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The waitress shoves me harder this time, clearly annoyed with my lack of cooperation. I finally relent, shaking her off of me.
“All right, all right, I get it. I’m going.”
Maybe it’s karaoke night. I’m tipsy enough to shamelessly belt out a George Strait or Dixie Chicks song to this crowd. Who knows? Maybe I will win whatever is up for grabs.
“It’d better be a cash prize,” I grumble under my breath.
A blonde in front of me, standing in what appears to be a line forming to walk up the stage, turns around with puffy lips and a big smile. “It is! One thousand dollars to the winner!”
I perk up at that sum. “Oh, damn. Count me in.”
I make decent money working for the Redfords, but any extra cash I earn for my nursing-school fund isn’t something I’m in a state to turn down. “It’s every third Friday?” I ask her.
She nods, turning back around as she starts walking up the stairs, hips swaying dramatically. I follow her up, nearly tripping on the last one before finally reaching the top of the wooden stage. My scuffed white sneakers are out of place among the other girls, who are all wearing bedazzled leather cowgirl boots with Daisy Dukes or denim miniskirts. I seem to be the only one in black leggings, although strangely enough, we’re all wearing a white T-shirt. I’m the only one with a hoodie tied around my waist. It’s cold outside, but the bar itself feels like a sauna.
“Look at us, all matching. Ha-ha,” I joke.
The blond girl giggles before facing the crowd, pushing her chest out proudly. I face the drunken group as well, getting more confused with each passing moment.
Are we singing in a line? Is it a line dance?
I find Dolly almost instantly, who’s laughing and waving her hands supportively.
“Yeah, Rosie! You got this, babe!”
I wave at her, grinning widely as Duke gapes at me from behind her. I’m still not one hundred percent sure what we’re doing, but I’m guessing it’s either karaoke, a line dance, or some kind of trivia night. Either way, I’m ready to bring my A game and win.
“Woo!” I hoot from the stage. The cheer dies in my throat as the older Redford brothers appear behind my best friend and ex-boyfriend.
Cash’s and Sterling’s expressions are emotionless until they see me. Their eyebrows rise simultaneously with surprise. They look at each other before facing forward again, a subtle smirk on both their faces.
Before I have time to process the reaction, the oldest Redford is glaring at me, a dark scowl on his ruggedly handsome face. He’s very displeased. His expression is beyond annoyance, frustration, or even anger.
He’s enraged, vibrating with negative energy I can feel from over thirty feet away. He scowls, jaw flexing as he turns to say something to Duke. I force myself to look away. Whatever toxic family drama he’s wrapped up in is none of my concern.
“All right, gentlemen, after four long weeks, it’s the night you’ve all been impatiently anticipating! We love bringing you this incredible lineup of young ladies each third Friday of the month here at Old Harry’s, and as usual, only looking is permitted!”
I look around for where the voice is coming from, still completely in the dark about what kind of competition this is. A stage light shines in my face, and I raise my hand to block it.
“On the count of three! One, two, three!” the voice booms.
The girls next to me all suck in a breath, seeming to hold it.
“What is he?—”
Without warning, a bucket of ice-cold water is dumped on my head, causing me to inhale sharply. My body freezes up as my lungs stop working and my ability to breathe suddenly escapes me, the shock to my system blocking out all my logical thoughts.
“Let the wet T-shirt contest begin!”
My mind is scrambling to make sense of what is happening as I continue to gasp for breath. I grasp the girl’s arm next to me, feeling my nipples pucker up and harden as the cold water drenches the front of my shirt.
My chest is freezing cold, but the girls around me don’t seem to be fazed one bit.
The blonde grabs for my hand, raising my arm up with a holler into the crowd. “Yeah, baby!”
I glance over at her with my mouth wide open before turning my face toward the crowd, my limbs beginning to tremble.
An abundance of male eyes with leering gazes is focused on us—well, on our chests. I frantically search for Dolly’s face in the sea of hungry expressions.
