“What do you usually do on your days off?”
“I try to spend a little time with Waylon, my mom’s cat,” she says wryly.
“Waylon, as in Jennings?” I ask with a grin.
“What can I say,” she says, smiling. “We’re big fans. Her last cat was Crystal Gayle.”
I grimace. “I don’t think I could name a song by Crystal Gayle. But I would lose my musician card if I didn’t know the words to ‘Luckenbach, Texas.’”
She puts a hand over her heart dramatically. “If you can name a song by Kris Kristofferson, I might have to marry you.”
“‘Lovin Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)’.” I sing the title of the well-known song.
Summer immediately starts to fan herself. “Look at you, tryin’ to get me all hot and bothered.”
“All I have to do is sing a little Kris Kristofferson to get you hot and bothered?”
“Well, it might take a little more than that,” she says in a throaty whisper.
Good God, now I’m the one getting hot and bothered.
“What happens if I throw in a little bit of Highwaymen?” I ask, referring to the country supergroup that included Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash.
She bats her eyelashes furiously. “Now, don’t make me take you out back.”
“I’m thinking if we go out there now we would get wet, but not in a fun way…”
“What, you’re not a fan of dancing in the rain?”
“Not the kind of dancing we were just talking about.”
My eyes bore into hers and she swallows, playfulness suddenly gone.
“Too bad it’s raining,” she whispers.
I reach out and push a stray tendril of hair behind her ear. “It’s supposed to stop soon,” is all I say.
“Uh huh.” Her eyes don’t leave mine.
“Keep looking at me like that, pretty girl, and I don’t know if I can resist kissing you.”
A tiny smile plays on her lips. “Don’t you dare while I’m working,” she says.
“When do you get off?” I ask pointedly.
“I guess technically I’m already off, but I’m sure Dolly is going to pay me until I leave, so I don’t want to do anything inappropriate.”
“Do you like doing inappropriate things when you’re not working?”
There isn’t a lot of light, but I see her eyes glitter. “I love being inappropriate.”
If she’s saying what I think she’s saying, this morning is going to turn out a lot better than I thought it would. “Do you live far from here?” I ask.
“About twenty minutes.”
“You have plans for your day off? Other than hanging out with Waylon?”
“Grocery shopping and baking.”
