Chapter 6
six
. . .
Cage
My phone vibrated as I sat at my desk, and I glanced down to see the never-ending text thread lighting up.
Georgia
Hey, I ran into Farah at Cup of Cove, and she told me she saw you talking to Presley Duncan when she picked up Gracie a few days ago.
Brinkley
WHAT? Why would you not tell us that? Why are we hearing it from a third party?
Because I didn’t want to make it a big fucking thing.
Hugh
I know it didn’t go well at Garrity’s the other night. Did it go better the second time around?
It’s fine. She met Gracie. We don’t hate each other. There’s not much more to say.
Georgia
You know you can tell us if you’re hurting.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. I’m fine. I don’t need a therapy session, so don’t go running to Mom and tell her about this. I’m fine. Presley’s fine. There is nothing to dissect.
Brinkley
Hmmmm… You’ve loved one woman in your entire grumpy existence, and you expect us to believe that it’s no big deal that she’s here? I’m not buying it.
Georgia
Same.
You don’t need to fucking buy it. Just because you two think something does not make it true. I. Am. Fucking. Fine.
Brinkley
Sure sounds like it.
I wasn’t about to tell them that my daughter had become consumed with questions about Presley.
She’d come home from dance and talked nonstop about my special friend.
How the fuck was I going to get her to tone it down before Sunday dinner?
The whole family would be all up in my business if this went any further.
Finn
I think he’s given his heart to Maxine now. Last time I was over, that pig was awfully territorial.
Hugh
How much longer are you keeping that beast anyway? The Langleys were having dinner at the restaurant last night, and Joe looked absolutely fine.
Those fucking Langleys are trying to use my daughter to get me to keep this fucking pig. It’s ridiculous. I’m going to stop by their house when I leave work today and return her. I’m lugging this damn pig with me to and from work every goddamn day because she loses her shit if I leave her home.
Brinkley
Go figure. She doesn’t want to stay home with the ever-exciting Bob Picklepants? I can’t imagine why.
Hugh
Do not hate on Bob. That’s my kind of dog. Last time I was over, he stuck his nose in my beer mug. He’s a cool dude. He’s just chill.
Georgia
Why don’t you just agree to keep Maxine? Gracie loves her, and I think you like her more than you let on. I saw that cute peach bandana you got her.
It’s just a bandana. I think I found it at Mom’s house.
Brinkley
That’s interesting. It has Maxine embroidered on it, Tough Guy.
Fine. Gracie saw it and begged me to get it for her. This is what I’m saying. My life is a shit show. I just spent an hour with Mr. fucking Wigglestein, trying to convince Mrs. Remington to get him fixed.
Finn
That fucker has knocked up more women in Cottonwood Cove than the Reynolds brothers have all together.
Don’t be crude. He’s impregnated multiple bitches, and she needs to get a handle on it and keep him contained, for fuck’s sake. I’ve got to go. I have one more client before I can get out of here.
Hugh
See you tonight at dinner.
Brinkley
I think it’s uncool that you have a men’s-only dinner without us.
Finn
You’re having dinner with Georgie, Reese, and Lila. What are you talking about?
Georgia
It’s the point. You could have asked and allowed us to turn you down.
We have dinner every Sunday night with all of us. It’s enough. You people are suffocating me.
Brinkley
Any chance you’ll invite Presley to Sunday dinner? Now, that would be exciting.
Finn
Presley and Maxine in the same room. Let the fireworks begin.
Hugh
I think Maxine is more likely to put up with his grumpy ass than Presley.
You fuckers need to get a life and stay out of mine.
I silenced my ringer and slammed my phone down before rubbing my temples.
“Dr. Reynolds,” Kate said, hovering in my doorway.
“What’s up?”
“Kressa Peterbaken is here with Chester, the latest stray puppy she’s found and adopted. I put them in room two, and that’s the last one for the day. But prepare yourself. I’m not a veterinarian, but something seems a bit off about this one.”
“Great. Of course, it is. This day just keeps getting better.” I pushed to my feet. “Did Mrs. Remington make an appointment to get Mr. Wigglestein fixed?”
“She made an appointment to come talk to you again because she has more questions.”
I fisted my hand and held it to my mouth. How many fucking times could we talk about fixing this fucking dog?
“What is her goddamn issue with getting him fixed? I mean, half the town is outraged by the whole situation.”
“I know. There are going to be little Wigglesteins coming in to see you for years to come,” she said over her laughter, and I shook my head.
“Not funny. I will meet with her one more time, and then I’ll refer her to my mother for emotional help. This isn’t a Mr. Wigglestein issue at this point. It’s a Mrs. Remington issue.”
“Agreed.”
I made my way into room two, and Kressa Peterbaken was standing in front of her small dog crate, talking baby talk to Chester.
“Hey, you got a new pup, huh?” I asked as I closed the door and set the file on the counter before glancing into the crate to see a fucking raccoon looking back at me.
“Isn’t he precious? I think he’s part Maltese and part Terrier. What do you think?”
I cleared my throat. When I graduated top of my class in veterinary school, they could not have prepared me for the shit I was dealing with in Cottonwood Cove.
“I don’t believe that he is part Maltese or Terrier,” I said, raising a brow as I crossed my arms over my chest because I didn’t have time for this shit right now.
“Really? Do you think he’s part bulldog?”
I’d known Kressa for many years, as she used to work for my parents at Garrity’s before retiring a few years ago. I didn’t want to be cruel, but I also didn’t have the patience to make this okay.
“This is not a dog, Kressa. You’ve got yourself a raccoon in there.”
“What? Really? Well, he was hanging out in my yard for weeks, so I decided to get him into the crate and bring him here for shots before I let him in the house with the other dogs.”
“Well, he isn’t a dog, so that won’t be happening.”
“Will he need different shots?”
“No. He’s a wild animal, so he needs to be set free. It’s against state law to keep any wildlife as a pet.”
“Well, isn’t that ridiculous. He seems like a dog to me.”
“But he isn’t a dog. He’s a raccoon.”
And I’m a fucking doctor who doesn’t have time to convince you that you lured a fucking wild animal into your dog crate.
“So, I guess I need to go fight this with the county?”
“I recommend setting him free to live the life he was meant to live.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“All right, then. I hope he won’t feel abandoned.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem.” I nodded as I pulled the door open and shot a look at Kate, who was sitting behind the desk with her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.
I shook my head and heard Kressa going on and on about what a shock it was that Chester was a raccoon. Then I finished up my paperwork and left for the day.
When I got to Reynolds’ Bar and Grill, I was already exhausted.
I’d just made my daughter dinner and dropped her off at my parents’ house for a few hours so they could watch some new movie that had just come out and bake cookies.
I was meeting Finn, Hugh, Lincoln, and Maddox at Reynolds’ for a guys’ night.
We tried to get together at least once a month, without the girls, so we could shoot the shit without a million questions derailing the conversation.
Sometimes we played poker, and other times we came to Reynolds’ for the best ribs in town.
I’d completely wasted my time stopping by the Langleys’ on my way home from work because when Martha opened the door, she started coughing profusely, and Joe had to go get her inhaler.
I’m sure the Langleys were milking it, but Maxine and I hightailed it out of there. I dropped her off at the house, leaving her outside in the backyard until I got home.
She was the houseguest that just wouldn’t leave.
I tugged my coat closed as a gust of wind whipped around me as I made my way to the door. We were expecting a big storm in the next few days. Once I stepped inside, Hugh walked toward me quickly, and I could tell by the look on his face that something was wrong.
“Wes Wellington is at the bar. He claims he’s here to meet Presley.”
“Well, he’s got some fucking nerve coming here, of all places.” I stormed past my brother, and he gripped my shoulder, but I shook him off because I was on a fucking mission.
“Who the fuck do you think you are, coming here?” I shouted as I yanked him out of his seat.
His glass dropped from his hand, clanking against the bar as liquid splattered all around. I shoved him back, and he stumbled to get his footing.
My fist was raised, and there was nothing I wanted more than to knock this fucker out.
I hated him for marrying my girl all those years ago, and I hated him even more today for hurting her the way he had.
“Brother, you need to relax.” Hugh clutched my shoulder hard, and I turned to see Finn, Lincoln, and Maddox all standing there now, watching me with concern.
“You must be Cage Reynolds,” Wes said, holding his hands up before reaching for a napkin to wipe the red wine off his suit jacket.
“And you must be fucking insane to come here, to this restaurant, after what you’ve put her through.”
“How about you sit down and let me get us each a drink before Presley shows up to meet me and we cause her more stress than necessary.”
“She knows you’re here?”
“She chose the restaurant.”
Kline, the bartender, gathered the broken glass off the bar top, and I motioned for the guys to head back to the table. Hugh lingered before tapping me on the shoulder once. I took a seat beside the asshole that I desperately wanted to knock out.