Me: Oh, that would be wonderful. I’m honestly nervous. I’ve never had baby cats and I don’t know what I’m going to need to do.
KT: They’re easy. The mom takes care of everything. Just make sure you don’t let her out of the room for a few weeks after. She’ll go back outside and get pregnant again.
I glare at the screen of my phone.
Me: Really? I better deal with this situation then. I’m not looking forward to yelling at my neighbor.
KT: You? I bet you already have it planned out.
Me: I do have it written in Paul on my to-do list. I just don’t have it assigned to a specific day.
KT: Paul?
I roll my eyes at my slipup. In a penny, in a pound.
Me: My planner. It’s a long story. I named him Paul.
KT: LOL. P.E.R.F.E.C.T.
I laugh and set the phone down. Why can’t I talk to a guy the way I talk to KT? Put the easy to talk to personality in someone who looked like Knox and I’d be set.
Life isn’t fair.
I sink below the water level, letting my hair splay out around me.
Life isn’t fair and I’m okay with that. Because it’s full of blessings.
I know. I write as many blessings that I can in my planner.
Chapter 18
Knox
I’ve dressed the part Savvy told me to and wear jeans with a black belt and a white polo shirt with the buttons open, showing the top of my tribal tattoo peeking out. I wear a black baseball cap with the logo of my BBQ business on it as well as a large faced chrome watch on my left wrist.
“Why are you dressed so nice? You think you’re going to get all the ladies tonight?” David narrows his eyes and folds his arms. I notice he, too, is dressed like he’s out to attract the opposite sex and I grin.
I know exactly what’s coming, but I keep my mouth shut. I’ve been looking forward to this all week.
“Maybe we both can get some numbers tonight.” I say nonchalantly. My goal isn’t to get any phone numbers, actually. I work my charm to sell some brisket and ribs, but other than that, I’ve got my eye on one girl and one girl only.
I just need to snag her attention and keep it.
I steal sneak peeks at the face of my watch as the night goes on. They were all supposed to be there by six.
By five-forty, I know it’s the night for the prank. David is in rare form, flirting up with anything that looks like it might be female. He even hit on a rock as he was strutting toward the restroom.
A gaggle of women approach the keto truck and a feeling in my gut tells me it’s the girls. I can’t help the grin spreading across my face. I want to pray that it works, but I’m not sure if that’s sacrilegious to pray for something mean to work on your own brother. Maybe I’ll just wish myself good luck.
In no time, the group of women moves toward the BBQ truck. Some of them are giggling and clutching each other’s arms. Savvy is in the back, twisting her fingers together. She seems nervous, but I can’t tell from the distance.
If she’s nervous, she’ll be biting her bottom lip.
The group gets behind our current customers and wait to make their order.
David finishes scooping a large serving of fries into the basket he’s handing out for the last order and he leans into me. “This group is mine. You don’t need to help or anything. Stay away, Knox. I’m serious.” He eyes me like I’m going to argue and I hold up my hands at chest height.
“Got it. I’ll stay away. Maybe you’ll get at least one number from a group of seven or eight.” I back up and watch from a bigger distance.
From what Savvy had texted the group, no one is to look for me or even be interested in me. All of the attention needed to be on David. Later, she would get me to come and meet them all. Which I would gladly do. I’d dressed for it, hadn’t I?
She told me to stay back as well, not knowing I was already getting the entire plan laid out because I’m one of the girls.
The group approaches the counter and David goes into hyper mode.
Each of them is gorgeous in their own way. None of them hold a candle to Savvy, but I could be biased. A woman with spiky hair steps up first. She gives David a bold once over and arches her eyebrow while putting a hand on her hip. “Well, well, well. You look good enough to be on that daily specials menu. Tell me, doll, what’s a girl got to do to get your number?”
That has to be Dion. I’d eat my hat if it wasn’t.
David glances at me in triumph and leans forward. “Actually, I’d like yours. I don’t want to just wait for a woman like you to make the first move. I like having some kind of power.” He winks at her and offers to take her order.
“I’ll take the Rocky Mountain Oysters and some tots.” She arches an eyebrow at him and slides a piece of paper across to him with her bank card.
He rings her up and slides the card back, but slips the paper to the side out of sight of the customers. He winks at her and dishes up her order.
Then moves onto the next one with long curly hair and big green eyes. She’s demurer but her smile is friendly. “Can I get the brisket basket, please? And I’d love for you to call me.” She licks her lower lip and I’m sure David about swoons right there.
He has a thing for lip biters. I’m not sure what his fascination is, but there it is.
“No, wait. I want to date him. You don’t get to just put your number up there like this is some kind of auction, Apple. What are you thinking?” Dion steps back into the picture, narrowing her eyes and waving her hand around in the air.
“Neither of you get to date him. He’s going to call me.” Another one steps forward and slips her number onto the counter and then turns to face the other two. “He wouldn’t want to go out with two hussies like you.”
“Um… I wouldn’t mind.” David murmurs and I roll my eyes.
Always thinking with a one-track mind, that’s my brother.
Another woman steps up and waves her slip of paper in the air. “I want a chance. This isn’t fair. I’m going to miss out because I was in the back of the group?”
David puts both hands in the air in a calming motion. “Ladies, ladies. It’s okay. I don’t mind taking all of you out. We could do it like… one day a week kind of thing. You each get your own. No reason to fight over David Taylor. I’ve got plenty of studliness to go around.”
Where I might have been feeling slightly bad about pulling this prank on him, he has just cemented that it needs to go through to its completion. Little brother needs a humbling.
I lift my hand, covering my smile with my fingers. I shift my gaze toward the back of the group where Savvy is standing, a wide grin on her beautifully shaped lips. She glances at me and our eyes meet and hold.
I don’t want to look away. There’s so much to be said and so much in our eye contact, I’m not sure I want to ever break it.
But we do and I look back at David as she does the same.
Dion steps forward, her eyes narrow. “I don’t know. I mean, I’m fine having my own day, but how do I know you’ll call?”
“Oh, I’ll call. I promise.” David’s eyes are wide as he holds his breath. I could almost see him thinking are they going to do it? Was he going to get his biggest dream and have seven girlfriends all at once? They’d all know about each other and they wouldn’t care?
Is this possible?
I bite my tongue to hold back my laugh and continue watching David’s interaction with the women.
A few of them nod slowly, speaking at the same time.
“Okay, yeah, I can do that.”
“I need Wednesdays. I need to work.”
“I’ll take Thursdays.”
David’s delight is almost overwhelming and he motions toward me for a pen. Without blinking, I pass him one near me and he writes the days of the week on their numbers. “Now, ladies, is it okay, if I text you to keep everything straight? I don’t want to mix any of you delicious morsels up. I like to know what I’m getting into.”<
br />
He laughs and the women giggle like he’s the greatest thing around.
After a bit more fawning over him and they all order something to eat, they move on, waving and flirting as they go.
David turns to me, his chest roostered out and his head back. “Did you see that? Seven numbers, Knox. Including Savvy’s. She likes me. She wants me to add her to the David rotation.” He cocks an eyebrow at me and flops onto the bench with his legs spread. “Man, I’ll tell you what, that was tiring. It’s going to be a lot of work keeping those women happy. But the David is up for it.” He cocks his fingers into a gun shape and shoots into the air toward me.
I don’t think I can be more dumbfounded as I stare at him with my humor contained. “Aren’t you worried that they’re going to talk each other out of it? I would start texting them immediately. Get things set up. You’re going to be busy for a while. Does this mean you need a couple nights off work?” I’m not worried about him taking the time off. The numbers aren’t real.
I just can’t wait for him to start reaching out.
“You’re right. Wow, you’re taking this huge loss so well. I’m surprised you’re not mad at me for stealing all the thunder.” He grins at me, swiping his phone and reaching for the stack of paper slips on the counter beside the register.
He starts tapping in messages and I step up to the window to help the next group of customers.
More and more customers queue up at the window and I’m busy taking and filling orders. David works beside me, almost giddy with his early evening success. He doesn’t toss me attitude at all which is a nice surprise. I’m almost sad to know it’s going to be ending soon.
Why wouldn’t his good mood end when David finds out the numbers he’s gotten all belong to the exes of the women he thinks are madly in love with him?
The first reply comes in and then another, but David is too busy alongside me to answer and it isn’t until our first lull that he grabs his phone from the counter in the back and starts reading.
His face goes red as he reads and swipes. I bite my inner cheek and act like I don’t care what’s happening. I swipe the counter and restock some items, moving around him and then glancing over his shoulder.
He’s named the girls in his phone by the days of the week. Whoever is Tuesday is the one he’s looking at.
Tuesday: I don’t know how you got my number, but you can take your sick suggestion and ram it up your –
I press my lip together and my eyes go round. “I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
“No, wait. I need to deal with this.” David’s voice is tight and his face looks like it’s twisted in pain.
“Deal with what? Are you okay?” I reach out, holding him in place with one hand on his shoulder.
He looks up at me, his face dark with anger. “Not one of those numbers were those women’s. Look at these.” He shoves the phone under my nose and swipes for me. All kinds of angry texts or confused texts fill the screen.
The exes really did a number and I can’t help myself. I lift my mirth filled gaze to my brother’s angry one and I scoff. “That might teach you to steal other people’s phones, don’t you think?”
His outrage fades to confusion and then disbelief. “There’s no way you set something like that up. A group of women who look like that? You’re not dating anyone right now. How could you have…” But I’ve made him think and now he’s slowly smirking. “Ah, you set this up. So, you’re saying I could have still had a chance with maybe one or two of them. Got it.”
His anger has shifted and he’s narrowing his eyes. “Also, touché. I see what you did there. I’ll make sure and get you back, but it won’t be with your phone.” He tucks his cell back in his pocket and rubs his hands together. “Oh, it’s going to be good. Just you wait and see.”
“I’ll be back. Don’t burn the place down.” I pull my apron off and hang it on the hook by the counter. I have a debt to pay and I can only hope the group is still somewhere nearby so I can thank them.
And maybe tell Savvy just how awesome her revenge plan turned out.
And see her. Is that bad? That’s actually the only thing I want to do at the moment. Nothing else matters.
Chapter 19
Savvy
My group of new friends has laid claim to a table in the center of the food trailers, laughing and exclaiming over the food they bought from Knox’s truck. Every few minutes one darts to a different truck, buys something and rushes back to share with the group.
I didn’t have to be in the group to love how much fun they were having. I turn to Lila and motion toward the interior of my trailer. The customers have slowed down a bit and I really want to take a minute to visit with the ladies. She nods and finishes dishing up the Keto Smores Dip Ice Cream we had on special that night.
All of my inventory is almost gone, I’m going to be up most of the night restocking.
Not that that is a bad thing. Every extra cent is a huge blessing and I couldn’t be more grateful.
I toss my apron I saved for busy stretches onto the bench beside Paul and stride from the trailer. Claiming a seat at the table with the group, I laugh as they crow at my arrival.
“That was so much fun. I can’t believe he actually ate that up.” Apple wipes at the smooth skin under her eyes. “I haven’t stopped laughing since getting here.”
“Me either. I really needed this, you guys. Thank you so much.” Alex flips her hair over her shoulder and leans over the plate of donuts and cake she must have purchased from Donna’s Delights.
Dion reaches over with a fork in her hand and steals a chunk of Alex’s dish. “Yeah, I probably put on another fifteen pounds, but you know what? I’m fine with that.” She shakes her shoulders, obviously fine with her curvy figure. And why wouldn’t she be? She is gorgeous and I only wish I could be as confident as she is.
“Okay, so what did you guys think of Knox? He was the other guy in the trailer.” I’m not sure why I need to know their opinion, but I do. Knox is just a friend, but I want to know. I need to know. It’s hard to explain.
Plus, what if I don’t want him as just a friend?
Normally quiet, Mandie taps the table in front of her, just past the large white Styrofoam cut. “I would eat him up. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him that you have that available to you and you haven’t snagged him. Even if he doesn’t want commitment, Savvy, take whatever he’s willing to give.”
“Seriously. Did you see his biceps? I wanted to lick them. Like, seriously, lick them.” Sara fans herself and leans against Alex who is snort laughing so hard her hair is shaking around her.
I wrinkle my nose. “I don’t know about licking him.”
“Oh, I do. Did you see that ink peeking out from under his collar? It looks like he’s working on a sleeve, too. I just don’t know about these men and their muscles. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, they go and add more to the menu.” Dion fans herself and laughs as she rocks back and forth on the seat. She motions to her dish. “You have got to try this brisket. Have you had it? Can you have it on Keto?” She tilts her head to the side and half-slides her basket toward me and then back.
“Yeah, I can try that, please. Thanks.” I reach out, pulling a chunk of meat off the brisket and popping it in my mouth. I pause for a minute as the meat melts on my tongue. “Oh, Mylanta, ladies. Have all of you tried this?”
Wrong Text, Right Reply: A Sweet Accidental Romance (An Accidental But Perfect Romance Book 1) Page 13