicked by two of them.” He looks me up and down. “You got fucked up. And you have a scratch on your face. Listen, I’m a nice guy, so I would never—"
“Who the fuck told you that you’re nice?” Preacher spouts that bullshit so much, I think he believes it.
“Iamnice.” He looks at me almost as if he’s offended by my question.
“Why?” King asks me.
“Because I can.”
He looks at me for so long before his eyes narrow. “This is why you wanted to hire her brother, isn’t it?” The man is a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one. Right now, I resent him for that. “You set him up to steal and got her snake of her father to force her hand.”
I don’t answer.
“The fuck? How the hell am I still single when you do all this diabolical shit? Nice guys really do finish last.” Preacher shakes his head in disbelief.
“There you go with that nice shit again.” I wave Preacher off. “Delusional motherfucker.”
“You know she hates that brother, right? What do you think is going to happen when she finds out?” King points at me.
“How do you know she hates her brother?”
King sighs almost as if he’s disappointed in me. He lowers his head and rubs the bridge of his nose. “I know more than I want to know about my wife’s friends. They’re always at the house, talking nonstop about everything. I hear it all because for some fucking reason, they think I’m their friend too.” He points at me. “You fucked up using the brother. According to Cori, he’s a loser, piece of shit.”
“I did what I had to do.” And I don’t regret it. I would do it all over again if I had to.
“Well, good luck with that,” King snorts.
King hasn’t asked any more questions, but he’s been tense since our last exchange. Even from across the room, I can sense his eyes on me, and I’m positive that whatever he’s thinking is colored by his wife’s opinion of me. Which I’m sure is low.
“Preach, you want to be my best man?” Preacher’s head snaps up. He jumps from the couch that’s in the middle of the old convenience store that we use to conduct business.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, since King is being such a bitch.” King eyes me.
Preacher rubs his hands. “There’s this trend on social media where the groom has his back to the bride, and when he turnsaround to see her for the first time, it’s the best man in a wedding dress. You want me to do that?”
