Hanging On (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2)(97)

“Only to your face!” I yelled after him.

“You shouldn’t ’a done it, Betz. But thanks. You, neither, Jessica. I know what your face looks like right ‘afore you explode. It’s just…she’s used to an affluent family. She thinks, rightly, that slang makes a guy sound uneducated.”

“Stupid comments are what makes a guy seem uneducated,” Lump corrected, back to studying her beer label.

“Yeah, well, I was just tryin’ ta—“

“—get laid. We know,” I interrupted.

Adam’s face went red and he shook his head, a small smile curling his lips. “Think I’m going to go join the guys.”

After he was gone Lump said, “If he was out to prove he could put up with a lot of shit, then point proven.”

“Didn’t think you would jump to his defense,” I said evenly, purposely watching William lean against the bar so Lump didn’t think I was implying anything. William’s perfect chest was pointed my way so I admired his pecks while Lump stared at the side of my face.

When she was convinced I wasn’t up to mischief, she said, “Adam is a good friend of Willie’s, and Willie treats my best bud like a princess. Adam is, therefore, one of my good friends, once removed. I don’t let people treat my friends like that.”

“Plus, Adam is probably putting up with a lot of shit so you don’t think he’s a monster.”

“And that, yeah.”

“He isn’t, though. You know—a monster…”

“Don’t start.”

I shrugged. I wasn’t in the mood to go swimming with my clothes on.

Later that night, in a moment of insecurity, I asked William if he liked Elise better than me. She was subtle and polite and petite and rich. I was told not to be dumb—he liked the loud, irritating, bitchy, Amazon types—I was perfect.

Adam apparently met her through some family friends. She was from Georgia, or maybe South Carolina? I wasn't listening that closely. They’d met a couple weeks ago and hit it off right away. That’s what William said, anyway.

I held my tongue on that one. I’d noticed that William had avoided her all night. He was a great conversationalist, and just as polite, but to him, like us, it was effort, and he didn’t like hanging out with friends to be work.

It was something no one wanted to admit to Adam.

Chapter Twenty

Work was going well. It was getting close to year end so tensions were running high. We had to get the year-end close in order, and start getting our things straight for the eventual audit. The company was performing solidly, though, and we would be getting bonuses if the numbers panned out. There were even talks of expansion in the near future, which meant William might have to travel, but it wasn't for sure yet.

It wasn’t long before the big news came that Ty was going to ask Candace to marry him! Men did love to gossip. I was thinking Ty would ask at Christmas time when the families were all together, but Candace had it in her head for next year, so I didn't say anything.

Candace, like most modern women, wanted a ring she liked, but wanted to be surprised when he proposed. Ty, like most modern men, didn’t have a clue about jewelry, so knowing what Candace liked was next to impossible. Conundrum.

We, meaning Lump and I, decided we’d go with Candace, help her pick out a ring, show the final product to Adam and William who would relay the information to Ty. Which was the second plan I suggested. Because I'm brilliant.

I have no idea why I got scoffs when I pointed that out.

The day of the great ring pick-out we all met at Adam's to give him more time to do farm crap. It was the first time I’d been there, so I was interested to see what kind of place he lived in. William called it nosey. I reminded him that opinions were like ass**les; everyone had one and they all stunk, so he could shove it up his hole.

Lump laughed from the back of the car.

We pulled into Adam’s moderate sized house on the edge of the city. It had a big yard—about an acre apparently—with landscaping and grass and trees and other lovely yard things. He even had a lawn jockey! That had been a joke gift from William when Adam bought the place, and Adam thought it was funny enough to keep around.

We parked next to a shiny Mercedes, or “Merc” as Adam called it, and filed out.

“I thought he had a ranch,” Lump said, looking around.

“He does,” William answered, waiting for us to have a look around before heading to the expansive porch with two rocking chairs next to the door. “It’s way out of town. There’s a ranch house on it, and while it’s livable, it’s not all that comfortable.”

“Why?” Lump asked, walking around the grass.

“Needs a new roof, a new furnace, and some interior fixing. It’s more for the ranch hands to have a place to eat lunch and rest than anything.”

“I feel like I’m on an episode of the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Two houses, nice cars, employees…”

William looked around with consternation. It wasn’t nearly as much as his family had, so he wasn’t quite sure what Lump was talking about. He did know, though, that Adam didn’t identify with his money. He had it, and he made it prosper, but he’d got it from a father he hated and nearly killed once—saying thank you for the handout was a tough pill to swallow.