Page 25 of Pretty Little Scars

“Do you need anything from town?” she asks.

“I’m fine, Duchess. But thanks for the offer.”

She nods, and then slips past me, not bothering to make sure she doesn’t touch me this time. Her arm brushes mine and she doesn’t flinch.

We’re making progress.

CHAPTER SIX

DARBY

“Tell me literallyeverything,” my baby sister says as she sits across from me at The Moose Café, a breakfast-and-lunch spot in Silver Springs that I haven’t had the pleasure of trying yet. We’ve just ordered lunch, and Charlie’s sipping coffee—as usual—and studies me with sparkling blue eyes over her mug. She’s the bougie sister, with perfect hair and makeup and French-tipped nails that wouldn’t dream of being chipped, and I have to envy the one-shoulder cream sweater dress she’s wearing. My baby sister is a beautiful woman. “Don’t leave anything out.”

“What do you want to know?” I ask her.

“How’s the ranch? What’s it like there? Do you like the animals, the accommodations, the people? I hear Tucker Hendrix is hot as fuck, and I want to know if that’s true.”

Oh yeah. It’s true. No lies detected.

“I’m not setting you up with Tucker.”

“I’m not asking you to. I just want to know all the things. I’m nosy, and you’re my sister, andtell me.”

I smirk as our meals are set in front of us. A burger and fries for Charlie, and a salad with chicken and huckleberry dressing for me.

“It’s been fun so far,” I admit as I stab my fork into the greens. “The views at the ranch are amazing. I know, we had good views at our place, too, but?—”

“But he ruined them,” she says softly, referring to our nightmare of a father. “So a new amazing view is awesome. Do you have a decent room?”

“I have a whole cabin.”

Her eyes widen, and I proceed to tell her about my little cabin with the firepit out back, about riding Ellie and spending time with Tucker.

Of course, I don’t say a word about how I’d like to ridemy boss. I can’t get that man out of my head. The way he patiently watches me, how he so calmly helps me with Ellie. Not to mention when he calls me Duchess, I have to press my thighs together to ease the ache between my legs, and when he smiles, all bets are off.

Yeah, I have a crush on Tucker Hendrix and his swoony way of settling my overactive nervous system. I don’t even mind it when he touches me. In fact, Ilikeit. Who the hell am I?

“Tell me about you,” I say, stealing one of her fries and dipping it in her ranch. “Wedding season is just about upon us.”

“Honestly, wedding season never really ends around here,” she says with a smile. “Sure, summer and fall are still the craziest, but there are a lot of brides who want a winter wedding in the snow. It’s been a slow couple of months this spring, but starting next weekend, I have four weddings a week through October.”

“Jesus, Charlie, that’s a lot for one person.”

“I’m not a one-woman show anymore.” She grins and bites a french fry. “I hired two girls to help me on event days, to be my eyes and ears and extra hands.”

“Good for you.” She bumps my offered fist. “I’m glad you have help. And I have weekends off, if you ever need me.”

“Don’t offer that unless you mean it because I’ll rope you into helping me every chance I get.”

I laugh and glance up when the door opens, and I see Ava walk in with the guy she’s been dating since last fall, Chad. She doesn’t see me as they’re shown to a table on the opposite side of the café.

Ava’s gorgeous, with a curvy body and long dark hair, styled perfectly in beachy waves that flow almost to her waist. She’s in a red long-sleeved dress and knee-high boots, and she lookspissed.

Chad doesn’t look much happier.

I wonder what’s going on?

“Earth to Sissy,” Charlie says, waving her hand in front of my face. “Who do you see?”