Carter

Harlee really was a magical worker.

My back had eased off, and I finally had better movement in it.

And tonight, we were at Virgin Mary’s, a bar in the next town over, for our monthly sibling meet-up.

It was something our parents had encouraged us to do, because when they were gone, we would only ever have each other.

We went to a different place each month, and then when the year was over, we started back with our rotation.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if that girl doesn’t accidentally trip and land face-first in your lap,” Talia said with a giggle.

I rolled my eyes at her.

Ethan grinned, “I mean, she ain’t bad looking.”

“Then next time, you order our drinks and flirt with her,” I growled.

Ethan shook his head, “Nope, it’s against the pact.”

The pact was something we had all agreed to years ago. If a woman flirted with one of us, that made her off limits for the rest of us.

And then Alec did it again, he winked at the other woman he had been flirting with off and on since we got here tonight.

Vickie’s face was getting redder and redder.

She was about to blow, and I couldn’t blame her.

I caught my sibling’s eye as they all just shook their heads.

Alec was a shameless flirt.

He always has been.

But we all thought he was serious about his current girlfriend.

He had brought her to Sunday dinner at our parents’ house last week.

“Um, who is she?” the woman asked as Vickie stormed away from our table and out of the bar.

Alec looked shocked as he turned to look at us, and asked, affronted, “What the hell did I do now?”

I shook my head at my youngest brother.

Garrick just glared at him.

Talia sneered at him.

Dominik just sat there, stony-faced, showing no reaction at all.

And Ethan... well... he looked at Garrick, Talia, and me and asked, “Yeah, for once I’m with Alec. What the hell did he do now?”

I took a pull of my beer as Garrick, Talia, and Dominik looked at me, letting me take the lead on this conversation, and I didn’t mind it in the slightest.

Therefore, I said, “You said that Vickie was your girl, right?”

Alec nodded, “Yeah.”

“Okay. Well, since you said she was your girl, that means that you're committed to her and she’s committed to you. Which means that you don’t allow other women to touch you intimately.

Means you don’t allow yourself to be put in a situation where another woman even has a molecule of a thought that she has a chance with you. ”

Alec opened his mouth, but I kept going.

“So, flirting with another woman is a no-no. Winking at another woman is also a no-no. And you were doing all that tonight. Giving that other woman signs that you were interested. So, giving that woman those signs and thinking that you're interested, she’s going to make a play for you. Coming over here and sitting on your lap and whispering in your ear...” I pointedly looked at the woman in his lap.

Ethan got it, so he nodded.

Alec opened his mouth, but again, I wasn’t finished.

“So, with all that, you're honestly surprised that she didn’t appreciate watching her man flirt with another woman, wink at another woman, and when said woman climbed in your lap and whispered in your ear with your girlfriend sitting right beside you?”

The woman got what I was saying just then, nodded, climbed off of Alec’s lap, and winced, “Yeah, didn’t know he was taken.

” Then she looked down at Alec, “You showed me you were on the market and interested. If you have a girl, don’t do that shit.

” Then she looked at all of us, “Tell her I’m sorry. ”

Talia smiled at her and winked, “Don’t you worry about it. You did nothing wrong,” and then she reached over and slapped Alec upside the back of his head.

Doing the same thing we all wanted to do to him.

The woman walked away.

Vickie had walked away, and Alec was still sitting there, flabbergasted.

Hint, he was still sitting there, not going after Vickie to apologize.

I inwardly groaned.

He just lost her. I was sure of it.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. Leaning back, I pulled it from my pocket.

Tapping the screen, seeing whose name was on there, I felt a small smile grace my lips.

Opening the text, I read Harlee Belle’s words.

Darling – Next time hail breaks one of my windows, I’m checking into a motel.

Me – Why?

Darling – Because I don’t want to hear my parents having sex.

I snickered and felt eyes on me.

Me – It’s awesome that their still in love. Going strong. *eggplant emoji*

Darling – I just puked in my mouth.

I chuckled.

Me – Got a question for you.

Darling – Shoot.

Me – You were in a committed relationship, would you be okay with your man flirting with another woman, and letting her sit on his lap and whisper in his ear?

Darling – No, he’d be dead.

Darling – I’d buy the woman a drink.

I glanced up then and found the woman who had sat down in Alec’s lap, flagged our server down, and the moment she reached us, with a sway in her hips, I might add, not interested, I said, “See that woman over there in the glittery top?”

Her shoulders dipped ever so slightly, I held in a smirk, “Take her a drink,” her shoulders straightened back up, and a glint hit her eyes, oh no.

Then I pulled out the so-called alibi, Harlee told me to use, “and tell her that my woman said she would have killed him and then bought you a drink.” Her shoulders dropped again.

She nodded and then strode away.

“Umm, care to share with the class?” Talia asked.

“She helped me get Bridgett to finally back off, told me that any time I needed to pretend I had a woman, she would be my alibi. But only if the woman was being too obvious, if they weren’t, then just tell them I was taken.

” I said, reiterating some of the conversation Harlee and I had while we ate last week.

“And if that woman doesn’t get the hint?” Garrick asked.

I grinned then, “Calling Harlee.”

Talia snickered, “Damn but I love my bestie.”

I had to bite my tongue to prevent the words that wanted to flow from my mouth and shout it to the world, Yeah, I love her too.

***

Me – Tell me something funny.

Darling – Are you sitting down?

Me – Lying down. That count?

Darling – Much better.

Darling – Okay. So, do you remember the time that someone spray painted Mr. Brewer’s tractor that bright purple color?

Me – Yeah.

Darling – Well, imagine that, but on seven cows who wandered down Main Street.

I snorted.

Then I chuckled.

Me – Are you fucking kidding me?

Darling – *picture inserted*

I chuckled.

Me – Jesus Fucking Christ.

Me – Who the hell is doing this shit?

Darling – I haven’t a single freaking clue. Just like who changes the population sign.

Me – Or who writes in the Whisper?

Darling – Oh, I have theories on that one.

Me – Do tell.

And that was how Harlee managed to make my time on the oil rig bearable.

This rotation was three months.

Then she got to talking about who she thought could be writing the Whisper.

The Whisper, a newspaper, was a small-town staple, and in the Whisper, you found out things you didn’t know.

Mrs. Collins loved to wear frilly pink underwear. She was ninety-eight.

Or like Paul Cantrell was seen coming out of a hotel room, and the woman wasn’t his wife, and the man who followed was another woman’s husband.

Just like everyone found out about Old Man Travis leaving his estate to his two dogs, and not his two kids.

***

Darling – Are you okay?

Me – Can you keep a secret?

Darling – Are you really asking me that?

I shook my head, yeah, I was an idiot.

I can’t tell you how many of my secrets Harlee held close to her chest.

Me – Had a close call today. My umbilical cord kinked up on me.

Darling – Fucking hell. You’re sure you’re okay?

Me – Yeah. Someone would have gotten a call if I weren’t.

She didn’t know it, but it was she who would get the call.

Darling – I’m not the type of person to tell you not to do something dangerous.

Me – But...

Darling – But you love what you do. I admire that.

Darling – Makes me want to find some high IQ person and ask them to create something that guarantees nothing happens to you when you go down there.

It was her and her light that did that.

But I wasn’t going to say that to her.

***

What I didn’t know... was that the moment my rotation ended in one week, things were going to be changing.

In a massive way, manic proportions.