The Gritty Truth

by Melissa Foster

  “Kissing was on your list?” Gemma asked.

  “I’m way more interested in the fact that Penny and Scott were kissing.” Dixie cocked her head, looking at Penny, and said, “Spill it, chick.”

  “Why wasn’t kissing on my list?” Crystal asked.

  Josie said, “Penny, you kissed Scott?”

  “Or did Scott kiss you?” Sarah asked.

  They were all looking at Penny expectantly when Finlay burst through the crowd and plopped into a chair with a sigh. “My feet are killing me.” She looked around and said, “Uh-oh. What did I miss?”

  “Penny kissed Scott,” Josie said. “Or our brother might have kissed her.”

  “What?” Finlay glared at Penny. “I’m your sister, and I’m the last to know?”

  “I’m so confused,” Roni said. “You guys didn’t have kissing on your lists? What about waxing a body part? That was another weird one.”

  All eyes turned to her, and Crystal burst into hysterics.

  “Oh my goodness,” Finlay said, and covered her mouth as laughter bubbled out.

  Josie touched Roni’s arm and said, “We’re not laughing at you. This has Dixie written all over it.”

  “Did you wax something?” Crystal asked, doubling over with laughter.

  “I waxed Quincy,” Roni said, and everyone cracked up, including her. “It was worth a hundred points, and we wanted to win!” That caused everyone to laugh harder.

  “You’re going to fit right in, Roni,” Dixie said. “Izzy’s gossip radar must be on high alert. Here she comes.”

  Dixie pointed to the gorgeous bartender with straight dark hair and big almond eyes heading their way, walking like she was on a mission in a figure-hugging minidress. Roni had forgotten her name, and she was glad Dixie had reminded her.

  Izzy grabbed Tracey, the petite brunette waitress who had been clearing tables when Quincy had introduced them. Roni remembered her name because she’d noticed that the scary-looking bartender with the baseball cap never took his eyes off her.

  “What is going on over here?” Izzy asked as she slid her slinky body into a chair.

  Tracey took the last empty seat and smiled at Roni. She had a cautious look in her eyes, different from the others, who all seemed so comfortable in their own skin.

  “Penny kissed Scott,” Dixie said.

  “Whoa, Penny,” Izzy exclaimed.

  “And Roni waxed something on Quincy,” Gemma added. “We don’t know what yet.”

  “Ohmygod,” Tracey said.

  “It was his leg,” Roni exclaimed. Then, a little softer, she said, “I waxed an R onto it.”

  The girls fell into hysterics.

  “I’m going to give him such a hard time about that,” Penny said with a laugh.

  Finlay pointed at Penny and said, “Great. Right after you fess up about Scott. What is going on with you two?”

  “There’s nothing to fess up about.” Penny crossed her arms, looking like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, and said, “We had kissing on our list, too.”

  Dixie barked out a laugh. “That’s a load of bull, but you get extra points for creativity. I made the lists, and only Quincy and Roni had kissing on theirs.”

  “Oh,” Penny said. “Whoopsie.”

  “Why only us?” Roni asked.

  “Because we all love Quincy, and he has been dying to go out with you for months. When he told me he invited you to come tonight, I thought I’d give you guys a little nudge,” Dixie said. “I’m glad it worked.”

  “I love that you care about him so much, but trust me, I don’t need any nudging to kiss Quincy. The man makes my knees go weak every time he says, ‘Hey, beautiful,’” Roni said, surprising herself with her honesty. But it was easy to talk to them, and she didn’t feel embarrassed confessing the truth.

  “Wow, go, Quincy,” Gemma said. “Tru makes me feel the same way every time he looks at me. Seduction must be in their genes.”

  “The first time I met you and Tru, he looked at you and the kids like you’re his whole world,” Roni said. “But I didn’t mean to out you, Penny. I’m sorry.”

  “There’s nothing to out. We kissed. It’s not a big deal,” Penny said.

  “Is that why you were at our place babysitting with him the other night?” Sarah asked. “Scott told us he needed help because Maggie Rose was colicky, but she was fine for the rest of the night.”

  “She was cranky,” Penny said softly. “But Scotty’s so good with her. He calmed her right down. And yes, we kissed that night, but we didn’t do anything else at your house. You don’t have to sanitize your couches.”

  “Scotty,” Josie, Gemma, and Crystal said in unison.

  Penny rolled her eyes. She sat forward and lowered her voice, and everyone leaned in. “Can we keep this on the down low? Just between us girls? I don’t know what this is yet. Scott said he’d wanted to ask me out for a while. And honestly, I’ve been into him for a while, too, but he’d always kept his distance, so I thought he wasn’t interested. It turns out he thought Quincy and I might get together. I was cockblocked by my best guy friend, and he wasn’t even trying.”

  “We all thought you two would get together because you’re such good friends,” Sarah said.

  “I know.” Penny looked at Roni and said, “But it was never like that. So…girl code?” Penny asked.

  “Of course. Consider the girl code enacted.” Dixie looked around the table and said, “Nobody says a word outside of this table. That includes you, Roni. You’re one of us now, so you can’t tell Quincy.”

  It felt good to be included. Roni had never been part of a group outside of dance, and those groups weren’t built on friendships that went any deeper than sharing a common goal. But as much as she wanted to be part of their girls’ club, she didn’t want to lie to Quincy, so she said, “I won’t say anything, but what if he saw them? What if he asks? I don’t want to lie to him.”

  “Actually, Quincy already knows,” Penny said. “That’s why I wanted to talk to him before. I thought he’d be hurt if I didn’t tell him first, and just so you know, I told him he could tell you, Roni, as long as he swore you to secrecy. But he already knew. Apparently Scott talked to him last week and said he was into me. Bro code and all that. But you’re right, Roni, Quincy would be hurt if you lied to him. Honesty is important to him.”

  “Following the girl code isn’t lying,” Dixie said sharply. “Quincy knows that.”

  “She’s right,” Finlay chimed in. “The same way our guys can’t talk to us about what happens in that clubhouse out back. It’s the same thing, only we’re in control.”

  As they talked about what constituted lying, Tracey said, “I’m really happy for you and Quincy, and Penny, I’m happy for you and Scott, too. But I swear I must have a black cloud over my head. Not that I want a man in my life, but I escaped an abusive jerk, finally found my footing, and while you guys are falling into happily ever afters, I can’t even get tips because Diesel scares them all away.”

  “The only reason Diesel scares them off is because he wants to eat you alive,” Izzy said.

  Tracey shook her head and looked across the room at Diesel, standing by the bar talking with Quincy and a few other guys. He was staring at Tracey, stoic faced, like a rottweiler, with cold, dark eyes.

  Roni got the chills. “Quincy introduced him to me as if he was one of his friends who are like family, like you guys. He seemed nice enough, although he didn’t say much. Is he dangerous?”

  “Only to Tracey’s panties,” Izzy said with a smirk.

  “Would you stop?” Tracey snapped.

  “I’m making a mental note to seat you next to him at Thanksgiving,” Dixie teased.

  “Don’t you dare!” Tracey warned.

  “You guys are having Thanksgiving together?” Roni asked. She wasn’t looking forward to the holidays without her grandmother.

  “Of course.” Dixie set her green eyes on Tracey and said, “And now that Diesel’s back
in town, he’ll be there, too, sitting right next to his dessert.”

  “Ohmygod! Stop!” Tracey snapped. “The guy has a revolving bedroom door. I’ve seen him leave work with a different woman every week. He’s like a mama bear over me. It’s so annoying.”

  “There is nothing mama about that man,” Josie said. “He’s a mammoth of muscle and grunts. He never says more than two words.”

  “He doesn’t have to. His eyes say it all.” Tracey lowered her voice and said, “Go near Tracey and I’ll rip your arms off.” She sat back and sighed. “When he took off for those two weeks last month, I made more money than I ever have in tips. It was awesome. Now I’m back to serving mostly women again. If he doesn’t let up, I’m going to have to look for another job.”

  “Oh no, you’re not. You’re family. I’ll talk to Diesel, and I’ll increase your salary to make up for the lack of tips in case it takes him a while to learn to back off,” Dixie said.

  “You can’t do that, Dix, and for Pete’s sake, don’t talk to him about me,” Tracey said.

  “She can do it, and she should. Dixie’s the boss,” Finlay reminded her. “You’re not quitting, Tracey. We need you here. If you don’t want Dixie talking to him, I’ll have Bullet set him straight.”

  Roni loved the way the girls jumped in to take care of Tracey. She hadn’t realized how much she was missing out on. She longed for friends like these.

  “No,” Tracey said. “If anyone is going to talk to him, it’ll be me.”

  “But I can’t let you work where you’re not comfortable,” Dixie said. “That’s not right.”

  “I’m not uncomfortable anymore. I’m just mad about my tips. I’ll talk to him. Not now, but one day when I find some courage lying around.” Tracey’s gaze moved around the table, and a small smile appeared as she said, “Like maybe next year. I’d better get back to work.”

  “Me too,” Izzy said. “Oh, Dix. I can’t make it to Thanksgiving. Jared’s giving me a ride to New York to see my family.”

  “Oh yeah? Going to see dick and the boys?” Dixie smirked.

  “Only if he’s lucky,” Izzy said.

  “Are those your brothers?” Roni asked.

  Dixie and Izzy cracked up.

  “It’s code for sex. It took me a while to catch on to their lingo, too. Jared is Jace’s younger brother, and word around the bar is that Izzy and Jared have been hooking up,” Finlay said as Izzy walked away. “I’d better go check the buffet.” She pushed to her feet and pointed to Penny. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Okeydokey, sis,” Penny said.

  Roni leaned forward and said, “I really am sorry for outing you, Penny.”

  “It’s not a big deal. Secrets never stay hidden for long around this crew,” Penny said. “Which is why it’s your turn to spill. How did Quincy finally convince you to go out with him?”

  Roni glanced across the room at Quincy at the same moment he looked over. Her pulse quickened, remembering when she’d seen him through the glass door Wednesday night. Quincy winked, and then Bones, who was holding Lila, said something, stealing his attention. When Quincy took that little girl into his arms, Roni’s entire body went soft.

  “Aaand we lost her,” Dixie said.

  Roni looked at the girls, knowing she was blushing, but she couldn’t care less. Quincy was worth the embarrassment. It took her a second to remember what Penny had asked, and she said, “He showed up at my work with my favorite flowers, which he’d picked from a field, and a picnic set up in the back of his truck, with lights and a small fire pit, and it was the most magical night of my life.”

  The girls swooned as she told them the rest of the story. They peppered her with questions, which she enjoyed answering. It felt good to gush about Quincy. They talked about all the months they’d been texting and how he’d checked in with her more often after her grandmother had died. But talking about him made her long to be by his side again.

  Maggie Rose woke up, and when Sarah went to change her, the conversation circled back to the scavenger hunt. Roni showed them the picture of Quincy’s waxed leg, and they laughed when she told them about how he’d hollered when she pulled the wax strip off. That led to a conversation about how much waxing hurt and who waxed and who didn’t, which turned into a chat about how their significant others felt about it. Roni was startled by their openness. This was so new to her, sharing private parts of her life with other women. She and Angela talked about personal things, but not like this. Roni liked how honest and caring these new friends were. She asked about how they’d met their significant others and loved hearing their stories, which were all very different. She’d cracked up when Crystal described the ways in which Bear had pursued her, and her heart ached when Tracey told her about her abusive past and Josie shared a little bit about Scott and Sarah having suffered abuse at the hands of their parents. Roni felt like she was gathering bits and pieces about each of them as if she were collecting berries for a friendship pie.

  “I’m sure Quincy has told you that he’s going to be Jed’s best man in our wedding. You should come to my pre-wedding girls’ day,” Josie said, and the other girls all spoke at once, urging her to join them.

  “I would love to, but what is that, exactly?”

  “It’s not a pre-wedding girls’ day. It’s a bachelorette shower,” Dixie said. “Josie won’t let us throw her a bachelorette party or a bridal shower because she doesn’t want to celebrate her last days of singlehood and she feels funny receiving gifts. But it wouldn’t be right not to have them, so we’re combining her bachelorette party and bridal shower and having a bachelorette shower.”

  “Girls’ day,” Josie chimed in.

  “You can call it whatever you want, as long as we get to celebrate you and Jed getting married.” Penny looked at Roni and said, “It’s the Sunday before Christmas.”

  “We’re having it at Josie’s shop, Ginger All the Days. It’s next door to the bar. Jed and Josie converted their garage into the shop,” Gemma chimed in.

  “That’s yours?” Roni asked. “My friend Angela and I love your gingerbread cookies. Her boyfriend buys them by the dozen. You must be swamped this time of year.”

  Josie nodded. “I am, and I love it, but I’m closed for the afternoon of the party.”

  “Wouldn’t want the customers seeing the gingerbread penises we’re making,” Crystal exclaimed.

  Roni’s eyes flew open wider. “Seriously?”

  “No. We’re not making those,” Josie said. “Well, Izzy and Crystal probably are, but I’m not, and you don’t have to. We’re making gingerbread houses. It’ll be fun, and it’ll give us a chance to get to know each other better.”

  “I’d like that. Thank you,” Roni said.

  Josie pulled out her phone. “Give me your number and I’ll text you the details. I’d like to have it anyway, since your guy and my guy are best buds. I’m sure we’ll see more of each other.”

  As they were exchanging numbers, Quincy, Jed, and Scott sauntered over, each holding two plates of food. Quincy’s eyes locked on Roni’s, and her pulse quickened.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Quincy said. “Do you have room for a few Neanderthals?”

  Scott looked at Penny, and she quickly averted her eyes, but there was no hiding the flash of attraction.

  “Where’s Hail?” Josie asked Jed.

  “He wanted to eat with Bradley, so he’s sitting with Bones,” he answered, sitting beside her.

  “How’s it going, Scotty?” Dixie asked with a smirk.

  Scott set a plate in front of Penny. “Great. You?”

  “It’ll be better as soon as I find my man.” Dixie pushed to her feet, eyes on Penny as Scott sat beside her. “My lips are lonely.”

  Crystal rose from her seat beside Roni. “Here, Quincy, take my chair. I need to find Bear so I can nurse Axel before my boobs explode.”

  “And I should see if Tru needs help with the kids.” Gemma pushed to her feet.

  “Kennedy had a cooki
e in each hand last time I saw her,” Quincy said.

  “Of course she does,” Gemma said. “She’s got that man wrapped around her little finger.”

  “She’s got all of us wrapped around her finger.” Quincy sat beside Roni and put their plates on the table. “I wasn’t sure what you were hungry for, so I got some of everything, heavy on the fruits and veggies.”

  “This is perfect, thank you,” Roni said.

  He leaned in for a kiss, then brushed his scruff along her cheek and said, for her ears only, “Is it crazy that I missed you?”

  “If it is, then they’d better take me to the nuthouse, too.”

  He kissed her again, and Jed said, “I bet Dixie wouldn’t mind if you used her office for a few minutes, as long as you disinfect the desk afterward.”

  Quincy shot him a warning glare, and Jed chuckled.

  They talked and joked as they ate. Scott was charming, and every time he whispered something to Penny, she smiled in a way that was different than when she smiled at anyone else. It was obvious to Roni that they were holding hands under the table, though she thought the others might be as oblivious to that as they were to Scott and Penny’s stolen glances. Jed was funny and kept snuggling with Josie, proudly referring to her as his future wife. Quincy was so attentive and affectionate, keeping his arm around Roni as they ate, stealing kisses, and asking several times if she needed anything, she felt like they’d been dating for months. She wondered if there was something in the water at Whiskey Bro’s, because all those tough guys sure knew how to treat their women.

  “Attention.” Hail’s voice rang out through the microphone, from his perch in Biggs’s arms on the stage.

  Hail was adorable with shaggy light-brown hair that curled at the ends. Biggs was such a big man, Hail looked even smaller in his arms. Beside him, Red held Kennedy’s and Bradley’s hands. The stage seemed smaller and more intimate without the fancy curtains they’d had up during the auction.

  Josie said, “He’s such a ham.”

  “I think he’s adorable,” Roni said.