Page 61 of Rebel Moon

We all clinked glasses and then went quiet. I glanced around at my buddies, my brothers, and decided there was something off with everyone but Jack. Beck seemed quieter than usual, almost abashed. Rhett, instead of his infectious energy, seemed jittery and irritated. Grant’s eyes were troubled, his shoulders slumped like he was carrying a heavy load.

What was going on with us? Montana had subdued my boys. I knew what was wrong with me, but the others? No idea. Not that I’d been paying attention to anything but myself the last few weeks.

Rhett poured himself another shot, then fixed his gaze on me. He was a man looking for a fight, and I didn’t have one in me.

“What did you do to Mads to give her a headache?” Rhett asked.

“Last I checked, migraines aren’t contagious,” I said, feeling weary.

“Like I said earlier, never knew her to have one,” Rhett said.

I didn’t say anything, just sipped my beer.

“You’re all acting weird,” Jack said. “This is supposed to be fun. You all look like your dog died.”

“Don’t say anything about dogs dying,” Grant said. “That’s something that should never be said out loud.”

“What’s happening with you and Holly?” Jack asked Rhett. “You two looked like no time had passed during that dance. Brought me back in time.”

“Yeah, that was fun.” Rhett poured himself another shot, but didn’t drink it, just stared down into his glass. “I didn’t think she’d remember it.”

“They practiced it all summer when we were fourteen,” Jack said, chuckling. “On my mom’s front porch or Holly’s parent’s garage. They spent hours practicing, working on their dance. It was the most baffling thing I’d ever seen.”

“What gave you the idea to enter the dance contest?” Grant asked.

“I can’t remember,” Rhett said. “Only that we wanted to go to the swimming pool and it seemed like easy money. Not true, obviously. Fourth place. Overwrought. The judge called it overwrought. In hindsight, that’s hilarious.”

“That judge was just wrong,” Beck said. “I thought it was beautiful.”

“Looking back, it’s pretty funny. We took ourselves so seriously. The winner was a husband and wife team—she owned a dance studio.” Rhett shook his head ruefully. “They were like professionals. The woman wore a red dress that had no back, remember?”

Jack nodded. “I think every boy in town remembers that dress.”

“We wanted the prize money desperately,” Rhett said. “But during all those practices, we fell in love. Puppy love, but love just the same.”

“They dated all through high school,” Jack said. “Seeing you two together—it’s like no time passed. You always could finish each other’s sentences.”

“Why did you two break up?” Beck asked.

“We were eighteen and went to different colleges,” Rhett said. “And she wanted to stay in Stonehaven. Her family’s there. And she has this mission in life to bring Stonehaven back. Not that it was anything that great to begin with. I wanted out. More than I wanted her, I guess.”

“What did Luci do that summer?” Grant asked.

We all turned to look at him. Odd question.

“You mean who took care of her?” Jack asked. “She was eleven then, so she stayed with me while our mom worked.”

“Oh yeah, little Luci was always around,” Rhett said, smiling. “She worshiped Jack.”

“Still does,” Grant said.

Jack’s left eyebrow lifted. “Why did you ask about Luci?”

“No reason. Just curious, I guess,” Grant said, before turning to Beck. “Was it weird to see the love montage Blake did of you?”

“Love montage?” Beck blinked. “Is that what you think it was?”

“Either that or the camera loves you,” Grant said.