Candy stopped scrubbing and put her hands on her hips. “She asked me to come up there today, but I told her I couldn’t get away from the bar on such short notice. Thought I’d drive up there tomorrow. Want to join me?”
“I’m going fishing tomorrow.”
“Well, if you change your mind, give me a call.” Candy wrote her cell phone number on a coaster and slid it toward me. “I’ll probably leave around two or so.”
“Yeah, okay. I might be finished fishing by then. I’ll see.”
Candy gave a toss of her head. “Whatever. She might enjoy seeing you, unless things have heated up with her and Jay. Hard to tell.”
I could feel my ears turn red. That harlot, that sorceress could probably put a damn spell on any unsuspecting guy. “Most likely. She sure took me in.”
“She was sweet on you.”
“That’s all you know,” I scoffed. “I told her I wasn’t looking for romance, that I was perfectly happy doing what I was doing, but no, she wouldn’t let me be. She had to sucker me in.”
“How did she do that exactly?”
“Took me to bed. Shoved her cat up a tree. Sent me a bucket of beer. Crazy stuff. Wouldn’t leave me alone.”
“I see.” Candy folded her arms under her breasts, which made them look bigger than they already were. “Sounds awful. Well, hopefully she’s forgotten all about you and moved on.”
I didn’t say anything, and finally, she went about her business. About time too. She had customers to look after; she shouldn’t be wasting her time needling me.
I drained the last of my beer then stood.
Candy had tried her damndest to push my buttons, to make me jealous. It didn’t work. I didn’t care if Fran went to bed with this Jay guy or not. I only hoped he treated her fairly, that’s all. I wouldn’t like to see someone as nice as Fran get hurt.
* * *
I got out of bed before five, which I’ve always thought was the best part of the day. I like the quiet solitude when everything is dark and still, the world peaceful as it slowly awakens. Sure, I enjoy the bird chirping, the sunrise, and all that, but even earlier, there is a gentle awakening, a soft hum as the earth gets ready to welcome a whole new day. That’s the way I see it, anyway.
By the time I had my boat packed, complete with flask of coffee, a couple of donuts, and ready to go, the sun still hadn’t winked. I headed for the artificial reefs where the bottom fishing was excellent.
While I waited for the first bite, the darkness faded and the skyline appeared.
I hadn’t finished my first cup of coffee when I felt a tug on my line. I dropped my donut and started wheeling fast. There’s a certain amount of give and take, as I released a portion of line before wheeling the fish back in. Eventually, the fish tired, and I hauled it over the side of the boat. I disengaged the hook and tossed him into the ice-chest.
A half hour later, I had a second fish and decided that was enough. I headed back home, and my mind took a slight detour. I wondered what Fran was doing. Rehearsing with that singer guy, sharing breakfast, or maybe just getting out of bed?
Not that I gave a rat’s ass. As long as he treated her right, it was all good. Better him than me, that’s for damn sure.
Carpenter had no idea what the hell he was getting himself into. Fran was a nut case, no doubt about it. He’d never see it coming. She’d use her wiles on him, as she had with me, and then—zap! It’d be all over.
Your days are numbered, you poor sap.
Once I got home I gutted the fish, and put the fillets in a freezer bag, then I went in to shower, shave and put on clean clothing. I had a turkey on Rye for lunch, then decided to take a leisurely drive. Since I had the whole day free, I’d see where the urge took me. I kind of zoned out, but I knew I drove north for a short spell. Before I knew it, I started noticing signs advertising the country music festival. Figured I might as well check it out since I was already in the area.
I parked in the grounds and followed the crowd into the fair. I had to stand in line for a ticket, which gave me time to wonder what in the hell I was doing. I could still turn around and go home and nobody would be the wiser.
Stepping out of line, I saw Candy in another row, three people ahead. I was about to duck out when she turned around and saw me.
She yelled and waved. “Hey, John. Come join me.”
It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I would have looked like a dick if I hadn’t stepped forward.
I joined Candy, acting nonchalant. “I made it after all.”
“I see.” She smiled. “Fran will be so pleased.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” I shrugged and put my hands in my jean pockets. “You ever been to one of these?”
“A fair? Sure. Plenty.” She took her wallet out of her bag. “Not in a long while though. Used to take Billy when he was small.”
“Put your money away,” I said to her. “My treat.”
She didn’t argue, which was a relief. I felt awkward enough. What had I been thinking? Fran wouldn’t want me here. She had a new gig going on with this big singer dude.
“We have a few hours before the performance,” Candy said. “Why don’t we give her a call and let her know we’re here? Maybe she can join us for a bite to eat.”
“She’ll probably be too busy,” I mumbled, acting as if I didn’t care.
“Well, she better not still be in bed with Jay.” Candy snickered. “Not after we drove all this way.”
“Give her a call,” I snapped. “Tell her we’re both here.”
She smiled. “I’ll do that.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
FRAN
Jay and I had rehearsed a few more numbers and were heading back to the parking lot when I pulled him aside. “Hey, we’re at a fair. Come on! Let’s be kids for an hour or two. Hit some rides, play a few silly games, have fun.”
“Shouldn’t we get back and rest for tonight?”
“How old are you?” I bumped his arm. “The motel room is about as exciting as the morgue, unless you have a hottie waiting for you.”
“No.” He rubbed his jaw. “You made me feel like an asshole because I slept with that young girl.”
“I did?” I grinned. “That’s awesome. I’m so proud of myself. You see, it feels good to have scruples and live up to them.”
“Don’t get carried away. I’m not planning to be celibate for long.”
“Well, you should,” I said and laughed. “So, can we? Play, I mean.” I glanced around and saw rows and rows of fun tents—hoop tossing, balloon popping, duck shooting, walls littered with giant Pandas and heaps of other prizes. “Come on. I can’t remember the last time I did something this juvenile.”
“Okay, okay,” he grumbled. “Choose your weapon. You lose, you buy dinner.”
“Sounds fair.” I rubbed my hands together. “We get to play the best of three, okay?”
We shot ducks twice and he killed me both times, so I demanded we try something I could win. We walked around, and when I spotted another one of those mechanical bulls, the adrenalin shot right through me.
“Yes!” I shouted with glee. “This is it.” I pulled him along, heading for the bull. “If I can stay on for one full ride, you pick up dinner.”
“No way. You know what happened the first time you did this. Ended up with a bloody chin.”
“Yeah, well, now I have you to teach me. The one and only, the amazing, Jay Carpenter, bull rider extraordinaire.” I laughed, tugging him forward. “Come on. I’m not afraid of no bull.”
“No way. The bet’s off.”
“But, I want to do this,” I said stubbornly.
He put a hand on my shoulder and turned me to face him. “I’m not taking any chances that you may get hurt again.”
“Aw, you do care.” I batted my lashes and blew him a kiss. “Okay, we’ll find something else.” I walked off, determined to find something that I could be good at. There had to be something.
“Fran!”
I waited for Jay to catch up. “Let’s go on the roller coaster while I decide how I’m going to beat you.”
“You’re on,” he said with a smile.
The roller coaster scared the wits out of me, but it was right next to the bumper cars, and I figured I might be able to take him with my reckless driving skills.
Once we got off the ride, I bought the tickets for the bumper cars. “Okay, this is it. Winner takes all.”
“Oh, you are so done. I’m going to have a big juicy steak tonight.”
“Only if you’re prepared to pay for it.”
I jumped into a red car, knowing that red racing cars always have an edge, and Jay took the loser blue. We were all revved up to go, and my adrenaline was pumping. Oh, yeah, he was toast.
He took the lead right from the start and I was on his tail, slamming, sort of, into the back of his car. I had him spinning in circles, which made me whoop and laugh with delight. But soon, he had me cornered against a wall, and I had to use my quick wit and skill to disengage. We were on our last lap and I was about to pass when I spotted John and Candy walking past us.
I yelled to them, and with my attention diverted, Jay rammed my fender, sending me colliding into another car. With his hands raised in victory, he completed the race. I sat there fuming, apologizing to the occupant of the other car.
I would have won, I know I would have, but he’d taken advantage of the one moment my focus was elsewhere. He jumped out of his loser blue car and came to help me out of mine.
He had a gloating grin on his face, and I pushed his hands away. “I can get out by myself. You rammed me right into that other car.”
“That’s the nature of the game. I won fair and square, and you’re the lucky loser who can take me for dinner.”
“Like hell I will.” I unbuckled my helmet and stomped off, knowing I was being a poor sport, but my friends were standing there, waving like idiots, and Jay had just ticked me off.
“Hey, Candy!” I shouted and gave her a hug. “How did you drag this guy along?”
I took John’s hands in mine and kissed his cheek. “Good to see you.”
His smile said it all. I could see he was pleased to see me too.
Jay walked up. “Hi. I’m Jay Carpenter.”
Candy nearly swooned. “Hi, Jay. I’m Candy and this is John.”
“Don’t be nice to him,” I said sharply. “He cheated to win the race.”
“I didn’t cheat, and you’re a bad loser.” He shook his head and glanced at my friends. “Is she always this temperamental?”
“I’m not a loser. I spotted my friends and was waving to them, and you took advantage of the moment to ram me into another car. That’s not proper course etiquette.”
Jay sputtered with laughter, and Candy joined him. John stood, glaring at Jay. “You might have hurt her, did you think of that?”
Jay wiped his eyes, trying to keep the grin off his face. “She’s a big girl, and if she can’t take a few knocks, she needs to get out of the race.”
I stuck my tongue out at him and put my arm through the crook of John’s arm. “We had a bet, and now I have to buy dinner.” I smiled at Candy and John. “I’m so glad you guys came. Now maybe Jay will be nice to me.”
“I haven’t been nice?” he asked with a lift of his brow.
“Well, the only reason you let me sing with you is because I’m good.”
Candy’s mouth popped open. “Jay, she doesn’t mean that. She’s thrilled to death that you’ve given her such a wonderful opportunity.”
John interrupted, “Which you wouldn’t have if you hadn’t thought she was star material. Unless, of course, you had other reasons I don’t know about.”
Jay glanced at John then winked at me. “Other reasons? Naw, I can’t think of any, although her room back at the motel is attached to mine.”
John’s face turned a deeper shade of red, and I knew Jay was enjoying egging him on.
“Yeah, I could hear some head-banging going on in that room the other night. Kept me up too.”
Candy didn’t seem to know what to say to all this, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Jay and gave him a dazzling smile. “Why don’t we all get to know each other better over a glass of wine?”
Jay glanced at me then shrugged. I could tell his mind was whirling. “No, you guys go on without me.”
Candy turned to him and loaded on the charm. “Oh, come on. Please join us. I’m a big fan of yours.”
His gaze ran over her, and I saw her through his eyes. Candy was beautiful. She was curvy and blonde with long, wild hair, bosoms you couldn’t ignore, and a lovely, smiling face.
What man wouldn’t fall head over heels?
She was one of my best friends in the entire world, and she deserved a good man to warm her bed at night.
I decided to play matchmaker. “Come on, Jay. You have to come. Candy drove all the way from South Beach to meet you.”
“In that case, I’ll be happy to join you.” Jay’s gaze was on Candy, and I knew he was eyeing her as his next conquest. I only hoped he treated her better than the ones he casually took to his bed.
As we walked toward the food pavilions, I chatted with my friends. “I’m so happy you both came. Jay and I are going to sing two songs together tonight. We sang Need You Now last night, and wow—the crowd went crazy, didn’t they, Jay?”
John developed a tick on the side of his cheek while Jay answered. “Sure did,” he said. “And we’re gonna do it again tonight. After we grab an early meal, we need to go back to the motel to shower and change.”
“Together?” John snapped.
Jay laughed, and I blushed.
“Of course not,” I said quickly.
“What do you all feel like eating?” I put my arm around Candy’s arm. “I think they have a Bubba Shrimp stand here somewhere.”
“We’ll get a better meal outside the grounds,” Jay said. “If your friends don’t mind leaving with us. Then we can all drive back together.” He glanced at Candy. “I can swing a couple of V.I.P. passes.”
Candy flashed a huge smile. “Perfect. I can’t wait to hear you both sing. A duet…” She sighed and fluttered her lashes at Jay. “Sounds romantic.”
John’s eyes were on me. “Neither can I.”
I winked at Jay. “We really can steam it up, can’t we?”
He chuckled and John’s face darkened.
“Glad you two found each other,” he said.
“Me too.” I punched Jay lightly on the arm. “He’s not a bad guy to be around.”
We arrived at the parking lot and headed for Jay’s Toyota Tacoma. When John saw the truck, he stopped short.
“How the hell are we supposed to fit in this? You expect me to ride in the back?”
Jay raised a brow. “Not unless you want to. It has fold-up seats in the back of the cab.”
I took John’s arm. “Come on. You and I can squeeze in the back. Let Candy ride up front with Jay.”
John grumbled a bit as he gave my rear end a little shove to help me in then folded his large body into the small space, his thigh resting against mine.
I had John close to me while my best friend chatted happily with Jay. My happiness radar was off the charts.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
JOHN
By the time we arrived at the restaurant, I had mellowed a little. It could have been Fran’s happy chatter or the warm press of Fran’s knee against mine. Throughout the short drive, she’d also given me special smiles that made my heart rate double.
The way I figured it, if she’d been sleeping with the cowboy, she’d never have gotten into the back seat with me. Not that I knew much about women, and Fran was a puzzle, to be sure. She lived by her own standards, followed her own rules. Yet, she had a strong moral fiber, and I’d bet my last penny she’d never sleep with two men at the same time.
Since I knew I’d recently occupied her bed, I was pretty damn sure Jay hadn’t.
I liked Fran. If I w
ere looking for a woman to spend the rest of my life with, she’d likely be first on my list. She made me laugh, and I enjoyed talking to her. Not to mention her natural talents in the bedroom—which didn’t come from experience, or so I’m told.
After we parked, I jumped out of the truck then offered her my hand. She took it willingly enough and didn’t let go. Candy and Jay were ahead of us, their heads close together, laughing over something.
“I know you’re excited to be singing with him, but do you actually like the guy?”
“Very much.” Fran grinned at me and squeezed my hand. “I also like you.”
Jeez Louise, what did that mean? “I just thought if you’re interested in him, you should tell Candy to back off.”
“No. Candy’s my best friend, and if she’s got the hots for him, it’s all right with me.” She rolled her eyes and lowered her voice, “You see, Jay sleeps around a lot.”
“You know that about him, and yet, you still like him?”
“Sure. What does one have to do with the other?”
I shook my head. “Everything. How could you think highly of a guy like that?” I stopped, put my hands on her shoulders, and made her face me. “Because he’s letting you sing with him? Is that why?”
Her face froze. “No! How dare you.” She shrugged my hands off her. “Besides, I never said I thought highly of him. I like him, that’s all.”
When I didn’t say anything, she explained further. “I agree, it’s a sleazy thing to do—picking up girls at every show, banging them in cheap motel rooms. But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s charming, kind, and likeable.” She made a face. “After all, who am I to judge another person’s behavior?”
“You wouldn’t jump into bed with just anyone.”
“I did with you.”
The Candy Bar Complete - 4 book box set: Candy Bar Series Page 56