“Since when are you on his side?” he asked, his tone incredulous.
“Since you sidestepped that hug and made me take the brunt of it.” I showed him my hands to prove I didn’t have his phone. “Besides, you can join us for one meal. Just one, and then you can have your phone back.”
“Yeah, what are you doing on here, anyway?” Quinn glanced under the table and grinned.
He quietly handed the phone back, cleared his throat, and said, “Carry on.”
“What did you see?” Bayden asked. His whole body still except for his eyes, which slid back and forth between Quinn and Ethan.
“Nothing.” Quinn cleared his throat. “Okay, he was on RedTube, but hey if he wants to watch Mexican donkey sex that’s fine with me.”
Ethan turned his phone off and pushed it to the center of the table. “You’re such a dick.”
“Seriously? He was watching that?” Bayden asked, slumping back in his seat as Dottie walked over with waters. She placed one before each of us, and like the mannered men we were raised to be, we thanked her.
I waited to see how this would play out, but Ethan scowled at Quinn, and Quinn didn’t say any more.
“Did you know Kandra is back?” Dottie asked, and I groaned internally.
“You don’t say?” Quinn’s gaze slid to me, making me want to kick him under the table.
Dottie nodded. “She is, and the whole town is abuzz about it.”
“You hear that, Noah? Kandra is back.” Quinn stared me down while I held back the urge to give him the finger.
The door opened, and I breathed a sigh of relief as Max stepped inside. “I’ll be right back,” I stood up and made my way to Max, who stopped and smiled when he saw me.
“Hi,” I said with enthusiasm, happy to escape the conversation at my table.
He leaned over and glanced behind me, then straightened up and focused on me again. “Your brothers giving you trouble?”
“Always.”
He leaned against the counter and studied me. “Did you open the envelope?”
I shook my head. “Yesterday calmed down a lot for me, and I got through it.”
“I didn’t have any doubts.” He crossed his arms, and I pulled the envelope from my pocket. His eyes widened, and a smile crossed his lips.
I turned it over and tucked my finger under the unsealed flap. I opened it gently and pulled out the card. The front had a beautiful sunset image on it and no words. When I opened it, a receipt fluttered out, and I caught it before it hit the ground. It was a gift that was good for a private ride on Bailee’s Farm. All at once, memories crashed over me.
“I want to be a cowboy!” I raced through the house, and Dad gave me a warm smile.
“Well, every cowboy needs to learn to rope, herd cattle, and ride a horse,” he said.
I leaped on the couch beside him, my skinny legs dangling off the edge. “I want to do all those things,” I said in a serious voice.
Dad’s eyes twinkled. “I know just the place. Bailee’s farm. He can teach you everything you need to know to be a respectable cowboy.”
I blinked back the memory and focused on Max again. “Thank you.” I couldn’t find the words to tell him how perfect the gift was. By giving me this, he gave me back a piece of my father, and a memory long forgotten.
“You’re welcome. I recall how much he believed in you and your dreams.” Max’s grin grew. “All of them.”
He was right. Dad always believed in me, even when I was a stupid kid with impossible dreams.
I opened the card again and read the simple handwritten words on the blank white background.
From Max
Another laugh burst forth. Max could say all the right words at precisely the right moment, but putting sentimental expressions on paper? That wasn’t his superpower. Still, the gesture touched me.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Food,” Quinn called from the table.
Max shook his head and put the mail on the counter. “I think your lunch has arrived,” he said, nodding toward the table.
As I headed back to my brothers, the door opened, and the jingling bells hanging to warn Dottie when people came in sounded. I glanced over my shoulder, and my heart took off in a gallop. Nope, that wasn’t right; it was a full-on sprint.
Kandra stood there, side by side, next to Benji.
I dropped into my seat, putting my head down, praying she wouldn’t notice me. Jealousy churned in my gut, and I tried to shove the feeling away. I had no right to feel resentful because she was here with him. Sure, the guy was a swamp monster, but she had the right to be with whoever she wanted. Hell, maybe she liked vulturous types since that’s all she seemed to find after me—first Anthony, and now Benji.
I shook my head.
“Are we hiding?” Quinn asked in a whisper, ducking his head to stare at me.
“Shut up.” I was angry that everyone noticed my reaction to her arrival. I had no right to feel anything about her because she wasn’t mine and the sooner I could get that through my thick skull, the better.
“Who are we hiding from?” Quinn glanced over his shoulder. “Benji or Kandra?”
“Piss off, Quinn.” I booted him under the table.
“Ow.” He tried to kick back but missed. “I know,” he said, lighting up like he had a great idea. “We could ask them to join us. I mean, we have plenty of room.” He scooted over, squishing an unsuspecting Bayden into the wall. The twins scuffled for a second, and Bayden landed a solid elbow to Quinn’s ribs, knocking the wind out of him.
“Don’t you dare,” I grumbled.
Quinn’s eyes danced with mischief as he rubbed his sore side.
Chapter Eight
Kandra
“It’s just...” Benji let out an exasperated sigh. “I never imagined you working in a bar.” He said the word bar with enough disgust that I was insulted for Roy.
“The place is respectable.” I picked a table for two to make sure he had no choice but to sit opposite me. Something told me if he had the option to sit next to me and be close, he’d jump at the opportunity. “You go there, so what’s the problem?”
His shoulders drooped under his salmon-colored button-down. The tawny sports jacket he wore over it did nothing to mute the loud fashion choice. The disappointment in his features lent him an almost comical air, like an angry cartoon character.
I tried to push aside my rude thoughts as I stared at him. Planting both elbows on the table, he pressed his palms together, brought his hands up to his face, and rested his lips against them. “It’s the only place to grab a drink, but it’s still a bar.”
I sighed. “Okay, what are you concerned about, exactly? Roy walks me to my car at night.”
I went quiet as Dottie approached because the woman couldn’t keep quiet to save her life, and part of me was terrified that I’d give away my big secret somehow. If she found out now, the whole town would know yesterday. Dottie gossip wasn’t constrained to time and space rules.
She stopped at our table. “Kandra. It’s so good to see you again, sweetheart. I was just telling people you were back in town.”