Jolene
“What are you gonna name her?” my dad asked me as I cradled the adorable calf.
“She’s a week old! Mama hasn’t already named her?”
He continued raking the hay out in Milkshake’s pen. “No, ma’am, Charlie Girl wanted to leave it up to you. She knows how much you love namin’ ‘em.”
I do love namin’ my babies.
“What about…,” I began. “Milkdud.”
“Milkdud?”
“Yes, sir,” I proclaimed proudly.
“I like it. It suits her.”
I cradled the baby cow’s head. “Welcome to the family, Milkdud.”
Across the pen, I caught my daddy smiling. “Why’re you lookin’ like the cat that caught the canary?” I teased him. Putting down the rake, he walked over to me and Milkdud.
“I’m just glad you’re home, Lee Lee,” he spoke softly. “I wish it wasn’t under these circumstances but I worry about you when you’re not here.”
Bless his heart.
“I know you do…but you know that whether I’m here, at Jace’s, or in my own place, I’m always gonna come home.”
He nodded. “I know it, but a dad is always gonna worry unless he has his eyes on you.”
“Did you worry about me when I was at Jace’s?” I asked curiously.
He laughed, the noise startling poor Milkdud.
“I’ve been worried for more than thirty years. Ever since that doctor handed me that little pink blanket. Nothin’ was the same after that.”
You had already been a daddy five years at that point…
“You already had Cruise when I was born,” I pointed out. “It wasn’t like you were new at it.”
“Cruise is a boy, though. I knew he would be rough and tough. You were tiny and fragile. I was worried the world would eat you alive.”
Kinda offensive that you labeled me as weak from the jump, Pops.
When I didn’t respond, he continued. “I was wrong, though. You ate the world alive. You became hardheaded, determined, and brave. You grew into a force to be reckoned with… but at the end of the day, you’re my baby and I’m always gonna wanna fix anything that hurts you.”
The world doesn’t deserve my daddy.
I slid Milkdud’s head out of my lap and stood up. “You’re the best dad in the world and Cruise and I are lucky to have you.” I gave him a big hug.
He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Enough of all this. Grab that basket. Go get those eggs gathered and take ‘em to your mama.”
I smiled. “Yes, sir.”
Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I checked my texts while I walked to the chicken coop.
Two missed calls from Jace, a Facebook notification, and a text from Dakota.
I tapped the notification eagerly.
The plan was to go this weekend but with the chance of being around Cassie? No, thanks.
I typed a quick response and pressed send.
Before sliding my phone back in my pocket, I opened Cassie’s picture message again. Dak looked so peaceful, sleeping just the way he was sleeping next to me in the mountains.
Maybe it’s an old picture.
Dipping into my crazy reservoir, I remembered there was a way to check the metadata of a picture if you have an iPhone.
I saved the picture she sent me to my phone’s camera roll.
Let’s see if I can remember how to do this.
I tapped the information button in the center of the options at the bottom of the phone then scrolled down to the metadata. Sure enough, it told me what type of phone the picture was taken on, the picture settings that were used, the time the picture was taken, and of course, the date it was taken.
And it was taken last night after he left my house.
Anger unfurled in the pit of my stomach.
She is his fiancé and you’re being a fuckin’ nutjob about this.
I knew I was being unreasonable, but it didn’t stop my anger from intensifying with every step I took.
I guess she’s able to convince a man to do anything so long as she doesn’t have clothes on… the bad part is, the men are just as weak as she is.
Dakota
“Good work, y’all. Let’s get the truck back in service.”
Nothin’ like a good workin’ structure fire to get the blood punmpin’.
I pulled the hose off.
“Lieutenant, can I see you in my office?” Chief Hennessy called out into the bay.
“Comin’, Chief,” I called back. “Y’all keep goin’, I’ll be right back.”
I walked into the station to find the Chief standing at the kitchen counter. “Let’s go to my office, DK.” He gestured for me to follow him.
Oh, lawd, I’m about to catch hell for the window ordeal.
I followed him into his office, shutting the door behind me.
“Have a seat.”
I sat in the chair across from his desk. “So, I’ve been thinkin’ it over and in regard to Jace switchin’ to this shift,” he began, “I’ve decided that I have faith that y’all can conduct yourselves to the standards we have set for this department.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“It was already the plan to move him because we need a sixth guy so we will be stacked if we need a second apparatus.”
“Whatever you think is best, Chief. I know I speak for myself and Jace when I say that our personal issues won’t penetrate these walls.”
He nodded. “I trust they won’t. That’s all I needed,” he dismissed me. “Good work today.”
I stood up. “’Preciate it, Chief.”
Zeke met me in the kitchen. “Truck is back in service, Lieu.”
“Fantastic. Rally the guys, would ya? I have an announcement.”
“Will do.” He headed back out into the bay.
May as well nip this shit in the bud before it starts.
Ten minutes later, the four of them were standing in my office waiting to hear what I had to say.
“Chief pulled me in earlier and let me know that Reynolds is still goin’ to be transferrin’ over to our shift.”
Their eyes widened.
“With that bein’ said, I don’t want anyone stating the obvious. I don’t want any mention of everything that is goin’ on. None of it breeches these walls. Understood?”
They all agreed.
“I know it will seem awkward at first,” I continued. “But we all have a job to do. Jace is our brother inside of the walls, mine included.”
More agreeing.
“Aight, that’s it. Y’all go eat somethin’ and rest up for the next one.”
They hurried out of my office. With a sigh, I picked up my phone from my desk. The home screen showed a text from Lena.
It’s handled, thanks? The fuck? What’s with the cold shoulder?
Ignoring her brush off, I sent her another message before checking my other texts. I had one from my daddy, one from my neighbor up the road, and two from Cassie.
Why the fuck are you texting me?
Irritated, I opened them, completely unsurprised to see that one of them was a naked picture of herself.
Why does she think she can sexualize her way out of this?
My phone vibrated in my hand. My stomach dipped when I realized it was a text from Lena.
I’m sorry, what?
Rage turned over in my gut.
That didn’t take long.
I wanted to ask her if she had lost her damn mind. I wanted to flip my desk the fuck over. I wanted to go to her house and talk some sense into her, but deep down, I knew it was her life, and she was smart enough to make her own decisions.
No matter how completely fuckin’ stupid the decisions are.
I couldn’t think of a supportive response, so I decided not to reply at all.
After putting my phone in the top drawer, I stood up from my desk chair.
Time to go take out every bit of this goddamn frustration in the weight room.