hanging onto my every word.
“No. I don’t know where she—”
“Then why do you have her cell phone?” She lets the question linger, and I struggle with an explanation that she’ll believe. “Did you two—”
“Give me the phone.” It’s Colton’s voice, and now I know I’m screwed. I hear shuffling and then, “Becks?”
“Hello, Mr. Rings-with-strings, you old married fucker.”
He laughs. “Dude, at least I’m getting some on a more than regular basis. You’re just jealous. If you decided to lower your standards and get some too, you’d be a much happier…. Oh shit …” And I swear I can hear the light switch on in his head. “You slept with Haddie, didn’t you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I tell him, grimacing momentarily. “Nothing happened.”
“Aha, you so did!” He shouts out with a mocking laugh. “Nothing happened, my ass…. Besides the only time you take a chick’s cell phone is if you’re escaping in the dark before she wakes up, or if you’re so flustered from figuring out whether to kiss her good night … er … good morning”—he chuckles again—“that you grab it accidentally.”
“Whatever. They were both on your kitchen counter. I must have grabbed the wrong one.” What he doesn’t know won’t kill him.
“Yeah, right, and I’m the goddamn Easter bunny.”
“Well, you do like tail.” I offer.
He chuckles again “Yeah, just one. I’m reformed now,” he says, before falling silent for a moment.
“In that respect, yes … but every other part of your life? You’re still a crazy fucker.” I walk over to the refrigerator, pull out an IPA, and twist the lid off. “Seriously, nothing happened.” When he just grunts in disbelief, I continue talking before he starts thinking too much about it and asks more questions I’ll have to dodge. “So, why are you calling?”
“Ah, the subtle change of topic … like that doesn’t scream
I fucked her
.” He laughs.
“I’m hanging up now,” I threaten, knowing this can go on and on with him.
“Sweet Jesus, dude,
relax
. Don’t be such a little bitch. I was actually dialing you while Ry was calling Haddie to ask a favor.”
“Anything.” No details needed. It’s Colton, after all. My brother from another mother.
“I just got a call from Firestone. The shipment of tires is two days early—”
“That’s a first…. What the hell happened? Is Armageddon coming or what?” I laugh. Our semitruck full of sponsorship tires is usually two weeks late and always forces us to trim some time off of our testing.
And time on the track is like gold.
“No shit. I said something similar to Ry.”
“Ha. Yeah, I’m sure that’s what you were moaning to her.”
“Whatever, dude. You’re just jealous.” He laughs and then stops. “Or maybe not. Maybe you were busy moaning yourself, huh, Daniels?
“Fuck off. I told you that—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah … keep on thinking I’m buying it and I’ll keep believing you. Not.”
“What do you need?” I exhale out in a frustrated breath.
“Don’t think I’m not noticing the change of topic here, but our flight just got called, so I’ve gotta go…. Look, I know you said you might go up to the farmhouse for a couple of days …”
“I’m there right now.”
He sighs. “The trucker is on a tight timeline, needs to turn the truck, and get back before that storm hits the Midwest…. Man, I hate to ask …”
“No, you don’t.”
He laughs deep and loud, and there’s the sound of movement on the other end of the phone. “You’re right. I don’t …”
“You suck for asking when I just got here and am on my fifth or sixth
cerveza
, but yeah, I’ll drive back to town in the morning and open up shop for the delivery.”
“Thanks, brother. I owe you.”
“That’s the understatement of the year.”
“Hm. Maybe you already were paid in kind.” He laughs. “I did warn you Ry had a hot friend. I guess you decided to dip your
“No. I don’t know where she—”
“Then why do you have her cell phone?” She lets the question linger, and I struggle with an explanation that she’ll believe. “Did you two—”
“Give me the phone.” It’s Colton’s voice, and now I know I’m screwed. I hear shuffling and then, “Becks?”
“Hello, Mr. Rings-with-strings, you old married fucker.”
He laughs. “Dude, at least I’m getting some on a more than regular basis. You’re just jealous. If you decided to lower your standards and get some too, you’d be a much happier…. Oh shit …” And I swear I can hear the light switch on in his head. “You slept with Haddie, didn’t you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I tell him, grimacing momentarily. “Nothing happened.”
“Aha, you so did!” He shouts out with a mocking laugh. “Nothing happened, my ass…. Besides the only time you take a chick’s cell phone is if you’re escaping in the dark before she wakes up, or if you’re so flustered from figuring out whether to kiss her good night … er … good morning”—he chuckles again—“that you grab it accidentally.”
“Whatever. They were both on your kitchen counter. I must have grabbed the wrong one.” What he doesn’t know won’t kill him.
“Yeah, right, and I’m the goddamn Easter bunny.”
“Well, you do like tail.” I offer.
He chuckles again “Yeah, just one. I’m reformed now,” he says, before falling silent for a moment.
“In that respect, yes … but every other part of your life? You’re still a crazy fucker.” I walk over to the refrigerator, pull out an IPA, and twist the lid off. “Seriously, nothing happened.” When he just grunts in disbelief, I continue talking before he starts thinking too much about it and asks more questions I’ll have to dodge. “So, why are you calling?”
“Ah, the subtle change of topic … like that doesn’t scream
I fucked her
.” He laughs.
“I’m hanging up now,” I threaten, knowing this can go on and on with him.
“Sweet Jesus, dude,
relax
. Don’t be such a little bitch. I was actually dialing you while Ry was calling Haddie to ask a favor.”
“Anything.” No details needed. It’s Colton, after all. My brother from another mother.
“I just got a call from Firestone. The shipment of tires is two days early—”
“That’s a first…. What the hell happened? Is Armageddon coming or what?” I laugh. Our semitruck full of sponsorship tires is usually two weeks late and always forces us to trim some time off of our testing.
And time on the track is like gold.
“No shit. I said something similar to Ry.”
“Ha. Yeah, I’m sure that’s what you were moaning to her.”
“Whatever, dude. You’re just jealous.” He laughs and then stops. “Or maybe not. Maybe you were busy moaning yourself, huh, Daniels?
“Fuck off. I told you that—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah … keep on thinking I’m buying it and I’ll keep believing you. Not.”
“What do you need?” I exhale out in a frustrated breath.
“Don’t think I’m not noticing the change of topic here, but our flight just got called, so I’ve gotta go…. Look, I know you said you might go up to the farmhouse for a couple of days …”
“I’m there right now.”
He sighs. “The trucker is on a tight timeline, needs to turn the truck, and get back before that storm hits the Midwest…. Man, I hate to ask …”
“No, you don’t.”
He laughs deep and loud, and there’s the sound of movement on the other end of the phone. “You’re right. I don’t …”
“You suck for asking when I just got here and am on my fifth or sixth
cerveza
, but yeah, I’ll drive back to town in the morning and open up shop for the delivery.”
“Thanks, brother. I owe you.”
“That’s the understatement of the year.”
“Hm. Maybe you already were paid in kind.” He laughs. “I did warn you Ry had a hot friend. I guess you decided to dip your
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