Page 90 of Bourbon Bliss
“I do have a house there, but no,” I said. “I grew up in Charlotte. My folks still live there. I was in Philly because of football.”
“Shame about that knee,” Harlan said.
I nodded. “I only had a season or two left, at most. In football years, I’m old.”
“So your parents still live in Charlotte, you say?” Nadine asked.
“Dear, give the man a break,” Harlan said. “We don’t need his life story.”
“Of course we do,” Nadine said, as if Harlan had just suggested something outrageous.
“It’s fine,” I said. “I don’t mind. Yes, my parents, James and Darlene Thompson, still live in Charlotte. I also have a sister, Shelby. My parents adopted her when I was five. She was almost a year old. Shelby’s the one who told me about Bootleg Springs, actually. She was out here for a while, but had to go home to Pittsburgh.”
“Hmm, interesting,” Cassidy said.
“George began playing football at the age of five,” June said. “He was a starting receiver for his high school varsity team all four years. He played for University of Alabama, and was drafted by San Francisco. After two years with San Francisco, he was traded to Seattle. Then he accepted a contract with Philadelphia where he played for the duration of his career.”
“Thanks for the recap,” Bowie said, and winked at me.
“She’s right,” I said. “That about covers it.”
“And what are you going to do now that you’re no longer playing football?” Nadine asked.
“That’s an excellent question.” I put my spoon down. “I’m fortunate I have the ability to take some time to figure that out.”
“He means he has the financial security to support himself without additional income,” June said.
“That is fortunate,” Nadine said with a smile.
The conversation turned to other topics while we finished our dinner. June didn’t bring up Callie Kendall, which surprised me. It had been all she could talk about after we’d been to Hollis Corner.
After dinner, and the best pecan pie I’d ever had, we said goodnight. June’s parents thanked me for coming. I shook her father’s hand and kissed her mom on the cheek. Then they stood on the porch, their arms around each other, and waved as we all left.
It was so damn wholesome, I wished my parents had been here to see it. My mother would have fainted with joy to see me dating a girl from a family like the Tuckers.
I held June’s hand on the short drive to her house. It fit so nicely in mine. She looked delicious in her collared blouse and brown pants. So very June. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, and got an idea.
Instead of turning onto her street, I kept going and took another road out of town.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“It’s a nice night. I thought we might take a little drive.”
“Okay.”
I drove around the lake and pulled off near a deserted beach. It wasn’t time to swing for a home run, but maybe she was ready for some second base action. And something about having dinner with her family put me in a mind to make out with her in the back seat of my car, like we were a couple of teenagers with no other place to be alone.
“Ever made out in the back seat of a car before?”
“No.”
“Oh god, that’s even better. Get your ass back there.”
We both got out and slipped into the back seat, shutting the doors behind us.
I wasted no time, pulling June close and finding her mouth with mine. At first, I just kissed her. I kept my hands on her waist, her face. Slid my fingers through her hair. Felt her soft lips.
“Lips and fingertips are the most sensitive areas of the body,” June said, then leaned in to kiss me again.
