A Cowboy for June, page 6
“And it’s your wife and daughter,” he countered.
“You sister and I are getting a divorce. The marriage is over.”
“Oh, save it,” Esteban said. “You’re supposed to be going to counseling.”
“That’s all your mother’s idea. Beatriz and I know it’s doomed.”
Esteban couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You have a daughter. You owe it to her to…”
Cliff barked out laugh. “To what? Be miserable so she can see what living with two people who can’t stand each other feels like?”
Jasmine, fully dressed, hurried by them. “I never want to see you again,” she snarled and slammed out of the house.
“See what you did?” Cliff shouted. “Jasmine, honey, wait.” Cliff went to follow her, but Esteban stood in his way.
Do it. Push me. Something.
“I can’t take this anymore,” Cliff raged. “Your sister is boring. All she does is cook, clean, and complain. Your mother is a shrew who meddles in everything. And you and your brothers are lazy…”
Esteban hit him hard in the stomach before Cliff could finish that sentence. Doubled over, Cliff staggered to the side. Esteban gave him a hard jab to the jaw and Cliff went down. That had been over too quickly.
“I’m done,” Cliff wheezed. “I’m divorcing her and getting full custody of my daughter.”
“No court in their right mind will give her to you.” Still, Esteban felt an ice-cold drip of fear run down his spine.
“Oh yes, they will. Especially when I tell them how controlling Beatriz is. She won’t let Dina take horseback-riding lessons or play team sports.”
“That’s because you blew the money for that on hookers and gambling,” Esteban said between his teeth.
Cliff crawled over to the couch and used it to stand. Leaning against it, he fumbled in his pocket for his phone.
“Don’t bother Beatriz.” Esteban snorted. “Let her at least have some fun tonight, you selfish piece of shit.”
“Hello, police? I’ve been assaulted in my own home. He’s still here. I don’t feel safe. Please send a squad car.”
“You pussy,” Esteban spat out.
“You’re going to sit in jail for this.” Cliff wagged his phone at him.
“Well,” Esteban said. “I might as well earn it.” He threw a haymaker at Cliff, who barely dodged out of the way.
“You’re crazy,” Cliff said, punching him in the face.
Staggering back, Esteban had to cover up as Cliff rained blow after blow on him. For the most part, Esteban managed to block the hits, but Cliff got in a few body shots. Esteban had been on the boxing team at school, so he waited for his chance. A fierce upper cut clacked Cliff’s teeth together and left him dazed.
Putting some distance between them, Esteban said, “I’m all for the divorce. She’s better off without you, but don’t punish your daughter. You’re a shitty father, but at least do that much for her. Don’t take her away from her family.”
“I am her family,” Cliff shouted and tackled him to the ground.
They wrestled on the wiry brown carpet, Esteban trying to throw him off while Cliff did his best to slam Esteban’s head into the floor.
“You’re a drunk,” Esteban snarled, pissed that he couldn’t shake him off.
“And you’re a mama’s boy.”
Esteban worked his knee up between them. “But you’re a dick.” He let Cliff pound him in the face so he could switch positions and use his legs to kick Cliff off him. Rolling to his feet, Esteban noticed his left eye was swelling and he tasted blood.
Cliff didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to come back after him, which was good.
“You need to pack your shit and get out of this house,” Esteban said.
“It’s my name on the lease. Your sister’s the one who’s leaving. She can move in with her mother for all I care, but Dina stays with me. Any court will see that having Dina in familiar surroundings will be much better for her.”
“You evil bastard.” Esteban lunged for him, and they traded blows.
Cliff spit blood out on the carpet. “I can’t wait to get rid of the lot of you.”
Esteban heard sirens in the distance.
“They’re playing your song,” Cliff taunted.
“You’ve got no job. No savings. You’re going to be evicted soon. How is that a stable environment for Dina?” Esteban said.
“I’ll go to where the jobs are.”
Cliff was going to take his niece away.
“And when Beatriz is sobbing and begging me not to do this, I’m going to tell her it’s all your fault.”
Esteban’s vision clouded to a red haze of rage, and he wiped the smug smile off his brother-in-law’s face.
*
“Thanks for bailing me out,” Esteban said to Trent.
“You’re lucky I was around.”
“I am. No one else was answering their phone.”
They were sitting on Trent’s front porch. Esteban was well on his way to being drunk. The ice from the cooler felt good on his swollen knuckles when he reached for another beer.
“At least Cliff is still cooling his heels. Last I heard, Beatriz had turned off her phone. Since Cliff doesn’t have a dime to his name, he’s likely going to have to spend the night in lockup.”
“Unless he can get a bail bondsman to put him on a payment plan,” Trent added.
“He’s a scumbag,” Esteban said. “Can you believe what he said about taking Dina away?”
Esteban had told Trent everything.
“You’re lucky he picked up a chair and was hitting you with it when the cops came in.”
Wincing, Esteban took a big pull of his beer. “Yeah, I feel real lucky.”
“You had no business even being there. What if he pulled a gun on you?”
“He hocked his guns,” Esteban said.
“Do you think he’s going to go through with the divorce?”
“If he doesn’t, Beatriz will.”
“She’s going to be pissed at you.”
“Let her.” Esteban shrugged, then cursed when it hurt. “She’s better off. Dina too.” He made a face. “I hate that they’re going to be hurt because of me, though.”
“You didn’t cause this. Well, this…” Trent gestured at him. “You did. But their marriage problems have nothing to do with you.”
“I don’t know where it went wrong. They seemed so happy together until they weren’t.”
“They wanted different things.”
That had been his father’s excuse. Esteban could see a lot of his father in Cliff. He wondered if that was why Beatriz had been initially drawn to him. “This is going to kill my mother. She doesn’t believe in divorce. She’s still married to my father.”
“Where’s he these days?”
“Who cares?” Esteban hadn’t seen him since before Dina was born. He wasn’t even sure he knew he had a grandchild. “Beatriz wanted Dina to have a home with both parents.”
“You didn’t make Cliff cheat.”
“No, but me catching him in the act was the last straw for him. How am I going to make this better?”
“You can’t,” Trent said. “But you can be there for your family.”
Esteban snorted. “Yeah, if I’m not in jail.”
“A good lawyer will get you a fine and community service.”
“And a bad one will get me two years.”
“It’s in Cliff’s best interest to drop the charges against you, if you drop the charges against him.”
“Those charges are the only thing that’s keeping him from taking Dina away,” Esteban said. If he had to go to jail to keep his niece safe, he would.
“Don’t sacrifice yourself. Get a moderator, a family counselor, and talk it out.”
Esteban peeled the label off his beer, trying to get it to come off in one piece. “Yeah, Cliff should be more reasonable when he’s not drunk and cockblocked. Do you think Nate’s going to be pissed at me?”
“Well, you didn’t do it while you were on the clock. And you weren’t wearing your Three Sisters Ranch T-shirt, so I think he’ll be okay with it. If you decide to be stubborn and go to jail for a few years, though, all bets are off.”
“I just hope I didn’t fuck up Luis’s chances of getting hired. We need the help, and Luis needs a job.”
“Even if Nate was pissed off at you, he wouldn’t take it out on your brother. Besides, Cliff Baker has been asking for the ass whooping you gave him for years now.”
They drank in silence for a few minutes, Trent slowly rocking in the porch swing and Esteban slouched in a papasan chair he was pretty sure he wasn’t ever getting out of. He checked his phone to see what time it was. It was just after one in the morning.
“Got a hot date?” Trent asked.
“Actually, I do. June Grayson.”
“You risked missing a date with a Grayson sister to fight your brother-in-law?”
“I didn’t think the prick would call the cops.”
“If he’d thought he’d get his ass hauled in too, he wouldn’t have,” Trent said.
“Do you know June from your circuit days?” Esteban asked, trying to stifle a hint of jealousy that rose up.
“I know her sister Merry better. But we did hang out a few times. Man, those were wild parties.”
How well did Trent know them? Esteban wasn’t sure how he was going to ask his next question, but luckily Trent seemed to sense what was on his mind.
“I didn’t sleep with either of them.”
Esteban shouldn’t care. Trent was happily married, and Esteban had no claim over June whatsoever, but he felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. “I’ve had it bad for June since high school. I didn’t have the huevos to approach her about it until now.”
“I wasn’t wild enough for them,” Trent continued. “They went for the bad boys and bronc busters.”
“Yeah?” Esteban frowned. Shit, he had meant what he’d said to June tonight. He didn’t have any secrets and he was boring. He had to make sure he didn’t get too attached to her. She would be back on the circuit soon, but he didn’t want to miss this opportunity to get to know her better.
How can I expect to keep a girl like June interested?
“Don’t worry. Throwing down to defend your sister’s honor is pretty badass.”
“Are you reading my mind?” Esteban asked.
“Don’t have to. You’re asking the questions aloud.”
Maybe, I should slow down drinking.
“If you want to be any good for your date tonight, I think that’s a good idea.”
Chapter Six
When June slipped behind the partition, she saw that the bachelorette party was already in high gear. The exotic dancers were well muscled, talented, and embarrassing the hell out of Emily.
Standing back, June took a couple of blackmail photos before getting in on the fun herself. Luckily, there was a lot of dancing to keep her mind off doing shots. June danced with April, her mother, Emily and Emily’s sisters. She even did a shimmy number with a couple of the strippers, but she kept her clothes on this time—she had pushed her luck enough with public nakedness today.
“I can’t believe you actually rode Athena naked down Main Street.” Emily draped over her drunkenly. “Everyone in Last Stand is talking about you. And look at this turnout.” Emily threw her hand wide across the party area. “I’d like to think they came here for me, but they probably came here to see what you would do next.”
“That’s not true,” June said. “Everyone loves you here. They’re all so excited about your wedding at the end of the month.”
Times had been hard for the last year and a half. This was the first big event that people were getting out of their houses and their comfort zones to attend. The COVID-19 pandemic had been devastating. It had destroyed lives, as well as livelihoods. But she wasn’t going to think about that now. This was Emily’s big night.
“I’m having so much fun,” Emily said, giving her a noisy kiss on the cheek before being pulled back out to the dance area.
“I’m so glad,” June said. She felt a little bit like an outsider, being the only one who was a hundred percent sober. Looking out into a group of women who’d obviously had more than a few drinks and were letting their inhibitions loose, she had a twinge that she was missing out.
Since when do you need a drink to let your inhibitions loose? a voice said in her head.
It had sounded so real that June actually looked around for her older sister. But Merry wasn’t here tonight. And April was trying to stop their mother from stuffing dollar bills down the stripper’s jockstrap. June flagged a waitress to get a refresher on her seltzer. While she was waiting, she texted Merry.
“Get a load of this.” June sent a picture of their mother and April doing shots from an ice luge.
“I wish I was there,” Merry texted back.
“Wish I wasn’t sober,” June replied.
“Don’t start.”
Immediately June felt bad. Merry had taken over all of June’s responsibilities when she’d been sent to rehab. Merry was the last person she should be bitching to.
“I’m sorry,” June typed. “R U coming to Emily’s wedding?”
“That’s the plan. Don’t tell her in case of a last-minute emergency. I’ll definitely be there, though, the week after for the Last Stand Rodeo.
“It will be good to see you. Things feel weird without you, and without being on the circuit.”
“Well, you’re not missing much. Shayna is still a bitch. Dustin is still hot, but looking a little miserable.”
“Good.” June wanted him to be miserable, at least for a little bit. If it hadn’t been for him, she might very well still be on the circuit today.
No.
No one had polished off that half bottle of Jack Daniel’s, but her. No one had forced her. It had been her choice. Of course, June had argued during her mandatory counseling sessions with Linda that she wouldn’t have made that choice if she hadn’t caught Shayna James giving her boyfriend a hand job. But part of rehab and getting her life straight was to admit that she made her own decisions. She sent Merry a few more pictures before heading back to dance. It was either that or get in on the tequila shots that were starting up in the back.
After a few hours, June had had enough. She had a low-grade headache from the music and strobe lights. Sick of running to the bathroom every twenty minutes, June laid off the seltzer. She wound up sitting with Kelly who was seven months pregnant. Kelly had been taking pictures all night. She was wearing a good game face, but June could tell the last place Kelly wanted to be was at Callum’s at one in the morning with everyone dancing, drinking, and showing no signs of stopping.
June leaned in. “How about you and I blow this Popsicle stand and go get some hot fudge sundaes?”
“If I wasn’t already married, I’d marry you.” Kelly’s eyes filled with tears.
“Don’t start with the pregnancy hormonal bullshit,” June said. “Otherwise, we’re going to hit a twenty-four-hour drive-through for shakes, and then I’m dropping you off at the ranch.”
“I promise, no tears.”
Kelly and June made their way slowly up to Emily who was now sitting down with a bottle of rum and studying the karaoke playlist.
On the monitor set up by the stage, June could see that Mama was next in line waiting to sing “All My Exes Live in Texas,” and April was in the queue for “Before He Cheats.” June snorted. That should have been her song.
“Should I do ‘Any Man of Mine’ or ‘Friends in Low Places’?” Emily asked.
“While the latter is true, the first one is more bridal.”
“Shania it is,” Emily said and scampered away to give her song choice to the DJ.
“June,” her mother said, blocking her from following Emily. “What song are you going to sing?”
“The ‘Na-Na-Na-Na-Hey-Hey-Hey-Goodbye’ song.”
“I love that song,” her mother said, clutching at her arm and shaking it. “You know what would make this bachelorette party even better?”
“I can’t imagine, but I’ve got a feeling you’re going to tell me.”
“Men,” her mother said firmly and nodded her head.
“I think that’s the whole point of a bachelorette party. No men allowed.” June was very afraid her mother couldn’t have fun without a man around. Maybe she should go to rehab for three months to figure out if she had as toxic a relationship with men as June apparently had with alcohol. But she didn’t say that aloud because she didn’t want to be a bitch, and the party was not a place to have that type of conversation.
“Your father was the best dancer,” she said, swooning.
June snorted. “What are you talking about? He hated dancing because of his ingrown toenails.”
“What?” her mother blinked drunkenly at her.
She gave her mom a quick hug. “Never mind, enjoy yourself.”
Walking up to Emily and Kelly, June waited awkwardly while they hugged. Emily had glommed onto Kelly, telling her how much she loved her. It was really cute, but if June ever tried that crap with Merry, Merry would give her a titty twister or punch her in the gut.
Eventually, Kelly extracted herself and waved goodbye to the group. June gave Emily a quick hug, and then immediately spun her around and pointed Emily at the karaoke machine. “Your turn. Knock ’em dead.” June swatted Emily on the butt, and then she hurried out with Kelly in tow.
The absolute quiet in the parking lot was a balm for her sore ears.
“I really wish I had it in me to stay for karaoke,” Kelly said. “But I’m ready to fall asleep. When did I become such a wimp?”
“Oh, I’d say about a child and a half ago.”
“You’re probably right. Doesn’t mean you’re not a bitch for saying it, though.”
“Sorry,” June said. “I’m feeling a little edgy.”
“I was just teasing anyway. I get it. There’s going to be a couple of other bridal party outings that won’t be saturated in alcohol. We’re all going to do a painting class together. It’s going to be Texas bluebonnet landscape.”
June didn’t want to hurt Kelly’s feelings by saying she’d rather stick the paintbrush up her nose than be sober and painting bluebonnets in a group, so she just nodded politely. June drove to a twenty-four-hour ice cream shop a couple towns over. The crowd was a little sketchy, so they took their hot fudge sundaes back to June’s truck and ate them there.
“You sister and I are getting a divorce. The marriage is over.”
“Oh, save it,” Esteban said. “You’re supposed to be going to counseling.”
“That’s all your mother’s idea. Beatriz and I know it’s doomed.”
Esteban couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You have a daughter. You owe it to her to…”
Cliff barked out laugh. “To what? Be miserable so she can see what living with two people who can’t stand each other feels like?”
Jasmine, fully dressed, hurried by them. “I never want to see you again,” she snarled and slammed out of the house.
“See what you did?” Cliff shouted. “Jasmine, honey, wait.” Cliff went to follow her, but Esteban stood in his way.
Do it. Push me. Something.
“I can’t take this anymore,” Cliff raged. “Your sister is boring. All she does is cook, clean, and complain. Your mother is a shrew who meddles in everything. And you and your brothers are lazy…”
Esteban hit him hard in the stomach before Cliff could finish that sentence. Doubled over, Cliff staggered to the side. Esteban gave him a hard jab to the jaw and Cliff went down. That had been over too quickly.
“I’m done,” Cliff wheezed. “I’m divorcing her and getting full custody of my daughter.”
“No court in their right mind will give her to you.” Still, Esteban felt an ice-cold drip of fear run down his spine.
“Oh yes, they will. Especially when I tell them how controlling Beatriz is. She won’t let Dina take horseback-riding lessons or play team sports.”
“That’s because you blew the money for that on hookers and gambling,” Esteban said between his teeth.
Cliff crawled over to the couch and used it to stand. Leaning against it, he fumbled in his pocket for his phone.
“Don’t bother Beatriz.” Esteban snorted. “Let her at least have some fun tonight, you selfish piece of shit.”
“Hello, police? I’ve been assaulted in my own home. He’s still here. I don’t feel safe. Please send a squad car.”
“You pussy,” Esteban spat out.
“You’re going to sit in jail for this.” Cliff wagged his phone at him.
“Well,” Esteban said. “I might as well earn it.” He threw a haymaker at Cliff, who barely dodged out of the way.
“You’re crazy,” Cliff said, punching him in the face.
Staggering back, Esteban had to cover up as Cliff rained blow after blow on him. For the most part, Esteban managed to block the hits, but Cliff got in a few body shots. Esteban had been on the boxing team at school, so he waited for his chance. A fierce upper cut clacked Cliff’s teeth together and left him dazed.
Putting some distance between them, Esteban said, “I’m all for the divorce. She’s better off without you, but don’t punish your daughter. You’re a shitty father, but at least do that much for her. Don’t take her away from her family.”
“I am her family,” Cliff shouted and tackled him to the ground.
They wrestled on the wiry brown carpet, Esteban trying to throw him off while Cliff did his best to slam Esteban’s head into the floor.
“You’re a drunk,” Esteban snarled, pissed that he couldn’t shake him off.
“And you’re a mama’s boy.”
Esteban worked his knee up between them. “But you’re a dick.” He let Cliff pound him in the face so he could switch positions and use his legs to kick Cliff off him. Rolling to his feet, Esteban noticed his left eye was swelling and he tasted blood.
Cliff didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to come back after him, which was good.
“You need to pack your shit and get out of this house,” Esteban said.
“It’s my name on the lease. Your sister’s the one who’s leaving. She can move in with her mother for all I care, but Dina stays with me. Any court will see that having Dina in familiar surroundings will be much better for her.”
“You evil bastard.” Esteban lunged for him, and they traded blows.
Cliff spit blood out on the carpet. “I can’t wait to get rid of the lot of you.”
Esteban heard sirens in the distance.
“They’re playing your song,” Cliff taunted.
“You’ve got no job. No savings. You’re going to be evicted soon. How is that a stable environment for Dina?” Esteban said.
“I’ll go to where the jobs are.”
Cliff was going to take his niece away.
“And when Beatriz is sobbing and begging me not to do this, I’m going to tell her it’s all your fault.”
Esteban’s vision clouded to a red haze of rage, and he wiped the smug smile off his brother-in-law’s face.
*
“Thanks for bailing me out,” Esteban said to Trent.
“You’re lucky I was around.”
“I am. No one else was answering their phone.”
They were sitting on Trent’s front porch. Esteban was well on his way to being drunk. The ice from the cooler felt good on his swollen knuckles when he reached for another beer.
“At least Cliff is still cooling his heels. Last I heard, Beatriz had turned off her phone. Since Cliff doesn’t have a dime to his name, he’s likely going to have to spend the night in lockup.”
“Unless he can get a bail bondsman to put him on a payment plan,” Trent added.
“He’s a scumbag,” Esteban said. “Can you believe what he said about taking Dina away?”
Esteban had told Trent everything.
“You’re lucky he picked up a chair and was hitting you with it when the cops came in.”
Wincing, Esteban took a big pull of his beer. “Yeah, I feel real lucky.”
“You had no business even being there. What if he pulled a gun on you?”
“He hocked his guns,” Esteban said.
“Do you think he’s going to go through with the divorce?”
“If he doesn’t, Beatriz will.”
“She’s going to be pissed at you.”
“Let her.” Esteban shrugged, then cursed when it hurt. “She’s better off. Dina too.” He made a face. “I hate that they’re going to be hurt because of me, though.”
“You didn’t cause this. Well, this…” Trent gestured at him. “You did. But their marriage problems have nothing to do with you.”
“I don’t know where it went wrong. They seemed so happy together until they weren’t.”
“They wanted different things.”
That had been his father’s excuse. Esteban could see a lot of his father in Cliff. He wondered if that was why Beatriz had been initially drawn to him. “This is going to kill my mother. She doesn’t believe in divorce. She’s still married to my father.”
“Where’s he these days?”
“Who cares?” Esteban hadn’t seen him since before Dina was born. He wasn’t even sure he knew he had a grandchild. “Beatriz wanted Dina to have a home with both parents.”
“You didn’t make Cliff cheat.”
“No, but me catching him in the act was the last straw for him. How am I going to make this better?”
“You can’t,” Trent said. “But you can be there for your family.”
Esteban snorted. “Yeah, if I’m not in jail.”
“A good lawyer will get you a fine and community service.”
“And a bad one will get me two years.”
“It’s in Cliff’s best interest to drop the charges against you, if you drop the charges against him.”
“Those charges are the only thing that’s keeping him from taking Dina away,” Esteban said. If he had to go to jail to keep his niece safe, he would.
“Don’t sacrifice yourself. Get a moderator, a family counselor, and talk it out.”
Esteban peeled the label off his beer, trying to get it to come off in one piece. “Yeah, Cliff should be more reasonable when he’s not drunk and cockblocked. Do you think Nate’s going to be pissed at me?”
“Well, you didn’t do it while you were on the clock. And you weren’t wearing your Three Sisters Ranch T-shirt, so I think he’ll be okay with it. If you decide to be stubborn and go to jail for a few years, though, all bets are off.”
“I just hope I didn’t fuck up Luis’s chances of getting hired. We need the help, and Luis needs a job.”
“Even if Nate was pissed off at you, he wouldn’t take it out on your brother. Besides, Cliff Baker has been asking for the ass whooping you gave him for years now.”
They drank in silence for a few minutes, Trent slowly rocking in the porch swing and Esteban slouched in a papasan chair he was pretty sure he wasn’t ever getting out of. He checked his phone to see what time it was. It was just after one in the morning.
“Got a hot date?” Trent asked.
“Actually, I do. June Grayson.”
“You risked missing a date with a Grayson sister to fight your brother-in-law?”
“I didn’t think the prick would call the cops.”
“If he’d thought he’d get his ass hauled in too, he wouldn’t have,” Trent said.
“Do you know June from your circuit days?” Esteban asked, trying to stifle a hint of jealousy that rose up.
“I know her sister Merry better. But we did hang out a few times. Man, those were wild parties.”
How well did Trent know them? Esteban wasn’t sure how he was going to ask his next question, but luckily Trent seemed to sense what was on his mind.
“I didn’t sleep with either of them.”
Esteban shouldn’t care. Trent was happily married, and Esteban had no claim over June whatsoever, but he felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. “I’ve had it bad for June since high school. I didn’t have the huevos to approach her about it until now.”
“I wasn’t wild enough for them,” Trent continued. “They went for the bad boys and bronc busters.”
“Yeah?” Esteban frowned. Shit, he had meant what he’d said to June tonight. He didn’t have any secrets and he was boring. He had to make sure he didn’t get too attached to her. She would be back on the circuit soon, but he didn’t want to miss this opportunity to get to know her better.
How can I expect to keep a girl like June interested?
“Don’t worry. Throwing down to defend your sister’s honor is pretty badass.”
“Are you reading my mind?” Esteban asked.
“Don’t have to. You’re asking the questions aloud.”
Maybe, I should slow down drinking.
“If you want to be any good for your date tonight, I think that’s a good idea.”
Chapter Six
When June slipped behind the partition, she saw that the bachelorette party was already in high gear. The exotic dancers were well muscled, talented, and embarrassing the hell out of Emily.
Standing back, June took a couple of blackmail photos before getting in on the fun herself. Luckily, there was a lot of dancing to keep her mind off doing shots. June danced with April, her mother, Emily and Emily’s sisters. She even did a shimmy number with a couple of the strippers, but she kept her clothes on this time—she had pushed her luck enough with public nakedness today.
“I can’t believe you actually rode Athena naked down Main Street.” Emily draped over her drunkenly. “Everyone in Last Stand is talking about you. And look at this turnout.” Emily threw her hand wide across the party area. “I’d like to think they came here for me, but they probably came here to see what you would do next.”
“That’s not true,” June said. “Everyone loves you here. They’re all so excited about your wedding at the end of the month.”
Times had been hard for the last year and a half. This was the first big event that people were getting out of their houses and their comfort zones to attend. The COVID-19 pandemic had been devastating. It had destroyed lives, as well as livelihoods. But she wasn’t going to think about that now. This was Emily’s big night.
“I’m having so much fun,” Emily said, giving her a noisy kiss on the cheek before being pulled back out to the dance area.
“I’m so glad,” June said. She felt a little bit like an outsider, being the only one who was a hundred percent sober. Looking out into a group of women who’d obviously had more than a few drinks and were letting their inhibitions loose, she had a twinge that she was missing out.
Since when do you need a drink to let your inhibitions loose? a voice said in her head.
It had sounded so real that June actually looked around for her older sister. But Merry wasn’t here tonight. And April was trying to stop their mother from stuffing dollar bills down the stripper’s jockstrap. June flagged a waitress to get a refresher on her seltzer. While she was waiting, she texted Merry.
“Get a load of this.” June sent a picture of their mother and April doing shots from an ice luge.
“I wish I was there,” Merry texted back.
“Wish I wasn’t sober,” June replied.
“Don’t start.”
Immediately June felt bad. Merry had taken over all of June’s responsibilities when she’d been sent to rehab. Merry was the last person she should be bitching to.
“I’m sorry,” June typed. “R U coming to Emily’s wedding?”
“That’s the plan. Don’t tell her in case of a last-minute emergency. I’ll definitely be there, though, the week after for the Last Stand Rodeo.
“It will be good to see you. Things feel weird without you, and without being on the circuit.”
“Well, you’re not missing much. Shayna is still a bitch. Dustin is still hot, but looking a little miserable.”
“Good.” June wanted him to be miserable, at least for a little bit. If it hadn’t been for him, she might very well still be on the circuit today.
No.
No one had polished off that half bottle of Jack Daniel’s, but her. No one had forced her. It had been her choice. Of course, June had argued during her mandatory counseling sessions with Linda that she wouldn’t have made that choice if she hadn’t caught Shayna James giving her boyfriend a hand job. But part of rehab and getting her life straight was to admit that she made her own decisions. She sent Merry a few more pictures before heading back to dance. It was either that or get in on the tequila shots that were starting up in the back.
After a few hours, June had had enough. She had a low-grade headache from the music and strobe lights. Sick of running to the bathroom every twenty minutes, June laid off the seltzer. She wound up sitting with Kelly who was seven months pregnant. Kelly had been taking pictures all night. She was wearing a good game face, but June could tell the last place Kelly wanted to be was at Callum’s at one in the morning with everyone dancing, drinking, and showing no signs of stopping.
June leaned in. “How about you and I blow this Popsicle stand and go get some hot fudge sundaes?”
“If I wasn’t already married, I’d marry you.” Kelly’s eyes filled with tears.
“Don’t start with the pregnancy hormonal bullshit,” June said. “Otherwise, we’re going to hit a twenty-four-hour drive-through for shakes, and then I’m dropping you off at the ranch.”
“I promise, no tears.”
Kelly and June made their way slowly up to Emily who was now sitting down with a bottle of rum and studying the karaoke playlist.
On the monitor set up by the stage, June could see that Mama was next in line waiting to sing “All My Exes Live in Texas,” and April was in the queue for “Before He Cheats.” June snorted. That should have been her song.
“Should I do ‘Any Man of Mine’ or ‘Friends in Low Places’?” Emily asked.
“While the latter is true, the first one is more bridal.”
“Shania it is,” Emily said and scampered away to give her song choice to the DJ.
“June,” her mother said, blocking her from following Emily. “What song are you going to sing?”
“The ‘Na-Na-Na-Na-Hey-Hey-Hey-Goodbye’ song.”
“I love that song,” her mother said, clutching at her arm and shaking it. “You know what would make this bachelorette party even better?”
“I can’t imagine, but I’ve got a feeling you’re going to tell me.”
“Men,” her mother said firmly and nodded her head.
“I think that’s the whole point of a bachelorette party. No men allowed.” June was very afraid her mother couldn’t have fun without a man around. Maybe she should go to rehab for three months to figure out if she had as toxic a relationship with men as June apparently had with alcohol. But she didn’t say that aloud because she didn’t want to be a bitch, and the party was not a place to have that type of conversation.
“Your father was the best dancer,” she said, swooning.
June snorted. “What are you talking about? He hated dancing because of his ingrown toenails.”
“What?” her mother blinked drunkenly at her.
She gave her mom a quick hug. “Never mind, enjoy yourself.”
Walking up to Emily and Kelly, June waited awkwardly while they hugged. Emily had glommed onto Kelly, telling her how much she loved her. It was really cute, but if June ever tried that crap with Merry, Merry would give her a titty twister or punch her in the gut.
Eventually, Kelly extracted herself and waved goodbye to the group. June gave Emily a quick hug, and then immediately spun her around and pointed Emily at the karaoke machine. “Your turn. Knock ’em dead.” June swatted Emily on the butt, and then she hurried out with Kelly in tow.
The absolute quiet in the parking lot was a balm for her sore ears.
“I really wish I had it in me to stay for karaoke,” Kelly said. “But I’m ready to fall asleep. When did I become such a wimp?”
“Oh, I’d say about a child and a half ago.”
“You’re probably right. Doesn’t mean you’re not a bitch for saying it, though.”
“Sorry,” June said. “I’m feeling a little edgy.”
“I was just teasing anyway. I get it. There’s going to be a couple of other bridal party outings that won’t be saturated in alcohol. We’re all going to do a painting class together. It’s going to be Texas bluebonnet landscape.”
June didn’t want to hurt Kelly’s feelings by saying she’d rather stick the paintbrush up her nose than be sober and painting bluebonnets in a group, so she just nodded politely. June drove to a twenty-four-hour ice cream shop a couple towns over. The crowd was a little sketchy, so they took their hot fudge sundaes back to June’s truck and ate them there.
