Southern Secrets (Southern #7) - Natasha Madison Page 0,10

"I can get a room at the motel."

“Then I’ll tell my grandmother,” I counter. “Not sure which one you want me to tell.” If I don’t do this, I’ll feel guilty about him staying alone, I tell myself.

“You’re a bully,” he says, and I shrug.

“I’ve been called worse,” I joke. “Last week, you called me a raging lunatic.”

“You told me that you hoped bees ate my junk.” He shakes his head. He lets go of a deep breath, and I want to rub his back, but instead, I clutch my mug tighter. “But I really need a shower.”

"Keys are on my desk. Why don’t you sleep for a bit and then come in at noon?" I suggest, and he looks at the clock and then back at Quinn.

"Or come back tomorrow," Quinn says. "Tomorrow will be good."

"Are you going to ride my ass all day if I don’t leave?" He looks at me.

I tilt my head to the side and smirk. "I don’t know what you mean by that," I say innocently, "but if you mean, will I tell every single family member who calls me today that you are here and haven’t showered or slept?" I stop at the entrance of my office. "The answer to that would be a big fat yes."

He groans, and I walk to my desk to grab the keys I just tossed there. I stop and pick up the black bag that Willow put there and bring it out to him. "Here." I walk to him and hand him the keys and the bag.

"Fine," he says, huffing out. "I’ll see you later." He puts his mug in the sink and then walks out.

I watch him walk out of the barn and then feel eyes on me. "Are we going to talk about this?" Quinn says, and I just stare at him.

"Nothing to talk about. The man is homeless," I say, ignoring the thumping of my heart against my chest. "What would you expect me to do?"

"We could have set him up at an empty house," Quinn says, and I fold my arms over my chest and roll my eyes, shaking my head.

"You think that man"—I point at the door Asher just walked out of—"would have taken you up on an offer to stay in a house that has been sitting empty for the past six months?" I don’t give him a chance to answer me. "Tell me, did you not offer him that house instead of sleeping in a barn?" Quinn just glares at me. "I thought so."

"Whatever," Quinn says, turning and walking away. "I’m telling your father you are living with a boy."

I watch his retreating back. "Snitches get stitches!"

Chapter 5

Asher

I get back into the truck, and even with the windows open, I smell the smoke. I knew I should have just gone to a motel after I left the barn at three a.m., but instead, I sat on the hood of the truck and watched the empty space where the barn used to sit.

My head spun with regret the whole time. The dark sky was slowly turning a soft pink when I finally got off the truck while my head screamed at me that I needed to stop dwelling and get over it. I walked into the barn, making a mental list of the things I had to do. I wasn’t expecting Quinn to be there or to see Amelia standing there with him. I should have taken Quinn up on his offer to use his place, but I didn’t know how Willow would feel. She just started getting comfortable around me, and I didn’t want to ruin that.

I pull up to Amelia's house and turn off the truck. Her house is a perfect size, and I’ve even thought about buying one like hers. I just didn’t know if I wanted to call this place home. Grabbing the black bag, I get out of the truck, looking toward the front of the house.

I walk up the path past the garden in the front with perfect flowers. I know that this is all Amelia. Unlike her other cousins who love to cook, she is a more get your hands dirty to relax kind of person. Three steps lead me to the blue door, and when I unlock it, the cold air escapes like I just opened the freezer.

I kick off my boots at the front door and place the keys on the hook right beside the light switch. I take a second to