Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 117494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
She hugged me, her arms wrapped tight and her cheek pushing into my shoulder. “Oh my word. I have missed you. You have no idea!”
You’d think family members who showed up drunk on your wedding day, crashed into three vehicles in the parking lot, stumbled into your wedding dance, and proceeded to claim the DJ’s microphone and inform your new husband that they had it on good authority (she claimed to be her own source) that he had a three-inch penis and would never fulfill their little Kalista would have better personal boundaries. We’d had no relationship for twelve years.
But nope. My sister was trying to pick me up and shake me like she was reenacting a Minion meme.
She was also three inches shorter than me. She got Mom’s height.
“You look so damned good!”
Whiskey breath was still a thing. My sister hadn’t changed her favorite drink.
“Damn.” Claudia released me and stepped back, panting slightly with sweat beads on her forehead. She tucked her hair behind her ears. Her eyes were bright, shining. There was some moisture there.
They were both so happy to see me, and here I was, locked down behind a cement gate.
“Hi.” I couldn’t help myself, looking her over. I softened, just a little. She couldn’t hurt me with a mere conversation. Or, I didn’t think so… “You look good.”
“Yeah.” She smiled, scanning me up and down. “You too. Foley was fucking stew-pid.”
Claudia and Ruby both looked good. Healthy. There was a glow to them.
“That’s what I said too,” my mom chimed in.
“No, you didn’t,” I countered.
“Oh.” She lifted a shoulder, a grin stretching her lips. “Well, I was thinking it. Fucking stupid.”
“Hey.” Claudia stepped close, grinning up at me. “Did you really walk in on him doing a foursome? I mean…” She shared a look with Ruby. “How ironic is that, right? I told him he had a three-inch dick, and that’s when he was hard.”
It wasn’t true. I was loath to defend him, but he had a normal dick size. The three inches was a fabrication.
She’d tried to defend herself later by saying she’d heard it from someone else. She never shared who the someone else was, but she assured me the woman had said three inches.
“And hey.” She bumped her hip to mine, tucking the same strand of hair behind her ear. “Were we right or were we right? Piece of cheating fucking asshole shit. Right? Right?!” The glazed look in her eyes, the almost sloppy smile—my sister had been drinking for a while. That said a lot because my sister could hold her own.
A pang sliced through my chest. She was right. She had been right, but…
“Jesus, Claudia!” Ruby smacked her arm with the towel. “They just got divorced. Some fucking tact, woman.”
“Wha—Oh!” Her eyes got big, and she took a full step away from me. “Yes. You’re right. I’m sorry. I, uh, want a shot? On me?”
Ruby snorted. “When’s the last time you paid for your booze?”
Claudia started laughing, the awkwardness forgotten that quickly. “It’s not like you pay for me either.” She focused on me again, and her eyes filled up. She grabbed hold of my arm. “Whoa! I should introduce you to Roadie. He’s my new man. He’s great. He’s a Red Demon too. They’re all hot—even the big ones are hot. It’s something about their cut, you know? And the mustaches. And the beards. There’s a guy whose beard goes past his stomach. I don’t even want to think about giving him a blow job. Can you imagine? Sucking and the hair’s right there? Weird. I think... ” She cocked her head to the side. “Maybe not. Maybe I’d like that.”
“Jesus Christ. My daughters. One’s talking about blowing a beard and the other’s barely speaking.” Ruby shook her head, glancing down the bar. “I gotta go. I gotta work. Only got so many employees, you know?”
Claudia snorted. “That’s Mom’s not-so-subtle hint for both of us to pitch in.” She hopped up on the empty stool I’d never taken and propped her elbow on the bar. “So. How’s it going? I heard you’re living with your two buddies from school. You went to school to be a nurse. Why aren’t you working at the hospital and not at the lame grocery store? You’re enabling Otis. You know that, right? Such a lazy piece of shit.”
I…had nothing. I shouldn’t have been surprised by any of this.
After a moment the stool next to her emptied, and I took it because as much as I tried to pretend, I’d missed my sister. I’d missed my mom too. Damn family, you know? You love ’em until you want to kill ’em.
Claudia wheeled to face me directly, her shoes resting on my stool’s footrest. “So.” She tapped her toes. “I want all the details. I know that cheating asshole didn’t want you to work, so I figure you didn’t keep up with your license? Did I get it right? Is that something you can study and get back?”