“July fifteenth! That’s my birthday! We’re both cancers!”
I slap his arm lightly without thinking.
He pulls back immediately.
“Whatever the hell that means,” he says, pushing his chair back. He grabs his hat and leaves the room without another word.
Silence settles over the table.
“Well,” I say lightly, though my face burns. “I guess he’s done.”
John sighs. “That’s Cole.”
“I should probably go for a walk,” I say. “Help digest.”
“Same time tomorrow,” John says.
“Oh, I don’t want to impose,” I reply. “I do have a novel to write.”
“Either way,” he says firmly, “you’re invited.”
Outside, the sun is setting, the sky painted in warm gold and pinks that make the ranch look unreal.
I pull out my phone to call an Uber.
“Have all this,” Cole says from behind me, “and you’d still rather stare at your phone.”
“I’m getting an Uber,” I snap. “I need groceries.”
“I’m going in the morning,” he says. “I’ll take you.”
“I’d rather not.”
“And I’d rather not have a stranger driving through our ranch at night,” he replies. “Unsettles the horses.”
I stop.
“Oh. I didn’t know that,” I say. “Sorry.”
“Be ready at seven,” he adds. “Have a list. I’m not wasting all day.”
I salute. “Yes, sir.”
He scoffs and walks off.
I watch him go, exhaling slowly. Yeah. This is going to be a very long six months.
Chapter 2
A Six pack of beer and Zebra Cakes.
Cole
Man, I can smell Nancy’s cookin’ already as I slide on my boots. Bacon, eggs, something buttery. Coffee, too. Strong. The good kind. The kind that wakes you up whether you’re ready or not.
I head down the hall toward the dining room and spot Dad already at the table with Nancy, the two of them deep in conversation. Too deep, if you ask me. Laughing. Leaning a little too close. I don’t like it.
Nancy was Mom’s best friend. She’s been our chef since I was a kid, always hovering around the edges of our lives, steady and familiar. But Mom’s been gone almost four years now, and Dad seems to like Nancy’s company a little more than I’m comfortable with.
