A Date with the Other Side (Cuttersville #1)(41)
Author: Erin McCarthy

She gave something that could pass for a wave or a flick of her bangs and turned resolutely in the other direction. The parade had come to a stop fifty feet back due to a Cuttersville Marching Cougar Band member dropping his tuba. Three flag bearers were trying to hoist it back over him with little success.

“Let’s cut across the street,” Danny said.

“No!”

Resistance was futile in the face of Danny’s enthusiastic tug of her arm. Manual labor had made him strong as an ox, and he dragged her across the street like a dog with a toy sock.

Boston felt like he and Amanda were getting as much attention as Siegfried and Roy strolling through the supermarket in full sequined costume.

Jaws were dropping in their wake and people were giving them a wide berth. He could only be grateful Amanda had taken off the heels.

“So what do we do?” Amanda asked, leaning a little closer to him as if she realized they were garnering more attention than the parade.

“We stand by the street and watch the stuff go by.”

“Oh, okay. I can do that.” Amanda stood with her hands digging into her pockets. “Who are those men in those little cars? I’ve never seen anything like that.”

It was odd, to say the least. Men wearing fez hats were driving around in little go-carts, whipping back and forth in circles and honking their horns. Boston just shrugged. “Beats the hell out of me.”

“I’m seeing America, Boston, and it’s freaking me out.” Amanda pried her sunglasses off to study the scene more closely.

Boston didn’t answer. He’d caught sight of Shelby across the street from him, and dammit if she wasn’t with Farmer Ted, Danny Tucker, ex-husband extraordinaire. The guy didn’t seem to realize that once two people filed divorce papers, they weren’t supposed to spend every waking moment together.

Shelby waved to a woman in a convertible heading down the parade route, then she caught his eye. And immediately looked away.

What the hell was that all about? When he’d left her the night before, he’d gotten the distinct impression that something was wrong. That despite the positive outcome, she was regretting having rolled in the straw with him. Her skittering gaze today confirmed it.

“Boston, look at that, some kid dropped his tuba. You know, this is kind of entertaining after all.” Amanda tilted her head, then jumped when a young girl in the parade shoved a little American flag into her hand.

Her ponytailed friend tossed one to Boston with a giggle. He caught it and he and Amanda stood there, both uncertain. “Is she giving these to us?”

“I think so.” Amanda waved hers back and forth experimentally. “Here, I’ve got it. You just wave it like everyone else. Now we’ll blend.”

That didn’t seem likely, especially when Amanda tucked the flag in the waistband of her miniskirt.

“My, oh, my, they do grow them big here,” Amanda said, eyes peering out from over her sunglasses.

Boston stopped fiddling with his flag, and looked up. It was Danny Tucker, who he could do without, but he was dragging Shelby with him through the break in the parade, and for that Boston was grateful. He wanted to talk to her. “That’s Shelby. And she’s not big, she’s got a fabulous body.”

The image of her staring up at him from the straw rose in his mind, her beautiful naked body tense with anticipation. Boston shifted on the sidewalk, wishing he had worn shorts instead of jeans. Things were getting hot.

Amanda laughed. “I meant the guy, you geek. And I’m guessing Shelby is the local attraction, hmm?”

He nodded, preoccupied with trying to get Shelby’s attention, but she was staring at the ground.

Something hit him in the head. “What the hell?”

Amanda bent over and retrieved a plastic-wrapped oval from the ground. “It’s candy.” She jerked when a Tootsie Roll clipped her in the shoulder. “Why are they throwing candy at us?”

Shelby snorted quite distinctly right in front of them. Danny Tucker cleared his throat and looked down at Amanda, giving her his friendly farmer smile. “It’s part of the parade. Everyone throws candy.”

Amanda stood up and pelted Danny in the chest with the Tootsie Roll. The chocolate hit, bounced, and dropped to the ground.

Boston bit back a grin. Shelby scowled. Danny looked astonished. “What’d you do that for?”

Amanda looked partially confused, partially amused. “You said everyone throws candy. I’m participating. I’m trying to get into the spirit of things.”

“Oh, dear God,” Shelby said, and shot Boston an accusing glance, as if he were personally responsible for Amanda and everything she wore and said.

Danny laughed. “No, that’s not what I meant. The people in the parade throw candy to the crowd, and the crowd just keeps it.” He pointed to a little boy on the curb, his T-shirt tail bursting with a cache of candy. “See? It’s just tradition, fun for the kids.”

“Oh. Well, sorry then.” Amanda turned back to the parade, flip-flopped foot tapping in time with the Cuttersville marching band.

Boston took the opportunity to touch Shelby’s arm. “Hey. How are you?”

“Fine.”

She didn’t look fine. She looked pissed off, and there was something that burned in her eyes a lot like jealousy. Jealousy he liked. It meant she felt something for him. But he didn’t want her to get the wrong impression. “Shelby, let me introduce you to Amanda Delmar, my boss’s daughter.”

Her eyes narrowed further. She didn’t look appeased. “Uh, Amanda’s just here for a little visit from Chicago.”

Nothing but mean little slits were staring back at him now.

“How nice for you,” she said, jaw locking, arms crossed over her T-shirt.

“Amanda’s just an acquaintance,” he said, leaning over to whisper in her ear.

Shelby whirled to face him, hitting him in the chest with her shoulder. “Oh, please, like she’s going to haul her skinny little butt all the way to Cuttersville to see a man who is just an acquaintance. I may not be book smart, but I can still add two plus two. And in this case they equal you’re a big fat liar.”

“I’m telling you the truth,” he said, locking his jaw and feeling annoyed. “And this isn’t the place to discuss it anyway.”

“Where’s the proper place to have an argument?” Her words cracked out at him like a whip.

“Shelby, you’ve just got to trust me. There’s nothing between Amanda and me. She’s just come here to irritate her father.” He kissed the tip of her ear, staying close to her even when she slapped back at him. “Come to the White House tonight and I’ll prove to you you’re the only woman I’m interested in.”