Page 94 of Tank’s Weakness

Delaney

“Iswear it gets hotter every single day. Why do we live here again?” Sloane asks from her chair next to us.

“You don’t have to sit out here. You aren’t even helping,” Kelly snaps at her, wiping her forehead.

With us being stuck here another week, the garden is put together for the most part. Now us women are out here plotting where we are putting everything.

“I told you I wasn’t, but I want to be part of the team,” Sloane says.

“What she really means is that Gunner is busy and she’s bored, so she’s settling for us,” Jane jokes.

“I mean, you’re not wrong. I also hope that by supervising, I might benefit from the garden,” she admits freely.

“You can benefit from the garden and stay cool. How about you go inside and make us some drinks? That would be helpful and make you feel better,” Kelly tells her.

“Are you sure? I really do want to spend time with y’all, but this heat is brutal.”

I suck in a breath, hating how heavy the air is. “I think I’ll go in with her. I think I need a break.”

“You two go. We will be in shortly.” Kelly nods to me, letting me know that she feels it too.

Sloane stands, offering me her hand as she helps me from my kneeling position. My knees are killing me, but I ignore it as I let Sloane wrap her arm in mine as she leads me into the clubhouse.

As soon as the air hits us, I feel a little dizzy. “I think I need to sit down.”

Sloane helps me sit on the tile floor in the kitchen as she moves quickly to get me some water. “I know ice-cold water sounds better, but you don’t want to shock your system. Drink this while I make you water with some electrolytes.”

I do as she asks, letting my body slowly take in the water as I let the coolness of the room help bring my body temperature down. By the time she’s back, she hands me a full glass of cold water.

“It doesn’t taste great warm, but you should be cool enough now to drink it.”

I nod. “Thanks.”

I suck the water down, already starting to feel better. I smile when Sloane sits on the floor next to me.

“The heat hits you out of nowhere,” Sloane says.

“I have never spent so much time outside like this. I’m not an outdoor girl,” I admit.

“Yeah, me either. Not really. I would rather be working on my car. Don’t get me wrong, the shop gets hot too, but we have those industrial fans that keep the air moving. That makes it better.”

“I think maybe I need to keep my outdoor activity to a minimum. At least later in the day. Maybe the morning is better.”

She laughs. “Until summer fully hits. It’s hot as hell midsummer even when the sun is rising. We are lucky, though. We have the sea breeze. I’ve been further south in Central Florida, and it’s miserable there.”

I groan. “Don’t let me go there, then. I’m starting to wonder why I didn’t move to a colder state.”

My phone rings, interrupting our conversation.

“It’s my boss,” I mumble, wondering what it’s about. “Hello?”

“Hello, Miss Harris. I’m calling to see if you can come by tomorrow afternoon once classes are out to collect your belongings.”

I clear my throat. “I’ll need to speak with my lawyer regarding it. Can I get back with you?”

“Of course. I wish it didn’t come down to this. I’ll look forward to your call.”

I hang up, frowning.