Page 12 of Rogue Wave

Welp, I won that easily.

Dougie snorted, clearly understanding what I’d done.

Hank always had this broody look on his face, but I found I liked it. He was exactly the type of guy I was usually attracted to. Tall, broad shoulders, an overall large frame that would make you feel safe and protected when he engulfed you in a hug. He also had a beard—one that was mostly light brown, but in certain light had a hint of red to it—and beards were my weakness.

Alas, Hank clearly did not reciprocate my feelings, so I steered clear of flirting and just focused on not agitating him to the point where I ended up with more tickets for stupid things.

“Thanks for the cookies, Dougie. I think I’m gonna head out.”

“What are you gonna do for the rest of the night?” Dougie asked me.

I thought about it and then shrugged. “What I always do. Sally forth into the unknown with a smile on my face.”

“Did you just say sally forth?” Hank asked, the corner of his lip twitching.

“Yeah, and?” I snarked back. “Let me guess… That’s illegal and you need to write me another ticket for that?”

Dougie snorted, and his shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Hank, however, stared at me, the slight curve of his lip dropping into a scowl, as though my presence annoyed him.

Dougie may have been fine with me being on his porch, but Hank clearly felt otherwise.

Knowing when I wasn’t wanted, I decided to head home for the night instead of sticking around and risking yet another stupid ticket from Cranky McCode-Enforcer.

I said goodnight to them both and walked the hundred feet across the grass to my own place.

I walked into my quiet house, locking my doors and making my way to my room, when my phone buzzed several times.

I pulled it out of my pocket to see three new messages from Mom. They were all pictures.

One of Gale covered in mud.

One of Kevin, Bob and Larry all safely back in their own barn stalls for the night, peaceful looks on their faces, as if chaos hadn’t erupted hours ago.

The third and final picture was of Auntie, also covered in mud, with the caption, This is what happens when you are too busy trying to take pictures for the text group and not paying attention to your surroundings. Kevin did not want his picture taken, and made that point well known.

I threw my head back and laughed—the kind that vibrated through my chest and stomach.

This was just what I needed. A calming and funny reminder that I didn’t need Hank to like me. I had a wonderful family who loved me dearly and made my life better daily.

4

“Jellyfish have survived over 500 million years without a brain. So have most of the men I dated.”

—It’s science

Hazel

After I’d called Vivi the previous night and told her all about what had happened, she’d decided we needed a girls’ night. We both had Mondays off, so we’d decided to meet up for margaritas and some nachos—because everyone needs that—and then have a sleepover at my place with face masks and painting nails.

We met at the Spicy Green Taco restaurant and ordered appetizers and drinks the moment we sat down.

“Umm…Hazel,” Vivi said a few minutes later as I was shoveling a handful of nachos into my mouth. “I think that man is about to tow your car.”

Vivi’s concerned voice was enough to get my attention, but then her words registered, albeit a little slower since I had just finished my margarita. I jerked my head to look out the window, and sure enough, I saw a tow truck putting a chain on the front of my car.

“Oh, shit,” I mumbled, mouth half full of food.