Brett needed to get out. With Maisey's declaration and vulnerability and his own outburst he knew he needed some space, that he needed to get out of his own head. He climbed into his pick up freshly showered, and drove towards Andy's place, knowing his friend would welcome him.
There were other trucks in the yard: he recognized Lucas's big blue Ford, Nate's little green Chevy and four other vehicles next to Anna's red jeep and Andy's big grey dodge and realized it must be a poker night. It had been a tradition for the past five years that every two weeks a group would gather at Doc's for poker--they usually played for toothpicks. While it would be good to see them he knew he was in for a ribbing and wasn't sure he was up for it.
Anna, predictably, was not actually in the house. He thought about Maisey's statement about the other girl liking Lucas and decided she must have read something wrong.. The men all called greeting and, as expected, teased him about cutting loose and getting out without his woman. Lucas was describing Maisey for those who had not met her yet as the men shook hands and thumped him on the back and Andy handed him a beer. Taking a long swallow Brett took his place at the poker table.
"Want some food?" Lucas got up with his own plate, "Anna made chicken salad sandwiches, brownies, and seven layer dip, left us fruit, chips and some kind of cookies."
Brett accepted a plate with a variety of foods, "Thanks, I didn't eat with Ned tonight."
"Too distracted?" Nate ribbed him, "I heard that new lady of yours was all over you in town yesterday, wouldn't let go of you to even shake hands, but to hear Addie tell it, the scene in the grocery store is totally a lie."
Andy dealt the cards, "Would you stop gossiping like old ladies and place a bet?"
"I'll place a bet," Nate chuckled, "I'll bet that Addie runs her out of town in a week." The other men laughed and Brett groaned.
"Honestly, guys," Brett said as he slid toothpicks into the center of the table, "Maisey is great, but she was really sick--Andy could tell you that if it wasn't a breach of confidentiality--she'll stay with Ned until she's better. We're just friends, though. I'm just trying to give her a place to help her heal."
Nate wiggled his eyebrows at his friend, "I'm sure you are...ow! What was that for?" he glared at Lucas who had just smacked him across the back of the head.
"To knock some sense into your thick skull before Brett punches you," Lucas said between bites, "Andy your sister could make this stuff every day and it wouldn't get old," he slid into his seat and picked up his cards. His plate was piled high with chicken salad sandwiches and brownies.
"Yes it would," Andy shuddered, "She did that once. She's a great roommate and makes sure I eat but sometimes I wish she knew some different recipes, I'm not sure how many more chicken recipes I can handle before I declare our house poultry free. We live in a beef community and that woman only ever cooks chicken." He regarded his cards and slid toothpicks into the center of the table.
Brett was glad when the game moved full swing. The guys didn't tease him as bad. They were all ranch boys: beef prices, crop yields and fuel costs were more likely conversations. Andy's phone rang at a little after ten thirty, breaking up the game. They could hear through the phone that there had been an accident on the highway just out of town.
"I better go too, before the cops call for my truck." Nate sighed, adding his cards to the deck. Brett shooed Andy out of the kitchen promising to clean up so he didn't have to. Anna must have had a call too, without acknowledging the guys she raced into the house and into the back rooms to clean up and gather the things they needed calling out information to Andy.
Lucas helped Brett and the others all left.
"How's the ranch doing?" Lucas asked, "I know you guys were trying to do much of the work yourself, are you keeping up?"
Brett wrapped sandwiches, "Seem to be, Junior keeps trying to sell the property but Ned really doesn't want to."
"That property has been in his family since the founding years," Lucas didn't like Junior anymore than Brett did, "The guy should have more respect for tradition." Brett couldn't think of a good response for that and shrugged, "I'm sorry man, I know he's your cousin, but he was always a jerk and hated being here. Even more after his grandfather got his hands on him."
Brett nodded, "How do I get Addie off my case?" he changed the subject, "I swear that girl doesn't take a hint."
Lucas laughed, "She sure doesn't. I'd suggest getting Maisey to help, she seems like the sort that would but if she's as sick as you say that might not be the greatest idea."
Brett shook his head, "No, she's having a hard enough time."
"She seemed nice," Lucas said, "Anna really seems to like her."
"Yeah, Anna's been a huge help with Maisey's care," Brett wanted to talk about something else, he'd come to think of anything else at all than Maisey. "I need another option, Addie's great but she's not someone I want to date and I feel like she's trying to force that to happen."
Lucas gathered the empty beer bottles and realized Andy hadn't even opened his, "Do you think he has some kind of psychic way of knowing when something's going to happen? This is the third time I've helped clean up and realized he didn't open his and yet there's other weeks he drinks more than Nate does."
"I've often thought so," Brett admitted, "He has shown up at the ranch five minutes before we needed him, but I never noticed the poker night stuff. I'll have to pay attention to that in the future. Thanks for giving me a hand tonight."
"Anytime man," Lucas shook his hand as they went onto the step, "You headed anywhere in particular?"
"Anywhere but home," Brett admitted, "I just need to clear my head."
"Want to go night fishing? I've got my tack with with me and the diners' looking for more walleye."
"Sure, I'll follow you out to the lake," Brett agreed and climbed into the truck.
Blindloss didn't have any local lakes you would find on a map, just a couple of small lakes on a local ranch property--Lucas's folks owned one of those properties. He remembered summer nights laying out on the same dock they were standing on fishing for walleye and excited for the dollar a fish that they would get paid by the diner. It wasn't much but it was enough to buy some soda or buy more tack. Lucas's family was now the only one that regularly supplied walleye for the diner's honey fried walleye or their herb crusted, pan fried walleye.