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“Tempting but I’ll eat later.” Excitement flashed in her eyes.
“Can’t wait,” she said and then her smile slipped again. “Incoming,” she muttered and turned back to her trays of barbecue. I didn’t bother to turn because the familiar swish of Eddy’s windbreaker told me exactly who the warning had been about. Those damn meddling matchmaking women. Eddy came to a stop on one side of me, with Helen and Betty stopping on the other side. “Good afternoon ladies.”
Eddy smiled wide, casting a nervous glance at me while I kept my gaze on Reese. “We could smell your delicious sauce from the other end of the block,” she offered as she rubbed her hands together.
“Everything will be ready to go in about ten minutes. You want a sample?”
“Not yet. We want the heroes to eat first,” she said, casting a friendly smile my way that I didn’t bother to return.
“You need anything else Reese?”
She blinked at my abrupt tone, looking between me and the matchmakers warily before she shook her head. “Um, nope. I’m good thanks.”
“Anytime,” I told her honestly and turned on my heels, eager to put some distance between me and the matchmakers before I forgot that I was a polite southern boy.
“Rafe, wait!” Betty Kemp called out to me and I stopped, turning without a word. “We just wanted to say that we’re sorry how things turned out.”
“You mean you’re sorry that your meddling ruined everything.” It wasn’t solely their fault, I knew that, but they were the ones who made Janey doubt herself. Made her doubt that she was anything other than a smart, beautiful and sexy woman that any man would be happy to have. “Your apology is unnecessary and unhelpful,” I growled, noticing Reese’s scowl behind them. “But appreciated,” I added insincerely.
“Stubborn idiot,” Helen muttered behind me. “If you didn’t find love so hard none of this would have been necessary.”
I kept walking, refusing to engage with the women until I could be calm and rational about all of this. Six months should do it, give or take a month.
I made my way to the table Buddy had set up and grabbed a beer. “Sure am glad to see you,” I told him before taking a long swig of icy beer.
“Everyone is always happy to see the booze. But maybe you ought to keep a clear head today?”
“It’s as clear as it’s gonna be,” I told him and raised my bottle in the air with a smile before turning my gaze to the crowd. The whole town had come out for the promise of free food and booze, and a reason to mingle and gossip out in the open.
Everyone was here except Janey and that just pissed me off. The Hometown Heroes was her thing and she’d been instrumental in getting it all off the ground but she was nowhere to be found and I couldn’t help but think it was because of me. Specifically, her desire to avoid me. Then again, it might have been her desperation to get our names and faces off the Tulip Facebook page.
Mayor Leland tapped the microphone on the makeshift stage to get everyone’s attention and my shoulders sank at the realization that Janey really wasn’t going to show up. Which meant instead of going straight home to sulk, I’d have to find her first.
Hash it out and then head home to sulk, maybe drown my sorrows in whiskey.
“Thanks to all of you for showing up once more, this time to thank our Hometown Heroes for helping us not just reach our goal for the restoration of Tulip’s Tribute, but surpass it. We have enough to provide basic maintenance and upkeep for the next two years. Maybe three!” Leland’s face was flushed red with happiness, totally in his element as the town applauded and whistled at the good news. “To that end, we have one more surprise. My niece had created something wonderful, her own celebration and donation to Tulip, the town and the heroic woman who founded it. Janey?”
My gaze was riveted to the stage as Janey stepped in front of the microphone, as beautiful as she ever was in a blue and green dress that showed off her shoulders and arms, and just a hint of cleavage. Her big green eyes were sad behind her glasses even though her mouth curved into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Hey guys, thanks for coming out once again. And thank you to the calendar heroes for donating so much of your time to the cause of Tulip this past year.”
“Thank us with money!” Ry’s playful tone tugged another smile across her face and I couldn’t look away.
Janey rolled her eyes and ran a hand through thick, dark waves. “This new series I’ve been working on was inspired by not just the Hometown Heroes, but the everyday heroes as well.” Her gaze landed on mine, too damn briefly, before she went on. “We look at our heroes and see them as heroes or hotties, but they’re all so much more.” Our gazes collided once more and this time she didn’t look away. “This new series shows the reality, the grittiness of what it actually means to be a hero. It’s not just the surface stuff, the striking uniforms and shiny badges or trucks. It’s not just the service, it’s the acts they perform day in and day out.” She flashed a nervous smile and continued. “This is my thank you to our heroes and all that you do to make Tulip the best place in the world to live.”
