Page 35 of Call Me Irresistible (Wynette, Texas 6)

Torie stuck her perfectly shaped nose in the air. “I wasn’t talking to you. When it comes to women, you always leave out the interesting parts.”

“After she left,” Meg said, and then, more carefully, “there’s really nothing more to tell at this point. I’m still hoping to . . . work through Ted’s issues.”

“Remind me what those issues are,” Torie said. “Ted being so perfect.” A tiny gasp slipped through her glossy lips. “Oh, God, Teddy . . . Not that issue! You told us the Viagra helped.” She leaned toward Spence, and in a fake whisper s

aid, “Ted’s been fighting a courageous battle against erectile dysfunction.”

Skeet choked on his beer. Kenny laughed. Dallie winced, and Spence frowned. He wasn’t exactly certain whether or not Torie was joking, and he didn’t like feeling excluded. Meg experienced her first flash of sympathy, not for Spence, but for Ted, who looked as serene as ever, even though he definitely wasn’t. “Torie’s kidding, Spence.” Meg gave a superexaggerated eye roll. “She’s really, really kidding.” And then, with fake guilt, “At least from what I’ve heard.”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Ted nearly dumped Torie as he came up out of his chair and caught her wrist. “Let’s dance.”

“If I wanted to dance, I’d ask my brother,” Torie retorted. “Somebody who doesn’t have two left feet.”

“I’m not that bad,” Ted said.

“Bad enough.”

Kenny addressed Spence. “My sister is the only woman in Wynette—probably the entire universe—who’s ever told Ted the truth about his lack of ballroom skills. The rest of them bat their eyes and pretend he’s Justin Timberlake. Funnier’n hell.”

Ted’s eyes grazed Meg’s, just for an instant, before he turned away and pulled Torie toward the jukebox.

Spence watched them. “Your sister’s an unusual woman.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Her and Ted seem real close.”

“Torie’s been Ted’s best female friend since he was a kid,” Kenny said. “I swear, she’s the only woman under sixty who’s never been in love with him.”

“Her husband doesn’t mind their friendship?”

“Dex?” Kenny smiled. “No. Dex is pretty self-confident.”

Ted seemed to be doing more lecturing than dancing, and when he and Torie returned to the table, he made a point of grabbing an empty chair and seating her as far away from Spence as he could manage. That didn’t stop Torie from touting the advantages of Wynette as the perfect location for a golf resort, trying to figure out how much Spence was worth, inviting him to her stepmother’s Fourth of July party on Monday, and coercing him into a Saturday afternoon golf match.

Ted looked pained and quickly announced that he and Kenny would join them. Torie glanced at Meg, and the mischievous glimmer in her eyes explained why Ted wanted to keep her far away from Skipjack. “Meg’s going to caddy for Ted again, right?”

Ted and Meg both spoke up. “No!”

But Kenny, for some unfathomable reason, decided that was a great idea, and with Spence saying the match wouldn’t be half as much fun without Meg, the handwriting was blood-spattered all over the wall.

When Spence disappeared to the men’s room, the conversation grew more sober. “Here’s what I can’t figure out,” Torie said to Ted. “Spence’s people made it clear last spring that he’d eliminated Wynette and decided on San Antone. Then a month ago, without any warning, he pops up again and says Wynette’s back in the running. I’d like to know what happened to change his mind.”

“The folks in San Antone are as surprised as we are,” Ted said. “They thought they had it sewn up.”

“Too bad for them.” Torie waved at someone across the room. “We need this more than they do.”

When it was time to leave, Dallie insisted on dropping Spence off at the inn, which was how Meg ended up alone in Ted’s Benz. She waited until they reached the highway before she broke the silence. “You’re not having an affair with Kenny’s sister.”

“I’d better tell her that.”

“And you never screwed around on Luce.”

“Whatever you say.”

“And”—she studied the easy way his hands curled over the steering wheel and wondered if anything ever came hard to this charmed creature—“if you want my continued cooperation with Spence—which I assure you that you do—we need to come to an understanding.”

“Who says I need your cooperation?”

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