Page 30 of The Cowboy's Cabaret

TWENTY-FOUR

dale fuckin’ sucks

Dahlia

A heavy presencearound me has me melting into the bed I’m sleeping in. The morning light slowly streams in through the curtains illuminating the lush black comforter I’ve got pulled up to my chin.

It takes a second before I remember the comforter in the guest room was brown as I register the firm body pushed up against my back. Realization dawns on me as I take in Wes’ room in fresh daylight. It’s funny how things feel so stark in the early hours of the morning. I allow myself a minute to soak in the warmth of this intimacy before I roll over to face Wes.

I turn to find him sleepy eyed with a soft smile. “Good morning. You snore.”

I scoff and move to push him off the bed when he grabs both my hands. “It’s cute. I felt like I had my own little white noise machine with me.”

The moment of intimacy is gone, and I’m considering smothering him with a pillow. “Okay, well at least I’m not a furnace when I sleep. I think we could have baked cookies with the heat coming off you.”

Wes lets go of my hand and moves to sit up, scooting away from me a bit. I appreciate he’s being respectful and giving me space, but I’m caring less and less about space as the seconds pass, especially when I notice he’s got a pillow across his lap.Interesting.

“I’m a great cuddle buddy. Think of me like a heated, emotional support blanket. You’re actually welcome. I could probably charge for my services, since I put you to sleep in record time. One second you were yapping, the next you were snoozing.”

“Put me? Put me to sleep.” I scoff. “Now you’re asking for a pillow to the face.” I get up and hit him with his gigantic memory foam pillow. It hits him with a muffled thud and I move to the door. “Thank you for the sleepover and early morning harassment. I’m gonna go find Daphne and start packing up so we can head back to the city.” He pulls the pillow off his face and sends me a blinding smile, one I mentally save.

Unfortunately for me,my journey back to my room is halted by my sharp-eyed best friend who appears in front of me like an apparition. I’m not sure how long she’s been standing there, but her shit-eating grin is a good indication she was there long enough.

“Well, well, well. Aren’t we cozy? Did you have a nice sleepover, sweetie?”

“Hello to you too. Did you crawl out of Jasper’s ass?” I’m fucking with her and she knows it, but she still narrows her eyes at me. The look would be enough to make a grown man’s balls shrivel, so I disarm her with a hug and a big kiss on the cheek.

“Alright, I think we’ve bullied each other enough this morning. You packed up?” She relents.

“Yeah, I’ve got my shit ready. Did you guys get anything done with the grant last night or were you too busy sucking face?”

I hiss at her to hush, fearful Wes will hear her. “Girl. No sucking face. We worked and bullshitted about life and our parents. The trauma dump knocked us both out. We are still firmly in the friend camp. And he’s a good one, so I don’t want to lose him.” As I pack up my things, Daphne tells me how she enjoyed herself way more than she thought. She’s beaming as she talks about the horses.

Once we’re packed up, we meet Wes downstairs. “Aunt Lorraine wants to say bye before we head out, so we’ll swing by the main house on the way out.” That makes me smile, since I know she’s one of Wes’ only family members. Not that it matters if his family likes me. I’m not his girlfriend so, not important. If I was his girlfriend, I’d want her to like me. My inner spiral is interrupted by Wes’ hand waving in front of my face. “You in there, Dahlia?”

“Yes, yes. Yes, let’s head out.” I’m nodding like a bobble head. I make a move to grab my backpack off the floor, but Wes beats me to it, carrying it out to the truck.

At the main house,Lorraine pulls me into a crushing hug and whispers a soft thank you before moving to a hug Daphne. Jasper is lurking across the room, staring at Daphne and his mom like they’re a threat to national security. Daphne looks at him with a wink and he rolls his eyes so hard I’m worried they’ll fall out.

“Don’t be too long. Still got shit to do today.” Classic Jasper.

Amber comes down the hall to say her goodbyes at the same time a beer-bellied bald man comes through the front door. “Dale, what the fuck are you doing here?” Jasper bites out. Ah, Dale, Amber’s husband.

“Jasper, my boy. Watch your mouth talking to me like that. This is my house after all. I’m here to be with my family, ain’t that right, Amber dear?” Even the way he talks is slimy, like some evil hick salesman.

Amber tenses, before quickly schooling her features. If I wasn’t staring at her already, I would’ve missed it. “Right, Dale. I’m glad to see you. The boys are upstairs.”

“I won’t be around long, just came to pick up some things for a friend of mine. We might meet up with them later. He’s got a real pretty girl on his arm too. Do your makeup how I like.” My skin crawls at his overt demands. Wes cracking his knuckles clues me in this might be how Dale is. I know men like Dale—shit, my dad is a man like Dale—tearing you down for no reason other than to remind you of your place.

I recognize the rage building in Daphne when she moves to strike, but Jasper beats her to it. “Shut the fuck up. Get what you came for and move along.”

Amber pales and shakes her head before heading back where she came from. Lorraine nods at us before following Amber. Dale scoffs like this entire interaction has been a waste of his precious time, and disappears down the hallway.

In the car,Daphne breaks the silence surrounding us for the last fifteen minutes. “So, fuck Dale right? I mean he’s a literal walking shit stain. Why on earth is he allowed anywhere near Amber or the kids?”

Wes sighs. “Dale’s been making more money lately and I think he holds it over Amber’s head—threats of using the money elsewhere and not to help her or the farm survive. Not like we see a cent from him. He’s a lazy fuck too, so I don’t even know if his money’s clean.”

“So, she puts up with it for the kids and financial stability? That’s shitty and I’m sure he knows exactly what he’s doing to her. Jasper can’t do anything about it?” I ask because while Jasper did yell at Dale, he didn’t knock his ass flat out. Based on Jasper’s constant simmering rage, it’s surprising he hasn’t put Dale in the ground yet.