“Bri, this is my friend, Walker, and he’s not a creeper,” I say quickly then level a look at Dubs. “What are you doing there?”
“I came to help, man.”
Bri scoffs and Walker Willis turns on her with a smug smile that’s all charm. “You got a problem, sweetheart? Something caught in your throat?”
She narrows her eyes on him, a silent dare to call her sweetheart one more time. Dubs wisely keeps his mouth shut. “Tell your guard dog hecan go back to where he came from.” The order is directed at me, but she’s glaring at said guard dog like a lioness on the hunt.
“Texas,” he supplies, thumb hiked at his chest.
Bri tilts her head in slow motion. “Your name is Walker?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he answers with a southern twang that wasn’t half as thick a moment ago.
“And you’re from Texas.” A statement, dry as a tumbleweed.
I fold my lips against a smile. My friend’s about to step into the sparring ring with one of the strongest women I know. Bridget Evans doesn’t back down from a fight, especially battles of trash-talking and sarcasm.
Dubs walks right into her trap, but he’s no fool. “Don’t let my brown Caribbean skin fool you. Born in Puerto Rico, raised in Texas.”
I shimmy the wrench around the base of the faucet and crank the handle again. Water continues to sputter out from underneath. I bite back a curse.
Bri blinks slowly at my friend. “For the love of all that is holy, please don’t tell me you’re an Army Ranger.”
“Why? You got a thing for soldiers, sweetheart?”
“Dubs,” I warn, not because Bri needs my protection, but because she’s got that gleam in her eye, and I care about my friend’s well-being.
Okay, but I also kind of want to see how this pans out.
“Don’tDubsme, Shaw. Bristly Bri is a big girl and can handle me all on her own,” he says with a finishing wink at my stepsister.
Bri bristles, unironically, and a laugh bubbles up my throat. She presses two fingers between her brows, eyes pinched shut. “Your name isWalker, you’re fromTexas, and you’re an ArmyRanger.”
Walker, the Ranger from Texas, smiles like there’s a hanger stuck between his cheeks. “Say my name again, princess.”
She winces. “Gross.” A pause for two beats then she turns to me. “Is this actually happening right now? Like, everyone in this Bermuda Triangle of missed jokes is totally serious?”
Poor Dubs actually manages to look confused. “What’d I miss?”
“You areliterallyWalker Texas Ranger,” she deadpans, brows low.
He barks a laugh so loud my phone speaker crackles. “Shaw, baby. You hear that? How come none of you boys ever figured thatone out?”
“Don’t know, man,” I offer, half focused back on the faucet. “Guess it never came up.”
“Well, I’ll be damned, honey.” He throws an arm around Bri and hauls her into his side. She scrunches her nose, but it’s no bother to Dubs. “You just unlocked my new favorite nickname.”
“Walker Texas Ranger is kind of a mouthful, don’t ya think?” She shrugs his arm away.
“Nah, haven’t you heard? Everything’s bigger in Texas,” he retorts, winking again.
Why am I even on this call?
Bri dry heaves. “I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.”
I should probably get this conversation back on track. “Dubs, seriously, what are you doing in North Carolina?”
“Seriously, I came to help. You wouldn’t let me come to Colorado so that left sweet, precious, would-never-hurt-a-fly Bri here. I know you’ve got a big residency to get to soon, so put me to work, baby.”