Page 22 of Stronghold

"I'm good. Just fucking exhausted. I need sleep more than I need my next meal."

"Those are two of the four great life necessities. We can help you with the third, but you're on your own for the fourth," Wyatt says.

"The fuck is he talking about? Andy, can you translate?"

Andy lines up the four empty bottles of cider they've already drunk.

"Food, drink, sleep, and sex." He gives Wyatt a heated look and then reorders the bottles.

I'm not sure what difference it makes since they're all the same, but I'm too tired to argue.

"Normally, you start with food and drink, and I can't stress the food part enough because if you have too much of the drink part first, then other parts of you stop working, and then that's just a sad day for all concerned."

Anita laughs, and Noah gives her an indignant stare.

"I hear you, girl," Andy says. "Once you're all set with food and drink, next comes sex and sleep."

Wyatt nods. "That right there is the key to happiness."

Noah slides out of the booth. "My turn to make you happy. Another round?"

Everyone cheers, and he makes his way around the tables to the bar.

I see the regular bartenders but not Judson. When the guys called me to come out, I wondered if he'd be working tonight.

It's been almost three weeks since he turned up at the cabin and almost three weeks since I've seen him. I'm starting to wonder if I imagined it.

I don't think I did because I still have the mug he used sitting on my kitchen counter. I washed it, of course, but I couldn't put it back in the cabinet. It was a reminder that he'd been there and maybe that we can navigate this weird situation together.

He joked about the situation with his ex, but even after ten years, I can still see through Jud as clearly as I can the sap that seeps out of my maple trees.

If we can be friends, maybe… Fuck, I don't even know what that would mean.

"Did you see that?" Anita says.

I glance at her, and she's looking in my direction.

"What?" I peek behind me but don’t see anything worthy of my attention.

"Yeah, I saw it," Andy says.

"Saw what?" Noah asks, coming back from the bar with his hands full of ice-cold Shipley cider.

"Skyler had a smile." Anita's eyes narrow as she leans forward to stare at me.

I laugh. "When have you ever seen me without a smile?" And it's true. Despite my life turning out differently from how I planned, I'm pretty happy.

I have more work than I can handle, but that's better than not having any work. I can smell my freedom from my family's business with each day that passes. Especially since Miles called me last week to say he may get home sooner than we expected.

"Not that kind of smile," she says.

I grab one of the drinks and take a swig.

"True. That was one up from your prowling smile," Andy says.

I coughed. "My prowling smile?"

"For such a big dude, you have smooth ninja moves when it comes to picking up guys. Don't think I haven't noticed. Only you can hold a conversation with us while also picking up someone to go home with, using a clever look and well-timed smile."