Fakers (Licking Thicket 1)

“It’s permanent. I hope that’s okay. It’s reinforced with rebar that’s buried in cement deep in the ground. The cement takes a while to cure, but it should be fine. At least… that’s what the package said. Um, that’s why that ugly plastic tarp is around the base. That’s part of the curing process for the concrete, but it can come off after a few days. Five, I think is what it said.” Did I sound like I was talking nonsense? It felt like it.

“How the hell did you do all of that so fast, and by yourself?”

“Well, it wasn’t easy finding rebar at four in the morning, but Diesel is a light sleeper, so that helped.”

I felt Brooks’s body stiffen up at the mention of the junkyard owner’s name. “Oh. That’s good. That you had help, I mean.”

His face had gone into a neutral zone, and suddenly I remembered his petty jealousy at the junkyard the other day. I grinned up at him. “Please tell me this is you being possessive. No one has ever given enough of a shit to pee around me before.”

He opened his mouth to respond but then seemed to stop while he fully absorbed what I’d said. “No one has ever acted jealous about you before? How’s that possible?”

I felt a little embarrassed. “I don’t really date that much, so…”

“Mal. Even if I only had you in my arms for the length of one dance at a club, I think I’d growl and snap at any other man who even looked at you long enough to take your drink order.”

I stared at him, my heart puffing up like some kind of cheeseball cartoon. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to want someone to be snarly jealous over me, but I totally did. “I promise Diesel only helped me deliver and install the sign,” I teased. “And I only touched his junk a little.”

His face flushed and his eyes narrowed. It was a very new and interesting look on the usually put-together ad executive. Before smoke started coming out of his ears, I leaned up and kissed him, nipping his bottom lip between my teeth and saying, “Old metal parts, babe. What kind of junk did you think I meant?”

“Har, har.” He kissed me back and held me so tightly, my feet started coming off the ground. Before I had a chance to lift my legs up and wrap them around his waist, someone behind me cleared their throat.

We jumped apart like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on us. Thank God we had our clothes back on and all put together.

Brooks’s brother, Dunn, stood in the open doorway with his thick arms crossed in front of his chest and a bewildered expression on his face. “Brooks? I thought that was your car outside. Exactly what am I looking at right now?”

I felt all the blood drain down to my toes and slither into the dusty barn floor.

“Uh. The thing is, Dunn…” Brooks began. He looked at me blankly.

“The thing is,” I repeated. “Brooks was, um… assisting me.”

I hated lying, but I didn’t know how to tell the truth without betraying my best friend.

“Oh, he was assisting you!” Dunn said, nodding in understanding. “Right, right. No, that makes sense.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Dunn tilted his head to one side. “Assisting you… with his arms wrapped around you, huh?”

Shit. “I… uh… Yes. Funny thing, actually…”

“He was choking,” Brooks said with absolute conviction. “I was saving his life.”

I wanted to punch him in the shoulder and tell him to shut up, but instead I nodded slowly. “It all happened so fast. It was… terrifying?”

“I bet!” Dunn’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s just incredible, Brooks. Absolutely incredible. I mean, you know I’ve always looked up to you, since you’re my big brother and all, but now… you’re kinda my hero.”

“I, ah…” Brooks shuffled guiltily from one foot to the other. “I wouldn’t go that far, Dunn.”

“Oh, I would,” Dunn said solemnly, his green eyes shining. “I’d go even further than that. I have never in my life heard such a cockamamie, bald-faced lie.”

“Wait, what?” I sputtered.

“You have stones of galvanized steel, Brooks Johnson. I’m proud to know you.” Dunn swiped a finger under his eye like he was wiping away a tear.

“But I’m not… I wasn’t…” Brooks stammered, unable to go further.

“Bro, the only thing Mal was choking on was your tongue.” His laughter filled the barn. “Now, mind you, when we saw the sign on our way back from the livestock exhibition, I was pretty close to planting one on Mal, myself, next time I saw him, and frankly so was Mr. Ivey. But I guess now he doesn’t have to worry that he’s been having impure thoughts about his future son-in-law, at least.” He shot me a wink.