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“Hello?

”Rachel, I had a fight with Jared” Cheryl’s voice trembled on the other end

“Are you okay?”

“No I need to get out for a while Will you go out for a drink with me?”

“Of course” Rachel couldn’t deny Cheryl The sound of tears in her voice took away any hesitation

“I’ll meet you at the Pink Slipper”

“I’ll be there in thirtythe call

“Who was that?” Dustin questioned, looking up froan on his lap The others were listening unashamedly

“That was Cheryl She wants to go out for a drink at the Pink Slipper She and Jared had a fight” Rachel saw no reason not to give them that much information

“If you have more than one drink, call me and I’ll drive in and pick you up,” Tate offered

“All right”

Rachel took a quick shower then pulled on a blue dress that clung to her curves She had every intention of doing a littlewhile she listened to Cheryl cry on her shoulder

Brushing her hair out, she left it loose to fall to her waist Stepping back from the mirror, she saw the sa to be someone else

She decided to put so herself the smoky eyes that everyone said looked sexy on a woman When she was done, she looked like she had two black eyes Quickly, she washed it off, siht, natural color and mascara instead

Feeling more normal, she picked her purse up and headed for the door

“Why did you get all dressed up?” Tate ca a soda

“Because I’ her at the Pink Slipper, and I didn’t want to stand out like a sore thumb in my jeans” Before her other brothers could chi it behind her

She drove into town, pulled into the parking lot, and was surprised to find it e the large writing fro a car pull up next to her, she turned her head and rolled the n when she saas Cheryl

“A water pipe burst It’s closed until torabbed her purse Getting out of her car, she then got into Cheryl’s

“Why don’t we go to the diner and get a cup of coffee?” It was really their only other choice at this tiht

“Because I don’t want coffee; I want a drink! This isn’t the only bar in town” Cheryl put her car in reverse, pulling out of the parking lot

“Where are we going?” Cheryl’s erratic behavior had Rachel worried

“Rosie’s”

Rachel had never been in the bar on the outskirts of town Usually, the rougher crowd of Treepoint hung out there The Last Riders and even her brothers frequented the bar a couple of tiht wasn’t one of them

“Cheryl, I don’t knohat you got in a fight with Jared over, but whatever it was, it’s not worth doing soret”

“Don’t worry, Rachel; I don’t plan on doing anything I’ll regret Did you knowaround onvasectonant,children with me”

Rachel could only guess at how devastating it had been for Cheryl to learn her childhood sweetheart could be so treacherous

“Cheryl, you have been married to Jared for a lot of years, tootime to think it over”

“I plan to think it over with a couple of drinks inside me”

Rachel wisely re her to beco

The parking lot at Rosie’s was full of trucks and ot out of the car before Rachel could change her mind

Following behind her, Rachel felt self-conscious entering the dark bar when all the er, on the other hand, made her fearless

Going farther into the bar, she found them an empty table at the back and took a chair Rachel reluctantly sat down next to her, hoping a quick beer would calet her to leave