by Dee Burks
Serena frowned. “You’re just as cheap as he is.”
“Only about some things.”
“I swear you two are opposite sides of the same coin.”
“What coin?” Will sat an extra hot dog in front of Nolea.
Serena pointed to the food. “See?”
“Whatever.” Nolea shrugged and took a big bite.
Tyler slid off the barstool and walked to the back corner of the bar. He dialed and waited as Serena searched her purse and finally picked up.
“Make it look good,” he whispered.
“Oh hi, Tyler.”
Nolea and Will leaned closer.
“No problem at all. We’ll reschedule for another day.”
Reschedule? Like he was a dentist appointment? This was the first time he’d ever helped a girl break a date with himself. Looked like they were buying it though. Serena could act, and given the right motivation she might be nervy enough to scare the hell out of Chelsie —if they could ugly her up enough. Tyler waited a few minutes, then returned to his seat. Will and Nolea stood, ready to go.
“You two go on, I think I’m going to get a burger here and then head home.” Serena waved and turned back to the bar, watching in the mirror until they left. The second they were out the door, she gave him a huge grin. “That worked great! I owe you a big favor, and I mean big! Can I at least buy you a burger or something?”
“Sure, I’d love one.”
“Great, I’m starved. Oh, I didn’t even get your name.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Serena.”
He took her hand gently, but firmly and waited until her gaze met his. “I’m Tyler. Tyler Cooper.”
Surprise lit her eyes as the smile melted off her face. Serena tried to pull her hand from his, but Tyler held on refusing to let her get away. He leaned closer. “And I intend to collect on that favor.”
Chapter 6
Serena followed Tyler to a table, goose bumps still rippling across her flesh. What did he want? He’d succeeded in helping her get rid of another bad date, or had he? After all, he was that date. Maybe all he’d really been trying to do was get rid of Nolea and Will. And now he had her cell phone number too! Her eyes traveled down his back as he walked, and settled on his jeans. The undulation of taunt muscles under the faded fabric seemed almost hypnotic.
What a rock-hard butt! The thought forced her gaze upward again. She had to keep her wits about her and could not afford to get distracted by his anatomy or by another foray into Margaritaville. Trying to calm her nerves, she glanced around. More people had filled the bar in the last half hour. He seemed smart enough not to try anything in public. She hoped.
The waitress came to their table immediately and flashed Tyler a big smile. He ignored it and ordered first.
“We’ll have two burgers, medium, I’ll have a beer and she’ll have a margarita.” He handed the menu back to the waitress.
Serena squashed her annoyance. Not that he didn’t get points for ignoring the flirty waitress, but she could order her own food. “I’ll have water, thanks.” He looked great but came across a little high-handed for her taste, and she wasn’t about to drink anything else until she found out exactly what he wanted.
“Oh, and a large order of onion rings,” he said. The waitress nodded and left.
“Onion rings?”
“You don’t like them?”
“Well, it’s not exactly date food.”
He smiled. “Well, this isn’t exactly a date, now, is it?”
“What is it?”
He moved the ketchup, salt, and pepper out of the middle of the table. “Stuff should be over here.” He looked up at her and hesitated. “I get the idea that you aren’t interested in a real date anymore than I am, and . . . ”
“I’m not,” Serena cut in.
He nodded. “Good. Me neither.”
“Then why did you place an ad?”
“I didn’t. My sister did. She seems to think I might wither away without some woman in my life.”
Serena frowned. “So why did you call me and come here tonight?”
“Why did you set up the date and then want to break it?”
She paused. “It’s, umm . . .”
“I know. It’s complicated, right?” He smiled. “Why is that?”
Serena didn’t even know where to begin. “You first.”
“Fair enough.” They both paused as the waitress set two large steaming burgers in front of them. Tyler poured ketchup on his fries as he talked. “See, I have this plan.”
A plan? Great. All she needed was another man with a plan. Maybe he and Uncle Frank should get together.
He held up a hand at her expression. “Now, hear me out.”
He seemed to sense her irritation and impatience. Interesting, most men she knew couldn’t sense an alligator in their underwear. She arched a brow and waited.
“I figure the only way to get my sister to stop butting into my life is to scare her off.”
Serena frowned as she cut the large burger in half. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was. “How?”
“I decided I’d find the worst woman I could from the ad she ran, then take that girl to one of Chelsie’s cookouts. Hopefully it would scare little sis good enough to get her to mind her own business.”
“So, I’m the worst example you could find?”
He paused mid-bite and looked at her. “No. But you’re a decent actress when you want to be, and I figured we could work on the looks thing.”
“The looks thing?” Serena, while relieved that he wasn’t after a real date, had a difficult time not being offended.
“You know.” He popped another french fry into his mouth. “Need to ugly you up a bit.”
No wonder the man didn’t have anyone in his life. Tact was not his forte. “Have you mentioned this plan to anyone else?”
“Yeah. One girl last week.”
“What happened?”
“She hit me.”
Serena laughed so hard it drew looks from nearby tables. “Imagine that.” She found herself liking Tyler for his absolute honestly, in spite of his horrific way with words.
“It wasn’t funny,” he said, then smiled as she continued to laugh. “Maybe it was a little funny. So what’s your story?”
Serena sat back and thought a moment. If he can be blatantly honest, so could she. It’s not like she had anything to lose at this point. This guy might actually be the business arrangement she was looking for. “My uncle owns the paper, and I’m one of the editors. I was supposed to answer a few ads and then write some mushy copy to sell advertising.”
“Why? Are they hurting for cash?”
“Not really, but more is better. And I know it’s really another one of my aunt’s ideas to get me a man so I won’t be alone when Justin leaves for college.”
“Justin?”
“My son.” She saw him frown, and it piqued her curiosity. “You have any kids?” Or ex-wives?
“Nope. Have a dog, Shadow. Man’s best friend, you know.”
“Man’s only friend?”
“That too.” He shrugged. “You don’t look old enough to have a kid in college. That the reason you’re renting out a room?”
“Yes. College isn’t cheap these days.”
He nodded. “So what was the deal with Condom Street?”
Heat flashed across her face. “Oh that.”
“Couldn’t be that bad.” He laughed.
“It could.” She lowered her voice. “I found a half empty box of condoms in my son’s room while I was talking to you on the phone. I guess it distracted me a little.”
Tyler nodded. “If my mom had found a box of rubbers in my room, she’d been more than a little distracted.”
“Not a box. Half a box. Which is frightening at his age.” Serena poured out information to this man she’d known less than 30 minutes with no clue as to why. Normally she was exceptionally guarded where her personal life was concerned, but then Tyler wasn’t interested in
getting involved, so he posed zero threat.
“So you’d rather he not be using them?”
“No. I rather he be celibate until he graduates from college.”
“It certainly has its advantages.”
He glanced up as if realizing what he said, then quickly resumed eating. Serena swore she saw a slight pink color in his checks. How revealing. No girlfriend, no dating, no sex. Normally she would assume a guy like that was gay. But Tyler Cooper exuded sensuality from his scuffed cowboy boots to his crinkled straw hat. She nodded at the hat. “You a real cowboy?”
“I suppose. Used to rodeo in high school.”
That seemed to fit him. She could imagine Tyler atop a horse in a rodeo arena. “So all you do now is work? You must love what you do.”
“Not really. I own a restaurant. JT’s.”
She knew of it but had never been there. Some kind of barbecue joint from what she’d heard. “Why don’t you like it?”
“I do like it, most of the time. But lately all I do is work, and there’s never enough money.”
“Is that why you don’t date?”
“That’s part of it.”
“What’s the other part?”
He shrugged but didn’t answer. That was fine. She really didn’t care. He would be perfect for the fake romance. Little low on social skills, but she didn’t need those anyway. Just a guy that looked good and didn’t want to get in her pants. Or pantyhose as the case may be. Tyler got an A+ in both areas. He wasn’t the kind of guy she usually dated in that he wasn’t a professional, had no cash flow, and worked all the time, so there was no chance of her getting attached. She had plans for her life, and they didn’t involve a hunky cowboy.
Excitement flittered through her chest. Could she really get lucky and find the perfect guy on the first try? She peered at him again.
No baggage, no romantic interest, no complications. Yes. Tyler Cooper seemed perfect in every way, for her purposes at least. Serena finished off her burger and snagged one of his onion rings. “These are good.”
“Not as good as mine.” He smiled. “Always have to check out the competition.”
Serena pushed away her plate. “So, let me see if I understand this plan. If I help you with your sister, will you agree to help fake a hot love affair for the paper?”
He piled his empty plate on top of hers. “What would I have to do?”
“Work with me on a few ideas for articles, maybe pose for a photo or two. I mean, I’d use different names or initials or something so you wouldn’t be bothered.”
“Doesn’t matter. I don’t mind being bothered.”
“Well, I do. I have no intention of becoming a Dr. Ruth for the Cranfield-Star. No one will know it’s us, except for family.”
“Good. They’re the ones causing the problems anyway.”
“Exactly.”
“So what names will we use?”
Serena thought a minute then smiled. “They call me Captain Old Maid, so I could use the initials COM.”
He laughed. A deep, vibrating laugh that tingled down Serena’s spine. “Okay. Then you can call me Lieutenant Rolling Stone.”
“As in Mick Jagger?”
“As in gathers no moss. Or anything else for that matter.”
“So, Lieutenant. Do we have a deal?” Serena grinned and stuck out a hand.
Tyler shook it. “That we do, Captain.”
Chapter 7
“Wow. I almost need a cigarette after that.” Will handed the paper to Nolea.
Serena watched Nolea’s expression as she read silently. The first installment of “Lone Star Love Affair” had already hit the newsstands, and Serena braced herself for the fallout. She hid a small, satisfied grin as Nolea’s jaw dropped.
“Oh my god.” Nolea glanced at Serena, then read aloud. “The tingle of his lips on mine as his fingers slid gently up my spine?” She read on in silence, emitting only short gasps, gulps, and one sharp inhale before she tossed the paper on the desk.
Serena waited for her to say something. Anything. “So? What did you think?”
Nolea shifted her gaze to Serena. “I think we all may get fired.”
“I’m not going to get fired, and neither are the two of you.” Though the notion sent a small tremor of fear through Serena. The article wasn’t that bad. Nothing worse than anything on TV these days and certainly nothing that a child couldn’t read. She glanced at the last paragraph that detailed the final kiss of the fantasy evening. Well, maybe an older child.
Silence descended on the trio. Nolea pierced Serena with her gaze. “This comes across as very passive-aggressive, Serena. If you didn’t want to write this column, you should have said so. What is it going to prove to get yourself fired by making this stuff up?”
“You sound just like Jeffery. I didn’t make it up.”
“Then who’s Mr. Happy Hands?” Will asked.
“A cowboy I met after the two of you left the bar.”
“A cowboy?” Will grinned. “Does this mean the next column will include some interesting activities involving spurs?”
Serena smiled. “It might.”
Nolea punched Will’s arm. “Don’t encourage her. What cowboy?”
“You know. The one sitting next to us at the bar during the dating game.”
“I remember.” Nolea nodded slowly. “Beat up hat, great butt. Not bad.”
A jolt of excitement went through Serena. This might work yet. Nolea remembering Tyler was her first break. Now they would believe her. “He thought the whole date thing was funny, and we got to talking, and that led to dinner, which led to— well . . .” She shrugged.
Will leaned forward. “So did it really end with just a kiss?”
“I’ll never tell.” Serena wiggled her eyebrows.
“Did you have to make it so, well, sensual?” Nolea asked. “A lot of our advertisers are older people with established businesses. There may be a backlash from this.”
“I don’t think it will be as bad as you think.” I hope.
Mary Jo Clark hurried across the newsroom and stopped at Serena’s office, puffing for air. Uncle Frank’s secretary had been at the paper for 15 years and knew every tidbit of gossip there was to know about the place and the people in it. She held a hand to her ample chest as the cord from her headset dangled. “Oh Lordy.” She heaved another breath. “Dalton Reid is on the phone, yelling something about us printing pornography and wanting to pull all his advertising.”
“He’s my biggest account.” Nolea jumped to her feet and hurried out the door.
Mary Jo continued, “Frank’s talking to him now, but the phone has been ringing off the hook both in our office and in circulation. One of the subscribers even threatened to have you arrested.”
“Holy shit.” Will picked up his camera and started toward the newsroom. “You’re on your own on this one, Red.”
“Thanks a lot.” A sinking feeling pressed on Serena’s chest. Had she really gone too far? She watched the newsroom as activity intensified. The phones picked up pace, and the noise level of the whole building seemed to climb a few decibels.
This could be bad. Really bad. Advertisers pulling out, subscribers canceling, angry letters to the editor. It hadn’t occurred to her that this could endanger her job. What would she do if Uncle Frank had to let her go to pacify their readers? It could happen. Easily. Then what? How would she survive? How would Justin get through college?
The Cranfield-Reporter Star was the only newspaper in town, and New York was still a dream, which didn’t leave her many options. Not to mention the fact that everyone would know why she got fired. That would put a big damper on any job interview. She needed to smooth this thing over before things got out of hand. They could print a retraction and say she had a hormone surge or a breakdown of some sort. This thing could be salvaged. Maybe.
Serena had to talk to Uncle Frank. She went to her doorway and glanced down the hall. His office door was closed. She called Mary Jo’s desk
and left a message for him to call her as soon as possible. Nothing to do now but wait and allow one horrific scenario after another to run through her mind like a string of old horror flicks. Frank screaming. Justin starving. A big scarlet letter painted on her chest.
She tried to stay busy, answering e-mail, editing stories, and reshuffling every piece of paper on her desk. Twice. Anything but answer the phone.
The voice mail light flashed relentlessly until curiosity got the best of her, and she dialed in. The monotone electronic voice came on the line.
“You have seventy-three messages.”
Seventy-three? It would take the rest of the day just to listen to them all.
“You have a minute?” Frank Walker stood in the doorway.
Serena quickly hung up. “Sure.” She tried to sound calm and confident but had no idea if she succeeded.
He closed the door and sat down, his expression somber.
Serena waited, the tingle of panic at the base of her skull growing. Co-workers hovered and hesitated outside her window, no doubt tossing more rumors into the feeding frenzy. Serena feared her whole life could change in the next few minutes, and she would have to sit here and take it while the world observed her like a fish in a glass bowl. Her mind grasped for the arguments and calming statements she had formulated during the course of the morning, but they all seemed to disappear.
Frank cleared his throat and gave her a small smile. “I have to say we’re certainly getting some feedback this morning.”
“We are?” Serena mentally kicked herself. She hadn’t intended to start this conversation by playing stupid. “I mean, of course we are. I only intended to start things off with a bang.” A bang? Poor choice of words. The image of her standing before a firing squad flashed through her mind.
“You certainly did that. Did you have any idea the kind of hornet’s nest this would stir up?”
“To be honest, Uncle Frank, I hadn’t expected quite this level of interest.” Which was true. Nor had she expected this to be over so quickly. She’d had grand expectations that these articles would be the answer to so many nagging problems in her life. From Aunt Macy’s interference to her lackluster career, she’d hoped “Lone Star Love Affair” might provide a welcome distraction to her otherwise boring life. Now it threatened to decimate that boring life she’d clung to for so long. “So I guess you’ll be pulling ‘Lone Star Love Affair?’”
