“I’ll tell you a funny one about when Brodie first knocked on the door at the Paradise,” he said as he slowed down and turned into the Sonic parking lot. “Every one of us was as jittery as a squirrel on espresso, waiting to see what kind of reception he would get. Bo, that’s one of the sisters, answered the door, and insisted he tell her why he wanted to see Joe Clay. He said later that he wasn’t sure if those seven half sisters were going to shoot us all or what, but they welcomed him as well as me and Tripp into the Paradise and into the family that very day.”
“What’s so funny about any of that?” she asked.
“You would have had to have been there,” Knox answered.“Brodie is the big, mean ex-special services brother who wasn’t afraid of anything. Well, maybe except Aunt Bernie, but we’re all afraid of her. To see him so nervous was…”
“I understand,” Lottie said with a smile. “My brothers are all on that overconfident list too.”
Knox pulled into the first available space and pushed the call button. A tinny voice welcomed him to Sonic and asked for his order. “A raspberry tea and a root beer, both extra-large, and an order of fries.”
“Have that right out,” the voice said.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Knox said and turned back to Lottie. “Fries can be our appetizer. I called Mary Jane and told her we’d be there for supper. Remy and Ursula are bringing smoked brisket, so we don’t want to be full on burgers when we get there.”
“For good barbecue, I would give up everything else, including ice cream, and that is my weakness,” she told him. “But I’ll be a good girlfriend and share with you, so you can have all the brisket that you can hold.”
“Thank you,” he said and flashed a wink her way.
“Tell me another story, maybe one on Tripp,” Lottie said.
“He’s our quieter, more introverted brother, but Willa Rose has brought out a whole new side to him.”
“That would be his wife, right? The one in the gorgeous vintage wedding gown, who has a little baby boy?”
“That’s right. Her sister didn’t want to be a mother, so Willa Rose and Tripp adopted Nicky. Tripp and I were adopted at birth too. We were lucky to get such amazingparents who loved us, and when they were gone, we were blessed to have Mary Jane and Joe Clay take us in.”
The carhop brought out their order, and Knox handed her a bill. “Keep the change, and thank you.”
“Thanks,” the girl said. “Y’all have a nice rest of today.”
“You too.” Knox set the cups in the holders in front of the console and handed the fries to Lottie. His hand brushed against hers, and a few hot little sparks flitted around in the truck cab.
He silently reminded himself that they were not a real couple.
Chapter 6
“Curtain is coming up,” Lottie said when Knox turned down the lane to the Paradise. “Places. Action.”
“Smiles. Jazz hands,” Knox added and parked at the end of a line of vehicles.
She unfastened her seat belt. “What do you know about jazz hands?”
“My mother thought we should have a well-rounded education, and that included theater and drama classes. I was Danny Zuko in our high school musical,Grease!”
“No way!” she gasped. “I was Sandy in ours.”
“Small world, ain’t it?” Knox said as he got out of the truck, rounded the back side, and opened the door for her. “It’s show time,darlin’. Think we can do this?”
“I have faith,” she muttered, and reminded herself that she was up against Bernie.
As if on cue, Bernie came out the front door and motioned them inside. “I’m starving, and Mary Jane won’t let us start eating until y’all get here, so don’t lollygag around out there. You can talk after supper. If you sniff the air, you can probably smell the brisket and baked beans all the way out there.”
Knox took her hand in his and whispered out the corner of his mouth. “Lights. Camera. Action.”
“You are too funny,” Lottie said and took a deep breath. “Lord, that smells good! I hope we can eat before Bernie figures out that we are lying.”
“She’s smart, but if we are good enough to fool the guys at the site, we can do this.” Knox kept his voice low.
“Did you hear me?” Bernie yelled.
