Crazy Dreams (3 page)

My list got longer and longer as I thought of more items to pick up while I was here. Sure, I wasn’t going to be here for a long time, but I had my comforts. That refrigerator was a mess, too. Everything was fatty or full of salt or sugar. I hadn’t eaten anything but the natural sugar in fruit for two whole years. I didn’t cheat one time. Once I made it past the first two weeks, eating sugar-free was a cinch. I never wanted the artificial sweeteners, either.

When I filled the page of things I wanted, I tore it out of the notebook and tucked it in my purse. I went back out into the living room, trying to ignore the sweet notes of Stone’s song. I wondered why he hadn’t hit on me at first, but then remembered Dallas’s words before he set off for the jungle.

“Stone’s been warned to leave you the hell alone. If he makes a move on you, let me know. I’ll kick his ass.”

I laughed at the time, but apparently
,
Stone took Dallas’s admonition to heart. It was fine with me, though I wasn’t used to not being hit on. It was actually a breath of fresh air to know I wouldn’t have to fend him off over the summer. Maybe I could actually be friends with him.

He appeared behind me in the living room, as if my thoughts conjured him. “Hey.”

I jumped a foot as I whirled on him. “You scared me!”

He shrugged, completely uncaring. “I didn’t mean to. But I do live here.”

His sarcastic attitude bugged me even as it tugged on the corners of my mouth.

“I’m just getting some Coke,” he explained, passing by me and into the kitchen.

I watched him as he bent over and grabbed a can out of the refrigerator, the muscles in his arm bulging slightly. He was far too fit to be a soda drinker. “How do you drink that stuff?” I asked as he popped the tab.

He took a long swig before answering me. “Easy. I tip it up and swallow.” To demonstrate, he took another pull.

“Are you always sarcastic?” I asked.

“Depends on your definition of sarcastic. Most people just say I’m an ass.”

I laughed. “I can see why.”

“I do what I can.” His grin was wide, his teeth straight. He was attractive, even without all that muscle.

“So, Dallas said you might let me borrow your car? I need to go to the store,” I said, changing the subject.

“I’m done working for the day. I can take you,” he offered.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’m capable of going by myself.”

“I’ll take you. I might even show you around,” he said.

“Okay.” It was easier to agree than argue. I learned that from years arguing with my mother over my career choice. Not that it
was
a choice. It was what she wanted and I just went along.

“Let me grab my keys and my wallet.” He set the can down and went to his room. A few minutes later, he returned, keys in hand. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah.” He led me out into the parking lot to an oversized truck with mud tires and a lift. “This is yours?”

He nodded. It was a redneck truck, one that oddly reminded me of home. In high school, all the guys had a lifted truck on their daddy’s dime. It was the way our small town worked. He opened the passenger door for me, giving me his hand to help me up into the seat. I thanked him and he slammed the door closed. I looked around the interior, surprised it wasn’t messier. It didn’t smell, either, which was nice.

He hopped in and fired it up. I wasn’t surprised by the roar of the engine. He obviously had work done to make it sound louder. I kind of liked it. “Buckle up,” he said, sliding the gear shift into reverse.

I did as he requested and then we were off. He drove a little fast for my taste, but I managed not to say anything negative about his driving, so I considered it a success on my part. I didn’t think he even noticed my nervousness, either.

When he whipped it into a tight parking space at the outlet mall, I let out a sigh of relief. The trip was short but I thought I might die the whole way. I jumped down from the truck before he could open my door and gave him a little smile as he came around the truck to walk with me.

“My driving scare ya?” he asked.

“Not at all. Why do you ask?”

“Don’t lie. Your white-knuckled grip on the door handle was a dead giveaway, not to mention you were gasping for air at every turn.”

Five

Stone

“I was not!” she protested. It was cute, the way her cheeks got all red and she couldn’t look me in the eye. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing.

“Right,” I said. “I’ll slow down for you on the ride back.” My promise seemed to relax her. She even released the death grip she had on her purse as we walked into the mall. “What are you getting here?”

“A bunch of things. You don’t have to babysit me if you have something to get,” she said.

“Good. I’ve got a thing or two to grab. I’ll meet you in the food court in an hour?”

“Sounds good,” she agreed and I watched her walk into some clothing store.

I turned and headed toward the far end of the outdoor mall, making my way through the crowd of people to the camping and fishing store. I needed some new lures and I was planning a trip out to the river in less than two weeks. It probably wouldn’t hurt to grab a few more camp supplies, too.

The store was huge and I spent a good portion of the hour in it, meandering through the aisles, wishing I had a bit more cash to buy some of the higher end stuff. The gadgets they had out for camping were amazing and high-tech, but equally high-priced. Someday, I wouldn’t have to worry about money.
Maybe
. My self-doubt was ever present, always dragging me down.

I barely made it to food court on time. I glanced around and found Ember at a table tucked in the corner, playing on her phone. She had at least six bags piled in the seat next to her.

“You sure know how to shop,” I said as I approached the table.

She glanced up at me with a frown. “I did have a list, you know.”

“I was kidding, Ember. Can’t you take a joke?”

Her face fell and I knew I said the wrong thing. Such was my curse. Instead of commenting or apologizing, I changed the subject.

“I’m going to grab a burger. What do you want?”

“I’ll just get a salad,” she said and started to get up.

“I can grab it for you,” I told her, motioning her to stay seated. “Tell me how you like it and what dressing.”

She gave me a long list of vegetables and crap to put on the salad and then asked for oil and vinegar in lieu of dressing. The girl needed to eat a burger and fries, but I kept my opinion to myself. I went and ordered my burger and her salad,
trying not to judge all the healthy food she seemed keen on eating. If she thought I was going to stop buying cheese doodles because she lived with us, she was dead wrong.

I brought our tray back to the table, complete with my extra-large Coke and her bottle of water. She thanked me and opened her salad, digging in like it was a feast. I sat down across from her and unwrapped my burger. It was greasy and delicious and I dug in with gusto. I shoveled a few fries in my mouth and then looked up to find her staring at me.

“What?” I asked with a mouthful of food.

“That is so bad for you,” she admonished me.

“Eh. You only live once.”

“Did you seriously just
yolo
?” she asked, dropping her fork into the plastic bowl of lettuce.

“So what if I did? I’m a man, not a rabbit. I like meat.”

“I eat meat, too,” she argued.

“Prove it.” I handed my burger over to her, holding it out like a dare. She glared at me and then the burger and then at me again.

Finally, she swallowed and grabbed it out of my hand. “Fine. But only if you eat the rabbit food.”

I was so surprised by her, I didn’t even argue. I grabbed her bowl of salad and started in on it. I didn’t only eat shitty food, but it was so much fun to watch her examine the burger like it was a foreign food to her that I ate the salad without complaint.

“If I put on weight this summer, I’m blaming you,” she threatened.

“Good. You need to gain at least twenty pounds,” I told her.

She glared at me but took a bite of the burger. When she moaned at its delicious greasiness, I winced. She wasn’t trying to be sexual, but that didn’t stop my dick from coming to attention. At least the table hid my hard-on.

“I do not need to gain any weight,” she stated after swallowing the bite.

“Sure you do. What are you, five foot four? I bet you only weigh about one-ten. If that,” I challenged.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “One-oh-eight.”

“Exactly. You should be at least one-twenty, one-thirty.”

“I’m not gaining weight,” she promised, even as she took another bite of the burger.

“Of course not. Don’t forget the fries,” I added, just to irritate her.

She rolled her eyes but grabbed for the fries when I moved to take them away. I laughed at her and her cheeks pinkened again. She was too damn cute. And easy to embarrass. I’d have to remember that in the future.

Once we both finished our lunch, I cleared away all the trash while she gathered her bags. When I came back to the table, I thought she might fall over. I tucked my bag under my arm and then took most of hers.

“What the hell did you buy?’ I asked when the full weight of her items hit me. I almost toppled over.

“Some clothes and a pair of boots.”

“Boots? You know it’s summer in Nashville, right?”

“They’re cowgirl boots,” she replied.

“Oh. Model them for me later?” I asked, only half serious. In my mind, I imagined her wearing only the boots.

“Yeah, right,” she said, rolling her eyes again.

“You better be careful or your eyes will roll right into the back of your head.”

“Is everything a joke to you?” she asked.

“Some days. I guess you bring it out of me.”

“Oh, so you just like picking on me?” She pouted, her bottom lip thrusting out.

“You make it so easy,” I said with a smirk.

“How so?”

“You’re so responsive, it’s like taking candy from a baby,” I replied.

She raised a brow at me. “What babies do you know that have candy? And if they
did
have candy, they would scream if you took it from them.”

“Touché.” I had to give her credit: the girl was smart. “Teasing you is like breathing, then – it just comes naturally.”

“Oh, nice. Is this what I have to look forward to all summer?”

“Pretty much. Unless I hit it big,” I explained.

“Is that what you’re hoping for?” she asked as we headed back to the truck.

“Pretty much. I don’t need all the fame and fortune, but I’d like to hear one of my songs on the radio someday. And if I made it on the country countdown, I’d probably die,” I admitted.

“Have you gotten any hits on any of your songs?” she asked.

“Not a one.”

“What about that one you were singing at the apartment today? ‘
When she smiles
,’” she sang, her voice clear and just as beautiful as she was.

“Sing some more of it,” I demanded, stopping in the middle of the parking lot. Her voice was almost a perfect harmony for the song.

She looked a little scared for a second and then sang a few more lines. When I sang with her, our voices blended, creating the perfect sound for the song. She was an amazing match, and I’d been thinking it needed a female back-up vocal.

When I stopped singing and just stared at her, she started to fidget. “What’s wrong? Did I butcher it?”

“No… In fact, I think I want you to sing it with me,” I said.

“Umm, what? I’m not a singer. I haven’t had any professional training or anything. I’m more of a singing-in-the-shower type.”

“You don’t need any vocal lessons with a voice like that. You sound phenomenal.” I started walking again, leaving her behind me, slack-jawed.

When she caught up to me, she grabbed my arm. “Are you serious right now?”

I could tell it scared her, but also excited her, too. “Hell yeah, I’m serious. If you’re interested, I’d love to have you collaborate.”

“I mean, I never considered this type of thing before, but I promised myself I’d try new things this summer. I think I’d like to give it a try, at least.”

“Great. We’ll get started this week. I’m still working on the lyrics,” I lied. In truth, I needed to spend at least a day or two away from her, to calm my hot blood. I wanted her like I’d never wanted another woman, and although I was usually a smooth talker, I didn’t want to ruin a possible business relationship. Not to mention, Dallas would have my ass.

“Awesome. I need to hit the grocery store next, by the way,” she added as we tucked the bags into the back seat of my truck.

“Let’s go,” I said, helping her up into the truck again and then jumping in the driver’s seat. I told myself I’d slow down, but my mind was so preoccupied, I barely noticed the drive to the grocery store. Judging by the whiteness of her knuckles, I guessed I wasn’t as slow as I should have been.