The Cowgirl's Chosen Love - Vivian Arend Page 0,45
opinions and the knowledge Finn would never let anything bad happen, Zach was safe.
It had been a great revelation, but then Tony had to go and push it one step further. His suggestions regarding sex and Zach…
Nope. Not even going to repeat those ideas to herself, considering that thinking about thinking about them made her cheeks heat.
And thinking about them in the night had made for some very interesting dreams.
Nope. Roommates. Focus on that, Blushing, and stick to friends.
Besides, Zach was the least of her worries for today. Back to work meant facing the firing squad. By the time she pulled her car to a stop outside the fire hall, Julia still didn’t have her story set.
Time to fake it.
Of course, this would be one of the days the entire building seemed full to the brim with every damn volunteer in town. Which maybe was a good thing. She’d only have to do this once.
The cheering and laughter started the instant her feet hit the second floor of the hall. That’s where the large kitchen was, and a table big enough to seat twenty spanned the length of the room.
There was no warm-up, just straight to the point.
“Vegas wedding? Really?” Alex, a local cowboy and one of the shift supervisors, stepped in front of her.
“You never heard of someone winning the jackpot in sin city?” Julia asked cheerfully, stepping around him and deciding to do this the biggest way possible.
She climbed on the nearest table and gave a sharp whistle.
Only once all eyes were on her did she continue. “I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, but yes, it’s true. Zach and I have been seeing each other on the sly for a bit, and it appears that while under the influence of Jose Cuervo, we accidentally tied the knot. Being as we were already planning on moving in together, we’ve decided to just let it ride. I’ll take questions from the peanut gallery now—”
A few hands shot into the air as some people called out dirty suggestions.
Julia eyed the rude ones with disapproval then pointed at the other volunteer supervisor, Ryan Zhao, who stood with fingers raised.
His dark eyes twinkled. “Jumping in with two feet—that’s one way to do it. You want us to take up a divorce fund? Or start a baby pool?”
The nearest volunteer smacked him on the arm before raising her voice. “Congrats, Jules. Zach’s a hottie.”
“Agreed, Crystal. Also makes him an appropriate match for me, working at the fire hall and all.” Julia’s cheeks had to be beet red.
Because Zach was a hottie, and damn if Tony's suggestions didn’t flood into her mind again, detailed and dirty.
“Blushing?”
Julia shook herself from her naughty daydream. “Yes?”
Alex again, with a snicker this time. “We noticed.”
She rolled her eyes then folded her arms over her chest as she offered a mock glare. “Comedian. So, anyway, just to get the dirty truth out there. Yup, I’m married, yup, he’s a hottie, and nope, you can’t get any more details.” Laughter rolled around the room, and suddenly a brilliant idea struck. She raised a hand one final time. “We’ll be out at Rough Cut on Saturday night if any of you want to help us celebrate. No presents, but bring something for the food bank. We’ll top up the collection as a reverse wedding gift to the community.”
More cheers rang out. Julia crawled off the table as the crowd dissipated into groups for training and rest shifts.
Alex and Ryan waved farewell before heading out with their crews, which meant in a shockingly short time, she was alone in the room with her shift mates.
Which included Brad.
She’d avoided eye contact during her little impromptu speech, but there was no escaping the next few minutes.
Oscar winning acting engage now…
She marched forward and once again went for the bold approach. “Didn’t see that one coming, did you?”
Brad didn’t move from where he’d leaned against the kitchen counter, big arms folded over his chest. He didn’t speak for a moment either, just looked her over with that assessing big-brother gaze she’d come to know so well over the past couple years.
The others in the room were busy at the table a few feet away, making this a totally public discussion. Yet his answer when it came was quiet enough to not be overheard.
“Didn’t see the wedding part coming, nope.” Brad’s gaze stayed steady on her. She was about to make a smart-ass quip back when he spoke again. “Glad to know it happened, though.”