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Except I still hadn’t heard from her. I shot her a quick text anyway.
Heading out for a beer with Duke. Please give me an excuse to see you.
Lark
Good news. I’m already at the Grudge with Lee and I’m having to practically beat down the wave of women who keep coming up to him to dance. Come save me.
I smiled down at my phone and dialed Duke’s number.
“Yeah.”
“Almost to your place. Are you planning to stay out a while?”
“I was thinking so. Maybe have a dance or two.”
It was then I knew those assholes were up to no good. Duke was never a dancer. “You feeling all right?”
“Shut it. Come pick me up.”
I laughed and set the phone down. Duke lived a stone’s throw away from Tootie’s house down Boogertown Road. He was waiting for me on the porch when I rolled up.
With a tip of his chin, he climbed in.
“Are you wearing cologne?”
Duke grunted, and we made our way up the lonely country road. As we passed Aunt Tootie’s house, it looked even more dilapidated in the low lighting.
I sighed. “We’ve got to do something about that house. It’s not safe.”
Duke shook his head. “I know it. She won’t move out. Won’t sell it. I also talked to Beckett, and I think it’ll work out. He’s moving to the area, so if we can convince Tootie, he’ll do the whole place up.”
“I know you have your hands full with the farm and operations. Lee’s schedule is totally fucked, and I’ll be swamped once the season starts. Are we going to be able to make this work? Especially with Dad?”
“Dad’s in good hands where he’s at. Lee talked to Katie. She’s coming home, man.”
A knot twisted in my gut. Katie had run off to Montana to get away from the drama of Outtatowner. Start fresh. Somewhere no one called herCatfish Kate. I laughed a bit to myself at the childhood nickname she had never managed to shake. A part of me felt bad for being the one to call her that because of her big round eyes. I never expected my teasing to stick with her so long.
“It’ll be good to see her again.”
Duke nodded. “She might be pissed, though.”
“Because of Declan?”
“That little fucker hasn’t shown his face around here since he broke her heart, but Beckett’s his older brother, and Katie holds a grudge.”
I nodded and turned down Main Street. “That she does, brother. That she does.”
“Beckett’s a good guy. He’ll do solid work on the house and won’t overcharge. She’ll just need to get over it.”
When we pulled up to the Grudge, it was a quiet night. I parked next to Lee’s truck and walked with Duke to the front door.
We went inside and were greeted with friendly faces and waves. Duke walked in first, toward the Sullivan side, and I scanned the room, looking for Lark.
I watched as Duke’s eyes also scanned the entirety of the room, and his frown deepened. It was almost like he was hoping to see someone out tonight and was disappointed the person wasn’t there. When I asked him as much, he only responded with “Fuck off.”
I finally spotted Lark, and my stomach dropped to my shoes. She was so beautiful, sitting at a high table and watching as people danced around the small wooden dance floor. After our eyes met, her big white smile widened, and I struggled to catch my breath.
Lee was chatting with a woman who was swirling the straw in her drink and looking up at him with big, hopeful eyes.
