on each side. As far as Adam was concerned, that peekaboo suit was way more sexy than Bonnie’s let-it-all-hang-out look. He was thankful for his own shades, so she couldn’t see how he was staring at her. “Thanks, I like it.” She flashed them both a smile and made her way past them to the stage. Adam followed her with his eyes, mesmerized by the way the red spandex clung to her perfect ass.
“Still mooning over Little Miss Muffet?” Bonnie nudged her sunglasses back into place.
He snapped his head toward her. “Leave her alone, Bonnie. I don’t want to referee any cat fights.”
She laughed. “What? You think we’d be fighting over you?” She swiveled away and spotted a quartet of workmen in the doorway. “Come on in, y’all.” She beckoned them. “Say hello to Bombshell Bonnie.”
He shook his head and joined Erica on stage. “What did I tell you?” Erica said. She nodded toward Bonnie and her adoring fans. “With Bonnie here, dressed like that, no one will even notice us.”
“Not every man falls for fake boobs and teeny bikinis.” He checked the setup for the speakers. “Some guys prefer a woman who leaves a little to their imagination.”
“That’s a sweet thing to say.”
He glanced over his shoulder at her. “It’s the truth.”
“Thanks.” She patted his shoulder. “You’re good for my ego.”
She picked up a box of T-shirts they used for giveaways and stepped off the stage. “I’ll see if Bonnie wants to hand out some of these.”
“Maybe you can talk her into wearing one.”
She laughed. “Not a chance. She’s enjoying showing off too much.”
She left with the T-shirts and he returned to checking the speakers. One of the waiters, dressed in a blue Outback Charlie’s polo shirt and black pants, approached. “The boss wants to know if you need anything to eat or drink. On the house.”
He looked up into a familiar face. He checked the name tag pinned to the polo. “Ray? Ray Kingston?”
“Hawk? Man, it is you.” Ray crushed Adam’s hand in his and shook it. “How you been?”
“I’ve been good? How are you?”
Ray shrugged and looked around the fake-Australian set. “Okay. I just started this job. Hope it works out.”
Adam searched his face. How long had it been? Two years? Maybe closer to three. Ray was clean-shaven, a little more filled out than he remembered. “How long have you been in Denver?” he asked.
“Couple of months. I got a sister out here, talked me into coming out.” He shrugged. “Thought it might be good to make a fresh start, you know? Took me a while to get a job, though. You know how it is.”
“Yeah. I know.” Adam hesitated, then asked. “You staying clean?”
Ray shoved his hands in his pockets, then took them out. “Yeah. I get tempted but my sister swore she’d turn me in herself if I got messed up.” He glanced toward the door to the kitchen. “So, do you want anything to eat or drink? Don’t want to give the new boss an excuse to fire me the first day, you know?”
“Sure. I understand. Bring me a glass of iced tea when you get a chance.”
“Coming right up.”
Adam watched Ray go, and couldn’t keep from smiling. It was good to see Ray doing so well. It reminded Adam again how lucky he was to be doing something he loved for a living, when he’d come so close to screwing it up.
His smile faded when, halfway across the room, Ray collided with Bonnie. “Watch where you’re going!” she snapped.
Ray goggled at her and stammered an apology.
“What are you looking at?” she said. “Go on, get out of here.”
Muttering about clumsy oafs, she joined Adam on the stage.
“If you’re going to dress like that, you ought to get used to people staring,” he said.
She fluffed her hair and adjusted the bikini top. “I don’t see you staring.”
He shook his head. “I’ve seen everything you have to offer and it doesn’t do anything for me anymore.”
He knew the minute the words were out that they were the wrong thing to say. Bonnie’s eyes flashed with anger and he silently cursed his big mouth. “You just don’t know how to handle a real woman,” she said. “You’d rather have a girl, like—what did you call her?—effervescent Erica. Or do you prefer ‘Honey’?”
He ground his teeth together, refusing to rise to her bait. “Are you ready to do the weather and traffic update at 4:10?”
She straightened her shoulders. “I’m always ready. I’m a professional.”
Professional what? came to