Page 12 of Her Honey Pot (Sweet Treats 3)

Yesterday, when Jessica told me she’d found a solution to my problem, I was overjoyed.

“What is it?” I breathed. “Did you convince my dad to re-join Dads and Daughters?”

Jess got a gleam to her eye.

“No, not exactly,” she hedged. “But I think my dads have come up with a solution.”

I wrinkled my brow at her.

“You told other people? Jess, I thought this was all confidential!”

My friend blows a strand of hair out of her eyes impatiently.

“Please, Marni. It’s not like this was some big secret. Both Tex and Rex have been members of Dads and Daughters for a long time, so they already knew about Brent quitting. News travels fast in this community. But I talked to them about your conundrum, and they think they know how to fix this.”

I try to calm my fluttering heart. Tex and Rex are Jess’s dad and stepdad, respectively. They’re both huge, handsome men, who also work as long-haul truckers. To be honest, I’ve had a crush on both of them for ages now, and although it thrilled me to find out they were part of the group, I’m also a little embarrassed. Hopefully, they don’t know why Brent doesn’t want me to join.

“So what do they think the solution is?” I ask, my heart fluttering in my chest. “Are they going to force Brent to re-join?”

Jess laughs.

“No, of course not, Marni. No one can force someone to join Dads and Daughters. The club’s not like that. But I’m not sure what their idea is, to be honest. They want to meet with you in private to tell you.”

I try to hide my puzzled look.

“Really? It’s that complicated of a solution?”

Jess shrugs.

“I don’t really know, Marni, because Tex and Rex wouldn’t tell me anything about it. They just said they wanted to talk to you before doing anything. I think they’re being really careful, to be honest. They want to get this right, and want to vet things with you before taking any action.”

I agree. Tex and Rex do seem to be moving deliberately, as opposed to shooting off and acting foolish. As a result, I’m sitting at a hotel bar now, waiting for Tex and Rex to show. I’m nervous as all hell, and it’s probably obvious. My cocktail dress is a deep red velvet, and I put on matching red high heels and grabbed a red purse. This is what real women wear to swanky hotel bars, right?

But now, I just feel out of place. Everyone at the bar must be twenty years older than me, and they all seem completely at ease. The men are wearing dashing suits, and the women have their hair up in elaborate up-dos while also dripping with jewels. I felt so dumb ordering my Shirley Temple at the bar because who drinks virgin cocktails? Fortunately, the bartender didn’t bat an eye and merely procured my drink with an impassive expression, sliding it to me across the burnished wood surface of the bar.

Nervously, I wait for Tex and Rex to appear. What are Jess’s dads going to say? How are they going to finagle me a place in Dads and Daughters, when my own dad doesn’t support my membership?

Suddenly, the two men appear at the entryway, and I feel like all heads turn to them because Tex and Rex are that sexy. The truckers are huge, and clean up well when they want to. They both wear dark suits with blazing white shirts which show off their tanned skin. Tex and Rex must be at least six three too, with wide shoulders and long legs. They catch sight of me, and smile before striding over to the bar.

“Hi,” growls Tex, towering over me on my left. Rex takes a seat to my right, positioning his large form at my elbow. He signals to the bartender, and the man immediately begins to pour amber liquid from a decanter.

“Hey Tex, hey Rex,” I say shyly. “Are you guys regulars here? How did the bartender know what you wanted to drink?”

Rex laughs, showing off even white teeth.

“We come to the Delano Hotel on occasion,” he acknowledges. “We’re not always blue collar guys who hang out at greasy dive bars. We like to fancy-it-up once in a while.”

“Oh of course,” I say quickly, turning red. “I didn’t mean to imply—”

Tex steps in, putting a large brown hand on my small one. His touch is so warm and reassuring that immediately, I calm a bit.

“Don’t worry, little one. Rex is just messing with you. There’s no need to get riled up because that man is just a shit-eating arse.”

Rex snorts but then grins again.

“No offense taken, brother,” he says, still smiling with a twinkle to his eye. “But Marni, we’re glad to see you tonight. We have some important things to discuss.”

“We do,” adds Tex, suddenly going serious. “Thank you for meeting us because obviously, we have a crisis on our hands. But before we begin, we’d like to know a little bit about you, first, and what you want and what you’re hoping for.”

---