Page 100

“I always liked Padre. Best I ever got was Six Flags.”

“Well, tell Dalton to take you. Y’all would have a ball.” Deb plopped down. “Hey, Daddy. Love you.”

“Hey, baby girl. You gone in to see your momma yet?”

“I have. She’s got the twins moving furniture. No way I was getting caught in that shit.”

“Good move.” Tank winked. “Your momma kicked me out.”

“She’s got Frick and Frack wrapped around her fingers. It’s obscene.”

“Wait until you have kids,” Denver warned her.

“Uh-huh. Never going to happen. I’m going to be the lone stranger, forever.”

Tank shook his head. “Never say never.”

Lord knew, weren’t none of them old, not yet. Deb was an amazing lady. She would meet someone, man or woman, and fall in love. He knew it.

“Yeah, yeah.” She leaned back into the deck chair. “How many hooligans are we expecting tonight?”

Denver shrugged. “Couple hundred?”

“That’s all?”A couple hundred? Jesus Christ.

“Yeah. Your guys from the big show are coming, plus all the neighbors and a buttload of cowboys with nowhere else to be.”

“Ah. If I disappear, look for me in a corner somewhere, hiding.”

“Someone will be looking for you to tell stories about the big show,” Denver said.

“I can bullshit with the best of them.” That he was fine with, and there wouldn’t be big city fans here asking rude questions, which Tank would never, ever say out loud.

“Daddy! Momma says to tell you Darius is bringing his roommate and their girlfriends, and she wants to know whether you’re going to let them share a room.” Dakota looked like this was the most fascinating question ever.

“Sure. The girls can share one room, and the boys can stay in Darius’s bedroom. They try to change that and I will rip off your brother’s head and shit down his neck.”

“I’ll tell her!”

Obviously that was the answer Dakota wanted to hear, because her ponytail bounced as she hurried back in.

Denver shook his head. “That boy.”

Tank nodded sagely, but he figured he was gonna be grateful Dalton had his own house.

Denver seemed to read his thoughts. “When he has his own place, or if he’s married, sure. But not in my house. That roommate of his….” Denver grimaced. “I’ll let you meet him.”

“Not nice?”

“He’s trouble. He’s not a bad kid, just trouble.”

“He’s the kind of kid who finds trouble when he’s just trying to get gas at the convenience store,” Deb said darkly. “And he goes through girlfriends like he’s changing underwear.”

“Gotcha.” Tank grinned, glad he was past that age. Not that he didn’t borrow trouble easily enough.

“Yeah, and Darius doesn’t need encouragement to be a butthead, you know?” Denver shrugged. “He’s not in jail, he has a 4.0, and he hasn’t gotten anyone pregnant, so….”

“Knock on wood,” Deb murmured. “Y’all need more drinks?”