AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But they’re happy together, right?” Selene asks as if worried.
“Oh, yeah, but talking shit about your man is healthy. Feel free to crap all over Hoyt.”
Selene looks at Yazmin and gets tight-lipped. Wynonna laughs as she takes an exit.
“Selene, do you think I’ll rat you out to Hoyt?”
“No, I just don’t have anything bad to say.”
“Bullshit. Hoyt’s a massive jerk. Did I tell you how he laughed when my good friend Gayle died?”
Chuckling at her bullshit, I sense Selene and Yazmin haven’t heard the story. Wynonna doesn’t share it. Instead, she keeps trying to convince Selene to complain about her brother. As we walk up to the salon’s front door, the submissive woman gives in.
“He can be a bully sometimes.”
Wynonna nods. “That trait runs in the family.”
Selene gets the joke and smiles at Yazmin. Yet, her younger sister seems worried about something and keeps checking her phone.
Wynonna swipes the cell and shows me the feed from Yazmin’s house. “New mommies are very paranoid.”
The tiny puppy sits in a dog bed, staring at the door. Yazmin takes back the phone and frowns at the screen.
“I was like that with Ralph Junior,” Wynonna says while holding the door open for us to enter. “By Esther, I left for days without so much as calling in.”
“Why did you pick those names?” I ask rather than falling for her cold mommy routine.
“I knew my babies would be superior in a way that would make other kids feel bad. Their names help people feel less shitty in comparison.”
Selene keeps frowning at Wynonna’s lies as if buying into them completely. Yazmin is impossible to read. She doesn’t react to Wynonna before checking the phone again.
“The dog will survive,” Wynonna insists. “By constantly checking on your damn puppy, you’re making Landry feel bad about ditching her four kids.”
Yazmin’s green-tinted brown eyes find my face and stare. I don’t know if she’s judging me or feeling guilty. There’s nothing happening in her gaze to give me a clue.
Wynonna breaks the spell by explaining the plan to the spa owner. “Landry’s man wants her pampered from head to toe. We’re talking about conditioning her hair and painting her toenails and everything in between.”
The woman looks me over as if I’m a train wreck she’ll struggle to clean up. Maybe sensing what I do, Selene and Yazmin take protective stances on each side of me.
“Hey, Pat, have you ever seen that member of my brother’s club named Nomad? He’s the big crazy-looking one.” When the prim woman nods, Wynonna explains, “That’s her man. If I’m not happy, you’ll get a bad Yelp review. If he isn’t happy, well, he’s burned shit down for lesser reasons than his woman’s disappointment.”
“You don’t need to threaten me. I know how to pamper people.”
Wynonna smiles softly at her. “Yes, but even the best people need reminding from time to time.”
With Pat sufficiently threatened, I spend the next half hour getting my nails done while another woman works on my hair. I sip the non-boozy mimosa while nearby Selene gets the giggles from her clearly alcoholic version. Yazmin stops checking on Havana long enough to smile at her sister’s reaction. Wynonna low-key takes a picture of Selene and likely sends it to her brother.
Pat sets up a room so we can get our massages together. I think Wynonna wants to supervise to make sure no one fucks around.
“I’m getting paid well to protect them,” she tells her masseuse.
“How much?” Selene asks.
“Hoyt promised to let me have three free non-retaliatory head smacks and one kick to his ass. That’ll last me through the summer. As for Nomad, he’s building Esther a canopy bed frame.”
I smile at the thought of Silas making a pretty bed for that little girl. He’s got such a big, creative heart hidden behind his angry exterior.
Despite discussion being the point of us sharing a room, we fall silent except for the occasional moans. I wasn’t sure how I could get my back massaged when I’m working with a bump. Turns out there’s a special table for pregnant women!
