Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Taking in the information came with the added emotion of his newfound feelings. His chest took the story like an arrow to the heart.
“That’s awful. How many people died?”
“Six people. He lost his mare, and Natalie was pregnant. By the time Mace managed through his own hospital stay, and rehab, and grief, he came back to his life a different man. I don’t think they thought he’d make it.”
I reached deep, pulling out my best acting skill, trying to hide the overwhelmed way the information touched me.
“Mace seems to love his animals. He’s on and on about needing to feed them.”
Max furrowed his brow and shook his head. “Mace doesn’t currently have any animals. He hasn’t recovered, or at least that’s what Lori thinks.”
The object of their conversation appeared suddenly in front of them. I hadn’t realized how far I had leaned toward Max to better hear, or how far I bent to give my prods to keep him talking. Mace’s direct stare at his brother-in-law was more in line with the Mace I knew, not the friendly guy I’d seen peeks of since arriving.
A blush stained Max’s face, but honestly, that may just have been the natural color of his skin.
“Need another beer?” Mace clipped to Max.
“Sure. I guess. I’ve had a lot to drink tonight, might as well keep goin’,” he said, his expression turning jolly.
“Mace, I’m waitin’ for my order. It’s been four minutes,” Lori said in the exact same tone as Mace had just used with Max and me.
“Hang on,” Mace said, his gaze never leaving Max’s. The stare conveyed more than anything Mace might say. He was frustrated and warning Max of the consequences, but his brother-in-law was too far gone to care.
He left without looking at me.
Max did the tilt thing with his head, swiveling toward me. This time he came with a sway, leaning closer, still having to talk loudly over all the noise surrounding them.
“Lori thinks Mace’s gay. She thinks his girlfriend had been messin’ around on him. Honestly, Natalie was a ho. I don’t know if Mace knows Lori feels that way. I can’t imagine she’s lettin’ that ride unsaid. I think Red’s just given up on life. He’s always been super grounded. He knows his own mind and understands how the world works. I think he thinks he had it all and lost it. He’s not the same guy.”
Huh. The use of the word gay sent a numbing set of tingles racing over me. It made me nervous what others might think of me if they suspected Mace was in fact bi. Those secrets needed to stay hidden.
I’d learned enough for tonight. At least my Mace-trauma theory had roots.
“Why’d you say anything to me?” I asked.
“Lori feels like you’re a safe place. Weird, huh?” Max said, turning enough to look me in the eyes. Yeah, it was.
“You and Mace grow up together?” I asked.
“Yeah, he and I are the same age. Our school was small. Everybody knew each other. All the kids played all the sports,” Max said, the jolliness was back on his face. Very endearing.
“What’s the age difference between Mace and Lori?”
“Eleven months. Less than a year. It’s a big family funny deal. Their story was told every year at the family Thanksgivin’. It’s kind of uncomfortable to sit through.”
Mace placed a mug of water on the bar. Enough force to slosh some over the side, drawing our attention to him. “Lori said to give you water. Sober up, got it?” Mace said firmly, doing his best to control the situation. “She shouldn’t have to get you home when she’s this far along.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Max said, knocking a fist toward Mace. “The kids are old enough to fend for themselves. After this baby, it’ll be years before I’ll have another good time again. I was tellin’ our friend here that you and Lori were close in age.” Max explained his faulty reasoning as Mace grabbed an empty beer mug. My handsome guy’s gaze finally found mine.
Somehow, I knew he knew that I now knew too.
“We’re backed up. Our dishwasher had to start waitin’ tables. Lori’s seein’ a sprinklin’ of stars in her vision. She probably needs to go home, but goddamn she’s too hardheaded. Do you know how to wash dishes? Does that fall into the cleanin’ category?”
He knew I knew how to do that too. “Sure.”
“The kitchen’s in the back. Anything you do will help,” Mace said, pointing me toward the liquor store’s back door, the kitchen sat just to the side of that entrance. I got the feeling that assigning me a chore was more due to Mace wanting me away from Max and most likely away from all these people who had known each other forever. He pivoted away, leaving me again, and I did what he asked, scooting off the stool.