Hotter than Texas (Pecan Creek) - By Tina Leonard Page 0,101
turning over the money to you,” Lucy said proudly. “It won’t be millions, but it’ll be enough to cover you until you get new tenants. And maybe cover our fines for not getting proper permits and all that jazz.”
Jake closed his eyes for a second. New tenants was all he heard. Shit, he didn’t want to think about new tenants. He wanted the tenants he had. Paris walked over and put her moist nose against him. He stroked her head, being careful of the antlers, his gaze going to Sugar.
“You’re not mad, are you, Jake?” Sugar asked.
“Hell, no. I continue to be amazed at the adrenalin shot you provide to this town.” Jake wasn’t going to be mad no matter what happened. He wasn’t going to be part of the Old Guard. It was better to embrace new experiences, new ideas.
The parade music changed to overenthusiastic holiday march, and the line began to move slowly. Bobby walked at the side, playing bodyguard, and Jake sat and kept his eye on Sugar as she worked the crowd, her smile huge, her short skirt swinging atop long, lean legs he loved to kiss, feeling pretty certain his heart and his life were never going to be the same.
Which felt pretty damn good.
He leaned back, stroking Paris’s fur, and enjoyed the ride.
Chapter Twenty-Four
It was really no shock to Jake that the Hotter than Hell Nuts float won the Best in Parade award.
What was surprising was when the parade marshal called out the name of the Cassavechias’ business as hotterthantexasnuts.com.
“Hotterthanhellnuts.com,” he whispered to Vivian as he stood by his mother on the platform.
Vivian looked at him. “It says hotterthantexasnuts.com on this card,” she said, “and it said it on the side of the float. In huge red glittery letters.” She looked at her son. “Really, Jake. The Cassavechias wouldn’t put a curse word in their business name in our small town. We are a family town.”
He blinked, glancing at Sugar as she and Lucy and Maggie bounded up on the stage to accept their tiny pecan-topped, golden statuette from Vivian.
“Congratulations, ladies,” Vivian said, “you acquitted yourselves very well.”
The Cassavechias couldn’t have looked happier than if they’d won the lottery. They giggled, and people in the crowd enjoyed their enthusiasm, and Jake realized the Cassavechias always drew attention because they were just so damn happy. It wasn’t the short skirts and the tats and the bellybutton rings.
It was the smiles and the joy, and the sense of family they always carried with them.
“Congratulations,” he told Sugar in his capacity as mayor pro tem. “You changed your DBA.”
She grinned. “Your mother’s been coaching me about life in Pecan Creek. She seems to think you might be capable of fathering grandchildren if you can tie me down. She’s not putting money on it, says you’d be marrying way above your pay grade, soldier, if we ever got to that point.”
Marriage. He wouldn’t kiss her—though he wanted to so bad it was hard to choke off the urge. So it was a total shock when Sugar suddenly stood on tiptoe and gave him a fast, hardly-a-kiss-but-still-a-kiss brush on the lips, then exuberantly bounced off the stage.
His mother didn’t even look shocked. In fact, she looked pleased when the parade-goers cheered.
I’m in love with Sugar, Jake thought. I’ve been in love with her since I first laid eyes on her. It grew every time she looked at me with those huge eyes, and every time she dared me to change her, and every time she kissed me.
Bobby winked at him, probably reading the hopeless lust in his eyes as Sugar left the platform.
He didn’t even feel doomed. He just felt free.
And happy.
Lucy’s Big Reveal had Sugar just slightly nervous. Her sister had been so secretive for the past week, practically giggling with impish delight. It was the way she’d always hoped Lucy would be—carefree and joyous, and free of life’s burdens. All the hard edges were gone.
But she still had a devilish side a mile wide. And there was no telling what her sister had up her sleeve today.
Probably two hundred people thronged the front lawn, waiting to see the Sex Shack. From the window, Sugar saw Jake making his way to the front of the line.
She opened the door, her heart jumping. “Hi.”
“Hey. Can I cut to the front of the line?”
Sugar laughed. “It might be best. They might want to meet the owner of the Sex Shack.”
“My God.” Jake looked at her. “I didn’t realize it, but