Page 65 of Tennessee Trouble

Wow, Brandt now knows more about this than I do. Look at him go.

“Yup. The idea now is that they are washing away their troubles,” I add.

“Because the water is fucking freezing, so they are too cold to give a damn about anything,” April chirps, shivering.

“It’s quite the turnout though. I see Norm and Cliff are here.”

Huh?!

“Norm and Cliff?”

Brandt smiles, the wide toothy grin sending a shiver through me that I know has nothing to do with the chilly morning air. It does, however, make me want to curl up in its warmth, while resting my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“Those two guys over there.” He points toward the crowd gathering at the water’s edge, but it’s clear who he means. “Saw them the other day at the Post. They reminded me of Norm and Cliff from Cheers.”

I whip back to him. “You were at the Post?”

“Yeah…I popped in for a drink, thinking it might be quieter than one of the places on High Street. Those two caught my eye. They were pretending to play Go Fish, while keeping an eye on the window. I didn’t figure out why before…”

Before…

The way he trails off lets me know there’s more to the story. More that I want to know. Badly. I don’t get the chance to ask though.

“They were on Crick Watch,” April offers. “You’ve seen the bright yellow bikes around town, right? The ones that you can grab for free to get around? Well, there’s a walking slash bike path along the creek, that leads right past the Post. And right before you get there is a rather awkward turn in the path, that if you aren’t paying attention, or have had too much Tennessee Trouble, you veer off and end up in Trouble Creek. They keep a daily tally on the wall of how many tourists end up in there.”

“The blackboard, got it.”

I look back over at the two old men wearing matching Speedos, laughing to myself. Those two are a set of characters, I’ll give him that. Both born and raised here, I can’t imagine this town without them. Or their antics.

“That’s Ralph and Mortimer,” I tell him. “Morty is the mailman, coincidentally. But Ralph runs the hardware store. When they’re not at the bar, of course.”

“Of course.”

Silence takes over, the air now only filled with the chatter of the rest of the group. My pulse picks up, thrumming through me at a speed that seems like it might break a land record. I wish I knew what to say. Conversation has never been awkward between Brandt and me. Even the silence is comfortable. Like we can just be—no expectations to fill it.

Except now.

I feel like I was caught in a lie and need to explain myself yet can’t. In the back of my head, there is this niggling fear that it might make him break up with me. But it’s not like we’re even really together to break up. And again, I didn’t outright lie.

“Bathers ready?” Verne asks through a megaphone.

The crowd cheers, everyone around us starting to disrobe.

“Is that our cue?” Brandt asks.

“It is.”

Holding out his hand, he waits for mine. My heart leaps, nerves taking over. I’m not sure why; it’s not like Brandt hasn’t seen me naked. He has. A lot. He’s also kissed just about every inch of my exposed skin there is. But something about being here, like this, is different. It’s not simply the two of us in the dark, having a private moment. This is out there. For the whole town to see.

And you know what? I’m here for it.

So I do the only thing I can think to—I slip my hand into his and squeeze.

Lord help me if I don’t ever recover from this.

“You two have fun. I’m going back to the warm car,” April declares, already walking that way.

I shake my head, laughing, but keeping my attention where it matters. On Brandt, as we join the group at the water’s edge.