Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 66642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Getting out of the car when Joel opened the door for her, she blushed under Joel’s appreciative gaze. He made her feel va-va, and by the end of the night, she hoped he lowered the voom on her, she inwardly cracked the joke.
If there was one guy in town who could keep her from making a fool out of herself, it was Joel. She wasn’t naïve; she could see he was as much a player as Jody. There was one key detail that had her overlooking his past, though.
She wouldn’t have to enter a rehab center to break her addiction to Joel, whereas she would with Jody. Catnip was addictive.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sophie was on their date for twenty minutes before starting to wish she could go home. Joel talked incessantly about himself, and he didn’t stop. He had talked about his childhood, and now he was on to his military career. She appreciated his service but didn’t want to hear the gory details.
Listening to the music was the best part of being there. As she glanced around the crowd, she saw the Colemans sitting off to the side. They had backed up a truck, and Fynn was sitting on the tailgate with Isaac. The rest of their family were sitting on several blankets. Three coolers had been placed nearby. Not seeing Jody, she scanned the area and spotted him at the same time as Ginny.
She watched when a male singer stepped down from the stage before Ginny and Jody climbed up the steps. Jody held Ginny’s hand protectively to make sure she didn’t fall on the metal steps.
As Ginny walked to the microphone, Jody opened a case on the stage and took out a fiddle. The crowd started cheering before Ginny started singing.
She turned her head toward Joel. “Ginny’s very popular here, isn’t she?”
“She’s popular everywhere,” Joel told her.
Frowning, she thought back to when she had first met Ginny and remembered how she seemed familiar.
Before she could ask any more questions, Ginny started singing “I’ll Fly Away,” and Jody lifted the fiddle to his shoulder and started playing along. It was stirring hearing Ginny’s melancholy voice as she sang while Jody kept up with her effortlessly.
“That was beautiful,” she said softly when the song ended.
“You haven’t heard anything yet.”
Joel was right; Ginny sang another song that was much more modern, which she easily recognized.
“OMG!”
Joel started laughing at her reaction. “You didn’t know?”
Sophie wanted to cry in embarrassment. She had a top-rated Indy singer working as a cook in her restaurant for free.
“Why on earth is she helping me out at my restaurant?” she asked, still in shock.
Joel only shrugged at her. “I’ve wondered the same thing myself. I don’t think it’s for the money. Not only did she make money singing until she stepped back from performing, but she makes big bucks songwriting. Her husband isn’t hurting for money, either. He’s one of the owners who are building that big housing development.”
“This just gets better and better. I am so embarrassed. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize her.”
“Why? Her hair color has changed, and you’re used to seeing her in jeans and sweatshirts.”
“I’m just surprised someone who is as popular as Ginny is also kindhearted. All of the Colemans are,” she added.
Joel, who was taking a drink of his soda, started choking.
Sophie started patting him on the back. “You okay?”
“Yes … it’s just what you said about the Colemans. They aren’t known for being kindhearted.”
“They are to me.” Glaring at him, she went back to listening to Ginny sing.
Sophie joined along, clapping with the others in the park when Ginny stopped singing.
Joel opened the cooler. “Hungry yet?”
“Yes.”
He took out all the sandwiches.
“I should go take Jody’s to him.” Sophie prepared to get to her feet.
“Let me. Which ones are his?”
She was showing Joel when his cell phone started ringing.
“Excuse me.” He answered his phone. From his expression, Joel didn’t appear happy at being called.
“Can’t you call someone else to work?”
She guessed they couldn’t from the way Joel put the sandwiches back in the cooler.
“I’ll have to cut our evening short. Baylin’s ankle monitor is glitching, and I’ve been called in to make sure she’s at her apartment.”
She looked at Joel in surprise. “Baylin has an ankle monitor?”
“The sheriff made it a condition to keep her out of jail.”
“But I didn’t press charges.”
“You might not have pressed charges, but Greer booked her on disorderly conduct, attacking a police officer.”
“What did she do?”
“She ran a stop sign, and when Greer pulled her over, he smelled liquor on her and asked her to take a breathalyzer test. She attacked him.”
Sophie almost didn’t feel sorry for Baylin. Greer came into the restaurant daily, and there had been a couple of instances when she thought about attacking him, too.
She stood up to fold the blanket while Joel threw their empty soda cans away.