Crazy Little Thing Called Love(12)
“You have?”
Belle fiddled with the bedspread. “There are a few things I didn’t tell you.”
“Like what?” Etta’s head was spinning.
Belle turned and flopped over on her stomach. “I got fired a couple of weeks ago.”
“I’m sorry. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I was embarrassed, and I kept thinking Roger would come to the rescue. How pathetic is that?”
“And now?”
“That phone call earlier was from Roger. We had an argument and I told him I was moving to Everson. I think it’s over.”
“Oh, Belle.”
“I’m not saying I want to run a Bed and Breakfast. I don’t, but I’m willing to pitch in while you and Donny Joe work things out.”
“I have to get back to Chicago soon, you know.”
“Sure, sure, but tonight we need to go out and blow off some steam. Please?”
Etta glared at her sister, but Belle was looking at her with pleading doe eyes that she usually reserved for weak-kneed men. “Come on, Etta. It will be fun to have a little sister time.”
Grousing and grumbling even as she climbed off the bed, she said, “Okay, but you have to promise me it’s just dancing. No going home with some cowboy you decide you can’t live without.”
Belle clapped her hands and jumped up and down. “I pinkie swear.”
Etta trudged off to the bathroom to change. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Belle was the older sister.
Chapter Four
Donny Joe two-stepped Randi Kay Simpson around the dance floor, his earlier mood lightened by the lively music and the assortment of lovely women who’d accepted his invitation to dance throughout the evening. He was happy. He was mellow. He was starting to feel like his old self.
A sudden commotion at the front of Lu Lu’s drew his attention. The door to the bar flew open and from outside a brutal wind howled around before blowing in what could only mean trouble. The Green sisters tumbled inside, laughing and shivering while patting their tousled hair back into place. They scrambled out of their coats while looking around for a place to light. His good mood slipped.
He lost sight of them as Randi Kay continued bending his ear about her husband Sam. “So, I said to him, Sam, I can’t believe you’re going fishing this weekend of all weekends.”
“What’s so special about this weekend?” Donny Joe asked as he caught a glimpse of Etta wearing something bluish-green and sparkly out of the corner of his eye. He refocused his attention on Randi Kay.
She pouted prettily. “It’s our three-and-a-half-year anniversary.”
“Three and a half, huh?” Belle drifted into his view. Dressed in yellow, looking like a beam of sunlight on this dreary winter night.
Randi Kay sighed and his attention returned to her tale of woe. “Yes. Three and a half years,” she said. “Sam used to be so romantic.”
Donny Joe steered her around a slow couple, successfully managing to block the distracting sisters from his line of sight. “Well, what did Sam have to say for himself?”
Randi Kay furrowed her brow, and her eyes got a little misty. “He said it was dumb to celebrate half anniversaries. He said now that we were married he shouldn’t have to prove how much he loves me every six months. He said I was welcome to go fishing with him, but the plans were made, and he wasn’t about to change them. He also said I could share his sleeping bag, but we’d be sharing the tent with Gus and Boomer.”
“Wow, he invited you to tag along?” Donny Joe asked while he accidently craned his head to see if he could spot either of the Green sisters. Realizing what he was doing, he turned Randi in a quick little spin that made her giggle. “That’s really something. If you asked most guys, they’d rather buy jewelry for a woman than invite her on a fishing trip.”
She looked at him warily. “Do you guys get together and make this stuff up just to cover each other’s butts?”
“I’m just saying maybe you should take old Sammy boy up on his offer. I bet he’ll be tickled pink.”
“Or maybe I should find a way to celebrate without old Sammy boy.” She emphasized her words by snuggling up a little closer to Donny Joe. A few years ago he would have not only noted the invitation but would have probably taken her up on it without a second thought. He was no saint, but these days he steered clear of anything more serious than flirtation when it came to married women.
So being the semi-reformed man that he was, he pulled back, putting a safer distance between himself and Randi. “As much as it breaks my heart, I’m going to give you some advice that goes against my own interest. Grab a tent and hightail your pretty little butt down to that camp site. If you don’t you’ll mope around and end up doing something you’ll regret. I bet it won’t take more than two seconds for Sam to decide he’d rather share a tent with his beautiful bride of three and a half years, than listen to Gus and Boomer saw logs all night long.”