my boyfriend.” She said it with a touch of annoyance.
That almost made him smile. He simply could not wrap his brain around the fact that Tessa Sheridan was annoyed by the idea of him being her boyfriend.
“I’m doing it because I’m going to convince you to be my girlfriend. If it’s not this, it will be some other way.”
“So me saying no doesn’t matter?” she asked.
“If I thought you meant it, it would,” he told her honestly.
She frowned at him. But she didn’t deny it. Instead, she straightened. “Are you ready?”
Bryan wasn’t so sure as he read the next words on the page. “Ruby Patterson” and “see-through nightie” should not be put in the same sentence. “Of course,” he told her. “I’m always up for a challenge. You should really start believing that.”
“Okay, ladies!” Tessa called instead of replying.
Bryan chuckled and sat back in his chair.
The first woman to walk onto the stage was Ruby. Ruby was probably sixty-six or seven, tall and thin, with bright white hair. She was wearing blue jeans and a Come Again Bar T-shirt.
“Hey, Ruby,” Bryan said with a grin as she came to the middle of the stage and put a hand on a hip. He glanced down at the paper in his hand. “Where’s your sheer pink nightie with the black bra and pantie set underneath?”
Stella Carson laughed from the side of the stage. “This is just rehearsal. You’re gonna have to be here for the show if you want to see the goods!” she called out.
Bryan relaxed. So they weren’t modeling the lingerie today. Got it. He nodded. “Sounds like I’ve got a front-row seat.”
Ruby gave him a wink. “Isn’t it nice that you’re special to Tess?”
Bryan looked up at Tess. She stubbornly refused to take her eyes off the stage.
“I can honestly say that being special to Tess makes me feel very…nice,” he said, a million other words than nice going through his mind. All of which would scandalize these nice ladies.
Okay, seventy percent of these ladies.
But he couldn’t say the things he was thinking to them, or to Tess.
“Okay, Dottie, you’re up!” Tess called, ignoring both Bryan and Ruby.
Dottie owned and did most of the cooking at Dottie’s Diner on Main. She was a lifelong Sapphire Falls resident and, though a bit gruff, was as sweet as her famous chocolate pie.
Dottie strutted to the middle of the gazebo and executed a one-eighty as Bryan read from the script. “Dottie is showing off her sass with this black and white polka dotted—” Bryan broke off and looked up. “ Dottie is wearing polka dots?” he asked with a grin.
“Who better?” Dot asked.
“You got me there,” he agreed.
“Susan!” Tess hollered. “Your turn.”
Dottie moved off, and Susan Leonard made her way to center stage. But unlike Ruby and Dottie, Susan didn’t look like she was having fun with this.
She actually looked nervous.
Bryan looked down and read out loud, “Susan shows her stuff in this baby-blue ruffled camisole with French-cut panties.”
He saw Susan blush bright red and her shoulders slump.
“Susan proves that—”
Bryan broke off when Susan took a deep breath and blew it out, then another, and another. It looked like she was practicing Lamaze breathing.
“Uh, Tess?” he asked. Susan didn’t look so good.
“Yeah?”
He glanced up and saw that Tessa was watching Susan as well and looked concerned.
“I don’t—”
Suddenly Susan bolted off the stage.
Bryan watched where she’d disappeared with wide eyes.
Then he heard it. They all heard it. The distinct sound of someone throwing up.
“Oh, my God.” Tessa hurried off in that direction. “Just keep going,” she tossed over her shoulder to him.
Sure. Okay.
Bryan cleared his throat. “All right, that puts Cora up next.”
Cora came shuffling onto the stage. And the slow, almost hesitant steps didn’t seem to be because of her walker. She actually looked a little miserable.
Bryan gave her a big smile. “So
That almost made him smile. He simply could not wrap his brain around the fact that Tessa Sheridan was annoyed by the idea of him being her boyfriend.
“I’m doing it because I’m going to convince you to be my girlfriend. If it’s not this, it will be some other way.”
“So me saying no doesn’t matter?” she asked.
“If I thought you meant it, it would,” he told her honestly.
She frowned at him. But she didn’t deny it. Instead, she straightened. “Are you ready?”
Bryan wasn’t so sure as he read the next words on the page. “Ruby Patterson” and “see-through nightie” should not be put in the same sentence. “Of course,” he told her. “I’m always up for a challenge. You should really start believing that.”
“Okay, ladies!” Tessa called instead of replying.
Bryan chuckled and sat back in his chair.
The first woman to walk onto the stage was Ruby. Ruby was probably sixty-six or seven, tall and thin, with bright white hair. She was wearing blue jeans and a Come Again Bar T-shirt.
“Hey, Ruby,” Bryan said with a grin as she came to the middle of the stage and put a hand on a hip. He glanced down at the paper in his hand. “Where’s your sheer pink nightie with the black bra and pantie set underneath?”
Stella Carson laughed from the side of the stage. “This is just rehearsal. You’re gonna have to be here for the show if you want to see the goods!” she called out.
Bryan relaxed. So they weren’t modeling the lingerie today. Got it. He nodded. “Sounds like I’ve got a front-row seat.”
Ruby gave him a wink. “Isn’t it nice that you’re special to Tess?”
Bryan looked up at Tess. She stubbornly refused to take her eyes off the stage.
“I can honestly say that being special to Tess makes me feel very…nice,” he said, a million other words than nice going through his mind. All of which would scandalize these nice ladies.
Okay, seventy percent of these ladies.
But he couldn’t say the things he was thinking to them, or to Tess.
“Okay, Dottie, you’re up!” Tess called, ignoring both Bryan and Ruby.
Dottie owned and did most of the cooking at Dottie’s Diner on Main. She was a lifelong Sapphire Falls resident and, though a bit gruff, was as sweet as her famous chocolate pie.
Dottie strutted to the middle of the gazebo and executed a one-eighty as Bryan read from the script. “Dottie is showing off her sass with this black and white polka dotted—” Bryan broke off and looked up. “ Dottie is wearing polka dots?” he asked with a grin.
“Who better?” Dot asked.
“You got me there,” he agreed.
“Susan!” Tess hollered. “Your turn.”
Dottie moved off, and Susan Leonard made her way to center stage. But unlike Ruby and Dottie, Susan didn’t look like she was having fun with this.
She actually looked nervous.
Bryan looked down and read out loud, “Susan shows her stuff in this baby-blue ruffled camisole with French-cut panties.”
He saw Susan blush bright red and her shoulders slump.
“Susan proves that—”
Bryan broke off when Susan took a deep breath and blew it out, then another, and another. It looked like she was practicing Lamaze breathing.
“Uh, Tess?” he asked. Susan didn’t look so good.
“Yeah?”
He glanced up and saw that Tessa was watching Susan as well and looked concerned.
“I don’t—”
Suddenly Susan bolted off the stage.
Bryan watched where she’d disappeared with wide eyes.
Then he heard it. They all heard it. The distinct sound of someone throwing up.
“Oh, my God.” Tessa hurried off in that direction. “Just keep going,” she tossed over her shoulder to him.
Sure. Okay.
Bryan cleared his throat. “All right, that puts Cora up next.”
Cora came shuffling onto the stage. And the slow, almost hesitant steps didn’t seem to be because of her walker. She actually looked a little miserable.
Bryan gave her a big smile. “So
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