Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87942 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“Heading over now,” I told him. “I’ll let you go.”
There was an awkward beat of silence which made my stomach hurt. Tucker and I never had awkward silences. Ever.
“Dunn, you need to give me some space. Stop calling and texting me. Just… just stop for a little while. Alright?”
“Mpfh.”
“That’s not an agreement, D.”
“Gotta go.”
I hung up the phone and hopped in the truck. It was a good thing Mama needed help because I was in the mood to bang something.
Hard.
After hanging the shutters, I joined Mama on the back porch for some cold lemonade. She was sitting on a blanket stacking old wooden blocks with Ava’s little boy when I threw myself down on one of the chairs. Ava lifted an eyebrow at me.
“Gordon Cooper. Really?”
I groaned and leaned my head back on the flowery cushion. “I know already. I don’t need to hear about it from you too.”
Mama lifted her head up as little Beau swatted at one of the blocks with a plastic hammer. “Oh, that reminds me, Ingrid is spearheading the cookbook project for the Beautification Corps next year. I told her you might be willing to tell her your bacon cornbread recipe if she asked real nice.” She stopped and frowned, which hopefully meant she’d realized how ridiculous and assumptive that had been. “Wait. Gordon Cooper? And Tucker?”
“Exactly,” Ava muttered. “I can’t think of two people less suited for each other. First Frank Derring and now Gordon Cooper.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Mama beat me to it. “But Tucker was raised Episcopalian, and Frank comes from a long line of Southern Baptists. That doesn’t even make any sense.”
Before I could cut in, she added, “And Gordon… don’t even get me started on a man who couldn’t even move out of his mama’s house to go to college. The poor man got one of those internet degrees because he was too afraid to leave the county. Meanwhile, Tucker spent his junior year in Italy. Italy! I can’t think of a worse match.”
I threw up my hands. “It’s slim pickings for gay guys in the Thicket! I’m doing the best I can.”
Mama frowned at me. “Honey, there are eighty-two members in the Thicket-Lurch chapter PFLAG alone. Have you tried anyone from Pecker Lurch or Great Nuthatch? What about Rafe Whitney? He loves crosswords and Christmas trees, just like Tucker.”
Ava clapped her hands. “Heck yes. Perfect pick! Plus, he’s hot as hades.”
I shook my head emphatically, picturing the firefighter from the town to the east of us. Rafe with all the height and all the thick dark hair. The man looked like some kind of… superhero on his day off. And he was a firefighter, in case I forgot to mention that part. So… kind of an actual hero. Which Tucker needed no part of. None. “They’re too similar, Mama.”
Ava got a look on her face, a look I remembered from her scheming high school days.
Mama handed a block back to little Beau before zapping her eyes on me. “Dunn, why is this even a situation? How come you and Tucker can’t see—”
Ava choked on her lemonade and began to sputter. I reached over and whacked her on the back, while I could have sworn she shot my mama a look.
When she finally got herself under control, she shook me off. “Dunn, why don’t you let your mama and I handle this?”
My skin felt prickly all of a sudden. “Handle what?”
“Good idea,” Mama said. Now she was looking schemey too. Didn’t these people know scheming was wrong? I never did like people butting into other people’s business.
“No,” I clarified. “Not good. Not good at all. Tucker doesn’t need other people setting him up. In fact… in fact, he’s asked that we stop. He doesn’t want to be set up anymore.”
Ava took another sip of her lemonade and looked thoughtful. “I have some great ideas. What if we…”
Mom made a happy sound. “Ooh! We’ll get the Beautification Corps involved. They love a good charity project.”
“Now see here!” I cried, standing up to emphasize my point. “Tucker Wright is not a damned charity project. I can’t believe you just said that.”
Both women blinked at me, and Beau giggled.
Mama clutched the neckline of her blouse. “Dunn Johnson.”
“Sorry for cursing, Mama. I just… I don’t want him to be unhappy.”
Mama’s face softened. “Of course you don’t, sweetie.”
“I want him to find the perfect man for him.”
Ava patted my knee after I sat back down. “Of course you do.”
I sighed. “I don’t want him to ever feel unloved or… or lonely, you know?”
Mama’s eyes looked extra sparkly in the afternoon sunshine as she exchanged a look with Ava. “Yes, baby. We do know. Don’t you worry. We know just the right man for him.”
I tried to tell myself this was a good thing. Mama and Ava did have a good track record of matching people up when it came right down to it. But… I still had my reservations.