The Buy-In (Graham Brothers #1)(38)

“What have I told y’all about pig jokes?” he asks, and it’s then I see the badge on his belt. He’s a cop. I groan and release James’s shirt, rolling away.

“Well, now,” the officer says, dimples flashing our way now. “How about y’all stand up for me.”

Chest Hair lumbers to his feet. He starts to wipe his hands on his pants, then seems to realize they’re just as muddy. “Sure thing, Chevy.”

“Go on, now,” Chevy says, inclining his head toward the parking lot. Chest Hair doesn’t give us so much as a sideways look before slinking back and disappearing from the circle of lights.

“I’d offer you a hand,” Chevy says, “but I think you’d slide right out of my grip.”

The four of us get to our feet, looking like identical mud monsters. The very first thing I think about is how James is going to murder us over the interior of his truck if we have to ride home this way.

Chevy is still smiling, and it’s an impressive feat how he can look so friendly yet carry a mild threat in his words. “I think it’s about time to break up this party, don’t you?”

“I wouldn’t call it a party, exactly.” I rub my chin. “Looks more like an establishment ducking pretty far underneath the liquor laws.”

“Shut up, Pat,” Collin mutters.

Chevy only grins wider, his dimples becoming even more pronounced. “Funny you should mention the law,” he says. “That’s why I’m here. And we’re about to get to know each other a whole lot better. All four of you are under arrest.”

“And they talk about small-town hospitality,” James says.

“If you come quietly, I won’t even put the cuffs on you. How’s that for hospitality?”

“What are you even charging us with?” Collin sputters.

Chevy tilts his head, thinking. “For tonight, we’ll go with disturbing the peace.” He glances around the yard, then raises his already loud voice. “Is anyone here feeling their peace disturbed?”

Hands go up around the clearing, as well as shouts of affirmation.

“There you have it,” Chevy says. “Now, let’s find you a pickup with a big enough bed for y’all. I don’t want all this mud dirtying up my cruiser.” He grins at us again. I think in some other situation, he and I could laugh together over beers.

With a little bow, Chevy adds, “In case we’ve been remiss to say it, welcome to Sheet Cake, boys.”





From The Neighborly App





Subject: Mayor scandal?



Cal_45

In case you’ve been living under a rock or underground (looking at you, Wolf Waters) and didn’t hear, Mayor Whitehead sold Sheet Cake proper to some non-Sheeters. It’s been nice knowing ya! If you need me, I’ll be headed to Amarillo.



1BigBass

Mayor Whitehead is and always has been a total snake! Not that I blame him for leaving his shrew of a wife. No offense to shrews. Did he really buy an island? Who’s in charge of the town?



TheRealBob

From what I understand, the Grahams purchased the town. I’ll take football legacies over Mayor Whitehead any day of the week.



JB

I saw this coming years ago. No one listened during the last election but I bet you’re listening now! Billy Waters for mayor!



BagelBytes

Let’s not make this political.



JB

It literally IS political. The mayor is an elected official representing a particular party, therefore: political. I bet I can guess who YOU voted for.



1BigBass

Maybe we should just have Think Tank do it. He bought the town from the mayor! Tank Graham for mayor!!!



B_WatersJR

Howdy, folks! I see a lot of questions here and thought I’d step in as a representative of city council. We’ve called a special meeting and will hold a town hall next month to discuss and hear from Sheeters on our next steps in this unprecedented series of events. We encourage you to stay positive and not panic or spread baseless rumors. We’ll sort this out and keep this town running! Thanks so much for your patience and your support.

-Billy Waters



JB

I don’t know about anyone else but that sounded like a very mayoral post. My vote is with Billy. The whole Graham clan can [censored for language] a whole [censored for language] and a [censored for language] horse too!



Vanz

Billy and the Waters clan can go stick a [censored for language] in their big, white [censored for language] [censored for language]. They stole our land and I’ll never forget their [censored for language] thievery and [censored for language].



Neighborly Mod Users JB and Vanz have been temporarily muted for violating community standards. This thread is also being closed, and I’d urge all members to take note of the official post from city council. Find the link below. Please remember to be kind and above all, Neighborly!



[comments have been closed]



Subject: OFFICIAL RESPONSE FROM CITY COUNCIL RE: THE OFFICE OF MAYOR



City_Council_Official As many of you may know, Mayor Whitehead did effectively terminate his contract with the city and resign the office of mayor. He cannot be reached for comment. City council is holding a special meeting to discuss the next steps, and we will hold a Town Hall as soon as possible.