Page 58 of Banter & Blushes

I set it gently to the side, where nobody might accidentally stumble into it. With all the Tiffany thoughts, a melody has started forming in my head. One for a new song. My knee-jerk reaction is always to strum some chords to start the creative flow. Instead, a woman half my height pushes me in a chair and drapes a hot-pink cape around my neck.

Nothing like getting makeup to stifle the creative flow of writing a love song about the one girl who got away.

CHAPTER 3

TIFFANY

Colt in makeup, acting for a camera. I try not to laugh. That’s even more shocking than seeing him.

I’ve googled him a time or two and heard he was on tour with The Rolling Rocks, but I didn’t know he had his own song released. And I definitely didn’t know he used the stage name Stallion instead of Harrison.

What’s wrong with Colt Harrison? Literally nothing, if you ask me.

“Earth to Tiff!” Genesis waves her hand in my face.

I lean back and huff. Then I continue opening ingredients for taco toppings before they break for dinner and bombard us.

“Hello?”

“What?” I slam the refrigerator door and lean against it. I liked it better when she was whistling or singing and in her own little world.

“Girrrl, don’t bite my head off.”

“I’m sorry.” I sigh. “It’s been an odd day.”

“Not to be nosy, but it’s killing me to know how Colt Stallion is your ex.”

I shake my head and laugh. “Colt Stallion isn’t my ex.”

“Uh, it sounds like it to me.” She grins as she stares out the window opening. We can barely see some of the filming from here since they’re by the water. Every now and again, they get shots of Colt walking down the shore and we can see some of it. Probably a good thing I can’t watch it all and get distracted.

“Colt Harrison is my ex.”

“Huh?”

I plop down on the stool I use when doing tedious tasks like stirring fudge or balancing our books for the day.

“That’s his real name. We went to high school together.”

“And . . .”

“And what?”

“You’re holding back on me, Tiff.”

Genesis hoists herself onto the counter across from me. I cringe a little, knowing I’ll have to sanitize it before we serve people, but let it go for now. I may as well fill her in on our past or she’ll never let it go.

“Colt and I grew up together and were always friends. Then, during the holidays our senior year, he kissed me as a joke.”

“A joke?”

“Yeah.” I shrug. “One of his close friends was dating my friend and we would all get together over the Christmas break and play games or watch movies. She lived on an apple farm, so her mom decorated with all this greenery, including mistletoe her dad cut from a tree.”

“How verySweet Magnolias.”

I roll my eyes.

“Sorry, I promise to listen and not comment.” Genesis mimes zipping her lips.

---