The Plan: A Sweet and Sexy Rock Star Romantic Comedy (The Creek Water Series Book 3)

by Whitney Dineen

  “Mama’s a great knitter,” I tell her. “What do you want to learn how to make?”

  “I’m going to teach her how to make a scarf first, then we can venture into something fun like leg warmers or slippers,” Mama says.

  Aunt Gracie adds, “We’ve added yarn shopping to our list today, so we’d best hurry up and have our tea.”

  Maggie grabs Huck’s other hand as we walk to the front door. Without a doubt, my mama is surely going to wonder what’s going on. Going with the first idea that comes to mind, I tell her, “Come over here and hold my hand, Mama. Aunt Gracie, you take Mama’s other hand.”

  “Why in the world?” Mama demands.

  “Just for the fun of it,” I say.

  “No thanks, honey. I’d love to sit and hold your hand sometime, but I don’t hold hands and walk, just ask your daddy. I need my arms free to keep my balance.”

  “What are you talking about, Lee? You and Jed hold hands all the time,” Aunt Gracie declares.

  “Not when we’re moving,” Mama replies.

  “Of course, you do, Lee. Are you feelin’ okay?”

  Mama sharply nudges my aunt in the ribs—I’m guessing to shut her up—before saying, “Oh no, will you look at that? I’ve gone and forgot my phone in the car. Come on, Gracie, let’s go get it.”

  “Why do I have to go with you to get your phone?” Aunt Gracie demands.

  But Mama ignores her. “You kids go on. Gracie and I will be with you shortly.”

  As they walk back to the car I hear, “What’s going on with you, Lee? You got crickets up your skirt or somethin’? You’re acting strange.”

  Mama releases an almost hysterical laugh. Crap on a cracker, I’m done for now. Mama is already hard at work hatching a plan and I know for certain that it has something to do with me and Huck.

  I fake a stumble. “Whoops, I’ve got something in my shoe.” Then I pull my hand out of Huck’s as I pretend to fix it. When I’m done fooling around, I reach over to grab Maggie’s other hand, but Huck tries to intervene. Ultimately, we’re all holding hands and look like we’re about to start a game of Ring Around the Rosies in the parking lot.

  Maggie tries to drop my hand, but I won’t let her, so she drops Huck’s instead, which leaves me right in the middle of this sweet little family tableau. I just know Mama is watching every little move like a choreographer planning her next number.

  Chapter 29

  We wait for my mama and Aunt Gracie before checking in at the hostess stand. They keep us waiting for nearly ten minutes before finally coming in. Mama’s cloaked in an aura of feverish excitement. She’s jittering around so much she looks like she’s about to pop right out of her skin.

  “Mandy Lynn,” she tells the hostess, “we’re going to be five instead of two. I hope that won’t be a problem.”

  “No, ma’am,” the hostess replies. “Just let me get something set up for you.” She walks away, but not before giving Huck the once over. Three separate times. Seriously, the girl is liable to give herself whiplash if she doesn’t settle down.

  Mama announces, “Y’all go ahead and sit down when our table is ready. I’m just going to run off to the ladies’.” Then she grabs Aunt Gracie’s hand and demands, “You coming, Gracie?”

  “They’re up to something,” I say as we watch them scurry away. Those two have blazed a trail of “something” over the years that forewarns disaster and makes my blood run cold.

  “They didn’t know who my dad was,” Maggie offers.

  Uh-oh. “Did you tell them?” I ask, silently hoping for a miracle.

  “I told them he was a famous rock star.”

  Huck notes the look on my face and asks, “Is that a problem?”

  “For you, it is. I’m pretty sure when Mama went back for her phone it was so she could text the free world to let them know you’re here in town. I’m guessing your days of privacy are over.”

  He shrugs his shoulders. “I’ve rarely had any, so I can’t complain.”

  “How do people treat you in California?” I want to know.

  “I sign an occasional autograph, but other than that, they usually leave me alone. They’re pretty used to seeing me.”

  Maggie scoffs. “No one leaves you alone. You’re just used to all the attention.”

  “What do they do?” I ask.

  “The moms at my school nearly break their necks to talk to him whenever he shows up. My homeroom teacher even takes off her wedding ring when he’s around.”

  Huck looks surprised. “Miss Hartle?”

  “Mrs. Hartle,” his daughter tells him.

  The rock star grins cockily. “What can I say? I’m a catch.” Then he winks at me.

  I ignore him and talk to Maggie. “I bet your daddy has loads of girlfriends.” I’m clearly trying to substantiate his claim that he doesn’t date. I know it’s sneaky to ask his daughter, but I prefer to think of it as performing my due diligence.

  “Hardly,” she replies. “He hasn’t ever had a date that I know of.” Then she hurries to add, “He’s not gay or anything, just really busy.”

  “Are you sure he’s not gay?” I tease. “He’s a really good dresser.”

  Maggie laughs her head off before asking Huck, “Are you sure you’re not gay, Dad? It would explain a lot if you were.”

  Huck looks moderately amused before he grabs my hand and pulls me close to his side. “Would a gay man do this?” he asks. Before I know it, Huck Wiley kisses me full on the mouth. It’s pretty chaste, as he’s doing it in front of his daughter, but the contact still leaves me breathless.

  Maggie claps her hands excitedly. “Nice one, Dad!”

  Without dropping my hand, he tells her, “Amelia doesn’t want to date me.”

  “Why not?” Maggie demands an answer from me. “Everyone wants to date him.”

  Talk about putting me on the spot. “Maybe if your daddy lived in the area, I’d consider it. But I don’t go in for that long-distance stuff. It’s just not for me.”

  Maggie accepts my reasoning easily. “It’s really hard when he’s away so much.” Then she asks, “Do you have boyfriend, Amelia?”

  “Not at the moment,” I tell her. It feels weird talking to a ten-year-old about my love life, but there’s something oddly grown-up about Maggie. I guess it goes back to what Huck said about rich kids being mini-adults.

  She asks, “You sure you won’t consider going out with him? We’re going to be here for a couple of months.” I suddenly believe Huck that they weren’t off visiting Maggie’s mama. After all, what child would try to set her dad up with another woman if there was hope her parents might reunite?

  I tell her, “I don’t think your daddy and I should start dating knowing that y’all are going to leave here.” I add, “I’d still like for all of us to be friends if that’s okay?”

  She nods her head seriously. “I’d like that a lot.”

  The Wileys exchange a look that makes me downright uneasy. Like they’re going to try to change my mind by using friendship as an excuse for Huck and me to spend time together.

  Before I have a chance to set them straight, Mandy Lynn comes over. “If y’all will follow me.” Then she leads the way into the dining room. Luckily, we’re tucked in a corner of the room by a window that looks out onto the tennis courts.

  Mandy keeps eyeing Huck, like she might recognize him. The hostess is in her late twenties, so I’m sure she knows his music. Our only hope is that she couldn’t possibly expect to see a rock star in our little corner of Southern Missouri.

  She’s still staring at him while Huck pulls out my chair for me. Once we’re seated, she gives up the ghost and asks, “Do I know you?”

  “What year did you graduate?” he replies without missing a beat.

  “Twenty-ten, how ’bout you?”

  “Two thousand three,” he answers. “Looks like we missed each other.”

  Once Mandy Lynn walks away, I compliment, “Nicely done. But you know she’s eventually
going to figure it out. Especially now that my mama is texting the universe your location.”

  “Hopefully not until after we’ve left,” he says.

  Maggie picks up the dainty menu. “I love egg salad. Aunt Claire puts relish in hers. Do they do that here?”

  “No relish, just a bit of mustard powder. But don’t worry, it’s delicious,” I tell her.

  Mama and Aunt Gracie show up moments later. Huck jumps up to pull out their chairs for them, but Mama gestures for him to stay seated. “You’d better stay put. We don’t want to parade you around or everyone will figure out who you are.”

  This surprises me, so I ask, “Why is that, Mama? I thought you’d want to be the one to tell everyone about Huck.”

  She shoots me a devious look. “But then we wouldn’t have him all to ourselves.” I should have figured that would have been the reason.

  Huck laughs. “Good point, Lee.” Mama glows like she’s got a hundred-watt bulb under her skin.

  “Why didn’t you tell us who you were at dinner the other night?” she asks. “Poor Jed is going to feel like a fool telling you not to give up on your music.”

  I answer for him. “We figured once you and Aunt Gracie got wind of it, the whole town would know within minutes.”

  “Do the boys know?” Mama asks, ignoring my jab.

  “Everyone under forty with a pulse knows who Huck Wiley is,” I tell her.

  “Do you think Jesse knows?” Aunt Gracie wonders.

  I shrug. “I couldn’t say.” Although I’m willing to bet he does. We’re all aware of Mama and Aunt Gracie’s penchant for talking.

  That’s when Mandy Lynn comes back to our table. “Are you Huck Wiley?”

  Huck looks like he’s about to confess his identity when my mama answers, “Mandy Lynn, what would Huck Wiley be doing in Creek Water, Missouri?”

  “I don’t know, ma’am. All I know is that this gentleman looked familiar to me, so I asked Hank at the bar if he went to high school with him and Hank said he doubted it, unless Huck Wiley went to high school in Creek Water.”

  Aunt Gracie laughs a little too loudly. “Mandy Lynn, you tell Hank he needs glasses. This here is Mason Finch.”

  Mason Finch. Where in the world did she come up with that name?

  Mandy Lynn looks slightly embarrassed. She asks, “Are you new to town?”

  “I am,” he tells her. “My daughter and I are moving here from Alaska.”

  Alaska?

  “Mason is a longshoreman,” Mama adds.

  Clearly, neither Mama nor Mandy Lynn know what that is because they don’t question why a longshoreman would be moving to Southern Missouri. The hostess says, “Welcome to town. We hope you’ll be joining the club.” Then she smiles coyly like she doesn’t care what Huck does for a living, she just wants to lay eyes on him as often as possible. I can’t say as though I blame her.

  Chapter 30

  Mama makes Huck trade places with her after we order. She claims, “Folks keep looking over here. Best to have you face the window, so they don’t speculate.”

  Mandy Lynn manages to come over two more times during our tea to see how we’re doing. That’s not a courtesy she’s previously considered part of her job description.

  The second time she shows up, she asks Huck, “How did you decide to move to Creek Water?”

  Mama shoots her the hairy eyeball before answering, “Mason and Amelia met online, on one of those dating websites.”

  Mandy Lynn’s eyebrows nearly disappear into her hairline. She turns at me. “You’re online dating?”

  Aunt Gracie intervenes before I can set the hostess straight. “Not anymore she isn’t. The man is moving here.”

  Oh, my word. The whole town is going to be gossiping about me and Huck having met online and being a couple. I feel sick.

  Maggie seems to be enjoying the conversation and adds, “I want Amelia to be my new mom.” I shoot her a surprised look and witness sheer mischief dance in her eyes. She’s clearly as much of a troublemaker as her daddy.

  I’m about to tell her that’s not going to happen when my mama throws her hand across her heart and declares, “From your mouth to God’s ear, honey. I would love to be your grandmama!”

  I glare at Huck like he needs to put a stop to this, but he only takes my hand out of my lap and squeezes it tightly. “It would be a dream come true.”

  Mandy Lynn is eating up this bit of theater like she’s been marooned on a deserted island and has just been handed a bucket full of french fries.

  I pointlessly say, “We’d like to keep this all quiet, if you don’t mind, Mandy Lynn. Being a brand-new relationship and all, you know, it might not work out.” I swear she looks excited about the prospect of our breakup. I should just tell her the truth and recoup my dignity, but for some reason I feel compelled to help Maggie enjoy some time with her daddy without his fans converging on him. That’s what I tell myself, anyway.

  The hostess says, “You can count on me, Amelia.” Which is a bald-faced lie if I’ve ever heard one. She nearly runs back to her stand at the front of the restaurant where she picks up her phone and starts to text someone.

  After she leaves, I glare at my mama and demand, “We met online? How could you say such a thing?”

  “I’ve always been quick on my feet,” she replies, missing the censure in my tone.

  The three-ring circus this afternoon tea has become gets worse when Cootie Wilcox strides over. “Lee, Gracie …” she says by way of greeting.

  “Cootie,” they reply in unison. Then it’s all awkward air. Cootie is a notorious troublemaker. She and the women in my family have been at odds since Jesus was a baby.

  “Who are your guests?” Cootie demands like she’s asking after our leprosy.

  “This here is Mason and Maggie Finch. Mason is Amelia’s beaux,” Mama says.

  Oh. My. Heavens.

  Cootie perks up before sneering at me. “You’d best tell your boyfriend about our dress code, Amelia.”

  “What dress code?” I ask. As far as I know there are no regulations, as long as folks are dressed. I thought it was just a horrible coincidence that most men around here appear to be infatuated with pastel plaid pants and polo shirts.

  “No clothing with rips,” she replies. “And it’s preferred that tattoos be hidden.”

  If I were Huck, I’d give Cootie a piece of my mind, but he does no such thing. Instead, he offers, “Thank you for telling me the rules. I promise to be properly attired the next time I’m here.” He stares at her like she’s an alien life form that he’s never laid eyes on before. She is quite a sight with her teased-up hairdo and heavy eye makeup.

  Cootie seems more surprised than I am by his easy manners. “Well, good. I just wanted to make sure you knew what was what.” She tilts her chin up even farther than it already is, then casts her eyes down at him as though she’s personally responsible for all life on the planet. “I’m Cootie Wilcox, president of women’s affairs here at the club.”

  Huck stands and offers his hand. “Mason Finch,” he tells her. “This is my daughter, Maggie.” Cootie does not take his hand.

  Maggie’s gaze darts between Huck and Cootie before she smiles and quietly says, “Pleased to meet you.”

  “Are you new to town?” Cootie demands.

  “We are,” Huck answers, without offering more.

  Several silent moments follow as Cootie scrutinizes them like they’re a new kind of virus. “You best see to your wardrobe if you have any thoughts about joining our club.”

  As she walks away, Mama says, “That woman needs to be shot into outer space and dropped off on the moon.”

  “So, you’re not friends?” Huck seemingly jokes. There’s no way he could have missed the tension.

  “Not hardly,” Mama says. “I have never in my life met such a miserable excuse for a human being as Cootie Wilcox.”

  Aunt Gracie adds, “She’s a real piece of work.” Cootie wanted to marry my uncle Reed way back in h
igh school, but he wanted to be with my aunt Gracie. Cootie has never forgiven her.

  “She certainly wasn’t friendly, but she wasn’t the worst person I’ve met,” Huck says graciously. I suppose if you don’t have a history with her, it would be hard to absorb all her nasty nuances in one meeting.

  “She’s the north end of a southbound donkey, is what she is,” Mama replies.

  After chuckling at mama’s description, he says, “I bet she’s got her own story.” The rock star says nicely, “She doesn’t seem very happy.”

  “It’s hard to be happy when you live to make other people miserable,” I tell him. Of course, there are Mr. Wilcox’s multiple affairs. That would probably make anyone a little ornery.

  The rest of our tea passes without incident, thank goodness. I pretty much check out and let Mama and Aunt Gracie carry the conversation. My mind is fully occupied by how I’m going to explain my fake relationship to the entire town when they come sniffing around for answers. Which they are sure to do. Probably tomorrow.

  Chapter 31

  As we’re walking back out to the parking lot, I say, “Mama, would you mind taking Huck and Maggie back to Lexi’s after you pick up yarn for Maggie’s scarf? We’re half-way to Myrah’s, so I might as well go over and get my fitting taken care of.”

  “I s’pose,” Mama answers, clearly wondering if I’m being truthful. I don’t care if she questions my motives or not, I need some time to quiet my head so I can think. I’ve lived in this town for thirty-three years. I have my life mapped out as far as I’ve been able; I have a job, a home, a moderate social life. I know where all the pieces to my puzzle are, except for the one that represents a man.

  Could Huck be that man? I can’t imagine how, and as such it doesn’t make sense to agree to date him. But even if we don’t wind up together, do I have the fortitude to walk away from what he’s offering?

  I’ve always assumed that the person I’m meant to be in a relationship with would show up one day. But so far, nothing. Aidan lived here for a short time, but once he left, I figured he wasn’t the one for me.