by Pratt, Lulu
“Well, tell me what Brad suggests we get from this place?” I wondered, making my way through the light crowd standing around the parking lot. It was half social, half shopping, or at least that was what I got from the scene. People stood in small crowds as music blared from an open speaker. There was a chorus of what sounded like continuous laughter just above the music, a real party vibe.
“He swears by the brisket,” Billie answered after a long pause, and I knew why she didn’t want to reveal her boyfriend’s recommendation.
“Beef? Brad recommends beef barbecue?” I chuckled, looking over to her, but she refused to make eye contact. “Tennessee and pork go hand in hand, and you know that, Billie. You must really like him.”
“That’s it! It’s just back there,” she pointed to a truck at the back of the parking lot, picking up her pace while ignoring my criticism.
“Let me get this straight.” I crossed my arms as Billie stopped at the back of the order line. “Brad, who you claim to be an intelligent man, recommends the best barbecue in the city is beef served from a food truck?”
I could see the dimple in her cheek as she looked straight ahead, fighting back her smile. It was the same dimple that dented my left cheek, one of many physical characteristics we shared. Growing up, it was a gift and a curse having a twin sister. Of course, I had a built-in best friend through every phase of my life. Billie was always there, able to understand me more than anyone else. But with us being the same age, most of my friends had crushes on my sister, and that was always awkward, while I reciprocated with unfulfilled crushes on several of her friends.
“What can I get y’all?” An older woman called, hanging over the edge, hiding in the shade of the awning of the food truck.
“I’ll order for both of us,” Billie said without asking. “I’ll have one brisket sandwich with baked beans and… a cornbread bowl with brisket.”
“Sounds good,” the woman jotted down on a small notepad. “And what to drink?”
“Two sweet teas, please.”
“Uh-huh,” she scribbled, glancing up. “And anything else?”
“Umm,” Billie glanced down at the menu written along the side of the truck on a chalkboard. “One peach cobbler.”
“Rod!” The woman yelled so loudly Billie flinched. When a man in the back of the truck hollered back, she continued. “We still got some cobbler?” The man yelled again, but I couldn’t hear his response. “You got the last slice, darling.”
Billie smiled, handing the woman three ten-dollar bills. I’d stopped fighting my sister about rushing to pay for things long ago and she was a generous tipper to boot. When we were younger, I refused to let her spend a dime when we were out together. But now that our latest album was officially double platinum, I knew she had more than enough to handle lunch.
We’d just settled at the end of a small picnic table with three massive Styrofoam plates and two cups when Brad appeared. Amongst the crowd of casual shoppers and diners, he looked out of place in his tailored suit.
“There she is,” he called from behind Billie. “The most beautiful woman in Tennessee.”
My sister’s smile transformed her face as she got up from the table, draping her arms around him. Brad produced a bouquet of red roses and a small gift wrapped in light blue paper with a ribbon. I’d never seen a man try so hard to be a hero in my life.
“This is so nice. Wyatt, isn’t this nice?” Billie turned to me, setting the flowers on the table.
“Very nice. Y’all heading to prom?” I teased, which earned me a dangerous glare from Billie.
“Just wanted to put a smile on her face,” Brad answered without malice. The man never appeared flustered, no matter how hard of a time I gave him. A good trait for a lawyer, I guess.
“It’s nice. I’m only giving you a hard time, Brad,” I reasoned.
“Oh, I know,” Brad grinned. “I’m going to win you over one way or another, like I did your parents. Let me know how you like that brisket.”
“Will do,” I nodded, lifting my sandwich.
“I can’t stay, sweetheart,” he spoke softly to my sister. “I have to get back to the office as I have a meeting with a client about the latest changes in her will, but I wanted to bring you a little gift.”
“Thank you, baby. You’re so sweet,” she kissed him, nearly spoiling my appetite. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to seeing my sister so head over heels in love.
“I’ll see you as soon as I can leave the office,” he promised.
“I can’t wait.”
And then he was gone. Billie turned to me with a tiny bit of disappointment in her eyes. I could tell she wished Brad was sitting in my place instead.
“Wyatt! Stop eating. I didn’t even get a picture of the food,” she argued. She quickly retrieved her phone before moving the plates until she found them aesthetically pleasing.
“Sorry, I thought we were just eating,” I rolled my eyes.
“It’s fine,” she batted her eyelashes. “With you in the background, it’s sure to get over a million views.”
“You’re welcome,” I spoke through a mouth full of brisket drenched in barbecue sauce. I couldn’t understand why Nashville insisted on the vinegar-based sauce, but even that couldn’t hide the delicious flavor of the brisket. The sweet tang of the sauce mixed perfectly with the smoked aroma of the meat so tender it melted in your mouth.
“Look, it’s already got one thousand likes,” Billie said, staring at her phone.
“I’ve got a new song I want you to hear,” I started. It was the reason I’d agreed to go with my sister to lunch. We were in Nashville to work on our album, but after two weeks, we had yet to have one studio session together. When she wasn’t attached to Brad at the hip, Billie was obsessed with her online presence.
Billie’s social media profile now had a life of its own, with her sharing everything from her fashion pics to every meal she ate. Even now, she had yet to take a bite of her food, still focused on getting the ideal angle of the peach cobbler. Kneeling, and then standing, she hovered her phone over the dish with an intense stare as she snapped photos.
“Did you hear me?” I asked after she didn’t respond.
“I hear you, Wyatt. But, you know, there’s so much more than work to talk about.”
“Is there?” I huffed, lifting what was left of my sandwich to my mouth.
Sometimes I feared she would never take her music career seriously. To her, I think the music was a phase, something that presented itself and she decided to run with it. But it wasn’t a passion, and definitely not a calling.
“That’s the problem with you,” she continued after typing away on her phone. She sat down across from me, finally satisfied with her ‘content,’ as she called it. “All you think about is work, but there’s love, and food, and travel, and so much more than being locked away in a studio.”
“I like travel and food too,” I assured her. “I like to go places to find inspiration, and then I write about it and put it in a song.”
“You forgot one.”
“What?” I looked up from the baked beans. Like the sauce, they were a bit tangy. I was used to the brown sugar sweetness the way our mom made them growing up in Memphis. But again, I couldn’t deny how delicious they were. Of course, I didn’t mention it to Billie. I couldn’t let her know Brad’s recommendation was a hit.
“I said there’s more to life – love, food, and travel. And you said you like food and travel. You missed one, and that’s your problem.”
“Here you go with this again,” I rolled my eyes. Reaching across the table, I scooped up a bit of her cornbread and brisket with my plastic spoon.
“You need to stop messing with these…” she looked around before leaning close and whispering, “groupies!”
I laughed lightly. “What are you talking about, Billie? When have you ever seen me with a fan?”
“I didn’t say fan, did I? I’m talking about these girls who throw themselves at y
ou. They’re obsessed with you! They do anything for a night with the famous Wyatt Hart, and that’s all you give them.”
“I haven’t gotten any complaints,” I grinned, reaching for another spoonful of her lunch.
“And you haven’t gotten any love, either,” she shot back.
***
Thank you for reading the first chapters of Heart Beat. Want more? Go to Amazon.com to read the full book. Thank you!
***
Sign up to my newsletters and get FREE exclusive bonuses on all my stories including a bonus short, Heart Beat – Ten Years Later.
Click here to join my newsletter and get the bonus book, Big Swinging Dick.
Lulu Pratt’s Books
Heart Beat
Pretend Daddy
All He Wants For Christmas
Long and Hard: A Bad Boy Box Set
Relentless Pursuit
Crushed
Rough and Ready
Going Down
Quickies: A Romance Novella Collection
In Deep
Best Jerk
Fake Marriage Act
Recharged
