Best Friends in the Show Me State

by Jessie Gussman

  “I didn’t see you jumping on the opportunity. Someone had to.”

  “Seriously, Low Beam? You told me you were leaving. I couldn’t ask you when you weren’t staying.”

  “You’re stalling, Gable.”

  “Yep. You look good down there. In fact, I think you ought to kneel at my feet more often.”

  That was it. She started to push to her feet.

  He dropped to his knees. “Kidding. I, honestly, was a little miffed you beat me to it.”

  “I can stand up and let you have at it.”

  “I don’t have a ring.”

  “I already said that.”

  “Okay, then.”

  She straightened, her heart light and happy that they were back to normal.

  “Will you marry me?” Clark said, his face completely serious.

  “I will,” she said, not even bothering to try to not sound smug. “I must point out that I asked first and answered first.”

  He stood, his dimple popping and his head lowering. “That’s fine. Because I’m kissing you first.”

  Epilogue

  Chandler sat in his parent’s front yard, controlled chaos going on all around him, and tried to look happy.

  His mother was only too excited to throw an impromptu engagement party for Clark and Marlowe when they’d announced that they planned to get married, and all five of her boys were here.

  The yard rang with laughter and children playing, his brothers bantering and goofing off. It probably wouldn’t be long before they’d set up targets and have a shooting contest. He could hold his own with any of it.

  But he’d been fighting this restless, irritable feeling for a while.

  It was the only thing he could think of that had made him agree to give one whole month of his time to be auctioned off next week.

  What had he been thinking?

  He didn’t want to be at someone’s beck and call for a month. He’d thought Miss Lynette was going to reach through the phone and hug the tar out of him when he’d agreed.

  Really, he could back out, but that would only confirm everyone’s opinion of him that he never followed through or did anything hard.

  His family didn’t consider making movies hard. And he couldn’t really argue with them, because even the worst day on the movie set was a walk in the park compared to most of the workdays his brothers put in.

  Plus, he couldn’t explain it, but he wasn’t happy in Hollywood anymore.

  Maybe because he’d become too much like everyone else there, with one failed marriage behind him and a daughter that he hardly ever saw. Life sucked sometimes. And he didn’t get do-overs.

  Something told him, if he didn’t change course, he’d be making more and bigger mistakes and would be looking at himself in ten years wishing for more than one do-over.

  What better way to get away from himself and his potential for mistakes than to get back to his childhood teaching of leaving things in God’s hands?

  If auctioning himself off to the highest bidder wasn’t allowing God to have control, he didn’t know what was.

  Hopefully, God wouldn’t let any of his brothers buy him, since they’d put him to work from sunup until sundown on the farm.

  Actually, he didn’t mind farm work, but he’d always wanted to do it a little differently than what his family had.

  Maybe, once this auction thing was over, and he’d fulfilled his obligations for his next movie, he’d buy a little spread and see if he couldn’t get his ex to give him some more time with his daughter. He thought maybe that’s what he needed. Or wanted.

  No more wives, though. One broken marriage was enough.

  “Okay, everyone, we’re going to cut the cake now.” His mom stood at the picnic table, a big knife clasped in her work-roughened hand. His parents might own a big mansion on the hill, but his mother still did all the yardwork and gardening herself.

  Chandler smiled good-naturedly as Deacon slapped him on the back, passing him as his daughter, Tinsley, dragged him quickly toward the cake.

  Clark stood beside their mother, his arm around his childhood friend and now fiancée, a huge, happy grin on his face.

  “I can’t believe it took them this long to figure out they were perfect for each other,” Zane said, coming up beside Chandler.

  “Makes you wonder if we’re just as dumb as he is,” Chandler said, and realized he spoke the words in his heart. Everyone could see how perfect Clark and Marlowe were. Except them. Was he just as blind?

  “You don’t need to wonder. Just assume yes.”

  Chandler laughed. His small hometown was dead serious about their patriotism and even more serious about their firearms, but they definitely knew how to not take themselves seriously, too. He missed that in Hollywood.

  “Tonight we’re celebrating the engagement of two people who are absolutely perfect for each other,” their mother said.

  Zane’s voice came in his ear again, low, so only he could hear. “Funny, but she didn’t say that at my engagement party.”

  “Mine, either. Probably for a reason, since both of our wives left us.”

  “I’m not falling for a pretty face again.”

  “Jessica wasn’t that pretty,” Chandler said with a smirk, talking about Zane’s ex.

  “Guess love is blind, ‘cause I thought she was for the longest time.”

  “She had nice bone structure,” Chandler said, using words he’d heard in Hollywood a million times. “But she didn’t know how to smile. Made her ugly.”

  “Smiling gives you wrinkles.”

  “Look for a woman with wrinkles, then.”

  They laughed.

  Whatever their mom had said had caused cheers to erupt around them. Chandler joined them, although he had no idea what, exactly he was cheering.

  He watched as Clark lowered his head and kissed Marlowe, tenderly and sweetly. He’d guess, from the darkening of Marlowe’s eyes, that she might be interested in a kiss with more passion. Later, probably.

  “I’m not even going to think about a girl unless she looks at me just like that,” Zane murmured in his ear.

  Chandler nodded. “Me either.”

  Thanks so much for reading! You can get Chandler’s story HERE.