Dressed in a way that didn't quite fit? Check.
Decidedly out of place? Checkity-check-check.
Oh, no.
She wouldn't.
I swallowed.
Would she?
But sadly, I knew the answer tothatquestion. Knowing Aunt Gina, she would, even though she'd promised not to.
I closed my eyes and tried not to groan out loud. For a long moment, I kept them shut and wondered what would happen if I ran screaming out of the room.
At the sound of a low chuckle, I opened my eyes and looked. It was Derek, of course, who leaned close to whisper, "Aw c'mon. Be a sport. It'll be over before you know it." He flashed me that familiar grin. "No harm in humoring her, right?"
Oh, there'd be harm alright – to my sanity, if nothing else.
My face was flaming now. I didn't have to touch it to know. Probably, I looked like a human tomato minus the stem.
I recalled my last birthday, when Aunt Gina hired a stripper dressed as a construction worker to greet me at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the local art center.
The ribbon-cutter had been me, or at least that had been the plan – right up until the Hard-Hatted Hottie began shaking his tool, directly in front the mayor and fifty other horrified people.
Okay, so maybe the toolwascovered in a G-string, and maybe notallof the onlookers were horrified. I mean, Beatrice seemed to enjoy it. But that was hardly the point.
I wouldn’t be invited to dothatagain, even if Iwasthe only child of Braydon Blaire, the closest thing to a celebrity this town had ever seen.
I snuck another quick glance at the stranger. Growing up, I'd seen a lot of artists. None of them had looked like that. I should've known something was up the moment he walked into the room.
Damn it.My Aunt wasn't slipping. I was.
My shoulders sagged. There were so many things I needed – a new furnace, a new roof, or heck, even a better winter coat. But what did my aunt get me? A freaking stripper.
I wanted to die of despair.
Sure, her heart was in the right place. I knew that. But for once, couldn’t she just listen? Couldn’tanyonelisten? I gave Derek a nervous glance. From the look on his face,hesure as heck wouldn’t be listening.
He looked beyond amused. And the show hadn't even started.
I felt my jaw clench.Screw this.This time, I decided, the showwasn'tgoing to start, not if I could help it.
I jumped to my feet, sending my chair rolling backwards. Behind me, I heard a soft thud, followed by a female voice squealing out, "Ow!"
Wincing, I turned to look. "Sorry."
She was rubbing her shins. At my apology, she looked up. "Oh." She gave me a shaky smile. "That's, um, okay?"
As I turned back around, I heard her companion whisper, "Maybehe'llkiss it and make it better."
This was followed by a dreamy sigh. "I wish."
Pretending not to hear, I looked toward the front of the room. Everyone was staring, including the stranger.
I felt myself swallow.Now what?
Chapter 3
