Reckless(65)

Jesus, that feels good.

Grunting, I let my head hang down while she works her magic. Would rather forget about Friday, and this back massage is the perfect way to do that.

“I can’t do this for long.” She whispers in my ear, “You have big muscles.”

I smile to myself, feeling like a puffed up peacock.

“So Logan, I have a question for you,” she says, still working over my shoulders. “Are you and Joey… you know?”

This I have to see. I crack my eyes and swing my head to the side. My mother has always wanted those two to end up together.

He’s shaking his head, confusion written all over his face. “Just friends.”

Tori snickers. “Like ‘just friends with bennies’ or ‘just friends but you wanna bang’ or ‘just friends and you’re both in denial’?”

I laugh, reaching back to scoop her into my lap. “So many options.”

“Right? I’ve been trying to figure them out because Joey is really pretty, and she obviously cares about him, but I’m thinking he’s in denial.”

“Like the river in Egypt.”

“I’m right here,” Logan points out. “And I swear Joey and I are really and truly platonic. Nothing has ever happened between us. She’s like a little sister. I would never corrupt her. I mean, we grew up together, so she knows what I’m like.”

Joey is kinda sheltered. I can understand my brother’s reluctance on some level. He loves to play the field, but he’d have to be ready to settle down to consider doing anything with Joey.

“Maybe she wants to be corrupted.” Tori coughs. “Just saying.”

“No way, dude.” Logan rubs the back of his neck. “She might read too many romance novels, but she knows we’re only buds.”

Tori makes this sound of disbelief. “So you’re totally cool with her dating someone else? Her being ‘corrupted’ by someone else?” The blood drains from Logan’s face, and Tori’s voice softens. “Maybe you should think about that before you dismiss her as someone you could be interested in.”

She’s right. One day Joey is gonna wake up and stop trailing behind my brother.

Tori gives Logan a sympathetic smile. “I don’t mean to hurt your feelings. I think you’re a good guy, but sometimes it’s hard to appreciate something that’s been staring you in the face for so long, and I don’t want you to lose out on a great woman because you’re worried it’s complicated.”

I love that she’s a straight shooter. She’s just expressed everything my family has always wondered about Joey and Logan’s non-relationship relationship.

He doesn’t say anything, which is surprising since he always has something to say about everything. After a few quiet minutes, Tori twists in my lap. “Are you feeling good about court this week?”

Groaning, I rest my head against her shoulder. “Not really, but there’s not much I can do. We’ve already submitted all of the financial docs the judge requested, which is why the office looked like a tornado had blasted through here.” Gave me a heart attack, trying to hunt down the tax returns while my brother pieced together our profit-and-loss statements for the year.

The thought of what might happen on Friday makes a cold sweat break out on my neck. “I’m hoping for the best. For the judge to see we’re maxed out already. For him to accept the verbal agreement I had with Allison before she decided she was out for blood.”

I glare at the giant file folder on the corner of my desk that has copies of everything we gave to our attorney, more than a little resentful I have to drag my family’s private business through court because of my mistakes.

“Can I ask a dumb question?”

I’m learning that Tori never asks dumb questions. “You can always ask me anything.”

“Do you guys ever compete in these?”

She reaches into the trash and, like a magnifying glass straight to my heart, pulls out a flyer for the Triple Crown Futurity, which is the premier cutting horse competition that takes place each year in Fort Worth.

“Nope.” That’s the easy answer. The other answer pains me too much to voice.

Logan stalks off the couch and snatches the flyer out of her hand. “You’d think with the four-million-dollar purse, we’d consider it, right?”

“You know that’s divided up a hundred ways for different events. One person doesn’t win all that.”

“But one person could win a big chunk, bro.”

“Why don’t y’all compete? I’m assuming your horses are at the top of their game, right?” She looks between me and my brother.

I scratch the stubble on my chin. “Yeah, they’re well trained. Some of our riders compete.”

“But… you don’t?” she asks.

Now that she’s redirected her attention from Logan’s dating to my lackluster life goals, I’m not as eager to see where this goes.

I stand, needing some space, and slide her off my lap.

Logan answers in my silence. “He used to. That’s how he’s licensed to train cutters now, and Dad thought Ethan would compete after college. That was the plan, at least.”

“Plans go to shit. Dad died. Allison got pregnant. We couldn’t afford to send you to college.” I don’t mean to bark at him, but I’m tired of revisiting these old wounds.