“Excuse me?” I prop my hands on my hips.
“It was years ago, city. Calm your tits,” Julianne says.
“Some things take a hell of a lot longer to forget.” Logan’s words come out low.
“Look, man. I’m sorry.” Mitch shoves his hands in his pockets. “Would it make you feel better if I told you I’d rather you knocked her up than that piece of shit she married a year after she graduated? He’s a drunk. Hardly leaves his fucking chair in their living room while he spends all the money she makes working part-time at the pharmacy on porn and guns. Fuck, I wish I’d shoved her into your car rather than pulled her out, because her life would be a hell of a lot better than the one she’s got now.”
The tense set of Logan’s shoulders eases by a few degrees. “I’m sorry she’s having such a rough time. I didn’t realize.”
Mitch shakes his head. “She doesn’t tell anyone. She’s too embarrassed. I’ve been trying to get her to leave him for years, but she just keeps going to church and saying that she’ll find a way to carry the burden herself.”
“I even tried to talk to her about it when she was in the salon,” Julianne says. “But she doesn’t wanna hear nothin’ from nobody.”
“That’s so sad.” I don’t mean to say it out loud, but everyone looks at me and Mitch nods soberly.
“Sure isn’t what I wanted for my little sister.”
Julianne leans into him, and Mitch wraps his arm around her shoulders.
Logan holds out his hand to the man. “I’m good with burying the hatchet. I think you’ve beat yourself up more than I ever could.”
The men shake hands.
“Can I at least buy you a beer?” Mitch offers.
Logan glances down at me. “You want to go order some food at the window, and I’ll get us some drinks and find a table?”
I look at the line of people at the food window and the three-deep crowd around the bar. “Sure. What do you want?”
“Cheeseburger. Medium. Everything on it, and a basket of fries.”
“Sure.”
I take one step away from him, but his arm tightens around me. “You forgetting something?”
Confused, I meet his gaze. “No?”
Logan releases his hold and lifts his hand to my chin to tilt it up before pressing a kiss to my lips. His blue eyes flash, and I strongly suspect this is Logan’s way of staking his claim in front of the crowd of people.
“You two are so damn cute together,” Julianne says before she and Mitch slide into the crowd with Logan behind them.
I turn toward the food line, but I can’t help looking over my shoulder. Halfway to the bar, Logan has stopped and is shaking hands with another guy, doing that thing where guys lean back on their heels and talk to each other.
I move sideways a little to get a better look at him, but someone bumps into my shoulder.
“Watch your step.”
Jerking my head up, I open my mouth to apologize, but I snap the words back before they can leave my throat. It’s the blonde who was talking shit about me to her little crew of friends in the aisle at Piggly Wiggly when I first came to town. The one I boldly informed that Logan had already found my clit, my G-spot, and the back of my throat.
“Excuse me?”
“I said you better watch your step, you little city bitch.”
Well, that’s uncalled for and just plain rude.“Maybe you should watch your mouth.” I pitch my suggestion as politely as possible.
“Why? You afraid Logan is going to slide his dick in it and forget you exist? I bet he’d have trouble finding the back of my throat when I can take himall the way down.”
“Seriously? Did you just brag about your deep-throating skills in a bowling alley? Wow.”