broke. He was bedding women he couldn't even remember in the morning. Like the prodigal in the New Testament, he'd reached rock bottom.
It was time he pulled himself together. Life wasn't going to be fun no matter what he did, but it sure as hell couldn't get any worse than it had been.
Tomorrow he'd talk to Lucky and find out what was going on with their business or even if they still had a business. Tomorrow he'd go see his mother and thank her for the chicken soup. Tomorrow he'd scrape up enough money to repay Marcie. That would be a start.
He would take it one day at a time.
But first, he thought, as he raised the picture to his lips and kissed her image, he would cry for Tanya one more time.
"Damn, Sage!" Chase shouted at his younger sister as she drove straight over a chuckhole. "My ride on that bull was nothing compared to your driving." He tentatively touched his aching ribs.
"Sorry," she said cheekily, smiling at him across the console of her car. "That hole wasn't there the last time I was in town. Nor were you for that matter. The last we had heard, you were in Montana or someplace."
Chase had been glad to see her. She had knocked loudly on his door while he was brew ing a pot of coffee after a surprisingly restful night.
"Chase!" she had cried, exuberantly throwing herself against him and hugging him hard before he yelped and set her away.
"Watch the ribs."
She had swiftly apologized and joined him for coffee and toast. Since he was still without transportation, he had asked her to drive him to the company headquarters as soon as he was showered and dressed.
"How often do you come home?" he asked her now.
"Hmm, every other month maybe. But when
Mother called last night and said you were home, I dropped everything and drove in."
"In this weather?"
It was still cold and wet. The rain was expected to start freezing later in the day. Weathermen in the whole northern half of the state were warning people not to drive unless it was absolutely necessary.
"I was careful. By now I know the road between here and Austin better than I know the back of my hand."
He looked at her profile, which had matured since the last time he'd really taken notice of her. "You look good, Sage," he remarked truthfully.
"Thanks." She winked at him saucily. "I
come from good stock." He harrumphed dismissively.
"Don't pretend you don't know we're an unusually attractive family. All my girlfriends used to positively drool over you and
Lucky. They begged to sleep over, hoping against hope they'd catch one or both of you in the hallways partially unclothed, like without your shirts. I think you two are the reason I had so many friends. Girlfriends that is. You scared the boys off."
"You scared the boys off," he said, chuckling.
It had been a long time since he'd laughed, and for a moment it surprised him.
"You never learned the art of flirting, Sage."
"If you mean that I never swooned over biceps, you're right. It just wasn't in me to make out like some dolt had invented the wheel. I couldn't gush and simper and keep a straight face. Thank God Travis doesn't expect that from me."
"Travis?"
"You don't know about Travis? Oh, yeah, you haven't been home when he's come with me."
"You're bringing him home? Sounds serious."
"We're not formally engaged, but it's understood that we'll get married."
"Understood by whom? You or him?"
She shot him a fulminating look. "Both.
He's going through medical school now. We'll probably wait until he's in his year of residency before we get married. He wants to be a dermatologist and make tons of money."
"By squeezing zits?"
"Hey, somebody's got to do it. His dad is a bone surgeon. Does football knees and stuff.
They live in Houston in this gorgeous house
that one of the Oilers used to own. It has a pond with ducks and swans in the backyard.
Everybody in the family has his own BMW."
"Good. Marry the guy so you'll no longer be a liability to us."
He was on the receiving end of
It was time he pulled himself together. Life wasn't going to be fun no matter what he did, but it sure as hell couldn't get any worse than it had been.
Tomorrow he'd talk to Lucky and find out what was going on with their business or even if they still had a business. Tomorrow he'd go see his mother and thank her for the chicken soup. Tomorrow he'd scrape up enough money to repay Marcie. That would be a start.
He would take it one day at a time.
But first, he thought, as he raised the picture to his lips and kissed her image, he would cry for Tanya one more time.
"Damn, Sage!" Chase shouted at his younger sister as she drove straight over a chuckhole. "My ride on that bull was nothing compared to your driving." He tentatively touched his aching ribs.
"Sorry," she said cheekily, smiling at him across the console of her car. "That hole wasn't there the last time I was in town. Nor were you for that matter. The last we had heard, you were in Montana or someplace."
Chase had been glad to see her. She had knocked loudly on his door while he was brew ing a pot of coffee after a surprisingly restful night.
"Chase!" she had cried, exuberantly throwing herself against him and hugging him hard before he yelped and set her away.
"Watch the ribs."
She had swiftly apologized and joined him for coffee and toast. Since he was still without transportation, he had asked her to drive him to the company headquarters as soon as he was showered and dressed.
"How often do you come home?" he asked her now.
"Hmm, every other month maybe. But when
Mother called last night and said you were home, I dropped everything and drove in."
"In this weather?"
It was still cold and wet. The rain was expected to start freezing later in the day. Weathermen in the whole northern half of the state were warning people not to drive unless it was absolutely necessary.
"I was careful. By now I know the road between here and Austin better than I know the back of my hand."
He looked at her profile, which had matured since the last time he'd really taken notice of her. "You look good, Sage," he remarked truthfully.
"Thanks." She winked at him saucily. "I
come from good stock." He harrumphed dismissively.
"Don't pretend you don't know we're an unusually attractive family. All my girlfriends used to positively drool over you and
Lucky. They begged to sleep over, hoping against hope they'd catch one or both of you in the hallways partially unclothed, like without your shirts. I think you two are the reason I had so many friends. Girlfriends that is. You scared the boys off."
"You scared the boys off," he said, chuckling.
It had been a long time since he'd laughed, and for a moment it surprised him.
"You never learned the art of flirting, Sage."
"If you mean that I never swooned over biceps, you're right. It just wasn't in me to make out like some dolt had invented the wheel. I couldn't gush and simper and keep a straight face. Thank God Travis doesn't expect that from me."
"Travis?"
"You don't know about Travis? Oh, yeah, you haven't been home when he's come with me."
"You're bringing him home? Sounds serious."
"We're not formally engaged, but it's understood that we'll get married."
"Understood by whom? You or him?"
She shot him a fulminating look. "Both.
He's going through medical school now. We'll probably wait until he's in his year of residency before we get married. He wants to be a dermatologist and make tons of money."
"By squeezing zits?"
"Hey, somebody's got to do it. His dad is a bone surgeon. Does football knees and stuff.
They live in Houston in this gorgeous house
that one of the Oilers used to own. It has a pond with ducks and swans in the backyard.
Everybody in the family has his own BMW."
"Good. Marry the guy so you'll no longer be a liability to us."
He was on the receiving end of
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