Chapter 9

9

Cutter

"This place needs an in-ground pool right here," PJ says, holding out a half-empty bottle of beer. He shuts one eye and starts drawing with his pointer finger as though a pool is magically going to appear.

"Not my house," I say. "Remember?"

"You should buy the place. It's great back here. So quiet. Small town."

"You buy it," I say.

"Too quiet for me," PJ says. "You know that, brother."

"Hey, at least the place has a grill," Ranger yells from the corner of the deck. He's now cooking a bunch of steaks. "Could use a bigger one though. Or a griddle."

"Guys, I don't live here," I say. "Tony found the place for me. So I can hide for a bit."

Trey slides open the back door and steps out with a grin on his face.

"What were you up to in there?" I ask.

I know that grin. That's Trey's mischievous grin.

"Just draining the lake monster," he says, grabbing between his legs. He then smacks his own stomach. "Ranger, where are those steaks at? Don't overcook them. I like mine bloody."

"Same," PJ says.

"I've got it," Ranger says. "Not my first time at a grill." He squeezes a set of tongs and points at me. "What about you? You like it raw?"

"With that lifeguard I bet he loves it raw," PJ says.

"I bet he drowns in her," Trey says.

"You guys are relentless," I say. "I really wish I had a better story to share."

"Tell us again what happened to your wheels?" Trey asks. "You just gave them up to her?"

"Why does that matter to you?" I ask. "We're out here hanging, enjoying a day off. We cleared almost two dozen eggs and now we're about to eat half a cow. Why does anything else matter?"

"Because you haven't had anyone in a long time," PJ says.

"That's nice coming from you, man. You've never had a relationship before."

PJ looks back at me. "Sure I did. Remember Starlyn?"

"The stripper?" Ranger laughs.

"She and I had a thing," PJ says.

"You paid her for attention," I say.

"Best kind of love to have," PJ says. "I'll drink to her memory."

He finishes up his beer and walks off the deck.

"PJ, that's enough," I call out.

"Tony will handle it!" PJ says.

I take a step and Trey grabs my left shoulder.

"Let him go," Trey says. "You know he's going to do what he wants no matter what you say."

PJ balances his empty beer bottle on an old stump. He walks back to the steps of the deck and whistles to Ranger.

"Beer me and a ball!" PJ roars like it's some battle cry.

Ranger nods to me.

I open the cooler and get two bottles of beer. There's a bucket of balls next to the cooler.

Believe me when I say it, baseball is in our blood. PJ always has a bucket of balls with him.

I toss both the beer and the ball. PJ catches both.

He twists off the cap to the bottle and foamy beer leaks out the top but he drinks with ease and no care.

He then puts the bottle down on the third step to the deck and he rubs the baseball in his hands.

"Three-two is the count!" PJ calls out. "Bottom of the ninth. The last chance. The last pitch."

PJ winds up and throws the baseball as though he's in a game.

A second later the beer bottle balancing on the tree stump shatters like it's been shot with a bullet.

PJ picks up his fresh beer and walks up the deck. "How many have I had and I can still hit the mark?"

"You're a legend, PJ," Trey says.

"You keep up this lifestyle and you're not going to make it much farther in life," Ranger warns.

"The healthy guy over here," PJ says to me. "Just wait until he cuts the giant mushrooms in half and grills them and tries to convince you it's a meal."

"Nah, I'm done with that," Ranger says. "I need meat."

Before anyone can make a joke from the obvious low-hanging fruit Ranger just offered up, I think I hear the doorbell ringing.

I go inside the house and as I walk through the kitchen I definitely hear the doorbell.

My mind goes back to the text and email again, wondering if the person blackmailing me has shown up for sure now.

Now that would be a hell of a scene.

Me beating the hell out of someone with Trey, Ranger, and PJ here.

They'd jump right in without asking a question either.

I'm getting sick of the sound of the doorbell too.

I rip open the door as fast as I did when the guys had shown up.

This time I'm staring down at Piper.

"Piper?"

Her name gently escapes my mouth as she jumps toward me.

"What's wrong, Cutter? What happened? Did you get hurt? What's going on?"

"What… what are you talking about?" I ask.

"What do you… you text me!"

"I text you? When did I text you?"

"You're not hurt or anything? You're not in any kind of trouble?"

"No," I say. "I'm here with…"

I slowly turn my head and I see Trey, Ranger, and PJ standing there.

Trey has that grin on his face again.

"You didn't," I growl at Trey.

"What?" Trey asks. "What did I do?"

"Is this a joke?" Piper asks. "All those texts about an emergency? I didn't even know where to go until I responded…"

"Too far, man," I say to Trey.

He holds out his right hand, wiggling it. "Is it though? You haven't shut up about her since we got here. Might as well meet her, right?"

"This was all a fucking set up to get me here?" Piper yells. "You've got to be fucking joking right now!"

"Oh, she's feisty," PJ says. "She's more my type than yours, Cutter."

"Don't listen to them," I say to Piper.

I can't even find the words to apologize to her for this mess.

"Hey, come on in and have a beer with us," Ranger offers. "I have some steaks on the grill. Hang out. We'll tell you some classic Cutter Buckley stories. You'll be rolling on the floor laughing so hard."

"She can't do that," I growl.

"She can't laugh?" Trey asks. "What, does she have some disease?"

"No-laugh-atitis," PJ says.

They all start laughing and I finally lose my cool.

I lunge for Trey and grab him by the shirt. I pull him toward me, ignoring the pain in my right shoulder as I lift him up.

"She's busy," I growl at him. "She's a single mother, okay? She's got a lot on her plate. And I told you what happened. I was helping her out. That's it!"

"What the hell, Cutter?" Piper snaps at me.

I release my hold on Trey and turn toward Piper.

Next thing I know she's slapping me across the face.

A nice, hard slap too.

She's got some oomph behind the slap. I'm not so sure that the slap is meant for me but I'm the easiest target for her.

"Damn!" PJ says. "Lady has got a right hook like a champ!"

I rub my cheek and watch as Piper turns and runs out of the house and down the porch.

I see that she drove her car over.

She must realize the same thing.

She stops, turns and reaches into her pocket.

"Here's your fucking key back!"

Piper throws the key fob to my SUV through the air.

"And she can throw," Trey calls out from behind me.

"Piper," I say.

She throws up both middle fingers and that's her lovely goodbye to me.

I'm not so sure I've ever seen a woman so worked up and mad at me like this. At least one that I haven't slept with.

I debate chasing after her, but I quickly wonder if she will possibly run me over.

Piper gets into her car and doesn't waste a second before taking off. The little engine whining all the way up the road and out of sight.

Ranger walks out onto the porch and up next to me.

"I had no idea until she was here," he says.

"Yeah, well, I could have went without that happening," I say.

Ranger pats my back. "I don't know, man. The way you two were going at it…"

I turn my head and see Ranger's drunk, glossy eyes.

"What?" I ask.

He chuckles. "I bet you end up marrying that woman…"