You Drive Me Crazy (The Blackwells of Crystal Lake 2)

“What was that?” Tiny perked up.

“Nothing.” He glanced up at the television. “Really? What the hell is that shit?”

Tiny gave him a don’t screw with me look and shrugged. “I like The Bachelor. Sue me.”

Jarret slid onto the stool beside him and ordered up a draft. “Hey, Tiny. Is this the episode from last night? I missed it.”

Tiny grunted.

“Which one do you think will get the rose this week?”

Wyatt looked at his Jarret in surprise. “You’re into this stuff too?”

His friend didn’t skip a beat. “You’re not?”

What the hell was the world coming to? When a man couldn’t walk into his local watering hole and watch sports or racing or some of that Duck Dynasty shit. He shook his head and cradled his beer, seriously considering leaving before the two of them waved some voodoo wand at him and got him hooked on the show.

“What’s up?” Jarret asked while he waited for Tiny to pour his draft.

“I’m headed to Daytona for the qualifier tomorrow. Gonna race the 500 next week.”

“Shit, man. Congratulations!” Jarret slapped him on the shoulder. “When did this happen?”

“This morning.”

“Right on. This is something to celebrate. Guess your concussion stuff is all fixed up?”

Guilt made Wyatt turn away, and he took another sip from his mug before answering. “Yeah. It’s all squared away.”

Jarret raised his glass and shouted to the group of men hanging at the end of the bar. “Hey. My boy here is headed to Daytona! Next round is on me.” Whether it was the promise of free beer or that the men actually gave a damn whether he drove or not, they all raised their glasses and whooped it up.

Wyatt settled onto his seat. This was what he needed. Positivity. Not the negative bullshit his brother had thrown his way.

“Regan good with all of it?”

He looked at Jarret. “I haven’t told her yet. I just found out this morning.”

“I’m sure she’ll be pumped. She knows it’s your gig. She’s not the type to hold a guy back.”

“Yeah.” Wyatt nodded. “I hope so.”

“This means you’ll be back in Florida for good?”

“For the immediate future. They’ll be more races coming up, so I’ve got to get my head in the game if I want to do well this season. I’ll need to be with the team, and that’s our home base.”

“And you’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Yep.”

“So why the hell are you sitting in a bar with me when you could be with Regan?” Jarret winked, a wicked grin on his face. “Seems to me you’d have a lot to keep busy with tonight, making sure she won’t forget you while you’re gone.”

“True.” He looked at Jarret. “What’s up with you?”

Jarret’s grin widened. “What do you mean?”

Wyatt sat back on

his stool. Something was definitely up. “I haven’t seen you in days, and all of a sudden you want a beer, which is great. But I don’t think you hauled my ass down here to watch The Bachelor.”