to be able to me. She would need to convince Stacy to sit down and talk with me. My phone rang again, and I looked down, hopefully.
“Morning, Greg, what can I do for you?” I asked.
“Not a whole lot, was just wondering how you were doing. Haven’t heard from you in a while.”
“You talked to me last week,” I reminded him.
He chuckled. “I know I did, and I remember making plans for playing poker too. The only problem is, you didn’t show up. Something on your mind?”
I groaned. “Shit, I’m sorry. I forgot we were supposed to play last night. My head has been a little scrambled lately.”
“I thought as much. You know I can't help but hear gossip going around. Seems your trucks been in town a lot this last week.”
“Please don’t tell me my mother is putting you up to this?” I asked.
Greg laughed. “Close, but not quite. Your dad mentioned he was a little worried about business slipping. I have to admit, I was intrigued. It’s not like you to let meetings go forgotten.”
“What the hell did you and my dad need to talk about the Fern Brothers deal for?”
“We were having drinks! Ran into him at The Pig, I didn’t offer him anything but words of encouragement. He’s the one who asked about your art friend.”
“Great,” I groaned. “Now he’s going to be up my ass too about the whole thing. Jesus, maybe I need to move to a different state just to get away from them.”
“Come now! You are a Wheeler! You know you’ll never leave Texas.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Listen, how does next week sound? You come here for the game, and I won't miss it.”
“Fine, but you have to do one more thing for me to make up for it.”
“What?” I asked.
“Sort this damn shit out, so I don’t have to listen to everyone bitching anymore.”
I laughed. “I’m already working on it.”
Greg ended the call, and I sat on my porch. Stacy had no idea what was coming, but I knew that I would keep her and Harrison safe from it. Even if it meant the four of us had to move across the country to do so. The more time I spent dealing with my family's drama, the less I felt obligated to stay and run their ranch. Maybe Stacy had it right, and leaving Texas really was the way out.
14
Chapter Thirteen (Stacy)
Harrison squeezed the paint tube, delighted at the mess he was making on the canvas spread out beneath him. I’d been ecstatic when the oversize white sheet had gone on sale. There was nothing better than watching him create. He crawled on his hands and knees across the white cloth, leaving a trail of yellow and green prints.
I laughed when he’d worn himself out on the colors, and Matty appeared with takeout for us. She ran upstairs to drop off the food before reappearing in a smock as Harrison reached for her. The art would be dry by the morning, and with just a few minutes left until we closed, it had been a good day despite the rough night before.
“I’ll go get him in the bath,” Matty said.
“Perfect, let me get this cleaned up, then I’ll get dinner put out.”
“Come on, messy,” Matty said to Harrison. “Let’s go make the water all sorts of colors now!”
“You are so wonderful with him,” I told her.
She shrugged. “I would have watched him all night; you didn't have to rush home.”
“I know, I wasn’t rushing. The night ended, and I wanted to get back. I don’t think you should be stuck watching him so I can date. That's not your responsibility.”
Matty grinned, “A date, huh? And here I just thought you two were talking about Harrison. You did seem a little off when you got back.”
“Don’t get me started,” I muttered. “I don’t want to talk about it, okay? Going out with him, as a date or anything else, was a mistake.”
The door opened, and a customer slipped in. Most of the patrons liked to walk around before we approached them, so I didn’t rush the conversation, though I was happy for the excuse. Harrison squirmed in Mattie’s grip, ready to go color the bathwater as she’d promised.
“Listen, I’m not going to say that I had a terrible time because I didn’t. I really like Walker.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Matty asked.
I groaned. “Nothing I feel like talking about right now. I promise the second I figure out just what I want from the