I nodded. “Debilitating ones. Ones that make me dizzy and fall off silks, and now I’m not allowed to get higher than three feet off the ground when I’m having one because of one teeny-tiny little incident involving falling twelve feet onto my head.”
“One teeny-tiny incident,” Noble snorted, emphasizing what I’d said. “If they’re anything like mine, I can see why your family forbid you to get up there. I can barely walk a straight line, let alone get higher than three feet off the ground.”
That’s when I became aware of the hands that were holding mine so tightly.
I looked at the man at my side and said, “What?”
“You just told me you get dizzy and fall when you have headaches,” he murmured, directing his words at me. “I can’t say that it gives me the warm fuzzies to know that you experience that kind of reaction to headaches.”
“I wouldn’t have been up there had I known I was going to react that way.” I paused. “But I know what the signs are now…at least, I thought I did. I don’t think I can take my medication anymore since I’m pregnant…”
I trailed off as I thought.
I’d never had to get a pregnancy test when I got my script refilled, but that was also not including the fact that almost all of my doctor’s appointments were online when it came time to get my scripts renewed.
“Y’all’s kids should be fun,” Banner mused. “I only thought I had to worry about my kid’s eyesight, thanks to Perry. But there y’all are passing down diabetes and migraines that make you almost incapacitated.”
“Any refills here?” the lady asked as she finally came up to our table.
There was a long moment of silence and then, “Yeah, but we’d also like to order.”
“Oh!” The woman blushed profusely. “I got distracted, thanks to the ladies over there.” She pointed at the older ladies. “They started complaining about my attire and then complained about the food, and then complained that the Dr Pepper tasted like it had no carbonation. So I had to go change the carbonation, and then I’m just really bad with multitasking. I’m sorry. I wish I could leave this place.”
“Leave,” I mused. “What would you do instead?”
“Absolutely anything,” she sighed. “Anything. I’ve done just about every job that an entry-level person can do. Waited. Personal assistant. Customer service. By far, the least favorite is this, though,” she grumbled as she pulled out a piece of paper to write on. “One day, I’ll travel the world and live off of my art, but until then, what can I get y’all to eat?”
Every single one of them ordered a cheeseburger, leaving me the odd man out with the nachos.
When we were done, she waved and said, “I’ll get this done ASAP. Oh, and more DP!”
She was gone before Banner or I could tell her we were good.
“I don’t usually drink Dr Pepper,” Banner admitted as he watched her walk away and start punching our order into the computer behind the counter. “It’s not the healthiest thing in the world, but when I heard you order it, I had the biggest wave of nostalgia hit me that I couldn’t stop myself from having it. Man, this shit is addictive.”
“How about you nostalgically talk about what your next step is, bro,” Autry interrupted Banner’s words. “I’m thinking you’re doing a restaurant, but now you’re with a circus. Is that what you want to do?”
I was interested in this answer myself.
“I’m exploring right now,” he said. “But I never said I needed a restaurant, just a place where people can enjoy my cooking. Even better when they have no choice but to like it or find their own food elsewhere.”
There were chuckles, and I sighed and settled in.
Coffey lifted his arm and tucked me in close, and I fell in love with his friends.
CHAPTER 18
My anxiety is chronic, but my ass is iconic.
-Simi to Coffey
COFFEY
I climbed out of the smallest bed in history, hoping that by doing so, I wouldn’t wake the woman in said bed.
The intention yesterday, as we’d left the last location, had been to get there and search for RVs or motor homes.
Yet, we’d spent a little more time talking with my friends than intended, making them late and making all the RV places closed before we could get there.
Today, I was putting meat on to marinate, and we were going to head to look at a few locations and hopefully find somewhere way better to stay than here.
Not that the little sleeping area above the kitchen wasn’t cool. It was. But there was a lot of emphasis on “little.”
It would do for now, but I didn’t relish taking a shower sitting down too many times in my life.
“Where ya goin’?” Simi asked sleepily.
I squeezed her right hip before saying, “Starting lunch. I have to put some meat on to marinate. When I’m done with that, I’m going to go catch a shower at the campground showers, then we can go look for an RV. Because no way in hell am I staying in this one longer than I have to.”
“Mkay,” she murmured. “Wake me up when it’s time to go.”
I planned on it.
Vaulting down the stairs rather than actually descending each individual stair going down, I headed to the fridge to get started.
When I was done, I grabbed my clothes from the top where I’d left them, then headed to the showers.
It was as I was coming out that I met Keene coming in.
“Up early,” he mused as he shouldered past me and headed for a stall.
“Up at a normal time,” I pointed out.
He grinned and reached for his toothbrush.
I reached for mine as he said, “We run on circus time around here. Stay up late, go to bed early. Get up whenever.”
“Is that how it goes?” I asked before shoving my toothbrush into my mouth.
We both brushed our teeth and only when he was done did he reply with, “Yep. You’ll learn that eventually.”
I would.
“Yeah,” I confirmed.
Because I would.
Yesterday, during our impromptu day with my friends, I’d realized a few things. One, I was incredibly in love with her, to the point that I was almost giddy that my friends had popped up when they did so they could meet her.
Two, if she got along so well with my friends, then she would slot right into my life perfectly.
Not only had she invited them out to the circus, but she hadn’t blinked an eye at the thought of sitting at a table with nine men. Nor had she cared when I’d left her behind with them.
Keene waited until I was done brushing before raising his brows at me and saying, “I feel like we need to sit down and talk. Figure out what your game plan is. And if it’s to stay, I need to get a contract out of you.”
Smart man, smart decision.
“Contract?” I asked. “Isn’t having a kid with your sister reason enough to be around without a contract?”
He shrugged. “Probably. If I trusted you completely like I do my family. That will come with time. In the meantime, we can get you a contract that says you won’t leave for a year, and I’ll give you free rein to pretty much do whatever the fuck you want.”