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“You’re such an asshole, Rhys!” Cassandra snapped as she and Michelle helped Trisha get back on her feet.
“You three need to leave. If you don’t, it will only get worse for you.”
Michelle scoffed. “You don’t tell us what to do.”
“It’s either Chief Lawrence or me. Take your pick.”
“Him being your cousin sure is convenient.”
My reply was to stare down Michelle. Then she and Cassandra started leading Trisha toward the exit, causing the crowd to clap their hands again. Once the biggest mistake of my life and her drunk cohorts were out of the building, Jackson and I let Macie go. She was still fuming like we all were.
“You stay put,” I told her.
“I will.”
I nodded once and stepped over to Riley. “I apologize about all of this.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Rhys. You’ve always done everything right.”
I took a moment to absorb her words. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Are you okay?”
“As long as you are.”
We were still looking at each other when Jackson suggested we all take a shot of tequila.
“What do you think? I asked Riley.
“I think it’s appropriate, considering this day.”
“So do I.”
After biting the limes, licking some salt off the rims of the shot glasses, and throwing back the clear liquid, my brother, Rachel, Macie, Riley, and I let out a hearty laugh. Then an ongoing conversation about the upcoming high school football season followed, elevating our moods even more.
I noticed Riley kept glancing at me and I had a good idea why. Like me, she was reminiscing about when she was a varsity cheerleader, and I was the varsity quarterback. Seeing her on the sideline in her black and gold cheer uniform always made me smile and never failed to spur me to continue leading my team.
Other local folks joined in on the conversation about the football season, making it even livelier. In this town, everyone was a fan and supported all Cypress Hills sports teams.
The D.J. began playing “In Case You Didn’t Know” by Brett Young, catching me off guard. Timing, I thought, keeping my eyes on Jackson to distract myself. But curiosity got the best of me, so I looked at Riley, standing between her sister and Macie beside the bar. I wanted to see if hearing this song affected her as it had me. The knowing look in her eyes and the gentle smile she gave me told me that it had.
Four weeks after we started dating, I played this song for her on my cellphone one night while we sat on the tailgate of my truck, parked next to the lake’s shore. When the song ended, I dedicated it to Riley and told her I loved her for the first time. She started crying and said she loved me, too.
“Rhys, come dance with me,” Rachel said, pulling my attention away from her sister.
I nodded and began leading her to the dance floor. We hadn’t gone far when I heard Jackson ask Riley to dance. Now, the four of us were walking toward the center of Cheers and Beers. When we reached it, my brother and I began two-stepping with the beautiful Martin sisters.
“We all know what this song means to you and Riley,” Rachel told me.
“Yeah…”
“You have tears in your eyes, brother-in-law.”
“Can’t help it. I’m still in love with my high school sweetheart.”
“She is with you, too, but won’t admit it.”
“Macie told me the same thing, but it isn’t true. Hell, Riley is going to be a missus in three months.” I looked over at her and Jackson gliding across the sawdust-covered floor and sighed.
