Page 50 of Burning Skies
“What the hell is your problem, McAllister?” Coop barks.
“I’m okay.” As I stare at Honey’s older brother, I shake my head. This shit has gone on too long. Honey shouldn’t be worried our families are gonna brawl just because she’s in my brother’s wedding. Maybe I can do something to ease the tension. “Can we be done with all of this vendetta crap? The Walkers don’t have it out for you, Trig. We want peace as much as the next guy. What do you say?” I move to the driver’s side and hold out my hand to shake.
He spits a nasty chunk of chew out the window that barely misses me. “Fuck off. There’s nothing you can say that won’t make me hate you.”
Again, how is this jerk related to Honey?
I smell alcohol on his breath. Drinking and driving. Nice.
He snaps his fingers in my face. “You gonna wash my truck or stand around scratching your balls?”
This dude always has a bug up his ass.
“I got this.” The chief pats my shoulder. “Beau, why don’t you take the other line for a few minutes.” Then he turns to Trig. “Son, don’t come here disrespecting my staff. If you want a car wash, it’ll be twenty bucks.”
I’m sure the chief wants to tell him to go to hell, but no one tells a McAllister jack shit unless they want their funding to dry up.
Glancing around, I realize half the town watched this go down. I was trying to make things better for Honey and ended up making a scene. Awesome.
When Trig’s truck is done, he rolls down the passenger window and yells, “Watch your back, Walker.”
Not able to help myself, I turn to him. “If you want a fair fight without your brother, you know where to find me.” Because Trig knows I can take him, which is why he always brings Cash or one of his friends with him.
Fucking pussy.
Unfortunately, Honey’s right. There’s too much bad blood between our families for anything to work between us.
20
HONEY
I’m supposedto be grading. Instead, I’m curled up on the couch with my planner and coffee, staring at Beau’s texts. He sent me a winky face.
Are we really calling each otherfriends? We had dirty sex in my back seat, and now I have to pretend nothing happened between us? That was easy when all I had to do was ignore him. But now that we’re both in Baylee’s wedding, I guess we have to play nice.
I force myself to set down my phone so I’ll stop obsessing about Beau Walker. Instead, I pick up my laptop, open it, and scroll to the real estate website that features the Turner farm. I flip through the terrible photos of that property.
Where other people see weeds and a demo project, I see stalls for horses, gardens, and chicken coops. Maybe a roadside stand to sell eggs or baked goods like Nora Jean and I talked about a few weeks ago. The thought makes me smile.
My phone buzzes, interrupting my daydream. Maybe it’s Beau. My heart races in excitement.
Except it’s not Beau. It’s Cash.
I put my hand over my chest to chill out. What’s wrong with me?
Cash: Check out Summer’s Halloween costume.
He sends a photo, and I grin at my niece dressed up as a ladybug.
Me: She’s adorable! I’m going to print this and put it on my desk.
I was disappointed Summer couldn’t go trick-or-treating at the high school, but Cash and his ex were arguing, so I knew Natalie wouldn’t go for it. Maybe it worked out for the best, though, since we had that fire.
I’m checking off kids’ homework in my record book when my phone buzzes again. This time, it’s Cynthia.
Cyn: I HAVE A TREAT FOR YOU! Swinging by your place in fifteen minutes.
Me: It’s Saturday morning. I have papers to grade.
