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JAMESON

I didn’t care what ood for me

She’d called no less than half a dozen tiet out of the house Why? Who kneith Scarlett Once that girl got an idea in her head, it was daet it out And apparently Miss Scarlett Rose had decided her brother needed a drink at the Lookout

Now that I’d been sitting here awhile, I’d decided she rong I didn’t need to be here I’d have beenas acommission—had plenty to keep uy, and Nicolette served ’eood But what I did not like was the fact that half the people in here were looking at me

They thought they were being so daether to whisper

Moving aze back to the table, I shifted on my stool The noise of a dozen conversations drifted aroundabout All us Bodines knew They ondering if our dad—a —had been responsible for the disappearance, and possible o

Did I think he’d done it? I didn’t rightly know There’d never been a lot of love between me and my father, but that didn’t mean I believed he’d been a murderer

Hadn’t been a lot of love between our father and any of his children, save Scarlett She’d always tried the hardest with hiirl Hell if I knew

There had been good times with him, and with our mama A lot of ’em, in fact But Dad had made it hard Drank too much Blamed us kids for every problem in his life My brother, Gibson, had taken the worst of it Turned him into a mean son of a bitch if you weren’t related to him Sometimes even if you were Bowie seeuy, Bowie Upstanding sort Our half-brother, named Jonah after our father, hadn’t the pleasure—orup with Dad That see, far as I could tell

Me? I’d always tried to stay out of his way Keep eneral, and it usually worked out fine

Wasn’t working noabout Jonah Bodine Sr and Callie Kendall’s damn sweater Now eyes were on me, and I did not like it Not one bit

Moisture beaded on arlic fries and whiskey wafted by I took a sip and ran lass

Bowie sat across fro into his beer He was usually a bit ht he’d been quiet I hadn’t asked why June Tucker sat next to hi sometimes, but she also didn’t talk too h she did tend to ask aard questions Jonah sat on her other side We’d only found out about Jonah’s existence a couple offor us He’d heard about dad’s death, and saw he had siblings he’d never known Of course Scarlett had clai hiht to do so Jonah was a decent sort He hadn’t been sure about staying in Bootleg, and I wasn’t sure if he’d wind up settling here long-terree Cock Spurs softball gaone on moonshine—Jonah had recently become my roommate

I took another sip of my beer and Scarlett flashedby another table with her beau, Devlin My brothers and I had reluctantly agreed that Dev was all right for Scarlett She’d ot around it by pro ouldn’t unless he deserved it She’d thank us later Devlin was obviously crazy about Scar, but every et his ass thrown in the lake once in a while Even the good ones

Normally I wasn’t one to start a conversation where one wasn’t already happening, but I glanced up at June “Where’s Cass tonight, Juney?”

She blinked at me once “On a date”

My eyes flicked to Bowie His jaw tightened, and his eyelid twitched Now I knehy Boas playing the part of the broody Bodine tonight He had eyes for June’s sister, Cassidy Tucker, but for reasons none of us could fatho about it

“A date, huh?” I said “Who’s she seeing?”

“Someone shea suitable h”

“You gave her this idea?” Bowie asked