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“The women love it, you should try it on Hart, spice things up a little.” I waggle my eyebrows.
“Thanks for the tips from my very single younger brother who spends most of his nights smellin’ like horse shit and placating his donkey,” Gray quips.
“Hey, don’t knock it. Sawyer is better company than most of you guys.” I throw back.
Everyone laughs, including me. Gray knows how to get me fired up, and I know he doesn’t mean it. He loves to ride horses and plans to get some of his own once his house is built. He has a soft spot for Sawyer, like everyone, because she’s so sweet.
“You know he’s probably right.” Gray shrugs.
“You just stick to your veggie burgers, big guy.” Huds throws his dart, narrowly missing the bullseye. “Leave the sweet talkin’ to us.”
“You should try the beyond burgers,” I inform them. “There’s more protein in black beans than in any meat product you’ll find on the market, so thanks all the same. Who are we sweet talkin’ anyway?”
“I just heard Eden is back on the market.” Hudson looks at me deadpan.
I glance at Gray who looks about as clueless as me as he pops a shoulder.
“She has a boyfriend,” I say. I then glance at Gabe and Beau. They’re the only ones who know about my little secret, but I’ve got a feeling it isn’t going to stay that way for long.
“Not anymore. I overheard the girls at the bar just earlier talkin’ about it. Maybe I heard wrong…” Huds shrugs.
“Which girls?” I frown.
“Your lovely sister, Blue, was talking to Celeste saying they had dinner with Eden tonight and…” He’s called her Blue Belle for as long as I can remember, sometimes he shortens it to Blue.
“And what?” I interrupt.
“Let the man finish,” Beau says, coming in behind me, overhearing the exchange.
“I was grabbin’ a beer and I heard Blue say, ‘Isn’t it a shame about Eden and Kurt,’ or whatever the fuck his name is,” Huds continues.
“Kirk,” I correct. Though fuck knows why I bother. My head is already spinning.
She broke up with him? Is that the reason she came home early?
“Is she here?” Fireworks go off in my head at this news, but if it is true, then my life just got made. Again, I kick myself for letting her go in the first place without saying how I feel about her. Not that she’s gonna come running back to me… but still.
“I haven’t seen her,” Gray says. “But no doubt she won’t be far away.”
“She was with a couple of her friends, someone she works with I think,” Huds says.
“Where?” I look around.
Huds gives me a weird look. “I don’t know. Blue and Celeste had dinner with her and two of her friends at Mary-Lou’s on the Creek, I think.”
Hmm. Now is probably the time to act normal, or try to at least pull myself together before anyone notices my sudden interest in my wife’s whereabouts.
I take a pull of beer and grab out my cell, half-tempted to text her and see where she is, and if she’s okay. “I’m gonna go get a refill,” I say, walking backwards a couple of steps.
It’s Gabe’s hand I feel on my shoulder this time before I get to far. “You’re playing with fire,” he says. “Be careful, bro.”
I nod, like I have it all figured out. “You know me, brother. Playin’ with fire is what I live for.”
I have to talk to her and find out what’s going on. And if it means playing with fire for real, I’ll bring the matches.
13
Eden
