I, on the other hand, had a hundred thoughts running through my head which led me to ask, “Y’all ever wonder why Viper doesn’t have an ol’ lady?”
Each of them shrugged and grumbled, but none gave a real answer. Unable to just let it go, I took another drag, then said, “I mean, I’m no expert, but I wouldn’t think a man like him would have any trouble snagging himself a woman.”
Still nothing from the guys, so I just kept at it. “Maybe it’s the whole running the club stuff. It’s gotta be tough dealing with all the bullshit, and we don’t make it any easier on the guy.”
“You seem awfully concerned about Prez and his fucking love life,” Hawk grumbled.
“Only ’cause I care.” I shrugged. “I mean, come on, Pappa Bear needs love, too.”
“Don’t gotta worry about Prez, brother.” Menace sounded sure of himself. “If he wanted an ol’ lady, he’d have one.”
“No doubt,” Hawk mumbled. “Chicks are all over him at the club.”
Rafe looked down at his joint and studied it for a moment. “I gotta say, this is some pretty good shit right here.”
“It’s one of our most popular hybrid blends,” Kiersten replied proudly.
“Hybrid?”
“You’ve got three types of cannabis... sativa, indica, and hybrid, and they each have a different effect.”
Rafe looked down at his joint with confusion. “Different how?”
“Sativa is like the Hulk Hogan of pot. It gives you the umph you need to work out and shit, while indica is more chill and mellow like Cheech and Chong,” I explained. “Mix a little Hogan with some Cheech, and you’ve got yourself a hybrid.”
“This shit must be better than I thought.” Hawk shook his head and laughed. “Country actually sounded like he knows what he’s talking about.”
“Fuck you, brother.”
The guys snickered and made their side comments, but Kiersten didn’t join in. Instead, she waited until they grew quiet, then smiled and said, “I’m impressed. Most people don’t know about the different types of weed. Most just want to feel the high and move on.”
“I learned a thing or two from my grandfather.”
Maybe it was just the pot talking, but there was something about the way she smiled at me that got me right in the gut. I held her gaze for a moment, soaking her in as long as I could without the others noticing, then quickly turned my attention back to the fire. Damn, it’d been a long time since a woman had gotten to me like she did, and I had no fucking clue what I was going to do about it. For now, I just had to bide my time and pray the feeling would fade.
I didn’t know how long I was staring at the fire when Rafe, who was feeling all kinds of good, said, “I’m gonna learn to play the guitar. Been wanting to since I was a kid but just kept putting it off. Yep, I’m gonna get me a guitar, and I’m gonna start learning to play.”
“Hope that doesn’t mean you’re gonna start singing, too,” Hawk grumbled. “Don’t think my ears could take it.”
“Nah, I’ll leave the singing to Country.”
“Awe, that outta be good.” Hawk snickered. “You two will drive us to drinking for sure.”
I nudged him with my elbow. “Isn’t that the point?”
“You two already drive us all to drinking. Don’t need you adding guitar playing and singing to the mix.”
“You gotta be kidding me.” Rafe threw up his hands. “We could be the next Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings or Brooks and Dunn.”
“Nope. Never gonna happen.”
“Still gonna get me a guitar,” Rafe argued. “I’m gonna learn to play, and then I’m taking Delilah down to Mexico. We’ll sit on the beach and have a few drinks while I play my gee-tar.”
“Poor girl doesn’t stand a chance.”
Like he hadn’t heard Hawk’s last comment, Rafe smiled and started chuckling under his breath. He was clearly hitting that ultimate high when he eased back in his chair and asked, “Hey, what do you call a potato that smokes weed?”
“No idea.”
“A baked potato.” Rafe coughed, clearing his throat, then asked, “How do you get a one-armed stoner out of a tree?” Without giving us a chance to answer, Rafe started chuckling and said, “You wave.”
I immediately thought about that crazy GIF of Tom Hanks on that fishing boat waving like there was no tomorrow. Unable to resist the temptation to join in, Hawk grinned, then said, “You know scientists say marijuana lowers your body temperature, so it’s true. Smoking pot really does make you cool.”
We all groaned at the cheesiness of the joke, and each gave Hawk a teasing jab. He threw his hands up in the air as he said, “You can’t say I didn’t try.”
“Wait, wait. I’ve got another one. Weed really isn’t a drug. It’s a plant.” Rafe snickered as he said, “So, Kiersten really isn’t a drug dealer. She’s a florist.”