Rhett (Rhett #1)(23)
Author: J.S. Cooper

“You could have slept naked.”

“Yeah, that’s going to happen.” She rolled her eyes at me and I laughed. All of a sudden an image of a naked Clementine in my bed appeared in my mind and I stifled a groan. I hadn’t had sexual thoughts of her in a few days and I thought I’d controlled them, but I guess I was wrong.

“So you going to come to the truck race with me next week?” I said and then grinned as she flipped the sandwich in the pan.

“Not sure.” She grabbed a plate from the cupboard. “Maybe.”

“Dude, what do you mean maybe? It’s the beginning of summer. We always go together.”

“I said maybe,” She spoke softly. “We have a lot of traditions, Rhett and I can’t keep up with all of them. Sometimes things change and life gets in the way.”

“Uh huh.” I rolled my eyes and ignored the tenseness in my shoulders at her words. “Nothing has to change if we don’t want it to.”

***

"Rhett, you made it." Nanna walked over and have me a huge hug as I walked in the door.

"Of course, I wouldn’t have missed it." I grinned back at her and looked around. "Where’s Clementine?" I asked, feeling irritated.

"Oh, she’s in the back with her brothers playing softball." Nanna smiled. "She brought her friend Penelope as well."

"Yeah, I gathered." I responded politely. "I thought Clementine and I were going to ride over together. That’s what we always do." I frowned as I stood there.

"I think her friend Penelope needed a ride." Nanna rubbed my shoulders. "Now come, let me give you some lemonade and you can go out and join everyone."

"Thanks Nanna. The ribs nearly done?" I looked at her hopefully and she laughed.

"You always did have an appetite, didn’t you Rhett?" She laughed. "There’ll be ready soon, I promise. Did you bring anyone with you? I told Clemmie to tell you that you can bring your girlfriend."

"I don’t have a girlfriend, Nanna." I grinned at her and made a face.

"Well how do you like that? You and Clementine both young, single, free, and disengaged and the neither of you has a girlfriend or a boyfriend." She shook her head. “I don’t understand you kids today.”

"We like being alone, Nanna." I shook my head at her expression and laughed. "Anyway we’re too young for serious relationships."

"Y’all are nearly college graduates. I ain’t never seen a college graduate that was too young to get married."

"Married?" I looked at her in shock. "I thought we were talking about boyfriends and girlfriends. I’m sorry Nanna but I’m never getting married."

"When you meet the right girl you will." She patted my shoulder.

"I don’t think so." I shook my head and shuddered." No way am I doing that to myself."

"No way you’re doing what to yourself, Rhett Madison?" Clementine walked into the kitchen with a huge smile and gave me a hug.

"I’m mad at you." I frowned as I hugged her back. I tried to ignore how snug her white t-shirt was across her chest and how short her shorts were. When did she go and get a pair of long tan legs and decide to show them off?

"Why?" She tilted her head and paused. "Another date go wrong and you want to blame me?"

"Very funny." I made a face. "I thought we were coming to the barbeque together." I frowned.

"Oh really?" She shrugged and poured herself a glass of lemonade. "My bad, I thought I told you I had to go and pick up Penelope."

"No, you didn’t." I shook my head irritated, feeling like a jealous little kid.

"Well you’re here now." She rolled her eyes. "Nanna, you got any brownies?"

"Not now, Clementine." Nanna laughed. "Plus, you sure you wanna be eating brownies. A minute on the lips is a lifetime on the hips."

"I’ll take my chances." Clementine grinned at me. "Anyway for me it’s hips and waist, so who cares?" She laughed and rubbed her stomach. I stared at her movements and laughed along with her, even though all I was thinking about was her taunt stomach.

"Is that a baby I see sticking out?" I grinned and reached over and rubbed her stomach as well. My fingers ran across the softness of her stomach gently and all of a suddenly she tensed as I touched her. Our eyes met for a few brief seconds as I continued to rub her stomach and then I stepped back, feeling hot and awkward.

"You ready to go outside?" Clementine looked away from me and turned around. "We’re playing softball."

"Am I ready?" I choked out a laugh, though I still felt slightly tense. "Dude, I was nearly signed by the Red Sox."

"I thought it was the Yankees?" She laughed.

"I don’t wanna be no damn Yankee." I retorted and we both laughed.

"You two never change." Nanna stared at us both as we left the kitchen. "Both of you are as blind as bats." She muttered quietly as she started getting the coleslaw together.

***

"Rhett, my main man." Clementine’s brother Jake hollered at me. "We’ve been waiting on you to get this party started."

"I’m here now." I grinned and high-fived some of the cousins. "Hi, Penelope." I gave her a quick smile. I wasn’t sure why we’d never hit it off. I’m sure it had something to do with the fact that Clementine didn’t always come to me first like she used to before she met Penelope. It annoyed me knowing that sometimes she valued Penelope’s advice more than mine. I also wasn’t pleased that sometimes when I wanted to hang out, they already had plans. And well the guy thing pissed me off. I had no idea why Penelope was trying to push Clementine into getting a boyfriend. I felt like she was using that as an excuse to push me out of Clementine’s life! Imagine telling her I was the reason guys didn’t approach her! What the f**k? She was such a bitch.

"Hello, Rhett." She smiled back at me with a thin smile. "I see you made it."

"Of course I made it. This is my family too. I’ve been coming to the barbeque since I was in grade school."

"Uh huh." She rolled her eyes and turned around. "Funny you never feel fit to bring someone with you."

"Who would I bring?" I gave her my ‘are you stupid look’?

"Maybe a girlfriend." Her eyes narrowed. "But I suppose you’re only interested in girls for a night."

"Wish you were one of them do you?" I gave her a slow wink and watched as her face burned bright red and then turned away. "So you want me to pitch?"