Crank (The Gibson Boys 1)

“What do you want me to say?” I hiss, gripping the plate. “That I’m here for you? That I wanted to give you a chance to say whatever you were going to say yesterday?”

He does that thing where I think he’s going to smile, but he doesn’t. Instead, he plants a cocky smirk on those kissable lips that I now want to bite and storm away.

“For the record, I am here with Peck. You want to know why? Because he asked me,” I say, the cheese ball sliding to the side. “Because your grandmother asked me.” I search his eyes for something to quell my rising anger, but there’s nothing to grab onto. “Because they aren’t complete assholes.”

I start to step around him, but he steps in my path. “So you don’t want to hear me out?”

“Yes. No,” I contradict myself. “I don’t know. That’s the problem, Walker. I don’t know what to do with you. I’ve tried to be nice. I’ve liked you enough to have sex with you, because believe it or not, I don’t do that with everyone,” I say, tilting the platter so the cheese ball centers again, never taking my eyes off him. “But the deeper I get with you, the farther you pull away. So, fine. Retreat back into your little world. But I’ll tell you one thing, I may regret hitting your truck with that bat, but I don’t regret being with you because I honestly liked you. I’m sorry you feel I was such a mistake. I promise I won’t get in your way again.”

Hitting him in the arm with my shoulder as I step out from between him and the wall, I walk towards the kitchen. He doesn’t call out for me. He doesn’t even say my name.

“HERE YOU GO,” I say, setting the platter down. It clatters against the table, causing both Nana and Peck to look up from the sink. “Cheese ball.”

“You got it away from Machlan?” Nana asks, wiping her hands on her apron. “I’m impressed.”

“Peck. Outside,” Walker barks, storming behind me and making a beeline for the door.

“Now it’s time to eat,” Nana says. “Peck and I have everything in the dining room.”

“It’ll only take a minute.”

Pecks flashes me a look. “Remember. Nurse Shelby,” he whispers as he follows Walker out the door.

Instinctively, my heart in my throat, I follow him and stop at the glass. They stand at the edge of the house, the vein in Walker’s temple throbbing, his finger in Peck’s chest. Peck’s hands are up in the air in a “don’t shoot” stance, his back to the house. The rumble of Walker’s voice trickles through the door and I can hear the emphatics in his tone, but Peck’s climbs louder, over the shouts of his cousin.

“What’s going on out there?” Lance asks, coming up behind me. “Oh, fuck.”

“It’s not Peck’s fault,” I whisper. “Do something.”

Lance claps a hand on my shoulder, the feeling strangely comforting. “Don’t worry about it. Walker knows this has nothing to do with Peck too. Peck’s just the one he can . . . vent to.”

“That’s venting?”

“In Walker’s way, yeah. It’s therapy.”

“I can assure you he doesn’t pay Peck enough for that.”

Lance laughs, squeezing my shoulder. “Peck can handle himself, Slugger.”

Glancing up and behind me, I take in his hazel eyes. “Not you too.”

He winks before flicking his gaze back outside. “They’ll be fine. Let’s go eat.”

“I don’t know . . .” I mutter, watching Walker get right into Peck’s face. “He said to take him to Linton General and ask for Shelby.”

“Oh, I bet he did,” he chuckles. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Spinning around, I look at him in disbelief. “We can’t leave them out there like that.”

“I thought you had brothers? You should know how this works.”

“My mom would’ve killed them had they acted like this,” I say, jabbing a finger towards the door. “My brothers just exchange barbs until Ford gets them down and makes them submit.”

“Ford sounds like my kinda guy,” Machlan teases as he walks by with a pitcher of tea. “Now come on. The sideshow is wrapping up and Nana’s gonna have a fit if we don’t get to the table.”

Lance follows Machlan, their conversation making a one-eighty shifting to baseball as the door behind me opens. Startled, I turn around to see Peck. He’s not grinning his usual goofy smile, but he’s not bleeding either.

“You okay?” I ask.

“I’m fine,” he says, blowing me off.

“Where is he?”

“Peck? Sienna? Get in here. Time to eat!” Nana calls from the dining room.

“You heard her,” Peck says, motioning towards the doorway.

Not knowing what else to do but knowing one hundred percent that this conversation is over, I put one foot in front of the other and make my way to the table. Continuously looking behind me and out the window, I don’t see Walker. I want to ask, but there’s no way to do that without everyone hearing me.