what you got.
The outfit alone was so inappropriate for a Saturday morning in Mudville she would have stood out even if she wasn’t hot enough to make me stand up and take notice. Literally. I pushed off the counter and stood to my full height to be able to see her as she glanced around and walked toward the counter.
She stopped to talk to Shalene and I enjoyed the view as her blouse gaped. I got a nice look at the rounded tops of tits I wouldn’t mind getting to know better.
As she leaned forward over the counter, her heart-shaped ass just begged to be pierced with cupid’s arrow—or mine.
I was definitely enjoying the scenery, until the greenest eyes I’d ever seen caught my gaze.
Oops. I’d been caught staring.
She narrowed those eyes at me and straightened. Apparently, she didn’t appreciate my appreciation of her assets when she had bent over. My bad.
“I’ll be with you in a second,” Shalene said to the stranger, holding up one finger before she set my milkshake on the counter. “Here you go, Boone. One extra thick black and white.”
“Thanks.” I slid a five-dollar bill on the counter. “Keep the change.”
She grinned. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” I rushed to add before she left, “And hey. Find out what you can about that one down there, will ya?”
Shalene let out a snort. “If I’m going to be your pimp, it’s gonna cost you more than this.” She waved the five-dollar bill she’d just scooped off the counter.
“Come on. Hook a lonely single guy up, will you?”
“Lonely, my ass.” She shook her head but couldn’t hide her smile. Finally, she added, “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks. You’re the best.”
“Yeah, yeah.” With a smile and an eye-roll, Shalene spun away, moving down the counter to the stranger.
I had what I’d come for, but I couldn’t resist hovering within earshot to hear what had brought this lovely lady to my town.
That’s when I heard the stranger I was rapidly falling in love with ask my cousin, “Do you have a children’s menu?”
And my heart fell. She had a kid and most likely a man to go with it.
Alas, like Romeo and Juliet, our love was not meant to be.
I pushed my way outside, my sole comfort my milkshake, that Shalene had made so thick I couldn’t get any through the straw, making my dejection complete. That was until I got the idea to take the lid off and slurp it right out of the cup.
Impressed with my own brilliance, I smiled as I wandered to my parked truck, just as the sun broke through the clouds. I raised my face toward to warm rays. It was turning out to be a great day after all.
I grabbed my sunglasses from the dashboard and took another slurp of cold thick shake.
Since it was so nice, maybe I’d take a walk across the street to Bethany’s bakery and say hey. Grab a honey bun while I was there to go with my shake. Then I’d head over to the house on Second Street to do that work for Brandon.
It sounded like a plan—not that I always stuck to my plans. That’s what plans were for, to be broken. Plans and rules. Definitely rules were meant to be broken.
As I crossed the street and hopped onto the opposite curb, I absently wondered if the sexy stranger was a rule breaker.
Probably not. But it would sure have been fun turning her into one.
Oh well. Too bad.
THREE
Sarah
How illegal was it to leave a sleeping child strapped in his car seat alone?
It was a cool day. I'd parked in the shade and I had left the sunroof open, plus all the windows open a little bit. And I really was only running in for a minute.
Even thinking all that had me cringing and second—or third-guessing my decision as I envisioned the news report.
Thirty-nine-year old woman arrested in Mudville for child endangerment and neglect.
Why did they always mention the age? It really didn’t seem necessary.
As if the prospect of turning forty wasn’t traumatic enough, I didn’t need an arrest haunting me. But at least I’d look well put together for my mug shot. Although heels and a pencil skirt had to be the worst fashion choice I’d ever made given how today had turned out.
I decided not to beat myself up about it since today was my first full day with my nephew. God help me.
God help us both.
I glanced out to my car parked along the curb