Page 53 of Kiss and Tell

Since they were traveling in the RV, one ofManPower’s cameramen, Mack, had been tasked with driving Joey’s car to Nashville and serving as chauffeur while they were filming, so they weren’t driving around the city in the monstrous RV.

“You’re not kidding.” Joey wondered where in the hell the last four days had gone.

He and Miles had been dreading this trip to Nashville ever since receiving the production schedule. Not that they didn’t want to travel to the city but because they hadn’t been looking forward to interviewing their guest.

While Jeff Barber, King of the Catio, had proved to be just as annoying as the last time they’d met him, the filming wasn’t as unbearable as Joey might have expected.

Probably because Lucy was there.

It was impossible to be in a bad mood around the woman. Once she shook off her initial brief bout of reticence, her enthusiasm for the road trip hadn’t waned. If anything, her excitement grew with each passing day as they took in the sights.

Joey didn’t realize when they invited Lucy to come along that she didn’t just have a list of dream cities she wanted to see, but a detailed itinerary for each one as well. He had been to Nashville a handful of times and considered himself fairly well versed in what the place had to offer. Lucy had shown him the error of his ways quickly, introducing him to attractions he didn’t know existed—like Marathon Motor Works and Printers Alley.

Then she’d started playing a one-dollar-sign, five-stars game on Yelp, searching out affordable places for them to eat. According to her rules, they couldn’t eat anywhere that didn’t have a four-point-five rating or above and it could only have one dollar sign. Joey had protested, assuring her their food budget was more than sufficient to feed them in style, but Lucy wouldn’t be moved. And damn if she hadn’t found them some of the best food in the city.

She also seemed to attract people like flies to honey, striking up conversations with random strangers whenever they went out. Strangers who felt like friends by the time they parted.

Their first night in Nashville she had befriended a woman, Emily, at the bar where they’d stopped for a quick dinner. When Lucy told Emily aboutKiss and Tell, she’d begged Lucy to do an interview with her and her wife of twelve years, Tate, which was how he, Lucy, and Miles had found themselves in the living room of a quaint little townhouse in Germantown theirsecondnight in Nashville.

Joey had insisted on accompanying Lucy for the interview, just to make sure she was safe. He’d told Miles it wasn’t necessary for both of them to go, but he refused to stay behind.

Watching Lucy work had been eye-opening, as he and Miles quietly discussed the way people naturally gravitated toward her. She was approachable and funny and an incredible listener. It was probably why her show was such a success. She took a genuine interest in the love lives of her guests, asking insightful questions.

Lucy had accompanied them to Jeff’s workshop each day while they were filming, either watching them work or finding a quiet corner to edit her new interview forKiss and Tellon her laptop. The entire crew had already fallen in love with Lucy, the cameramen even teaching her tricks she could use while doing her own interviews.

Joey had expected Miles to push back after that initial flirty tickle fight in the RV on their way to Nashville, and his friend had sure as hell tried. Unfortunately for Miles, Lucy had proven herself to be a worthy adversary. Every time Miles tried to disengage himself from them, she found a way to reel him back in.

The last couple of days, Miles had stopped trying to distance himself, going so far as to start seeking out his own restaurants that satisfied Lucy’s game requirements. Last night, they’d taken Miles’s suggestion and eaten at an amazing Greek café that was out of this world.

They were four days into their adventure, and Joey never wanted it to end. As far as he was concerned, he and Miles had found their third Musketeer, their third Stooge, their third Amigo. She was the perfect partner in crime, sliding into place with him and Miles like she’d always been there.

They walked into the RV, Miles placing the take-out bag of hot chicken they’d picked up on the dining table. Even though it was their last night in Nashville, they’d opted to eat in since the past few days had been a whirlwind of nonstop activity.

Lucy grabbed plates, utensils, and napkins, while Joey pulled a beer for each of them from the fridge. Miles unpacked the food. In addition to the chicken, pickles, and bread, they’d ordered sides of macaroni and cheese and coleslaw.

The three of them had become comfortable companions, so for a few minutes, they ate in silence, enjoying the delicious chicken with a chorus of “mmms” and happy sighs.

“You were right about Nashville, Joey,” Lucy said, breaking the silence. “This place is amazing. I hate the idea of leaving tomorrow. Even if we did have to spend four days with Jeff.” Lucy followed her comment with a spot-on imitation of Jeff’s braying laugh, which cracked up him and Miles.

“You’ve perfected it.” Joey applauded her, while Miles covered his ears, pretending to wince in pain.

“Never do that again,” he begged.

Lucy crossed her heart, though she was mischievous enough that neither of them believed her promise.

“We’ll come back to Nashville one day when we have more time and don’t have to work.” Joey had been talking about their future lately like it was a done deal, making lots of plans. Every time he did so, Lucy’s smile wavered, while Miles either sighed or shook his head.

What neither of them did, however, was correct him.

So Joey was calling that a win.

“I guess we’re getting up and out tomorrow?” Lucy asked.

Miles nodded. “Yeah. We’ve given ourselves three days to get to Texas, but it’s still a twelve-hour drive. We figured if we put each day’s four hours behind us early, we’ll have the afternoons to either relax at the campground or explore wherever it is we decide to stop.”

Lucy wiped her hands. “Sounds perfect.”

“You sure you’re finished shopping for your family?” Joey teased.

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