Page 17 of The Patron Saint of Timber Hollow

"Especiallythen." Jay orders, leaning around me to grab a piece of bacon off the plate that remained miraculously untouched during ourmorning delight.

"Fair enough," I reply, stepping out from under his arm to go back upstairs to shower. Jay grabs a slice of bacon, watching me leave.

"We're not done with this conversation!" He eventually shouts after me as I ascend the stairs.

Ignoring that comment, I shout, "Are you coming?" and toss my shirt down the stairs to summon him. Jay's thundering steps are my answer.

Hours later, as I'm driving into work, I can't help but wonder what Saint's knott looks like.

8

A good egg

Marcus offered me a ride today, so you don't need to come get me.

Sweet. Tell Marcus I said thanks.

Coyote Bills on Fire Night is always a rollercoaster. There are the tedious opening hours, a trickle of patrons before the happy hour rush, and fire hour. The boys have become regulars on the nights I work, Dante even more so than Jay or Saint.

Tonight, I decide to corner Ivy and ask her what she and the Magpie are up to. It's not like I can't guess, but I want to hear it from my friend.

I stroll into a relatively empty bar, dressed in my favorite jeans—the black ones with a rip right under the ass-cheek—and a tight-knit tank, with my feet tucked into boots.Perfect.

Sam is already here, dressed in leather pants and a cropped tee behind the bar, drying glassware.

As I clock in, I say, "I'm going to look for Ivy. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Sam shrugs, leaning against the back cooler on one hip, bobbing her head to the music streaming through jukebox speakers. "Bronco arrives today, so you don't have to come to get me anymore."

"Aw. I liked our trips together," I pout, but truth be told, having to account for enough time forbothof us was getting tiresome.

"I know, we'll have to bring girls' night back."

"Deal." I immediately agree, pointing at her as I walk away to find the boss lady.

Finding Ivy takes barely any time at all. She's in her office, by the looks of it, scribbling a draft of next month's schedules on a paper copy of the calendar. Normally, our schedules aredistributed in a shared electronic calendar for the bar… I hadn't realized that she did it by hand first.

"Hey!" I say with a cheesy grin plastered on my face.

"Hey,"Ivy greets, a knowing smile on her lips.

"So, I've been wondering," I begin, perching on the spare chair in the corner of her tiny office.

"You've been wondering," Ivy agrees, propping her chin on her hand, elbow planted on her desk.

"Whatcha' been up to with a Mr Dante Kincayde?" I finish, an innocent grin still plastered across my face.

Ivy's cheeks immediately flush, jaw flapping open for one second before she regains control of her face. "We're just friends."

"Sure, friends who bang at every opportunity." I agree without missing a beat.

"I-how-what-no, that's not." Ivy stumbles over her words, a flush spreading from her cheeks, down her neck, and even a little on her forehead. Then, she sighs and says, "How did you figure it out?"

"Well, for one, neither of you are particularly subtle, but the Magpie tells Jay where he's going almost always." I shrug, still grinning at her. "So, is that all you want?"

Ivy shrugs in return, saying, "I don't know. I'm having fun. It's enough for now."

"Fornow,"I repeat, eyebrow raised.