Page 93 of Apex of the Curve
Chapter Twenty-Two
Fenris…
“She good?” Maverick asked quietly when I got back to the table.
“I dunno,” I said. “I think so.” Truth was I didn’t think so. Something in her eyes… a little too wide as she’d looked up at me, her posture a little too stiff. I was thinking that she maybe was letting her insecurities get to her.
“I like her, she seems nice,” Mace said, but bro had definitely overdone it. Of course, that level of drunk implied a certain amount of truthfulness.
“It’ll be fine, bro,” Dump Truck assured me.
“If it’s any consolation, and she asks, I like her, too. She seems like a damn fine lady,” Maverick said.
“Not to talk too out of pocket,” I said, giving Little Bird a quick, side-eyed glance. “She’s an angel in the streets and a little wild in the sheets.”
Maverick grinned. “Knew it had to be something to catch your interest.”
I grinned back. “I don’t think y’all got the best impression tonight. She’s shy, and it takes a bit to get her out of her shell. Tic fucked all that up.”
“You know Tic,” Maverick said with a sigh. “Always got some kind of sand in his man pussy.”
Mace, Dump Truck, and a few other guys in the near vicinity had a laugh at Tic’s expense.
“Where’d he fuck off to, anyway?” DT asked.
“Dahlia collected him after she got done with me,” Mace grinned.
“Ah.” Dump Truck nodded.
“No idea what those two got going on, but it’s something,” Maverick said.
“Don’t fuckin’ care,” I declared, and I didn’t. “All I fuckin’ care about is that he stays in his goddamn lane where my woman is concerned.”
“Have to agree,” Dump Truck said with a sigh and I was grateful my brother had my back.
* * *
The next day,my pops and I were busy around the farm. I was distracted, shot a few texts back and forth to Aspen, but didn’t really fully absorb that she only sent back one to a few word answers to everything until it was too late to call her and actually talk.
She was probably in bed and asleep already, and with keeping her out late the night before, I didn’t want to do that to her.
I called her the next day, in the morning, just before I went out to feed the goats.
“Hey,” I said when she picked up the phone, hating that I sounded so eager. I mean, I missed her. I missed her a lot.
“Hey,” she replied and her voice was soft, somber… a little too somber.
“You alright?” I asked.
“I’m okay,” she said quickly, her voice warming at an artificial rate. Something was up. I just didn’t know what.
“Talk to me, baby. What’s going on?” I asked.
She let out a big breath. “My lawyer and my ex-husband’s lawyer are trying to reach an agreement. Charles wants half my business, but that would mean closing down, liquidating, and giving him half of everything.”
She sounded down, and I scoffed. “No,” I said. “Sounds like you maybe need a new lawyer.”
“No, I can’t afford that,” she said with a sigh. “I don’t know… maybe it’s for the best?” She sighed again and said, “I’m just so tired… of all of it.”
