Four Horsemen: A Small Town Romance (A Good Run Of Bad Luck Book 5)

by Giulia Lagomarsino

  “No shit,” I grumbled. “But it won’t matter at all if I can’t get her to go out with me.”

  “Still taking it slow, then?”

  “Slow isn’t even the right word to describe what’s going on with us. I got her this locket with a picture of us from years ago.”

  “Nice,” he grinned.

  “She stormed off to the bathroom. She was pissed at me.”

  He frowned. “Did you wrap it wrong or something?”

  “No, she just didn’t want any reminders of what we used to have.”

  He sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. “Have you thought any more about why she left you?”

  “Not really. And she didn’t leave me. She got a job and moved out of town.”

  “Right, you keep saying that.”

  “Why does this matter?” I asked, watching for the security company to arrive.

  “Because it’s the key to what’s going on now.”

  “Look, if she left because of Natalie, it shouldn’t matter anymore. Natalie’s dead,” I said, my voice cracking. I still hated saying that. “There’s no animosity left because one of them is no longer here.”

  “Man, women don’t work like that. Don’t you get it? Natalie will always be here. She’s your son’s mother. Her pictures are all over your house. It doesn’t matter if Natalie’s dead because you have a living shrine to her.”

  “What would you have me do? Should I remove all signs of Natalie because Christy didn’t like her? Would that solve things for everyone? Because I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t be good for Brody.”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “Then why don’t you get to the point so we can stop talking about this.”

  “Look, it’s not as simple as not liking Natalie. And if Natalie was the reason for leaving before, she’s not going to want to see you, let alone go into your house if everything in there reminds her that you were in love with another woman and had a family with her. That’s some serious competition.”

  “Why would it be? She can’t compete with a ghost.”

  “Exactly,” Carter nodded.

  “Exactly what? There is no competition. My wife is dead. It doesn’t matter what we had or what we might have had. That’s a future that no longer exists. She shouldn’t be intimidated by that.”

  Carter sighed heavily. “You know, for a man that’s been married, you sure are a dumb fuck.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. He had the whole situation wrong. “Can we just stop talking about this?”

  He snorted. “It’s your funeral.”

  “Whatever,” I grumbled, staring out the window. “Where the hell are these guys?”

  “Would you relax?”

  “You relax,” I snapped.

  “Ooh, that’s a good comeback.” He bent forward and pulled out a container he’d hidden on the floor. “What’s that?”

  “It’s a treat from Abby. Ever since she started working with Mary Anne at the bakery, she’s always got tasty treats for me. Except, for some reason, she doesn’t want to cook me dinner anymore.”

  “Could that have anything to do with the fact that she gets up really early to go into the bakery?”

  His eyebrows slanted as he thought that over. “I guess, but we still have to eat, right?”

  “Maybe you should try cooking,” I said, snatching one of the treats out of the box. “What is this?”

  “Russian spice cookies.”

  I bit into it and moaned, surprised at how good it tasted. “I thought it would be full of sugar.”

  “I know, right? These have become my new favorite.”

  “So, do you think Mary Anne knows that we prefer Abby’s baking to hers?”

  “Well, she hasn’t done anything to our coffee yet, so I’m thinking not.”

  “Thank God,” I mumbled around my cookie. “I don’t think I could take another day in the bathroom like that.”

  “No kidding. It’s bad enough that I get rectal bleeding. I don’t need a blowout like that again.”

  “Why don’t you just tell Abby you need to find a new home for the cats?”

  “Because I love them,” he said, like he was offended I would even suggest it.

  “Yeah, but you have Abby back. Isn’t that enough?”

  “You don’t get it. They’re part of the family now. I can’t just get rid of them. Besides, I’m pretty sure Temperganda’s pregnant.”

  “You need to get that cat fixed.”

  “Hey, she likes sex just like the rest of us,” he defended his little whore of a cat. “Why should she be deprived of something that you and I would kill to have?”

  “I wouldn’t kill to have sex.”

  “No?” he smirked. “So, you’re telling me that in all these years since Natalie, you haven’t spanked the monkey?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Seriously?”

  “I’m just saying, now that Christy’s back in your life, I wouldn’t be surprised if you needed a night or two where you could…discover the pleasures of life again.”

  “I have a kid,” I reminded him.

  “Yes, and you also have a whole town full of people that would help you, especially if they knew you were going to get laid for the first time in four years. Hell, I bet even Antonio would watch your kid for you. He knows what it’s like.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, you didn’t hear about the time that Ciara wouldn’t sleep with him?” He laughed like it was so funny. “The dogs were having more sex than him. See, they got stuck together, and Ciara and Antonio freaked out. Apparently, it’s a perfectly natural thing, but they thought something was wrong.” He frowned. “Come to think of it, Jo told me that was the night their place got shot up and they left Colorado.”

  “See, now why would I find that story comforting? Even a story about sex got turned into a gun fight.”

  “Hey, I didn’t make it up. It’s not like I can change what happened. I’m just saying, I bet Antonio could commiserate with you.”

  “I don’t need Antonio to commiserate with me,” I snapped. “I don’t need anyone talking about my sex life or the fact that it’s been four years, or that I almost mauled Christy on the couch the last time she was at my house!”

  “Dude, you tried to maul her? That’s not at all how you get a girl to like you.”

  “I know that,” I snapped just as the security truck pulled up. I shoved my door open and got out. “Let’s just forget I said anything and get this taken care of.”

  Carter mumbled under his breath. “Now I see why you need to get laid. You’re a grumpy bastard.”

  “We should catch a movie tonight.”

  I glanced up from my desk and stared at Carter. “Why would I want to do that?”

  “Well, there’s this really good movie that just came out. Dwayne Johnson’s in it, and I’m dying to see it.”

  “So, take Abby.”

  “She won’t go with me. She said she doesn’t like men with muscles that big.”

  I snorted out a laugh. “That’s because she doesn’t want you to feel emasculated.”

  “No, that’s not it. She said his muscles are too big. Anyway, it’s Friday night and there’s no poker, so let’s do it.”

  “Sure, I’ll just bring Brody along to see a violent movie.”

  He tapped the side of his head. “See, this is why you have me to work shit out for you. I already made arrangements for you with Josh.”

  “Why is it that you’re always making babysitting arrangements for me?”

  “Because if I left it up to you, you would conveniently never have anyone to watch Brody for you.”

  I hated that he was right about that. Sometimes I needed a night to myself, but a night like tonight, I would gladly stay home with Brody just so I didn’t have to go out with Carter.

  “So, you drop Brody off and I’ll meet you at the theater.”

  “Do I have to?” I sighed.

  “Yes, this is what you
do, Jack. You get out and live life. You can’t sit around your house anymore. You’re going to turn into a troll or a garden gnome.”

  “Why can’t you just go with Josh?”

  “Because Josh doesn’t need to get off his ass and join the land of the living.”

  “You already drag me to poker night all the time. Isn’t that enough?”

  “Not by a long shot.” He got up and headed for the door. “The movie starts at seven. Be there, or I will come drag your ass to the theater.”

  Sighing, I glanced at the clock on the wall. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. However, I was kind of hoping I could see Christy tonight, not that she was ever available for me. Even when I offered to come help her with her security system, she insisted she could figure it out on her own.

  I picked up Brody and packed a bag for him, sending a quick message to Josh, just to make sure this was really okay. When he responded that it was, I felt myself deflate a little. Maybe I could talk him out of it when I showed up at his house.

  “Are you ready to go, buddy?”

  “Yep!” he shouted, fist bumping the air.

  “Are you sure?” I asked, bending down to his level. “You would tell me if you didn’t want to go, right?”

  “Why wouldn’t I want to go? Uncle Josh is so cool!”

  I internally cringed, but conceded that my kid liked Josh and there was nothing I could do about it. This was a good thing, actually. It would help us move toward being friends again. I drove him over there and walked up the steps. Brody was way ahead of me, pounding on the door before I even got there. When the door opened, he ran inside without even saying hello.

  “Sorry about that,” I grinned at Josh. “Can you tell he’s excited to be here?”

  “Well, Alessa really likes having him here, so it’s all good.”

  “One of these nights, I’ll do the same for you.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I’d like to see that. You want to come in for a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  “So, Corduroy talked you into a movie, huh?”

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “Like that’s something I really want to do.”

  “Right?” he frowned. “I thought it was a little weird. Who wants to go to the movies at our age.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m older than you. I have even more reason not to want to go.”

  “Better you than me. I hate sitting in the theater. Did you know that you have to buy your tickets ahead of time now and reserve your seats?”

  I frowned. “Really? When did this start?”

  He shrugged. “The last time I showed up without a ticket, the woman looked at me like I was insane for not knowing I had to do this. They even make you pick out your seats ahead of time.”

  “Fucking Nazis,” I muttered.

  “Right? Whatever happened to just walking up and saying, I’d like two tickets to this movie. And then you go order your popcorn and go find a seat?”

  “Maybe I’ll get lucky and there won’t be any seats left.”

  He huffed out a laugh. “Not likely, knowing Corduroy.”

  “Maybe I should just hide out here.”

  He grinned at me. “Yeah, I can’t let you do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because then Corduroy would come and drag me down to the theater too, and I have no desire to do that shit.”

  “I thought we were trying to be friends again?” I asked in mock offense.

  “We are, and trust me, if you want that to happen, you won’t make me go to the theater with you.”

  Grumbling under my breath, I walked over to Brody and gave him a hug goodbye.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to pick him up after the movie?” I asked Josh.

  “Nah, this is fun for them.”

  “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow in the morning.”

  He nodded and I headed out the door. I really fucking hated that I got roped into this. I should have just backed out.

  By the time I showed up at the theater, I was seriously considering just pretending that I got lost. But that wouldn’t work in a town as small as ours. Carter was waiting outside with tickets for us.

  “Hey, you ready for this?”

  “Not particularly.”

  He nodded to a poster on the wall and my jaw dropped. Dwayne Johnstone was on the poster, but it was a romance. “Love In The Outdoor Kitchen? Are you fucking kidding me?” I yelled at him.

  “Hey,” he lowered his hands, gesturing for me to be quiet. “Relax, would you? It’s supposed to be really good.”

  “The tagline is Do you smell what my wife is cooking? And you really expect me to go see this?”

  “Hey, so it’s a romance. Not a big deal. You know, maybe if we spent more time watching movies like this, we wouldn’t have so much trouble understanding women.”

  “I have no trouble understanding women,” I said through gritted teeth.

  “I beg to differ. Besides, it’s about cooking. Maybe we’ll pick up a few tips.”

  “Christ, I can’t believe you dragged me to this.”

  “It’s not so bad. Come on. Let’s just go grab our seats and go from there.”

  “Fine,” I muttered. “But if this movie sucks, I’m walking out.”

  “Look, you go find our seats. I’ll grab snacks.”

  “Whatever,” I muttered, stalking off to find the theater.

  20

  Christy

  I was flipping through the channels, trying to find something good to watch. I hated that I was sitting here alone on a Friday night. Even worse, I had been thinking about Caleb a lot over the past few days, which just made sleep really hard to come by. I needed a distraction, and I was guessing I would be up all night watching movies to keep my mind off things.

  I put on a romantic comedy, thinking that would be enough to draw me out of my thoughts. It was one I had seen a thousand times before, but that didn’t bother me tonight. However, I was only about twenty minutes in when someone knocked on my door. Knowing my luck, it was my mother coming to bother me. Sometimes living in the same town really sucked.

  Trudging to the door, I swung it open only to stare at a woman that seemed familiar.

  “Hey,” she smiled brightly. “Remember me? I’m Abby, Carter’s girlfriend.”

  I blinked twice and then nodded. “Right, I remember you.”

  “Anyway, I figured that since you are…something with Jack and I’m with Carter, we should get to know each other.” She shoved past me into my house and smiled as she spun around to face me. “So, I was thinking we should go do something tonight.”

  I looked down and then back at her. “I’m already in my pajamas.”

  “Yep, and you should change. I don’t mind going out in public with you that way, but people might look at you weird in your plaid pajamas. Well, everyone besides Plaid Man. He’d probably strike up a conversation with you about the wonders of plaid.”

  I frowned, not sure where this was all coming from. “You know, um…maybe we can do this another time. I mean, I’m not really in the mood to go out.”

  She waved me off. “We’re just going to a movie. It’s a Dwayne Johnstone movie and super hot!”

  “Yeah, I’m not really into Dwayne Johnstone.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Are you serious? Oh my gosh. I could just eat him up. Don’t tell Carter I said that, though. He thinks I think Dwayne’s too muscled. I couldn’t have him thinking I would like Carter to be more manly. He’s more than manly. I mean, he’s cried on occasion, but that was when we broke up and when the cats really got to him.”

  “The cats…um…what?”

  “Oh, he’s allergic to my cats. I have six of them and sometimes they really get to him.”

  “You have six cats?”

  “Don’t judge. They’re all very special.”

  I held up my hands. “No judgement. I just…didn’t know you could fit so many in one house.”

  “Well, it’s a lot of cleaning,
but I just can’t give them up.” She smiled brightly at me. “Anyway, scoot! We need to make that movie.”

  “I—”

  “No excuses. We’re going to be best friends. I mean, aside from me and Anna. Maybe we could be a trio, not in the dirty sense, but in the We’re totally just friends sense.”

  I stood there gaping at her, not sure what to say. There didn’t seem to be anything logical I could say or do at this point, so I headed upstairs and got dressed. Ten minutes later, I came downstairs and grabbed my purse.

  “I’ll drive!” she piped up, not giving me a chance to tell her no. I really wanted to drive myself. This woman just kind of rammed herself into my life, not giving me a chance to say no. I got in the passenger seat and held on as she floored it out of the driveway.

  “Do we need to go this fast?”

  “Oh, I just don’t want to miss the previews. No offense, but you took a long time to get ready.”

  “Well, you did just show up at my house unannounced.”

  “Yes, but you were already in your pajamas. An intervention was definitely required.”

  I held on tight as she wove through the streets to the small theater on the edge of town. It was nothing to write home about. It only played three movies at any time, but it was better than driving to another town to see a movie. When we pulled out, I practically jumped out of the car just to feel the ground beneath my feet. Carter wasn’t kidding when he said she was a dangerous driver.

  “I already have the tickets, so we can go find our seats.”

  “What about popcorn?”

  “Oh, let’s find our seats first and then I’ll go get it. We don’t want anyone taking our seats.”

  I agreed and followed her into the theater. We quickly found our seats and sat down. “Do you want some money?”

  “No, I’ve got it,” she smiled. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

  I stared ahead at the screen, watching the commercials playing. This was one of the weirdest nights of my life, but it wasn’t that bad. At least I would get to see a new movie. I glanced at my watch. It had been ten minutes since Abby left. What was taking so long? The theater wasn’t busy when we walked in. The door opened and one man came walking in. I stifled my laughter. One man coming to a romance movie…that was interesting. He started walking down our aisle, but it wasn’t until he got closer that I realized it was Jack.