Keep Coming Back To Love. Christa Maurice

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СКАЧАТЬ He wanted to say, no Mom, I’m not gay, but that would be rude.

      His mother nodded, her expression relaxing. “Well, I hope she’s there tomorrow so she can help you pick out some more clothes like these. Try to keep it under two hundred dollars.”

      Two hundred bucks? His mother must be really relieved. “Thanks, Mom.”

      “Of course.” She patted his foot.

      “Hey, Mom,” he said as she stood to leave. “I told Candy I’d take her out to dinner if I got in the band.”

      “What do you need? Money, the car, or both?”

      “Both?” He grinned. If she was feeling generous, he should take advantage. Candy would be a lot more impressed if he took her out in a car instead of riding the city bus.

      She sighed smiling. “When?”

      “I’ll ask her tomorrow.” Tyler couldn’t stop the grin spreading up from his chest and across his face. It was as if the fight with his dad never happened. He’d gotten in the band and was going to see Candy again tomorrow. All was right with the world.

      * * * *

      When he walked into the young men’s section the next day after school, she was standing at the counter sewing and talking to some old guy who looked like he wanted to eat her up. Who wouldn’t? She had on this tight green top cut down to there and a tan skirt that showed off her fantastic legs. Tyler’s heart stammered. The way she was looking at the guy was exactly the way she’d looked at him yesterday. Like he was special. Important.

      All day he’d felt ten feet tall. Everybody at school was psyched about him getting into Touchstone and they were already making plans to come out to McGrudy’s for his debut. He’d planned to see if Candy could come too. Then he could introduce her to the band and watch them all pick their tongues up off the floor. But the sight of her with this old guy curdled Tyler’s stomach.

      He took a step back trying to escape the cloying stickiness of his own stupid fantasy. He should have known a girl like her wasn’t going to be alone. That guy was probably one of her many sugar daddies. How many of them did she kiss? He licked his lips trying to remember how she tasted, but could only taste the stale coffee he’d gotten at school while he was waiting for the bus to bring him here. Mom was going to be disappointed if he didn’t come home with some new stuff though. He’d have to suck it up.

      Candy glanced up from her sewing when he stopped by the desk. Her smile lit up. “Tyler! How did it go?” She dropped the shirt in her hand and reached for him. The guy at the desk scowled as he followed her movements. “Did you get in?”

      “Yeah.” He forced a smile. That coffee was burning a hole in his stomach.

      “That’s fantastic.” She threw her arms around his neck. “I’m so excited. When are you taking me to dinner? I expect to be paid for my services, y’know.”

      Tyler put his arms around her waist. Jeez, he was getting hard. “I was going to ask you if you were free tomorrow, but you looked busy.” He pulled away hoping she hadn’t noticed his boner.

      “Busy? Oh, this is another customer of mine.”

      Another customer. Nice.

      The old guy had held out his hand. “Joe Goldman. Didn’t mean to move in on your territory.”

      Tyler shook his hand. Was this guy shitting him? Move in on his territory? As if Tyler had any hope of competing against a guy like this.

      “Joe saw me working on your shirt yesterday and asked if I’d do some tailoring for him too. Then he decided to come in today to see if I’d skipped school so I could do it, even though I told him it would take a week.” She shot Joe a mock dirty look.

      “I didn’t think you’d skip school. I thought you might have stayed up all night. If you want to get ahead in this world, you have to go that extra mile.”

      They sounded so easy together. Like they’d known each other a long time. Joe’s clothes fit good. He stood straight but not like there was a steel rod down his spine. Confident, like a real man. The kind of man girls like Candy wanted to be with. Tyler tried to copy the pose, but his shoulders wanted to climb up his neck, so he eased back into his familiar slouch. The guy was watching him as if he could read his mind. Bastard.

      “For me, that extra mile means sleeping at night so I can get good grades and doing your tailoring on my day off.”

      “Unless you’re going out with him.” Joe Goldman nodded toward Tyler.

      Candy turned to Tyler with that bright smile lighting her face again. “I do have the night off tomorrow.”

      Dinner and the gig on Friday would have been great, but if he didn’t get her tomorrow, she might end up going out with this guy. “Great. I’ve got rehearsal at seven, but I can get you about five at your place and then you could come to rehearsal with me.”

      “That would be awesome.”

      Joe sighed. “My shirts will never be done.”

      Candy sneered at him. “Don’t you worry about your shirts. I meet my commitments.”

      “I’m gonna play my first gig with the band on Friday. Can you come?” Tyler asked before they got too cozy again. The band was the only thing he had going for him over the old guy.

      “Friday? Already? I work Friday, though.” She huffed. “Man. I wanna go.”

      “The store closes at nine-thirty.” Joe checked his watch even though it wasn’t either Friday or anywhere near closing. “Where is your band playing?”

      Tyler paused for a minute to savor the words. Where is your band playing? His band. “McGrudy’s. It’s out on State Road.”

      Candy made a small noise in her throat. “It’s way out there. I’ll have to see. But tomorrow for sure. Come on and I’ll write down my phone number and address for you.”

      “My mom really likes your taste in clothes. She said I could get a couple more things.”

      “Fantastic.” Candy bent over behind the desk. Tyler glanced away before he started staring and caught Joe admiring her ass. Maybe it wasn’t such a horrible thing to do. “We need to get you into something for your show Friday, too. Joe, you’re getting bumped for an emergency order.”

      “I thought you met your commitments.”

      “I am giving you ample warning. It’s going to get done, but it’s going to take a little longer than expected.”

      “I knew it. I’m going to have to hire you to work in my office so I can get you to do my tailoring for me.”

      Candy laughed as she handed Tyler a piece of paper with her phone number and address.

      Chapter 2

      Candy paced around her room with the portable phone stuck to her ear. “He asked me to go see the band play Friday, but I have to work.” Being СКАЧАТЬ