a reason to live(53)

“You’re wrong, Max. I don’t want to be right; I want to guard her heart. The only way to do that is to let her go.”

The problem was, he wasn’t sure if he meant Sloan or Sage.

The bushes behind him rustled and he sat up. Looking over his shoulder, he grinned when a three-hundred-pound cub lumbered into view.

“I’m beginnin’ to think you have a homing device planted on me,” Shane sighed as Booboo lumbered toward him.

The cub grunted as he sat down next to Shane then leaned in and ran his tongue across his face. A putrid smell wafted up and hit Shane directly in the nose.

“What the hell have you been rolling in?”

Shane stood quickly and backed up to escape the stink. Booboo rolled to his feet and barked out a call.

“Get your fluffy ass in the water and wash the stench off,” Shane ordered, pointing at the river.

When Booboo didn’t move, Shane sighed. “Perfect way to end my day. Bathin’ a fleabag.”

Pulling off his boots and shirt, he waded out until the water was around his waist, grumbling, “Pain in my ass, that’s what you are,” as Booboo followed.

He tried to get the bear to sit so he could attempt to wash him, but Booboo had a better idea. He raised his massive paw and batted at Shane until he fell sideways and disappeared under the water. Only then did the cub submerge himself in the ice-cold water.

***

“He keeps looking at you,” Mia whispered in a sing-song voice.

She was flipping through the pages of the songbook while I pretended not to stare at Shane. I wasn’t successful since he’d caught me twice.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” I whispered back.

“It does if he’s undressing you while doing it,” she sing-songed back.

I started to sneak another peek at Shane, but Joanne and Suzy, better known as the Barbie Twins due to their large breasts, tight clothes, and big, bleach-blond hair, asked, “Who’s looking at her?”

“No one,” I quickly answered.

Mia had introduced me to both women that afternoon and she wasn’t kidding when she said they were exhausting. Suzy and Joanne had been super excited about singing at the bar. So much so, they wanted to come up with matching outfits. Mia and I declined, of course. Big hair, boobs on display, and heels only a model could walk in was not my idea of fun.

Not believing me for a second, Suzy and Joanne looked over their shoulders and caught Shane looking in our direction. When they turned back, they had an odd look on their faces.

Joanne leaned in and locked eyes with me, mumbling, “Rumor has it you stayed all night at Shane’s house last night.”

Mia coughed, Suzy howled in laughter, and I scowled.

“Talk about barking up the wrong tree,” Suzy snorted.

“Um, you’ve lost me?” I replied.

“He’s gay, sugar. You’re wasting your time tryin’ to get him to switch teams.”

Max walked up at that moment and looked around the table, asking, “Who’s gay?” as he leaned over and kissed his wife. It took one point five seconds for Mia and me to burst out laughing.

“Shane is gay,” Suzy answered.

Max froze as he rose from Mia’s lips. He looked dumbfounded. His mouth opened, closed, opened again, and then he turned and walked away.

“Shane is gay?” Mia questioned. “Why on earth do you think he’s gay?”

“Mia, that man hasn’t hit anything in this town since he got home. Of course he’s gay,” Suzy explained.

I sobered quickly upon hearing that news. “He hasn’t? Not in the year since he returned home?”

“Nope. Other than flirting with Mia as a distraction from the fact he’s gay, he shows no interest in women. But Suzy and I saw right through it.”

I raised a brow to my friend, and she snorted. “He likes to flirt to piss Max off. Max said he did it hoping Max would beat the shit out of him. What I don’t get is why Shane would want Max to beat the shit out of him in the first place?’

“Penance,” I sighed.

“Penance? Lord, that man is stubborn,” she mumbled.

“Yeah, but he’s making headway.”

“Why does he need to do penance?” Suzy asked.

“Not my story to tell,” I answered.

Both women looked at me then back at Shane. “Is it like the monks do when they’ve committed a sin? You know, flogging themselves?” Joanne asked.

I nodded. He’d been flogging himself for a year, and it was time for it to stop.

“You pick a song yet?” Maxine asked, squeezing into a chair next to Mia.

“I think we should do ‘All About That Bass’ by Meghan Trainor.”

I looked down at my body, then back up at Mia. “I’m not exactly built for that song.”