Page 30 of Unlikely to Stay
Chapter 8
“Today’s the big day!Are you ready?”
CC and her two best friends were sitting in a booth at Sadie’s, a pile of pancakes in front of them.Breckin had again pulled CC from her peaceful slumber to drag her to Sadie’s for an all-you-can-eat breakfast before the festivities of Founding Day began.
“Waking me up has become a really annoying habit of yours that you need to stop.Besides, I don’t know why you woke me up,” CC said, taking a bite of the extra crispy bacon Sadie had made sure to bring with the pancakes.“I’m not participating in the auction so there isn’t a certain time I need to be there.”
“But,” Breckin said around a mouthful of blueberry pancake, “you know how many patrons come to your shop during the celebration.And you always have sales on your shampoos.Last year, you even put out a table in front of the store.I remember lots of lake people buying a ton of your products.”
CC couldn’t deny what her friend said.All the people visiting their town had almost cleaned out her shelves when she ran the buy one, get one free sale on all products.This year, though, she had decided to forego a table outside.Instead, she hung a simple sign in the window advertising her sale.
With her friends, she blamed the lack of a table outside on the uncharacteristically warm April day but if she were being honest with herself, she was avoiding the auction so she didn’t do something totally stupid.Like bid on Brant Billings.
“I still think you’re making a big mistake not putting a table outside,” Breckin pushed.“Who knows what business you’ll lose?”
“I put a big ass, bright yellow sign in the window.If they don’t notice it, they probably didn’t plan on buying anything anyway.”
Her friends rolled their eyes.“Fine, stubborn ass,” Annie grumped.“Have it your way.”
CC pointed a piece of bacon at her friend.“Iwillhave it my way.”
Sadie walked up to their table and huffed out a breath.“I think this year’s celebration is going to be even larger than last year,” she said, sticking her glasses in her hair.“Look at this place.”
CC glanced around the café.Every table was full, CC not even recognizing half the patrons.“How long has it been like this, Sade?”
“Since we opened.Every year, it seems like more people come.Next year, we might need to make a weekend out of it.”
“That’s good for you, Sade,” Breckin offered, taking another bite of pancake.CC swore that was the fifth one her friend had eaten.She didn’t know where Breckin put it in her tiny body.
“It’s good foreveryone,” Sadie replied.“Didn’t you sell out of almost everything in your shop last year, Cees?”
“Oh, she did,” Breckin said, glaring CC’s way.“But this year she is going to be stubborn and not have a table outside.”
Sadie perched on the empty space in Annie’s booth.“What?Why would you do that?”
CC started to answer but her friend beat her to it.
“Because,” Breckin continued, “she’s afraid of doing something she considers stupid.”
“What’s that?”
“Bid on hottie Brant Billings,” Annie piped up.
CC rolled her eyes.“That’snotthe reason.I just don’t want to get burned!You know how fair-skinned I am.This is an unseasonably warm day.”
“We live in Oklahoma,” Breckin said, taking a long drink of her orange juice.“All our weather is unseasonable.”
“Not to mention the fact hot weather and worrying about a sunburn has never affected you before,” Annie said.“If I remember correctly, last year you lathered yourself up with sunscreen and wore a purple bikini top to match your hair with a pair of daisy dukes.Said it increased your sales like crazy.”
CC rolled her eyes.Leave it to her nosy friends to remember every detail of her life.
“Fine!Maybe I am staying in my shop because I don’t want to watch the auction.I don’t want to see men paraded around like a bunch of sex symbols…”
Her friends, including Sadie, started laughing.
“What?”she grumped.“It’s how I feel.”
“Save it,” Sadie said.“If my old lady memory serves me correctly, I believeyouwere the one who pre-bought ourMagic Miketickets and made us go to the midnight showing in Lakeview.I was a walking zombie the entire next day.You havenoproblem exploiting sexy men.”