The Reluctant Bachelorette (17 page)

Turned out it tasted like yucky orange sherbet—exactly like
Luke said it would.

Taycee felt much the same way now. She’d wanted Luke off the
show so badly, and now that it had finally happened, it was like eating orange
sherbet once again. It left a bad aftertaste in her mouth.

She’d miss Luke and his shoeless drive-in style type dates.
What would he have planned for round two? Most likely something fun. Something
she would have filed away in the corner of her mind where only precious
memories were kept—most of which had Luke’s name on them.

Luke walked out of the hardware store only to stop short, and
then slowly take one step back. Followed by another. He nearly made it back
inside the safety of the store when Missy looked up from the magazine she read
on a nearby bench. Her eyes found his. Luke tensed. Should he make a run for
it?

Before he could decide what to do, Missy stood and walked
toward him, her red stiletto sandals clacking against the sidewalk. “Hey, Luke.
I’ve been waiting for you.”

Luke’s gaze flickered past her to his truck. Only twenty feet
away and yet so far. He should have called in the order and paid Chuck to
deliver it. Avoided town until Missy left for good.

“Oh relax.” Missy flashed a too bright smile. “I only wanted
to say sorry—and to thank you for being such a good sport.”

“A good sport?” Luke took another step back, running into the
door of the hardware store. A customer tried to exit, so Luke moved out of the
way, side-stepping around Missy.

She tapped him on the shoulder. “This bachelorette show is
pretty popular, which is actually great for me since my face is now attached to
it. My agent thanks you, and so do I.”

An agent? Missy actually had an agent? Who in their right mind
would agree to rep someone like her? “So glad my tanked reputation could help
advance your career.”

“Oh, don’t be such a crank,” said Missy. “It was more of a
favor to an old friend. The fact that I benefitted from it was only a bonus.”

“What are you talking about?” Luke side-stepped again,
positioning himself so that she was no longer between him and his truck.

Missy sidled up to him, her face inches from his. “Not he—
she.
Someone who wanted you voted off, obviously. I just did my part to help
make it happen. But now that you’re free, if you want to continue where we left
off, I’m all yours. At least until I head back to LA.” She looked up and down
Main Street then back to him. “Not even someone as cute as you could make me
stay in this backcountry town.”

Luke studied her. Maybe she really could act because he
couldn’t tell if she was being serious or not. “What do you mean someone wanted
me off?”

Her hand covered her mouth in mock embarrassment. “Oops. I
promised not to say anything. My bad.” Her hand came to rest on his shoulder,
and then trailed down to his bicep where she squeezed. “Oooh, someone’s been
working out.” With a smile, she backed away from him. “Have a great day, Luke.”

Then she was gone, the clack of her heels echoing back to
where he stood. Luke watched her go with a mixture of confusion and relief. He pulled
his keys from his pocket and headed for his truck, but a sign caught his eye.
“Carl’s Feed and Seed.” He paused, re-reading the words.

Maybe Missy’s words made him paranoid, but Luke now wondered
about that load of manure. Had it really been a mistake? A coincidence that it
was dropped of the same night as the opening event and happened to block his
driveway completely? Come to think about it, Carl had seemed a bit on edge when
Luke asked him about it.

Was Missy right? Did someone want him off the show?

Luke hesitated outside his truck, twisting his keys around his
finger as he studied the sign. Then he shoved the keys back in his pocket and
headed for Carl’s Feed and Seed.

R
ound two of dating turned out
to
be nearly as crazy as round one. Alec begged for the Monday night slot because
he’d found out about a nearby motocross race going on that night. And by
nearby, he meant a two hour drive away, which meant four hours of trying to
tune him out while he went on and on and on about himself.

Longest. Night. Ever.

Tuesday, Jake took Taycee to an indoor go cart racing facility
in Denver, where she actually got to drive one of the carts herself. She even
beat Jake once, probably because he let her win, but still, she’d take it.
Wednesday brought a night of skeet shooting with Miles. Also fun, but her sore
shoulder protested doing it again anytime soon.

By the time Thursday rolled around, Taycee was ready to fake
an illness just to get a night off. At five o’clock sharp, Greg rapped on her
door. Dressed in a wrinkled short-sleeved button down shirt, he looked as
though he’d wrung out his clothes and left them to dry.

Despite his disheveled appearance, there was something
refreshing and honest about Greg. He never tried to be anything but himself. It
made Taycee feel like she could wear sweats, eat whatever she wanted—even
burp—and he wouldn’t care. Or if he did, he’d call her on it. With him, Taycee
always knew where she stood.

Unlike someone she didn’t want to think about.

Greg drove her straight to the diner for some take-out food, and
Megan followed them inside with a camera. Why, Taycee wasn’t sure. Standing in
line and ordering food would be the most boring footage ever.

Of course, this was before Taycee noticed Liza behind the
counter.

“We’d like two specials please,” Greg told Liza before
glancing at Taycee. “You do like chicken fried steak, right?” The way he said
it made Taycee feel like she didn’t have a choice. Which was fine. It wouldn’t
have been her first pick, but it wouldn’t have been her last either.

“Uh, sure, that sounds great.”

Liza eyed the camera nervously, and then pointed to the
whiteboard behind her. “The chicken fried steak is actually the special
tomorrow. Tonight, it’s beef tenderloin. Would you like that instead?”

Greg planted his hands on the counter and leaned forward. “I
was actually hoping we could get the special price on the chicken fried steak
today, rather than tomorrow. I don’t like red meat.”

Taycee’s lips twitched. Apparently the “chicken” in the name
confused him, which was completely okay because Liza had never looked so
flustered. Score one for Greg.

“Chicken fried steak is actually made with cubed steak,” Liza
finally mustered. “And I’m sorry, but I’m only allowed to give you the special
price on the day of the special.”

“I see.” Greg nodded, and then folded his arms. “Mind if I
have a word with your manager?”

Eyes wide, Liza actually looked to Taycee for help—something Liza
was sure to regret later since Taycee had no help to offer.

“Uh, Maris won’t be here for another hour,” Liza finally said,
her gaze flickering once more to the camera.

“Do you have a phone number for her?”

“It’s only a dollar difference.” Liza’s fingers trembled as
she pointed out the prices on the menu.

“Exactly my point.” Greg reached for his wallet as though he
knew he’d won. “If it’s only a dollar difference, what’s the big deal? Whatever
happened to customer service?”

“Okay, fine.” Liza’s hands shook as she rang up their order. Two
chicken fried steaks were done in record time. Score another one for Greg.

Taycee allowed herself a small smile as they left the diner
behind. Greg ushered her back to his car and soon they were on their way. “You
know, Taycee, there’s really no set price for anything. It’s always negotiable,
and I make it a point to get a better deal on everything I buy. If someone’s
not willing to meet me partway, I always walk away. No matter what.”

“Good to know.” Although Taycee didn’t exactly agree. As a
business owner, she knew how difficult it was to make ends meet, especially in
a small town. Sure, it was good to be economical, but she also believed in
supporting small businesses—Maris’s diner included.

“It’s why I make such a great buyer,” Greg continued. “My
company always gets the best deals with me around.”

“It’s great you like your job so much.”

“Yeah, and if you ever need help getting a better deal on
flowers, let me know. I’m your man.”

“Will do.” Not. Taycee already got a great deal on flowers
from her wholesaler—someone who’d become a good friend over the years. She
wasn’t about to jeopardize that relationship by asking for more.

Greg came to an intersection and stopped. Though no other cars
were around, he looked both left and right before driving through it at an
almost painfully slow pace. “Want to know a secret?” he said.

“What?”

“The best place to get great deals are at yard sales.”

“You don’t say.”

“In fact, just last month I got an awesome push lawn mower for
five bucks. They wanted ten, but I talked them down.”

Taycee shot him a look. What kind of lawn mower was only worth
five bucks? Or ten for that matter? Maybe one of those really old
they-don’t-make-‘em-like-they-used-to models that Greg planned on fixing up. “Does
it still run?”

“Run? Oh, no. I’m talking about those mowers that don’t have
engines, only reels. You just push it around your grass and it cuts your lawn.
No gas needed. Money saving
and
eco friendly. Hands down, my best yard
sale find this year.”

Taycee smiled as she peered out the window. Some might argue
that a conversation about push mowers and yard sales would be dull, but somehow
Greg made it entertaining. Just like he’d made ordering chicken fried steak
entertaining.

No wonder Megan wanted to follow them everywhere with her
camera.

Greg pulled to a stop in front of an abandoned building that
had been the old hardware store before it downsized. He grabbed their take-out
food, slung a backpack on his shoulder, and led Taycee around back to a
rickety-looking ladder propped next to the building. He gestured for her to go
up first.

She shook the ladder. “Is it safe?”

“You tell me.” He chuckled. “Just kidding. Yeah, it’s fine. Go
on up.”

With tentative steps, Taycee climbed to the top where a
blanket covered a small portion of the gravel roof. Burt lounged in a lawn
chair with his camera affixed to a tripod while Megan followed behind. Taycee
breathed in the fresh air and looked around. Although the roof itself was hot
and dirty, the surrounding view of the woods at the edge of town made up for it.
The trees were like a natural wall, keeping Shelter hidden from the rest of the
world. She loved feeling like she lived in her own secret little town.

Taycee settled next to Greg on the blanket, and they ate the
warm chicken fried steak. With every bite, she pictured Liza’s pale face and
tried not to smile. After all these years of dealing with Liza, it was nice to
see someone take her down a notch.

When they finished eating, Greg pulled out a few games from
his backpack, including Scrabble, Yahtzee, Backgammon, and a deck of cards. “I
know you like games so I brought a few choices.”

The sun hovered just above the horizon, casting a myriad of
warm colors across the sky. Orange, red, yellow, and pink, with some blue and
purple here and there. It was like a rainbow that had been flattened and
reshaped into a stunning abstract piece of art. And here she was, on the roof
of an abandoned building about to play games. Greg couldn’t have planned a
better date.

It made Taycee wonder what Luke would have planned. Something
similar, maybe. Or maybe not at all similar, like spelunking.

Taycee frowned and forced her mind back to the present. She pointed
to Backgammon—a game she’d never played with Luke. “You’ll have to remind me
how to play it. I’m not sure I remember all the rules.”

“Backgammon it is.” Greg set up the board, gave Taycee a brief
run-down of the rules, and then promptly beat her twice in a row. Evidently she
didn’t provide a big enough challenge, because he pulled out Scrabble next.