Ann didn’t know it yet, but I planned to make arrangements with the funeral home to cover all of the expenses. It was the least I could do for a man who’d given me so much.
Beth took a seat in the chair across from me and crossed her legs. “So tell me what’s happening back in New York. The businesses are going okay? Is your brother still an asshole?”
Fuck. Don’t bring him up right now. I’m trying to forget. A mental image of Gia fucking him was now infiltrating my mind.
Goddammit. Why wasn’t I drinking?
I took a deep breath and literally shook my head to rid myself of the thoughts. “Yeah. Still an asshole.”
“I figured.” She laughed then changed the subject. “Are you seeing anyone?”
There was no way I was gonna get into everything now. “It’s complicated.” I loved how those two words just took care of having to explain anything further.
“Ah, okay.” She smiled then swirled her drink around in the glass. “How long are you staying in Scottsdale?”
“I’m not sure. At least a week, I think.”
“I would love to hang out, catch up.”
“Well, I don’t know my way around here, so that’d be cool,” I said.
“I’m glad you’re not taking off so fast.”
I looked around the room, wondering why I hadn’t been introduced to her husband yet. “Where’s your husband? I haven’t met him.”
“He stopped by the wake before you got there. He came by to drop off Owen.”
“He’s not here?”
She stared down at her drink. “No.”
“Why not?”
Beth looked me in the eyes. “We’re not together anymore. We divorced.”I’d forgotten why we were best friends before I screwed it all up—before either of us noticed that she was a girl and I was a boy, before I became distracted by her perky teenage tits and plump ass. But today had brought it all back.
Beth had taken a week off of work after her father died, so she had plenty of free time to show me around. When I’d arrived at her house to pick her up for our day of sightseeing, she said that she’d arranged for her neighbor to babysit Owen. But after finding out that she was divorced yesterday, it felt wrong to spend the day alone with her. Friend or not, things between me and Gia were unsettled, and I wouldn’t be too happy if she spent our time apart sightseeing with a guy she had slept with—especially one as hot as Beth looked in her little shorts and belly-bearing tank top today. So I insisted that Owen come on our sightseeing adventure. At first, I could see that she looked disappointed. She’d probably been looking forward to an adult day out. But after I showed Owen a picture of one of the things I wanted to do today, he was so excited, she couldn’t possibly turn either of us down.
The three of us drove two hours to Sedona to see the Red Rocks. I’d called ahead to reserve two ATVs, one with a cage around it that would be safer for Owen and one regular, open-air-style quad. Of course, I’d assumed I’d be driving the one without the safety roll cage. I’d forgotten the wild streak in Beth.
Our guide came to show us how to use the machines and then gave us all helmets. Beth hopped onto the ATV without the roll cage.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked.
She jumped on the kickstart, and the loud roar of the engine came to life. “I’m about to kick your butt, that’s what I’m doing,” she yelled.
“Don’t you think the roll cage would be safer for Owen?”
“I’m not driving Owen. He and I together would probably be closer to what you weigh. I need to keep my weight light to win this race.”
I furrowed my brows. “What race?”
She smirked. “Remember the bet we had when we were ten? I’d just gotten that new blue Schwinn, and I challenged you to a race up to old man Caulfield’s house. You’d beaten me every damn race we ever had, and I thought for sure my new bike would give me the edge I needed.”
I vaguely remembered it. The only part that was clear in my head was that I’d smoked her. New bicycle or not, her chicken legs back then didn’t have a shot against my thick ones. “I won. Of course.” I turned to Owen and bragged. “Your mother and I used to compete at everything. I always won. You know why?”
He had the best goofy grin. “Why?”
“Because girls go to Jupiter to get more stupider; boys go to college to get more knowledge.”
Owen found it amusing, while Beth rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to Heath, Owen. He can’t even remember the old saying. It’s boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider, girls go to college to get more knowledge.” She squinted at me. “You made me eat an ant and a dead moth. Remember?”