Hotter than Texas (Pecan Creek) - By Tina Leonard Page 0,65
was with Sugar, and that was saying something.
Five minutes later, while he was still slack-jawed from replaying last night’s amazing adventures with Sugar, Kel called to say that Bobby had backed into the outside dining area with his big, stupid truck, tearing a chunk out of the patio. Kel also managed to mention that he’d seen Lucy go by in a pink convertible with his mother’s best friends, and that was trouble with a capital T.
Jake hustled over to his secret investment. “Holy shit,” Jake said, staring at the damage Bobby had done to the Bait and Burgers. “Why didn’t you just take out the whole restaurant?”
“Jesus, I’m sorry, Jake.” Bobby looked at him with deeply regretful eyes. “I’ve had stuff on my mind. And I wasn’t paying attention.”
“I’ll say. What had your attention?”
Bobby swallowed. “Lucy Cassavechia walked by, and I gunned it as I was backing into my usual spot. Truck just got away from me.”
Jake blinked. “You don’t have a thing for Lucy, do you?”
“No. Well, kind of. Don’t tell Kel.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” This was a potentially explosive situation. “Whatever you do, keep your fly zipped. For all our sakes.”
Bobby sighed. “She wants me.”
“She wants you?” Jake studied his friend. Bobby was a good-looking guy. He was unattached. He was brave as hell. It was not entirely impossible that Lucy might have come on to him. “How does she communicate such a thing?”
He shrugged. “She smiled.”
“Shit, Bobby. She smiles at everybody.”
“Yeah. But this was a different kind of smile. You know. She looked me up and down.” Bobby kind of blushed as he repeated the story, and Jake got worried.
“Listen, this is a bad idea. You know Kel’s practically dizzy with lust for her. Plus Sugar and I—”
He edited his confession, considering how much one could tell a good friend about one’s love life.
“Sugar and you what?” Bobby looked at him curiously.
There was no reason to tell anyone. Sugar wouldn’t, and he shouldn’t, either. To do so would be to invite all of Pecan Creek into their relationship, which wasn’t a relationship—not yet—and that would be poison.
“Sugar and I are finally getting along in the tenant/landlord sense. I just want everybody happy around here.”
“Yeah,” Bobby said, “what does that have to do with whether I ask Lucy out?”
Jake looked at the chunk Bobby had plowed out of his diner. “Bobby, if you ask Lucy out, I swear I’ll take every penny of what it’s going to cost to repair this out of your pay.”
“Then I won’t be able to make rent.”
“Exactly. The choice is yours. I’ll have to call someone to fix this.” He went inside to consider his options. It was almost the middle of October, so it would be turning too cool for diners to eat on the patio. Still, there were a few nights of warmth left, and the restaurant made more money on the nights that people sat and chatted.
But the social season was mostly over for the fall. Jake sighed, and then he saw Vivian making a beeline for him.
He sat on a stool and waited for the incoming to hit.
“Jake.”
“Present and accounted for.”
She looked at him. “That little Cassavechia trollop insulted me in the grocery the other day.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. She probably didn’t appreciate you giving her hell.”
Vivian shrugged. “It’s important that Miss Cassavechia understands how this town works.”
“I’m seeing Sugar, Mother,” Jake said, deciding to cut through all the drama. “You’re going to have to learn to get along with her, or you won’t see me very often.”
Two bright spots appeared in Vivian’s cheeks. “Seeing her?”
He nodded. “And seeing her makes me happy, so that should make you happy, in a perfect world. I’m aware this is not a perfect world, but even a stiff ‘congratulations’ would go a long way with me.”
Vivian blinked. “Oh my goodness. You’re serious about her.”
He glanced around the Bait and Burgers, then met his mother’s gaze. “I hadn’t thought of it that way. It’s too soon to be serious. Do I like her? A helluva lot.”
“I’m leaving,” Vivian said. “You’ll come to your senses one day. In the meantime, I can’t bear to watch you ruin your life.”
She walked out of the restaurant, not happy, and Jake pulled out his cell phone. He called the one person who could handle a structural job like this. “Lassiter. It’s Jake.”
“Hey. Missed you at the fence last night.”
“Yeah. Uh, I got tied up.”
Lassiter laughed. “Thought I saw Sugar’s car pull into your garage.”