Page 24 of Unlikely to Stay
“You’re not smoking weed, are you?”
“Nope.Just vaping.”Vaping her ass.CC knew the smell of marijuana when she…well,smelledit.Her mom never admitted it.CC never asked to see her mom vaping.It wasn’t worth the fight.
“You know how much I hate youvaping,” she called.“I really wish you’d quit.”
Her mom stuck her head between the beads, her curly brown hair a wild mane around her face.“It calms me.And I only vape in my sunroom, so no one is hurt.Right?”
CC rubbed her temples.Talking to her mom for too long gave her a headache.“Whatever you say, Mom.I gotta go.”
“Where are you going?You just got here.”
“Just go vape, Mom.I’m going…out.”
“Well, think about what I said, dear.You should bid on the sexy doctor with the eyes that look like chocolate.Webothknow it’s your favorite food.”
CC didn’t answer.Instead, she grabbed her purse off the table housing her mom’s collection of lava lamps and stomped out the door.She didn’t really know why she was stomping.No amount of stomping would erase the memory of Brant Billings’ eyes locked with hers and the feel of his warm hands sliding down her arms.Or the silly notion that his kisses might possibly even taste like CC’s favorite food.
“I just wantto thank you for all you did for my Romeo.”
June Adams was perched on the edge of the examining table in room one.Her ample breasts were about to fall out of the low cut, size medium top that should’ve probably been an extra-large, and her skintight denim shorts gave new meaning to the term daisy dukes.And…was she wearingmakeup?June was not one to wear makeup, tight shirts,ordaisy dukes.She was more of a wear-overalls-and-straw-hat-while-chewing-tobacco variety.
Brant didn’t want anyone to think he was abig city snob, as he had heard Marty and Burt call some of the lake-goers over their morning checkers game in front of Sadie’s Café.He wasn’t, and knew June was sweet as they came.He also knew she was the type of Oklahoman national news reporters tried to find and interview for the six o’clock news talking about thetornady that swooped down and stole my pet donkey.
Next to her on the table was a pie plate, its contents overflowing with some sort of concoction that looked to be a mixture of raspberries, blackberries and…maybe blueberries?Brant couldn’t be sure.It really just looked like a bunch of mush.
“I told you, June.It was my pleasure.No thanks necessary.All part of the job.”
Well, not part ofhisjob.Part ofGretchen’s, the qualified veterinarian’s, job.Still, it was obvious June wasn’t sick.Apparently, she felt her boob-crushing hug last time just wasn’t enough.
“Well,” she said, hopping off the table.Hoisting her pie in one hand, she placed her other hand on her hip and began sauntering…stumbling…swaying?Brant’s way.Was she trying toseducehim?She looked more like one of the zombies onThe Walking Dead.“I didn’t just come by to thank you for fixing up my Romeo.Although, if you ask me, you did a better job than that Gretchen couldeverdo.”
Brant began backing up as June continued to move toward him.Soon, there would be no place else for him to go in the small room.Nowhere but smack into June’s cleavage popping out of the too-tight shirt.He’d been there before and frankly, he’d rather dive into the unknown contents of the pie in her hand before going there again.
“Now, now, June.Let’s not be hasty.All I did was stitch up a leg.You probably could’ve done that yourself.Gretchen really knows her stuff.”
June stopped inches away from him, the mushy pie the only thing between their bodies.Brant felt his head bang into the door of the room.
“Still, I feel like Ioweyou for all the help.Which is why I baked you this.”
Brant quickly grabbed the pie from her hands and sidestepped out of her way.Placing the pie back on the examination table, he pretended to look through the cabinets above the counter running the length of the wall.What he was looking for, he didn’t know.Maybe a portal out of the room?Narnia, perhaps?
“That was awfully nice of you, June.Thank you.It looks delicious.”
Not.It did not look delicious.
“This is just a taste of what you’ll get when I win you at that auction.”
Brant’s hand stilled on the cabinet handle.He knew the color had drained from his face.“Wh…wh…what did you say?”
“Isaidthis is just a taste of what’s to come when I win you at that eligible bachelor auction Annabelle Cleaver and Breckin Henderson are having at the town founding celebration.Youareone of the bachelors, aren’t you?”
“Well, you see…I’m not so sure I am…they asked me but—”
“All the posters around town that have your face plastered on them sure makes a woman believe you are.You sayin’ those posters arewrong?”
“There are posters?”
June nodded in satisfaction.“Lotsof posters.You’re looking very dapper in your fancy doctor’s coat and glasses.”