Page 20 of Country Heat

“Can I get a selfie?”

I see Cash roll his eyes as he’s about to close the door, but I put my foot out and block it.

“He’s really nice,” I say, pleading to him with a bat of my lashes. “It will just take a second.”

I can tell he doesn’t want to, but he does it for me. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Come on up, Vince,” I say, waving him up with a big smile.

He looks so happy as he bounds up the stairs. “My niece is ahugefan.”

“That’s nice,” Cash says dismissively as he glances over his shoulder at the door.

“Call her up,” I say.

Vince’s eyes go wide. “Really?”

“Yeah, Facetime her.”

He’s shaking with excitement as he calls his niece. “What’s up, Uncle V?” she says when she answers. She looks like she’s at her friend’s house or something because there are about four or five girls hanging around in a pink room.

“Look who I ran into,” he says, shoving the phone into Cash’s face.

“No way!” his niece shrieks. The other girls see who’s on the line and start screeching as well.

I laugh and smile as I bump Cash with my hip. He exhales long and hard.

“Hi,” he says, giving an awkward wave. “Can we go inside now?”

“No way,” I say as I grab the phone to talk to the girls. “What’s your favorite Cash Edwards song?”

“You’re Lola Lively!” the girl shouts, her eyes wide.

Oh, they know who I am! I’m so touched!

The other girls start freaking out even more. Vince is grinning like a possum eating a sweet potato pie on a summer porch. He’s going to be Uncle Of The Year after this and he knows it.

I wrap my arm around Cash’s shoulders and hold the phone up so we’re both in the frame. That icy heart starts to thaw when he sees all the excitement on the other end of the phone.

“Give us your favorite song,” I tell them.

They all start shouting out Cash’s hits.

“Up Shit’s Creek!”

“Hometown Hunny.”

“Busted and Bruised!”

“Yes!” I say, excited to hear my favorite song. “Busted and Bruised. Want us to sing a little of it for you?”

They look like they’re about to faint.

“Not that song,” Cash starts to say, wincing. “Ihatethat song.”

“Iloveit,” I say, getting excited.

“I walked into the shithole bar,” I sing, imitating Cash’s raspy voice. “For the man who gave me this scar.”

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