She tried not to think of the nurse with Diesel, but those images rose in her head, too. More prevalent now that she knew about Gypsy.
“Are you sure about that?” she almost snarled. “How can you missme?”
“Time out!” Axel cried. “I didn’t call him for no argument, Reb. Be nice.”
“I’m done talking to him. He fucked Torie! And I’ll never forgive him.”
“Jo’s nurse?” Axel asked as Diesel sighed.
“Momma’s tormentor!”
“Why’d she want Dad if she had Diesel?” Axel sounded truly confused. “Dad’s ten times Diesel’s age. I mean, there’s old and then there’sreallyfucking old.”
Rebel giggled and almost swooned at the sound of Diesel’s husky laughter.
“I’m going to fix your banana split, Ax,” Rebel said. “Meet me in the bunk room and bring your phone. You shouldn’t be in here alone. If you don’t mind sleeping in a roomful of girls, I mean.”
“That tray was really heavy, Reb. Can you give me a massage while I eat my banana split?”
“Do you want me to wake up Momma?”
“You better not! Let that woman rest. But my back hurts sooooo bad. A beautiful girl rubbing it will help it a lot.”
Diesel laughed again but didn’t speak.
“I was just about to tell you that Harley might be in the room and you’d have to bunk with me, you little freak.”
Axel grinned. “I called you beautiful. That was a compliment.”
“Is your fucking back hurting?”
“That’s not the point. I’m the man of the house and I deserve a massage.”
“It’s either the massage and you sleeping in here or the banana split and you sleeping in the bunk room with us.”
“Back to being the Blonde Viper, I see.”
“Shut up, Diesel!” Rebel ordered, sick of his guffaws.
The jackass enabled Axel’s behavior. She’d ask about Gypsy another time. Diesel was beautiful. Gypsy wasGypsy, just an oldwoman way past the dating age. How could Diesel even look at her?
Axel tugged Rebel’s hair. “I can’t have the massage and the banana split when I’ve been so helpful? Both of my shoulders and my neck hurt.”
“You said your back.”
“The shoulders are part of the back.”
“Two minutes. No more.”
“Do you think Mattie and Harley would do two minutes, too?”
“What about Winnie?”
“She’s already obsessed with me. I can’t have her touching me and getting hypnotized, too.”
“Excuse me?” Rebel held up her arms as Diesel roared with laughter. “Never mind. Just meet me in the bunk room.”
“Reb?” Diesel called.
