Beautiful Oblivion (The Maddox Brothers, #1)(44)

I crossed my arms across my stomach. “I hope they get a hotel room.”

“Why?” Raegan asked.

“Because the girl he’s in love with is at his apartment. And if those State girls go home with him, he is going to wake up in the morning and hate himself.”

“He’ll figure a way out of it. He always does.”

“Yeah, but this time it’s different. He was pretty desperate. If he loses that girl, I don’t know what he’ll do.”

“He’ll get drunk, and then get laid. That’s what all the Maddox boys do.” I craned my neck at her, and she offered an apologetic smile. “I warned you a long time ago not to get mixed up with them. You have yet to listen to any of my advice.”

“You should talk,” I said, reaching up and pulling the horn for last call.





CHAPTER TWELVE





I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU LET HIM TALK YOU INTO KEEPING THE dog,” I said, shaking my head.

Trenton stretched out on my couch, covering his eyes with his arm. “It’s just for a couple more days. Travis is throwing Abby a surprise party on Sunday, and he’s going to give it to her then. The puppy’s actually kind of cute. I’m going to miss him.”

“Did you name him?”

“No,” Trenton said, making a face. “Okay, I kind of named him. But Abby’s going to name him, so it’s not permanent. I explained that to him.”

I chuckled. “Are you going to tell me?”

“No, because it’s not his name.”

“Tell me anyway.”

Trenton smiled, his arm still covering his eyes. “Crook.”

“Crook?”

“He steals my dad’s socks and hides them. He’s a little criminal.”

“I like it,” I said. “Raegan’s birthday is coming up, too. I need to get her something. She’s so hard to shop for.”

“Get her one of those GPS stickers for her keys.”

“That’s not a bad idea. When is your birthday?”

Trenton smiled. “July fourth.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m not bullshitting you.”

“Is your real name Yankee Doodle?”

“I haven’t heard that one before,” he deadpanned.

“Aren’t you going to ask when mine is?”

“I already know.”

“No, you don’t.”

He didn’t hesitate. “May sixth.”

My eyebrows shot up.

“Chamomile. I’ve known since, like, the fourth grade.”

“How do you remember that?”

“Your grandparents sent you balloons every year on the same day until you graduated.”

My eyes wandered as my mind did. “One balloon for every year. I had to stuff eighteen balloons into the Smurf my senior year. I miss them.” I snapped out of it. “Wait a minute . . . you are bullshitting me. Isn’t Travis’s birthday April Fool’s Day?”

“April first, yeah.”

“And yours is on Independence Day?”

“Yeah, and Thomas’s is on St. Patrick’s Day, and the twins were born January first.”

“You are such a liar! Taylor and Tyler’s birthday is in March! They came in to celebrate at the Red last year!”

“No, Thomas’s birthday is in March. They came to help him celebrate and just said it was their birthday to get free shots.”

I glared at him.

He chuckled. “I swear!”

“Maddox boys can’t be trusted.”

“I resent that.”

I looked at my watch. “It’s almost time for work. We better get going.”

Trenton sat up, and then rested his elbows on his knees. “I can’t keep coming to see you at the Red every night and then working all day. It’s exhausting.”

“No one said you have to.”

“No one pulls this schedule if they don’t have to. Only if they really want to. And I really want to.”

I couldn’t stop the grin that touched my lips. “You should try working all night at the Red and then working all day.”

“Quit your bitchin’, ya big baby,” he teased.

I held my fists together. “That’s Baby Doll to you.”

Someone knocked on the door. I frowned, looked at Trenton, and then walked over to the entry way, and looked through the peephole. It was a man about my age, with big eyes, flawlessly coifed hair, and a face so perfect he looked like he had walked straight out of a Banana Republic catalog. He wore a mint-green Oxford button-down, jeans, and loafers. I recognized him but wasn’t sure from where, so I kept the chain on the door when I opened it.

“Hi,” he said, chuckling nervously.

“Can I help you?”

He leaned over and touched his hand to his chest. “I’m Parker. My friend Amber Jennings lives next door. I saw you coming home last night as I was heading home, and I thought maybe you’d like to—”

The chain clinked when it fell, and Trenton opened the door the rest of the way.

“Oh,” Parker said. “Maybe not.”

“Maybe not,” Trenton said. “Get the f*ck outta here, Parker.”