to know my take on him. I just grin. She’ll know soon enough, everyone will, that I’m very interested. Of course, I already knew I would be, even before he got here.
“Nice shirt, Andrew,” Chris says, laughing.
I look down at the black t-shirt I’m wearing. In big, bold, white letters it reads, “I bet my dick is bigger than yours. Wanna compare?” I look back at her and shrug. Everyone loves my shirts. They go with my personality. I’m not ashamed of who I am, so I won’t hide it. Some people may find them extreme or vulgar, but those are the people I don’t care to associate with anyway. So it all works out.
I notice that Jase is smirking as he looks at my shirt. He looks up at me, and I give him a flirty smile and a wink, letting him know without words that if he wants to compare I’m ready when he is. He holds my look, and I get the feeling he’s not totally against the idea. My dick hardens and my blood heats up what feels like twenty degrees. I force my eyes away from his before I do something I’m not sure he’s ready for.
I turn to Bailey, who has her eyes on something across the room. Before I get a chance to look and see what it is, she suddenly turns to me and asks, “Hey, Andrew, what are you doing Sunday after next?”
“Well, I’m not sure yet, Bailey girl. I take it you’ve already got plans for me, huh?”
“Maybe,” she says, before turning to Chris. “When does your new job start at the school?”
“Umm… two weeks. The current guidance counselor extended her notice another week. Something to do with the sale of her house being delayed. Why? What’s up?”
Instead of answering her, she then turns to Jase. “Do you know if you have weekends off?”
“Joe said it was up to me. He doesn’t work the weekends, but said I could if I wanted to.”
“Two weeks from Sunday, don’t, please,” she says, and turns back to the bar.
“What’s going on, Bailey?” Chris asks, walking around Jase to stand by her.
“In a minute,” Bailey says, causing Chris, Jase, and me to look at each other with questions in our eyes. This is strange behavior for Bailey. She’s normally the quiet one, not openly making suggestions or giving opinions unless she feels it important enough. For her to be so cryptic is not like her.
She leans over the bar and hollers for Mia. After she makes her way over to us, Bailey asks her if she, Mac, and Trent, Mac’s son, have any plans.
“Not that I’m aware of.” Mia looks beyond Bailey and Chris to Mac and Jaxon, who are walking out from the hallway. Mia asks Mac if they have plans.
“No, I don’t think so. Why?” he says, once he makes it to us.
We all bring our eyes to Bailey, well past curious as to what she has planned. Jaxon steps up beside her and she puts her arm around his waist.
“Can we close the bar down a few hours early two weeks from Sunday?” she asks him.
He looks down at her with the same expression he always reserves for her. Love and worship.
“I could, I guess. Why? What’s going on?”
She gives us all a beaming smile and exclaims, “We’re going to the fair!”
We’re all silent for a minute, not expecting that to come out of her mouth. Not opposed to it, just not expecting it.
“Hell yeah, I’m game!” I’m the first to break the silence. I reach over and hold my palm up for Bailey to slap. She looks at it blankly for a second, then realized what I’m doing and slaps it. “I haven’t been to the fair in years.”
“Such a great idea, Bailey,” Chris says, clapping her hands in delight. Bailey gives her a big grin.
“We’re in,” pipes in Mac. “T will love it.”
“What about you, Jase? You good to go?” Chris asks.
“Sure, I’ll go,” he says with a shrug.
“Yeah!” Bailey jumps up and down, barely able to contain her excitement. “This is going to be so much fun!”
We all smile as we watch her. Jaxon picks her up and plants a solid kiss on her lips before setting her back
James Rollins, Rebecca Cantrell