Reckless

Rob: Say hi to Summer for me.

I burst out laughing. The stress, the pressure, the confusion . . . It all feels more bearable when I’m with my family.

This is different. I want Theo to admire me, but I also want to kick him in the shins.

“I woke with a dog curled up between my feet and your kid trying to take my shirt off. It’s only five a.m.” “Sorry,” I say flatly, in too much of a daze to react.

“Fuck it,” I mumble as I sniff and sit up taller, eyes laser-focused on the road. “Siri, call Summer Hamilton.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, Winter. We’re gonna free you from that husband and bury him in the back field. It’ll be like that Dixie Chicks song. Rob is the new Earl.”

The man makes a pfft sound and waves me off. “You’re not crashing a single thing. This is a family dinner. You’re family. And so, if my math is right, you’re right where you should be.”

“It’s true. Rhett wears mostly pull-on boots,” Summer interjects with a slightly awkward laugh, clearly trying to cool the tension. I wish she wouldn’t. I get off on watching Winter thaw. Everyone laughs as Rhett exclaims, “Rude!”

Every time he whines like a child, I find myself wondering what it is about him I ever found attractive.