Page 31 of Bourbon Bliss
I went into the bathroom and flicked on the light. Slowly, I looked up into the mirror.
That fluttery feeling in my tummy was back as I looked at myself. She hadn’t used very much makeup, and the colors appeared remarkably natural. I still looked like myself. Just… a little fancier. More polished, perhaps.
She stood in the doorway and leaned against the frame. “Well? What do you think?”
I had to push away that big tangle of feelings again before I could answer. “This is quite satisfactory.”
“I’m glad you like it. Now let’s go upstairs and get you dressed before your date gets here.”
10
George
This felt oddly like high school.
I stood on June Tucker’s porch, half expecting her father to open the door and ask about my intentions with his daughter. Why, I wasn’t sure. June was a grown woman, and I didn’t think she lived with her parents. There were three cars parked outside—two in the driveway and one on the street. Maybe she had roommates. Although, from what I knew of her, she didn’t seem like the roommate type.
Her house was tidy, with a small front porch and a dark red door. Lights glowed through the cracks in the curtains.
A tickle of nervousness ran up my spine. I cracked a smile at that. When was the last time I got nervous before a date? Maybe that was why this reminded me of being a teenager.
It wasn’t Sheriff Tucker who answered my knock, but it wasn’t June either. I recognized the man who opened the door as one of the Bodines from the other day. He’d been grilling in the back of that pickup truck. What was he doing here?
“Hey, GT,” he said, opening the door and standing aside. “Come on in.”
“Thanks.”
“Jonah Bodine,” he said. “We met the other day. I’m June’s roommate.”
“Right, the grill in the truck.”
He grinned. “Yeah. My brothers are… well, there’s never a dull moment.”
“It was a good burger.”
“Yeah, thanks. I think June will be down in a second. She’s upstairs with her sister. Make yourself at home.”
Jonah went into the kitchen where he had something sizzling on the stove. Smelled good, like soy sauce and ginger.
June’s house was nothing like I’d pictured it. Cozier than I’d expected. The living room had a brick fireplace and a couch with big fluffy pillows and throw blankets. Another chair sat near the window and there were several bookshelves stuffed with books.
I wandered over to the fireplace. She had a few pictures on her mantle. One was her and the woman I’d seen at the bar last night—must have been her sister. Another had the girls with their parents. Sheriff Tucker stood behind June, and a woman who was clearly their mother was on the other side. The third photo was June with her father.
In all of them, June wore the same subdued smile. Just a subtle turning of her lips. It was so distinctlyher. At first glance she appeared emotionless. But I could see the depth hiding behind those pretty eyes. There was a lot more to June Tucker than one might see at first glance.
And if she’d let me, I wanted to be the guy to uncover it.
Footsteps coming down the stairs made me turn. It was like something out of an eighties flick. June took each step carefully, as if she were moving in slow motion. She was dressed in a black V-neck top that hugged her curves beautifully. Dark jeans with ankle boots. Her dirty blond hair hung in waves around her face. Her green eyes were bright, her lips shiny and pink.
I watched, captivated, as she made her way down the stairs. Her sister followed, but stopped about halfway down.
“Wow,” I said. “You look beautiful.”
“Cassidy did my makeup.” She stood still at the bottom of the stairs, as if her feet had gotten stuck. “I wasn’t sure it was necessary, but she made a compelling enough argument that I agreed.”
I closed the distance between us. “You look nice all the time, but she did a great job.”
June leaned closer to me and took a deep breath through her nose. “You smell extremely pleasant tonight.”
