Beard Science (Winston Brothers, #3)

by Penny Reid

“Thank you.” I tried my best to pretend unkind words were actually just erroneously expressed compliments, as it just made everything nicer for everybody. For example, my momma’s latest comment could be rephrased to, You’re cosmically stellar.

Cletus Winston was the sneakiest, most manipulative, most powerful, and—as far as I was concerned—the most dangerous man in East Tennessee. Problem was, virtually no one else seemed to realize it. Everyone in town thought he was odd, but mostly harmless. Meanwhile, he blackmailed them into doing what he wanted, all the while tricking people into thinking it was their idea.

I turned and walked to my bedroom, my stomach still sick, and my heart in fractured pieces. One moment I was treated like a disobedient, disrespectful twelve-year-old, the next a beautiful success. All because of Billy. Never because of me.

Because, they aren’t me. I’m me. I have to live with me, all day, every day. And I got to choose who—or what—I wanted to be.

‘Old things have soul.’ Then to me she’d add on a whisper, ‘And young things have spirit.’”

Because kissing is more than just technique. It’s also about the chemistry you have with another person and his or her technique as well. So the difference between kissing and baking is that two people are involved, and that makes it both more and less complicated.”

Saying someone would make a great politician is like saying someone would make a great serial killer. It’s not a compliment.”

But something you taught me over these last few months is that no one can control who you are—fundamentally, who you are in your heart—except for you. The decision is always yours.”

“No matter what happened in your past, what ghosts might lurk there, the road you take is ultimately up to you,” I squeezed him back, “but—selfishly—I hope it’s always the road I’m on.”

“Everything is temporary, Cletus. This,” he gestured to our surroundings, “this is temporary. Even mountains fall. Nothing lasts forever. You got a chance at happiness, even for a week, a month, a year? You grab it and hold on to it for as long as it lasts. I want you to seize.”

“Stay away from the normals, the small-minded people who fill their brains with small-minded pursuits, who blend in and keep up with the Joneses. Those people will tear you down and make you boring. Instead, surround yourself with the weirds. With the misfits, oddballs, and outcasts. Because the normals, bless their hearts, have no idea how to have fun.”