Page 23 of Beg Me

Adam: Looking forward to it.

I toss my phone on the mattress and close my eyes, drifting off into a sweet slumber where I murder Jasper on the pickleball court.

CHAPTER

EIGHT

Markie

“Are you coming or not?” I ask, driving around a giant pothole in the road.

Nettie sighs on the other end of the phone. “No. I can’t. Ginny Edwards offered me two hundred dollars to alter her wedding dress by six in the morning because they fly to Cancun tomorrow afternoon. And I don’t know about you, but your girl isn’t turning down two hundred bucks.”

Can’t blame her there.

“Tell Auddie that I’m sorry I missed the planning party,” she says. “But I’m willing to do whatever she needs. Give me a job, and I’ll do it … probably with a smile on my face, but I can’t guarantee that.”

I laugh. “Okay. Fine. We’ll miss you, though.”

“You better. And don’t let any of those bitches start calling you their bestie in my absence or I’ll fight ’em.”

“Stop it. You’re my best friend, and no one will ever take that title away.”

“Oh, I’m not worried about it. You can’t replace me.” She laughs, too. “All right. I gotta run to Mom’s and dig through her thread box because I just ran out of white.”

“Good luck. I’ll be out of here in a couple of hours if you want me to come by and hang out.”

“Nada. If you come over, we’ll end up watching Suits, and I’ll never get this done.”

That’s exactly what would happen. “Okay. That’s fair. Love you.”

“Love you. Bye.”

I end the call, shoving my visor out of the way as I pull beneath the Blackbird Ranch sign.

The ranch is one of the prettiest places in Sugar County. I don’t know how, but it’s magical. The way the light filters through the trees and the grass is an exceptional shade of green—the way the fireflies light up in the evenings is different from anywhere else in the world.

Lolly always says that this part of the state is where God rested. That it’s so perfect that even he took a moment to appreciate his work. Of course, she owns the ranch next door, so she’s probably biased.

I pass the main house and the barn that holds my niece, Pigasso, and then proceed down the driveway until I reach Astrid’s cabin.

“Hey,” I say, poking my head inside after knocking once.

“Hey, you,” Astrid says from the kitchen.

I enter the cozy entryway that’s like a giant hug. With the living room and fireplace on the left and the eat-in kitchen to the right, it reminds me a lot of the house that Mira and I grew up in with Mom and Dad.

Gosh, what I wouldn’t give to have that house now.

The cabin is full of chatter from my friends and the scents of something delicious. I place two bottles of wine on the table, then give Audrey a big hug.

“I’m so glad you could come,” she says, smiling as she pulls away. “Where’s Nettie?”

“She had a last-minute sewing job, or whatever you’d call it. She said to tell you she’s sorry she couldn’t make it and that she’s happy to do whatever we need from her for the wedding.”

Her brows pull together. “I don’t want her to stress about it.”

“Let her stress.” I wink. “It’s good for her blood pressure to spike a little from time to time.”