Tennessee Whiskey

The Weekend

The day felt like it couldn't go any slower. By the time 3pm rolled around, I felt like I had been teaching for an entire 24 hours straight. Someone spilled paint all over the new rug, someone had an accident, another one didn't like the food they brought for lunch. Thank goodness they liked my chicken salad sandwich as much as I would have liked my chicken salad sandwich. 

I packed up my things and turned off the lights to my classroom, locking the door behind me. I said goodbye to the ladies in the front office and walked out to the employee parking lot, ready to start the weekend. I had told Brantley that I would be over tonight, but I wanted to get some things done beforehand. 

My phone pinged, signaling a text message. It pinged a second time. And then a third. I waitied until I got home about twenty minutes later to check them. 

'Can't wait to see you' -Brantley

'Girl, you better be bringing a bikini and  some bad decisions with you this weekend since I'm pregnant and can't partake in some of the fun'-Lindsay

'Hey' ....... I looked at the name at the top of the text message. My heart started to pound in my chest. Matt. I sat there in my driver's seat parked in my driveway for a minute, just staring. Really? I debated on answering, saying something snarky. But I decided that entertaining him was not on my agenda. I deleted the text and threw my phone in to my bag. I walked in to the house and set my stuff down. I needed to change, pack a bag, and get the house cleaned up so that I wouldn't have to come home to a disaster on Sunday night. If I actually came home. 

I quickly did the pile of dishes from the week. My bad, I know. I was normally always on top of those kinds of things. I went in to the bedroom and picked out some outfits for the weekend, including a bathing suit. Lord only knows what kind of shenanigans were going down. I changed in to a pair of dark wash denim cut offs, a v-neck black tee, and a pair of black flip flops. My hair still in it's messy bun from this morning, only redone a million times throughout the day. I did the once over of the house, making sure everything was all set. I locked the door behind me like I did my classroom, and headed to Brantley's for the weekend. 

I got to Brantley and Kolby's in fifteen minutes. I could drive there with my eyes closed at this point. I pulled my Suburban all the way up to its usual spot next to Brantley's Ford Raptor. There were only a few other vehicles here. Most everyone would be over tomorrow and Sunday to celebrate Brantley and the start of his upcoming tour. I was surprisingly excited, yet a little nervous. I was told I would be introduced to a bunch of his team and other friends I had not really met yet. I took a deep breathe, hopping out of my SUV. I looked over toward where the bonfires usually were. There was a fresh pile of wood. The Traeger grill was out. Coolers set up along by the side of the house. I saw a couple four wheelers as well pulled up by the garage door. 

"Hey, bitch." I heard Lindsay yell from overhead. I looked up to see her leaning over the balcony of the deck, sunglasses on. Sweet tea in hand. 

I walked up the stairs to meet her. She turned to me, taking a sip of her drink. "Took you long enough to get here."

"Yeah, well some of us adults have to work." I rolled my eyes playfully. 

"Shut up." She laughed, nudging me. Lindsay worked at a boutique in town. She was the general manager and actually really did love it. I was happy for her because there was a time where she had hit a rough patch. She seemed to be heading in the right direction. 

"Hey, Hannah." Kolby said, opening the sliding glass door with a beer in hand. 

"Hey." I nodded at him, smiling. He leaned over and kissed Lindsay on the top of her golden blonde head. They were doing really well since the news of the baby. It was nice to see. 

I looked around for Brantley, when I noticed him inside at the dining table on his phone. I wanted to go in and say hello, but I was afraid to interupt. He peered out the window and offered a small smile. I waved back. I was about to go see him, but he turned around and walked away toward the hall. 

Lindsay looked at me. "His lawyer. Ex is starting some more shit." She whispered in a hush tone. 

"Ahhh." I raised my eyebrows, acknowleding the situation. "Hey, I have to talk to you about something."

"What?" Lindsay looked concerned.

"Not now, later." I turned my head to the side, gesturing towards Kolby. Lindsay shook her head in understanding. 

Brantley came back out to the living room, finishing up his concersation. He opened the sliding glass door. "Hey, sorry. Business." He said, kissing me in a rush. 

"It's ok." I smiled up at him. He gazed at me for a second before he leaned back down and kissed me again, longer this time. 

"Come on, let's go get some things grilling." Kolby stated, heading down the deck to the Traeger. 

We all followed behind him. Brantley placing his hand on my shoulder as he walked behind me. They had burgers and hot dogs, some chicken, and a big ol' steak to put on. It all looked so delicious and made my mouth water. I was starving since I didn't get a chance to eat my own lunch today. The guys were at the grill talking and getting things all set. Lindsay was sitting in an adirondack chair a little ways away. I went over to her and pulled up a chair myself.

"Matt text me." I said in a low voice, making sure she was the only one to hear me.

"What? What did he want?" She inquired, her face looking confused. 

"I don't know. All he said was hey. I deleted the message when I got it." 

"Han, don't even worry about it. You know damn well that he has nothing good to say to you. And that if he tried anything, I would kick his ass from here to New York." Lindsay sipped her sweet tea, shaking her head in disbelief. 

"Yeah," I replied. I wasn't so sure about all that. I mean worrying. Matt was bound to have something up his sleeve. He was always sneaky. I just didn't see it until I caught him in his lies. Then it all began to make sense. 

Another couple of cars came rolling in. I was determined to have a great weekend no matter what.