Page 61 of Banter & Blushes

Genesis pops my shoulder with the towel.

“Ouch.” I toss the wipe at her.

She grins and opens the freezer.

“No, ma’am.”

She turns around with a Popsicle in her mouth.

“That’s fine.”

She’s been known to start ice fights. I don’t have time to make her mop the floor. We’re on our first professional set and one step closer to promoting my catering.

If only I could control Genesis—and my thoughts about Colt.

CHAPTER 4

COLT

The sun lowers over the water as we head for the dinner. Some of the crew have kept us supplied with water and snacks throughout the day, but I haven’t visited the food station since we started.

I lengthen my steps, anxious to see Tiffany.

“Somebody’s hungry,” Jessica comments when I pass her.

I ignore her and continue toward the truck. She talks to me like we didn’t just meet yesterday. It’s nice of her to treat me as a friend, but also a little strange. As much as she gossips when she does my makeup, I imagine she talks about me to other people.

“Hey.” Tiffany smiles when I reach the truck.

“Hey.” I smile back and take a plate.

They have everything set up like a buffet across the counter. It looks and smells delicious. While I grab a cup of sweet tea, Tiffany sets a stack of small brown cookies on my plate.

“Chocolate, because I know you don’t like coconut.”

“Thanks.”

I’m a little amazed that she remembered.

“Can I get chocolate?” a man behind me asks.

“Let me see if there are any left. All I made fresh today were coconut. I can make a note to bake chocolate for tomorrow.”

He nods, and Tiffany disappears from the window opening.

I take my plate and cup and find a spot under the large tent nearby. It’s one of those enclosed clear tents people have at company events and sponsored tailgates. The Rolling Rocks once played at an outdoor wedding with one.

Jessica slides across from me a few minutes later. “Where did you find chocolate cookies?”

I shrug.

She picks up one of her cookies and bites into it. Then she makes a sound that turns a few heads. “This is so good. You can keep the chocolate.”

I bite into a taco and think about my song. Not the song from the video, but the new one forming in my mind. Seeing Tiffany just now gave me a few more lines. My phone’s in my truck, and I don’t have a pen to write anything down. Maybe I’ll remember it later.

More people sit around us, and Jessica carries the conversation. I’m content to sit back and think on my song—and eat. Tiffany definitely knows how to cook. Everything on my plate tastes delicious.

When the break is over, I plan to find Tiffany and compliment her food and thank her for the chocolate cookies. But Jessica grabs my shirt and pulls me in the opposite direction. “Let someone else throw away your plate. We need to touch up your face before shooting again.”

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