Fi shakes her head and gives me a sympathetic look. "Not possible. I’ll bet he just made something up and that not a damn thing he says five years later is true. He's just playing you. Don't fall for it."
"I hear you, Fi. And a few days ago, I would have whole heartedly agreed. Except it's not a lie."
Kaylee gives me side eye. "How can you be sure?"
I sigh. "He told me a story about Sherriff Baker and my daddy and a shotgun."
"Uh-oh," Kaylee says, her expression changing from absolutely sure-of-herself to concerned.
"Yep. That’s what I’m saying. It all rings true. He did try to say goodbye. Instead, daddy ran him out of town with a shotgun and an ultimatum. Give up your pro career, get the hell on the plane already, or say hello to my little shotgun."
"Andy did that?" Fi asks. She loves my dad. He’s a sweetheart to me and my friends. The guys I used to bring home. Not so much.
Fi looks surprised my daddy would pull a stunt like that, but she doesn’t know him like I do. "I gotta tell you, Angie. Your dad was pretty damn slick back in the day. You think he really did that? What'd he tell you?"
"He told me he’d be gone fishing all day. He never said a damn word about it either. I moped around for six solid weeks before college started, and he never bothered to clue me in. Not then, not ever."
Kaylee slurps her punch. "Oh Angie, I'm so sorry. Mostly because it makes that jerk, Jake, right about something. Well, what did he have to say for himself about coming back like this?"
"We never got that far," I answer as I zone out and watch all the customers scattered around the bar wearing their pirate gear.
Normally, I’d be enjoying the atmosphere more than I am tonight. It's going to be a hell of a pirate season this year. Usually we're further into the affair before people are at this level of participation.
Then I remember the Pirate Ball and lean forward. "Fuck, you guys. I told Jake I was going to the ball."
Fi spits out her drink. "You're going to the ball and you didn’t tell us? Why would you do that? We haven’t gone to the ball in years. It's a total make out session in ball gowns and pirate outfits. Hey, wait, that kind of does sound hot now that you mention it. I guess we all just got busy with our lives."
"I didn't say I was going to the ball, I said I told Jake I was going. And that I had a date. So now I have to go. And also, I have to find some man candy to have on my arm to rival whatever stupid underwear model he ropes into going with him."
Kaylee raises an eyebrow at me.
"Fine, I did keep up with him. Enough to know that he's only interested in me because he's bored. And injured. And starved for attention in his hometown. Scratch that last part, it’s not true. Everybody else in this town is busy kissing his ass except for me.
"Oh, what about Brad?" Fi asks. "I think I still have his number. Maybe he can take you to the ball."
"No, he's from way back. Jake will remember him and know he’s a last-minute pity date. I need a new guy; somebody he doesn't know."
We all sit in silence. Then Kaylee finds something on her phone. "Hey, what about this guy? He's really hot. And you only have to pay him by the hour."
I sigh. "Kaylee, I didn't mean an actual man-whore. If that's what I wanted, I'd have said yes to Jake."
That brings the three of us into a sand-stomping, tears streaming down our faces, howling fit of laughter that takes a full ten minutes to die down and leaves me oddly feeling a little bit better about the whole situation.
Kaylee takes her napkin and wipes the tears from her cheeks with it before moving a stray hair from her face. "I didn't mean by the hour that way, obviously. Look, this is a dating service. You make an appearance at the ball with this well-dressed hot guy and show Jake you have a real date. Hang around for the free wine and snacks for a while, and then you're out of there."
"That could work, let me see." I take Kaylee's phone and look at the guy she has up on the screen. Apparently, his name is Tristan. Of course it is. Even though I'm guessing that's not his real name, which is just as well.
He has green eyes and thick, wavy dark hair. Not bad at all. I swipe through to the other dozen or so pictures of available guys. Luckily, dark wavy hair is available for the night of the ball. "Okay, Kaylee, will you send me that link?"
Chapter 16
Angie
I grab a wrap after work and head down to the dirt lot behind the old Malachai Herdstrom house. It’s time to decorate our Pirate Festival parade float.
We’ve never actually won the parade float decorating contest, but that doesn’t dampen the fun. Plus, I’m fully decked out in my best pirate garb today. Eye patch, check. Black skull and crossbones shirt, check. Red bandana? Check. I’m ready. Yo ho ho and a bunch of rum and all that sort of thing.
Pulling into the dirt parking lot, I walk over to the gate. Everybody works on the parade floats inside of a secure gated parking lot. The Quartermasters have keys because there are always last-minute things to get done, especially toward the end.
But some early evenings leading up to the parade are open for everybody. Well, almost everybody. There’s a guard, of course.
“Special Pirate Angie Houtz, reporting for parade float duty.”
The guard is a skinny guy in his late teens. He has curly hair and glasses. He’s holding a clipboard, but judging by his gaze, he’s mostly concerned with the monkey
