Rainbow Hill (10 page)

“I knew it,” Nikki hissed. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You used to tell me everything. No secrets between friends, remember?”

“I’m telling you now,” Ethan shot back. “And don’t make me regret it.”

“What do you mean?” A look of innocence swept over Nikki’s face. She batted doe-like eyes.

“I don’t want anyone to know. Dad. Quinn. The entire town.”

“Deal, but you better start talking before I reach across this table and strangle it out of you.”

Ethan wasn’t sure if Nikki was being serious or not so he decided to let it all go before he found out the hard way.

From the moment Ethan opened his mouth, the words fell from his lips like a waterfall. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but after it was all said and done, he felt like he had experienced a catharsis, a huge weight lifted from off his shoulders.

Now finished, he waited expectantly while gazing at Nikki, her mouth slightly ajar, a look of shock masking her features. “Fuck me” was all she said when she managed to speak.

Ethan lifted his hand into the air and whistled, calling over the waitress. Only after ordering two more drinks, one for each, Nikki began consoling. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” she said. “So what are you going to do? Do you think it was only a fling, one of those itch things, or is this Splitsville?”

Before Ethan could answer, Nikki continued. “I really hate Randall right now. He was never good enough for you.” She narrowed her eyes. “Never. He always thought that since you came from a small town, he was better than you. What a fucking asshole. Do you want Ryan to go kick his ass? Because if I asked him to, he would.”

Ethan shook his head, falling in love a little more with his best friend. “That won’t be necessary. It’ll work out.”

“You mean you intend to forgive him?”

“I don’t know what I intend to do.”

“Has he asked you to?”

Ethan remained silent.

“He hasn’t, has he?”

He knew he was pathetic.

Nikki reached across the table and took Ethan’s hand. “Sweetie, forget about Randall. There are much better men out there.”

“But I love him.”

“Why?”

He wanted to get angry and protect Randall…but he couldn’t, Nikki’s question was a reasonable one. “I don’t know,” Ethan mumbled, wishing the waitress would arrive ASAP. “Maybe it’s because I know that he did—”

“He cheated,” Nikki interrupted.

“Once love me,” he finished. “Maybe we can get that back if I just hold on long enough until he returns to his senses. He can’t possibly stay with Juan or Emilio or Angel for too terribly long.”

“Why can’t he? That guy probably has buns of steel and pecs to match, not to mention a very big—”

“What’s your point?” Ethan was starting to lose his patience.

“My point is it’s over. O-V-E-R,” Nikki spelled.

“You don’t know that.” Ethan crossed him arms over his chest, an act of defiance. “And you don’t know him.”

“You’re right, I don’t.” Nikki returned. “And why is that? I’ll tell you why. It’s because he never comes here and does this.” Nikki waved her arms around. “Does anything with anyone. He just turns his nose up and makes irritating noises with his teeth. He’s an asshole, and I’m sorry you’re in pain, but the best thing for you to do is to forget about him. He doesn’t deserve you. He never did.”

Nikki was right, this Ethan knew. But it still hurt hearing it, especially from his closest friend.

From out of the crowd, the waitress appeared and left the drinks on the table without a word, which Ethan was thankful for. He didn’t have the energy for small talk. The two friends sat in silence and sipped their drinks, waiting for the air to clear a bit before resuming their talk.

Ethan decided to make the first move. “Thanks for defending me. Although it hurts to hear it, I know Randall isn’t going to come back. And you’re right when you call him an asshole.” Ethan chuckled when he said the derogatory remark. It was fun to say it about the man who had made him feel like shit for the last four weeks. He repeated it again, but this time louder and with more force. “Asshole!”

Nikki chuckled too. “Asshole!”

“God that sounds good to say,” Ethan admitted. “My poor mother’s probably turning over in her grave right now. She hated profanity. Said it was for people with low intellect.”

“Pshaw,” Nikki slurred. “I knew your mother, and she would’ve agreed with us. She might not have called Randall an asshole, but she certainly would have called him a jerk.”

Ethan nodded. “Yep. She was fond of that word. Even when she was angry, she was kind.” Sadness washed over Ethan, the alcohol buzzing in his brain. “I miss her so much. More than ever now that I’m home. I see her everywhere.” His throat tightened, and the muscles behind his eyes began to ache. “I’m sure Dad does too.”

Nikki’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Please don’t make me cry. You know that when I get started, I can’t stop. Plus, it’s embarrassing to do it in a redneck country bar drunk off my ass. It’s a cliché.”

Laughter bubbled from deep within Ethan’s gut and erupted into the cacophony of the bar, blending in. Nikki wiped away a tear that had managed to fall, sharing in the laughter. “You really are special,” Ethan said.

“Special as in the short-bus kind of special, or as in the cotton candy and yummy chocolate bar kind of special?

“Sometimes it’s hard to differentiate, but this time, it’s the latter.”

“I’m so glad you asked me if you could braid my hair during third grade recess. If you hadn’t, I might not be sitting here now killing brain cells with you.” Nikki sighed and smiled drunkenly. “I love you.” The smile grew larger and more lopsided. “And Randall is a fool if he doesn’t. Go after Quinn. He’s lovely. Tall, tanned, muscular, sweet, and lovely.”

“He doesn’t want me,” Ethan scoffed. "And I’m not so sure that I want him.”

“Then you’re the one on the short bus, buddy, not me.” She stabbed a finger at Ethan. “He’s a catch,” Nikki said, except it came out more like cassshhhhhh.

“You’re drunk.”

“So what if I am.” She stuck out her tongue. “You’re horny. Remember that incident in the shed this afternoon? What do you think would’ve happened if Quinn walked in and caught you spanking the monkey? Do you think he would’ve walked away, or joined in?”

“He walked away.”

“You don’t know that for sure. You are only guessing he saw you, but I have my doubts.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I think he has a thing for you.” Nikki arched her brow. “I saw some sexy twinkling in those gorgeous eyes of his, and it was aimed at you.”

“Stop it. Don’t fuck with me because my ego can’t take it.”

“Well, tell your ego to buck up because I’m telling you that I think Quinn’s interested.”

“It’s the alcohol talking.”

“Yeah, but when I’m sober tomorrow, I will say the same exact thing.”

A nervous flurry of excitement mixed with anticipation fluttered in Ethan’s chest, building.
Could Nikki be right
? She had always been spot on about most things except when she convinced him into getting blond highlights that turned out more copper than blond. He cringed with the memory.

“Are you sure, because I don’t see it?”

“You never see it. You're—” Nikki shifted against her seat, a look of concentration on her face. “—you!”

“Thanks,” Ethan mumbled, taking a sloshy sip from his cocktail. “I notice things.”

“But you never notice when the good guys look your way, only the ones who want to steal your soul and leave you feeling like roadkill.”

Ethan accepted her observation. Nikki was right. It had been his experience that Mister Right always turned out to be Mister Wrong. Always. “Okay, let’s just say that you’re right about this. I don’t want to move to some state where there is tons of fresh air and hiking. Fresh air doesn’t agree with me, and it makes me… wheeze.”

“If that happens, you fool, allow Quinn to supply your oxygen.” She puckered her lips and made kissing noises. “Those lips can breathe life into me any day, that is if I was a gay man and he was into me.”

Ethan rolled his eyes and took another drink. “It would never work. We’re too different. We don’t want the same things out of life.”

“And what would that be? A Range Rover? A fancy wardrobe? The must-have limited-edition cologne of the moment? You already have those things and look at you, drunk off your butt in a shithole bar crying in your cocktail. You don’t look ecstatic to me. Actually you look kinda pitiful.” She smiled tightly. “Just sayin’.”

“This night out was supposed to make me feel better about myself.”

“Isn’t it?”

Ethan shrugged. “I don’t feel any worse.”

“That’s something.”

He shrugged again. “But I am
not
pursuing Quinn Kincade. Definitely not.” Ethan shook his head drunkenly. “No way.”

“Then let him pursue you,” Nikki advised. “Allow things to happen organically.”

“And if they don’t?”

“Then you’ve lost nothing.”

“But I just wished that I really knew if things were over with Randall. It would be so much easier if I did.”

“Has he called to check on you? See if you arrived in one piece and you’re not dead along the highway somewhere feeding vultures.”

“He hasn’t.” Ethan’s voice was weak with shame.

“A text?”

“No.”

“Huh,” Nikki delivered. “I’d say it’s over.”

Ethan knew that too, but he hated loose ends. He just needed to hear it from Randall’s lips and then he could move on. He searched the room looking at no one in particular, lost in his thoughts.

Quinn
.

Chapter Eight

“What was that?” Nikki asked, sitting up and jerking her head around. “Did you just say that Quinn’s here?”

“Did I say that out loud?”

“Yes, and he’s coming over right now.” Nikki reached across the table and finger-combed Ethan’s hair.

“What are you doing?” Ethan hissed, pulling away from her styling efforts.

“Trying to make you look sexy.”

Quinn appeared by the table, his unsettling chocolate-brown eyes looking down at them. “This looks like trouble.” His lips curled up at the corners, and his gaze rested on Ethan. “Mind if I join you?”

Nikki answered first. “Scoot your butt over,” she directed to Ethan, “and let the man sit down.”

Anxiety ripped away at Ethan, and the heat level in the crowded bar notched up a few degrees. Beads of sweat formed on Ethan’s forehead as he slid over to make room for Quinn.

“What ya drinking?” Quinn asked. “And how much have you been drinking?”

“We just got here,” Nikki lied. She hiccupped. “What would you like? I’m buying this round.”

“Soda’s fine.”

“Oh c’mon, party pooper,” Nikki said. “Get something harder.”

“Tomorrow comes very early,” Quinn returned. “And having a hangover makes them that much earlier.”

Nikki nodded, eyeing her drink. “I’m positive I’ll regret doing what I’m doing when the alarm goes off at six a.m. Trying to coax two preteens out of bed and onto a school bus is hard work with or without a hangover.”

Ethan chuckled. “Better you than me.”

Quinn turned and looked at Ethan, that sly smile still in place, the same smile that made Ethan grow hard in a second flat. “You game for helping out in the morning, give Tucker a break?” Quinn asked.

Helping Quinn and his father was something he was genuinely interested in doing, but rolling out of bed before the crack of dawn to wrangle cows, to clean udders, scrape cow dung, not only once but twice in a row, the herd too big for only one milking, was the last thing he wanted to do when he agreed to stay on to help at the farm.

He groaned. “What kind of son would I be if I said no?”

Quinn’s smile grew as he considered. “A truthful one?” he answered.

Nikki snorted and polished off her drink, apparently amused.

Ethan’s plan of distancing himself from Quinn seemed to end before it began. “Okay,” he agreed. “But only this once, and you have to clean the center aisle by yourself. I refuse to hose poop out of the barn.” He stuck out his tongue, reliving the boyhood memory. “Disgusting.”

“May I make a suggestion?” Quinn asked.

Nikki rested her elbows on the table, angling for a better vantage point. “You certainly can,” she said, answering for Ethan.

Ethan shot Nikki a dirty look and stepped on her foot under the table. “What she said,” he returned.

“Finish up that last drink and call it a night.” He turned to Nikki. “I insist on driving you home.”

“Thanks,” she said. “But I didn’t drive, he did.”

“I’ll be driving you both home.”

“But you just got here,” Nikki said.

“I only stopped by because I haven’t been able to sleep. Thought I might burn off some steam and catch up with some old classmates. Haven’t had much time to do that since I’ve been back.”