Page 28 of Bourbon Bliss
I opened it and pulled out a piece of paper. Turning it over, I found a familiar signature. GT Thompson. But he’d signed itGeorge Thompson.
Dad’s grin widened. “I ran into GT Thompson in town. Did you know he’s here in Bootleg? I admit, I might have looked for a chance to approach him. I asked if he’d sign something. Told him my daughter was a fan.”
I was touched. Dad had given me autographed memorabilia before, but those were things he’d ordered for me. This was different. Although I’d already met George, Dad didn’t know that. And he’d gone out of his way to do this for me. It was very thoughtful. But expressing my emotions was not one of my better skills. I wasn’t sure what to say.
“Thank you, Dad.”
“I wish I’d had something better, like a football or one of his jerseys. But I figured I ought to get his autograph while I had the chance. I don’t know how long he’s in town for, or whether I’ll run into him again.”
“If you stay long enough, you’ll meet him again tonight,” I said. “He’s taking me out on a date.”
I didn’t think I’d ever seen my dad look so utterly shocked. His eyes widened, his pupils dilating, and his mouth opened. I hesitated for a second, but he didn’t speak.
There was another knock on the door. Cassidy came in without waiting for me to answer. Her arms were loaded down with bags and she had clothing slung over one arm.
“Hey, Juney,” she said with a bright smile. “Oh hi, Dad. June, what are you doing? You should be getting ready. I meant to be here half an hour ago but… well, let’s just say I got held up.”
Dad groaned. “Oh, lordy.”
“Meant to be here for what?” I asked.
“To help you get ready, of course.” She glanced at Dad. “Is he okay? He looks like he swallowed a bug.”
“Did she say date?” Dad asked. “You have a date with GT Thompson?”
“She sure does.” Cassidy put her load down on an armchair. “Now Daddy, you know I love you, but there’s some serious girl stuff that’s about to happen here.”
“Since when do you know GT Thompson?” he asked, apparently ignoring Cassidy’s girl-stuff warning.
“I’ve met George several times,” I said. “Culminating in an encounter at the Lookout last night.”
“By encounter, she means he flirted with her like crazy, danced with her, bought her a drink, and then asked her on a date tonight,” Cassidy said. “And he’ll be here in less than half an hour. That’s not much time to get you ready.”
“I’ll be,” Dad said, shaking his head. “All right, girls, I think I’ll get out of your way.” He muttered something else, but I was starting to feel a little dizzy. All this talk of George and dates and girl-stuff was making my heart race.
“Thanks, Dad.”
He gave me a quick peck on the cheek, then hugged Cassidy. “Have a nice time tonight, June Bug. Goodnight, girls.”
I watched him go, feeling shaky.
“Okay, first, outfit,” Cassidy said, apparently unaware of my current state of distress. “Where’s he taking you?”
“I actually don’t know.”
“That’s okay. He’s picking you up at seven, so that must mean dinner. It’s chilly out tonight, but it might be warm wherever you go to eat. We’ll do layers.” She dug through the clothes she’d brought. “I have this adorable sweater I got from Leah Mae. If you wear a shirt underneath, you could take it off if you get too warm. Or if, you know, you want to get frisky.”
“Why do I need to change?” I asked, looking down at my current attire. I was wearing a white blouse and dark gray cardigan with a pair of black pants. It seemed suitable for a date.
Cassidy looked me up and down. “You look fine, but I think we can do better than that.”
“Why?”
“Come on, Juney, this is a big deal. When was the last time you had a date?”
It only took me a second to do the math. “It’s been seven hundred forty-two days.”
Her eyes flicked up to the ceiling, like she was thinking. “So just over two years? Who were you dating two years ago?”
