Page 69 of Kiss and Tell

The second she said goodbye to Remi, Lucy had done a search on her phone and discovered her sister hadn’t been exaggerating. For so long, she’d calledKiss and Tella hobby…but she was starting to genuinely believe she could turn it into a career. Her royalties from subscriber numbers and advertising continued to grow, and she was already making a living wage.

Not that it mattered.

She had a permanent job at the brewery and a home. Her life was on that mountain. It had to be.

She didn’t mention the success of the most recent episode to Joey or Miles for two reasons.

One, she was a firm believer in the jinx. Saying something out loud felt like a great way to ruin it. She didn’t want the views to stop.

Secondly, she feared Joey would hop on that information and press her to spend more time on the road with them. While she was doing an okay job at holding her emotions at bay, too many more days—and nights—with the guys would ensure she lost her heart to them entirely.

Miles reached for the front door of the restaurant, the words Sparks Barbeque painted in bright red letters across the large storefront window. A bell tinkled from above, announcing their arrival.

The heads of several older gentlemen sitting in front of a long counter swiveled in their direction. She caught the look of recognition on a couple faces when they saw Joey and Miles walk in. The guys had, what Lucy considered, just enough fame to live comfortably. In Nashville, they hadn’t been swarmed by rabid fans, but over the course of the three days, they were approached by at least a couple dozen viewers who’d kindly asked for autographs or taken selfies with them.

“You made it!” a woman exclaimed, walking around the counter to greet them. She slapped one of the guys on the shoulder as she passed. “Stop gawking, Bucky, or they’ll think we’re nothing but a bunch of rednecks.”

Lucy couldn’t help but laugh, even as the woman stretched her hand out to shake theirs. “I’m Macie Cooper. It’s really nice to meet you,” she said to Joey and Miles before looking at Lucy, eyebrows lowered. “Damn, you’ve got a familiar face. How do I know you?” she asked.

Lucy took Macie’s outstretched hand. “Maybe I just have one of those faces? I’m Lucy Storm. It’s nice to meet you.”

Macie’s eyes widened. “You’re thatKiss and Tellgirl!”

Lucy was taken aback by the fact Macie knew who she was. While people very occasionally traveled to the farm to meet her because of the show—which was pretty freaking cool—she’d never been recognized out in public.

Lucy was so stunned, all she could manage to say was, “I am.”

“You’re famous, Luce,” Joey said, bumping his shoulder against hers.

“You are around here,” Macie said. “My dad TJ—the lazy ass—surfs YouTube regularly, usually when he’s supposed to be working a shift here. He stumbled across your show and shared a link to one of the episodes with me and my sister. Said we should write to you to see if we could be featured on your show.”

“No way!” Lucy’s feet hadn’t touched the ground since Remi told her how well her new episode was doing. With this, Lucy was in danger of hitting her head on the ceiling.

Macie guided the three of them toward a booth. “Dad’s very fond of my and Adele’s husbands, mostly because they took us off his hands. Loves to tell anyone who’ll listen how lucky in love his girls are.”

Lucy wasn’t sure what Macie’s love story was, but she would die to hear it because it was clear Macie would be an entertaining storyteller.

She slid into one side of the booth, Joey following her in. Miles claimed the opposite bench seat, while Macie grabbed some menus from another waitress who was passing by.

“My husband, Hank—everyone around town calls him Coop—called a few minutes ago. He’s running a little bit late, but he wanted me to tell you he’s on his way.”

Joey and Miles had made plans to meet Hank Cooper here, as the man insisted they couldn’t come to Maris without sampling Sparks Barbeque’s famous sandwiches. If the smell was anything to go by, Lucy already knew it would be the best she’d ever had. Her mouth started watering the second they walked inside.

“Oh, hey.” Macie waved as a man entered the restaurant. “There he is.”

Lucy had never seen a real live cowboy up close and personal, but Hank Cooper certainly fit the bill of what she imagined one looked like, with his darkly tanned skin, loose-fitting, faded jeans, cowboy hat, and dusty boots. When he reached their table, he tilted his hat back, giving Macie a kiss on the cheek. “Hey there, Whiskey.”

Lucy practically melted at the sound of his slow Texas drawl and the nickname. They were in Maris to film Hank on his ranch, but Lucy decided right then and there, she was going to ask Macie and Hank to do aKiss and Tellepisode as well.

Hank tipped his head toward them as Macie did the introductions, then he claimed the spot next to Miles while Macie took their drink orders. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they got down to business, Joey and Miles discussing what they would need from Hank over the course of the next few days.

Lucy listened with half an ear, feeling a bit like aManPowerexpert after filming her own episode, then hanging out behind the scenes as Joey and Miles worked with the catio guy. While they talked, she was more interested in looking around the restaurant, which was busting at the seams as the lunch crowd rolled in.

It appeared pretty much everyone in the place was a regular, considering Macie greeted them all by name as they walked in. Macie had mentioned when she delivered their drinks that all the employees were family, as she, her sister, and several female cousins ran the place.

Lucy felt a kindred spirit in the woman, watching Macie and her sister Adele cracking jokes behind the counter. They were clearly as close as Lucy was to Mila, Nora, and Remi. She hadn’t felt homesick once on this trip, but a small wave of it passed through her now. This was the longest she’d ever been away from her sisters, and a familiar wave of guilt hit,hard.

Lucy had been busy—and distracted by two hot men—every single day since leaving home, so she hadn’t had much time to think about her life when she returned to the farm.

---