"You're such an ass!" I whisper-shout, and he laughs me off and throws me a wink.
"Happy Thanksgiving!" Abbie and Mrs. Kristen sing-song in unison as they greet us in the kitchen, pulling us both into a cute little group hug between the four of us.
"Happy Thanksgiving, " I chuckle. It smells wonderful in here! I'm no cook, but I sure can help. Put me to work!" I say as I grab the sweet potatoes and start peeling them. Dessa walks in as I get to work. "Happy Thanksgiving! Put me to work, too!" she laughs.
Everyone greets Dessa, and she walks over to me and helps me peel the massive sack of sweet potatoes. Neither of us is the world's best cook, but I'll be damn if either of us is lazy and just watch as they work either. It would drive us insane.
"So, Dessa, are you single?" Abbie pries with a huge grin, and I already know where this is headed. Dessa snorts out a laugh.
"Yes, painfully single," she says with a laugh, and we all join along. Ander went to the living room to greet the guys while we ladies threw it down in the kitchen. Or, for Dessa and I, attempt to throw it down.
"Well, if you're into stubborn, annoying, cocky, overly optimistic, peppy but yet also moody as fuck, assholes. . . I have one brother who's still single."
At that very moment, Jett, Ander, and Mr. Cade walk into the kitchen. Abbie finds this hilarious, and her laugh covers the entire space. It's so contagious.
Jett chuckles and looks to Ander, "Was that her attempt at describing me, or are you single again already?" Ander spits out a sad excuse for a laugh and shoves him. "She's definitely describing you, dick!"
Dessa's cheeks are flushed, and she shocks us all into silence with, "I'm not opposed." She even throws on a flirty smile, fluttering her eyes at Jett. He clears his throat and gulps audibly, throwing her a wink.
Everyone is still chuckling when we hear Marverick's voice call out, "Hey, y'all, happy Thanksgiving!" coming from the front door. I drop the sweet potatoes I'm peeling and hurry my way over to greet Izzy, knowing she probably needs a hug, only to find Mav is here alone. I furrow my eyebrows, and he sees the question on my face without me even having to ask. I go to him and hug him.
"Mav, what's wrong?" I whisper into his ear.
"Please go check on her, V." His voice is sad. I've never heard him sound like that before, which sends a chill of worry straight down my spine. I pull away and nod, instantly reaching for the keys to the ATV. I look back toward Ander, but he sees me and just gives me a nod that says, "Please go."
This isn't like Izzy. We all know it.
I hurry outside, get to the side-by-side, and start it up. I turn to look behind me before backing up, and before I can reverse, I feel someone shift onto the seat next to me. Thinking it's Ander, I speak without looking.
"It's okay, Ander; I just need to go check on her."
No response. I turn to view the person next to me to find none other than Jett, with his eyes fixed on me.
"Jett. . ."
He nods, "Just drive, V."
I nod in return.
We get to Izzy and Maverick's cabin, and I grab the key to shut off the ATV, but Jett's hand reaches over mine softly, stopping me.
"V, I'm about to ask you for a favor."
My eyes widen as they meet his in sheer confusion.
"Please, let me handle this one. Let me go talk to her. Please keep it between us three. As far as the others know, you dropped me off at the barn on your way to check on one of the ranchhands who needed my help really fast. Please, V. Just let me talk to her."
I look him over for a beat and see the sadness that's taken over his face, and I can see how badly he needs this. I don't speak. I nod with a sigh and push myself back into the seat.
"Go, I'll go ride the property for a bit. One of you text me when you're ready for me to come back."
He nods as he hops off and rushes toward the front door.
I don't wait around to see if she lets him in or not. I pull off, and the thoughts running through my mind are flooding. Part of me feels guilty. What if Izzy doesn't want to talk to him, but what if it's exactly what she needs? I know they had a thing, but was it more serious than we all realized?
I shoot Ander a quick text that says, "I may be a little while, I'm sorry."
After a little over thirty minutes of killing time feeding the deer, I get a text from a number that I can only assume is Jett's that simply says, "Ready." I jump back on the ATV and head toward Izzy's cabin, where she sits alone on the porch with her head dropped.
