Page 36 of Daddy’s Fortitude

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a really bossy bastard?”

“Trying to get me to do what you want with flattery, huh?” he said.

“That wasn’t flattery,” she exclaimed.

“Sounded like it to me,” he said as he got in his truck and Kirsten waved him over to where she had a trailer ready to go.

Kirsten jogged back to her, and they stared at Ammo as he hooked up the trailer. He was bent over, and Lord, his ass was a thing of beauty.

Before she could stop it, a sigh escaped her.

“Girl, that is one fine, fine man,” Kirsten told her.

Again, that weird feeling hit her stomach. It felt like jealousy. Which was crazy. Because she wasn’t jealous of Kirsten, right? It wasn’t like she wanted Ammo. Sure, he was gorgeous and protective, but he could also be grouchy and bossy.

So no, she definitely wasn’t jealous of Kirsten.

“You should totally go for that,” Kirsten told her.

What?

Turning, she stared at her best friend.

“Go for that?” she repeated.

“Yeah, you should go for that. Go for that man. Get him in your bed. Get yourself some.”

“Kirsten, Charlie’s just died.”

“It wasn’t like he was giving it to you,” Kirsten said.

Aimee regretted getting drunk a few months ago and telling Kirsten everything about her relationship with Charlie, not that Kirsten hadn’t known quite a bit of it already. But she’d gone into more detail than she would have while sober.

“Which is probably a blessing, since he was giving it to everybody else in the next three counties. No doubt that guy had some serious STDs. So at least you’ve got that to be grateful for.”

“Awesome. Yep. I’ll get up Sunday at the funeral and say, at least Charlie didn’t give me an STD.”

Kirsten grinned. “You should totally do that.”

“I can’t do that,” Aimee told her, aghast. “Charlie is dead. It wouldn’t be right.”

“Yeah but imagine how scandalized everyone would be. It would be the talk of the town,” Kirsten said.

“I don’t actually like being the talk of the town,” Aimee replied. She felt like that had been her life for the last few years with Charlie.

Kirsten sighed and wrapped her arm around her. “Yeah, I know you don’t. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t joke about stuff like that. Charlie was a total dickhead, though. He doesn’t deserve you trying to give him a good send-off or to speak nicely about him, when he never really did anything nice for you.”

“Once upon a time, he did,” she said. “That’s the part I’m trying to remember. The Charlie that I fell in love with, not the Charlie that treated me like dirt.”

“You should seriously think about sleeping with this guy, though. He’s gorgeous. He’s trying to help you. And he’ll be gone in a few days. It’s really a win-win. Plus, that ass.”

Yeah. That ass.

“He’s kind of got this grouchy-Daddy vibe going on,” Kirsten added. “It’s sexy as hell.”

No. It wasn’t.

Okay, maybe it kind of was.