There was a partition running down the middle of the restaurant, a big wooden structure with live plants growing from the top. They did nothing to hide the tower of blonde hair on the other side. I knew instantly that it was either my Aunt Jolene or Trixie Mattel, a famous drag queen.
I tried to inconspicuously peek through the foliage but as soon as I’d parted the plants Aunt Jolene happened to glance over and we made eye contact. She let out a loud cackle and shot to her feet, knocking a tray out of a passing waiter’s hands.
She was still laughing when she picked the guy up and patted his shoulders. “I’ll keep you on your toes, baby. You gotta watch out for me.”
He was flustered but I couldn’t tell if it was the fall or her giant boobs framed in hot pink rhinestones that got him. “S-sorry, ma’am.”
She was already at the partition, leaning across a man in an expensive looking suit to pull the plants apart more. “Y’all are eating here? Bring those boys over here. Elvis and I would love to chat with ‘em. We can have dinner together. My daddy always said the best way to get to know a man was to break bread together. Bread or legs, either way.”
The man at the table wasn’t alone. The younger woman sitting across from him suddenly stood up and threw her napkin down. “You’re looking right at her tits, Henry!”
Aunt Jolene looked down like she’d just noticed him. “Oh, sweetheart, I didn’t even see him there. I didn’t really give him much of a chance to not stare, did I? Here, you sit back down and finish your meal. I’ll take my tits and get back to my own table. Look at you. You are way too pretty for this man to ever willingly look elsewhere. Where’d you get that necklace? I have this jumpsuit that it…”
I closed the gap in the plants and turned to face the guys. They were all bright red. I was on my way to being pissed off that they would be embarrassed by my aunt, even though I was slightly horrified to be the center of attention, but then I saw that they were all struggling not to laugh.
The host cleared his throat and brushed a piece of imaginary lint off of his sleeve. “Shall I combine your two parties, ma’am?”
“Yes, please.” I struggled to hide a smirk. “Try to insult me now. Aunt Jolene will neuter you at the table.”
Cash swallowed audibly and shook his head. “I plan on being on my best behavior.”
I couldn’t help it. I’d been inside for too long. I stretched up and kissed the side of his neck. “Not too good, I hope.”
His hand tightened on my hip. “Cassidy.”
“Right this way, please.” The host was done with me, I could tell. I just didn’t care.
Nothing could dim my smile as we joined Aunt Jolene and Elvis. Waiters had appeared instantly to expand their table and put down new place settings and waters. I sat between Weston and Cash, across from Aunt Jolene and Elvis while Hayes took the end seat next to Aunt Jolene. He flashed me a nervous look but Aunt Jolene took over before I could reassure him.
“Okay, real introductions. I’m Jolene and this is my…friend, Elvis. We aren’t sure how exclusive we are just yet. And you three are the boys who made my niece cry and let someone take those hot pictures of her in your bedroom. And you. Big guy. You’re the one who elbowed her in the face and got her stuck inside for two weeks. Did you call once during that time?” She tapped her bright red nails on the table and narrowed her eyes. “If a single one of you was even a bit less than hot I’d use your faces as a scratching post. But since you’re hot and she seems to think so, I’ll play nice for now. Understand?”
Weston ignored my gaze on the side of his face as he leaned forward. “Weston. I really am sorry about elbowing Cassidy. I promise you that nothing like that will ever happen again.”
Hayes nodded. “We’ve had an attitude adjustment. All three of us.”
Cash was staring down at me. “We have no intention of making your niece cry ever again.”
“And those photos?” Elvis was fully decked out in his white jumpsuit but I’d gotten so used to seeing it that it didn’t even occur to me that it would stand out in a typical restaurant.
“We had nothing to do with those. Still our fault for not locking the door, though.” Hayes’ cheeks turned red. “Lesson learned.”
Aunt Jolene looked at me and we shared a meaningful moment. She clearly got my message to just move on from the negative because instantly her face lost its threatening vibe andshe was back to being fun and wild Aunt Jolene. “I’ve been trying to get Cass to frame that photo. She looked hot in it. Her daddy didn’t teach her to embrace her femininity, though, so she’s embarrassed.”
26
***Cass***
“Aunt Jolene!” I was saved by a waiter who came to take our drink orders.
When Hayes tried to order a coke Aunt Jolene grinned at him. “Order a beer if you want one, kid.”
He did and Cash followed suit. I ordered a coke and nervously waited to hear Weston’s order. I needed to know if he was going to stick to his word. It shouldn’t have mattered as much as it did but it really did.
“Just the water for me.” He didn’t look at me but his hand rested on my thigh under the table and he squeezed gently. “With the first game coming up, I need all the help I can get.”
I smiled down at the table and felt a little more of the wall guarding my heart slide away. It was dangerous but he was trying and that meant the world to me.
The conversation stayed on football for a few minutes until we ordered dinner and then Cash changed the subject to one Aunt Jolene loved. Or he tried to. “Can I ask? About…um…”
