Dax (The Theriot Family 4)

“Beau was bossy as hell as a kid.”

“So that has never changed?”

I shook my head. “No, definitely not. He was always more confident than me, more willing to take charge. It’s a damn good thing because I didn’t have anyone else who was actively taking care of me. Once both our parents disappeared, it was just me and Beau. I don’t know how I would’ve made it if it hadn’t been for him. He was bossy, but I guess he had to be.” I sighed. “That’s not the shit you wanted to hear.”

“No, that’s… It’s nice to hear that too. I know he’s amazing, but it never hurts to have it confirmed.”

“Don’t get me wrong. He drove me fucking crazy. If I didn’t do chores just right, he’d make me do them over and over until I’d met his ridiculous standards. We were living in the middle of the swamp in a shack that was falling down around us, but he insisted on keeping it perfectly clean.”

Corbin grinned. “Just like he insists on keeping the shop as spotless as a body shop can be.”

“Yeah, and don’t tell him I said so, but he was right because, considering where we were, we had few roaches or rats. I guess they found better spots to go, like the shed farther into the swamp where our dad hid the shit he stole. Car parts, electronics, drugs I don’t even know all what. Beau would never let me go in there. He told me it was scary when I was little, and the one time I tried to look, I saw some nutria and ran like hell. I was more afraid of them than I ever was of gators.”

I shuddered thinking about the huge swamp rats. Beau hated rats of any size almost as much as I did. Jesus, I hope he didn’t have them in prison.

Our server returned with bread and butter and the soup we’d each ordered. It had been years since I’d eaten soup that didn’t come from a can, and this was unlike any I’d ever had. This soup reached a whole new level of flavor. It was even better than my grandmother’s, which I didn’t think was possible.

“I’m not doing a very good job of revealing any secrets,” I said once we’ve both made good progress on our first course. “You probably want to know about all the shit Beau and Ambrose got into.”

Corbin smiled. “Tell me whatever you want, but yeah, I bet those stories are amazing. Give me all the dirt you’ve got on them.”

“That would take a very long time, but I’ll share a few stories tonight.”

I told him about Beau and Ambrose sneaking some of our dad’s moonshine and heading out into the bayou where they never should have been. “I followed them, and when he found out, Beau had a fit, telling me I could have been eaten by an alligator. I asked him what made him think he was any safer, especially since he could barely stand up straight. The asshole told me a gator was no match for him, then fell right into the water, trying to demonstrate how he would wrestle one.”

Corbin laughed so hard he had to cover his mouth to keep from spitting food across the table.

“Beau stank so bad on the walk home that I kept gagging, and I don’t think Ambrose quit laughing until he left us at our house. Fortunately, my dad was passed out on the couch and never even noticed.”

It took Corbin several moments to get himself under control. “That is so awesome. I’m going to ask Beau if he wants to go take a dip in the bayou one night.”

Before I could start another story, our server cleared our plates and brought our main courses. The food was incredible. It took me a few moments before I could even speak. After I’d finished gushing about my shrimp, I told Corbin about the time when we were living with my grandma, and she caught Beau and Ambrose smoking a joint on her porch in the middle of the night.

“I thought she was going to beat them to death. Ambrose managed to escape and make a run for it, but Beau got smacked with a flip-flop and told off for what felt like hours. I don’t think they ever realized I saw the whole thing from the living room window.”

“Ooh, so I can ask Beau about it, and he won’t know how I know?” Corbin’s grin was completely wicked.

“Yep. Beau was too busy trying to defend himself to look in my direction, but every time he got a few words out, Grandma cut him off. She told him if he didn’t mind her, he was never going to get another bite of her cooking. I think it might have been the last time Beau ever smoked.”