Read Online Ask Me to Stay (Honky Tonk Angels #4) by Ciana Stone - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ciana Stone
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Oh, there’s also talk about your new employee. What’s her name?”
“Callie?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of talk could there possibly be about her? She’s only been here a month.”
“Well, you know the Red Hats.”
“So, what are they saying?”
“You’re not going to like it.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“Okay, so the word is that she’s some druggie or drunk or something. A stripper, biker chick or some other unsavory type and she’s covered with tattoos – you know all trashy – and she’s after Jayce Weathers because she thinks the family has money and she’s a gold digger looking to latch onto some poor sap and take him for everything he has. Apparently, she’s using her child to make him fall for her or feel sorry for her or some shit and fucking him blind.”
Cody felt her anger rising like a furnace getting too much fuel. How dare those bitches talk about Callie that way? She’d like to slap their faces, give them a good cussing or something. But there was no way she would react to what she’d heard. Nancy was a sweet woman, but she liked to gossip, as was evidenced by the fact she’d just spilled everything she’d heard. Whatever Cody said, Nancy would repeat.
So rather than add fuel to the gossip fire, Cody shrugged. “Wow, they cooked up a doozy that time. Anyway, enough about that stuff. How’s Buster and Missy?”
Buster was Nancy’s husband. He was a welder and worked out of Midland, which was a good haul from Cotton Creek. They had one daughter, Missy, who was nine.
“They’re good. Missy’s with Buster’s mom tonight. Buster’s getting in late and we never really have any time alone so Mrs. Denton said Missy could sleep over.”
“Then no more shots for you.” Cody picked up the shot glass and the beer mug to put them into the sink. “You get yourself home and get ready for your man.”
Nancy grinned. “Yes, ma’am. Just let me pay—”
“On the house, Nance. Now get on home.”
“Thanks, Cody.”
“You bet. See you soon.”
She watched Nancy leave then looked around. It was too early for the regular crowd, but there were still things to do. She turned her attention back to checking her liquor inventory but her mind wandered.
It was hard to hold a grudge against the gossip girls. She knew they didn’t mean any ill-will, they were just so bored they latched onto any ordinary occurrence and turned it into something to gossip about.
The talk about Callie was just mean spirited. No one really knew her and it was easy to talk badly about strangers. It wasn’t right, but she understood how those women were. Just like seeing Hannah on the street talking with Cooper. It was probably nothing more than the two of them running into one another. Not a romantic hookup – just a chance encounter. But the Red Hats would turn it into a torrid affair by week’s end.
Hannah would hate that.
Unless it were true. What if Hannah is interested in Cooper?
Cody stopped what she was doing and marched back to the office. Hannah sat on one side of the desk with an inventory checklist and Callie sat on the other side, in front of the computer.
“Well for once, you’re the target for the gossip girls.”
“Excuse me?” Hannah, whose back was to the door, turned to look at Cody.
“Nancy Denton stopped by. Apparently someone saw you talking to Cooper a few times and now the gals are turning it into some contest between the two of us – both of us after the same man.”
“Oh my god!”
Cody hadn’t expected Hannah to look quite so horrified. “Hey, it’s just the gossip girls. No biggie.”
“Cody, I swear I wasn’t flirting. First, I just ran into him at the gas station and we got to talking about his new business. And the other time at the cleaners, we just talked about the prices of stuff here versus the city. And the night he came to the bar, we just talked – you know about nothing. This morning I was just looking at a dress in the window of the new
“Callie?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of talk could there possibly be about her? She’s only been here a month.”
“Well, you know the Red Hats.”
“So, what are they saying?”
“You’re not going to like it.”
“Tell me anyway.”
“Okay, so the word is that she’s some druggie or drunk or something. A stripper, biker chick or some other unsavory type and she’s covered with tattoos – you know all trashy – and she’s after Jayce Weathers because she thinks the family has money and she’s a gold digger looking to latch onto some poor sap and take him for everything he has. Apparently, she’s using her child to make him fall for her or feel sorry for her or some shit and fucking him blind.”
Cody felt her anger rising like a furnace getting too much fuel. How dare those bitches talk about Callie that way? She’d like to slap their faces, give them a good cussing or something. But there was no way she would react to what she’d heard. Nancy was a sweet woman, but she liked to gossip, as was evidenced by the fact she’d just spilled everything she’d heard. Whatever Cody said, Nancy would repeat.
So rather than add fuel to the gossip fire, Cody shrugged. “Wow, they cooked up a doozy that time. Anyway, enough about that stuff. How’s Buster and Missy?”
Buster was Nancy’s husband. He was a welder and worked out of Midland, which was a good haul from Cotton Creek. They had one daughter, Missy, who was nine.
“They’re good. Missy’s with Buster’s mom tonight. Buster’s getting in late and we never really have any time alone so Mrs. Denton said Missy could sleep over.”
“Then no more shots for you.” Cody picked up the shot glass and the beer mug to put them into the sink. “You get yourself home and get ready for your man.”
Nancy grinned. “Yes, ma’am. Just let me pay—”
“On the house, Nance. Now get on home.”
“Thanks, Cody.”
“You bet. See you soon.”
She watched Nancy leave then looked around. It was too early for the regular crowd, but there were still things to do. She turned her attention back to checking her liquor inventory but her mind wandered.
It was hard to hold a grudge against the gossip girls. She knew they didn’t mean any ill-will, they were just so bored they latched onto any ordinary occurrence and turned it into something to gossip about.
The talk about Callie was just mean spirited. No one really knew her and it was easy to talk badly about strangers. It wasn’t right, but she understood how those women were. Just like seeing Hannah on the street talking with Cooper. It was probably nothing more than the two of them running into one another. Not a romantic hookup – just a chance encounter. But the Red Hats would turn it into a torrid affair by week’s end.
Hannah would hate that.
Unless it were true. What if Hannah is interested in Cooper?
Cody stopped what she was doing and marched back to the office. Hannah sat on one side of the desk with an inventory checklist and Callie sat on the other side, in front of the computer.
“Well for once, you’re the target for the gossip girls.”
“Excuse me?” Hannah, whose back was to the door, turned to look at Cody.
“Nancy Denton stopped by. Apparently someone saw you talking to Cooper a few times and now the gals are turning it into some contest between the two of us – both of us after the same man.”
“Oh my god!”
Cody hadn’t expected Hannah to look quite so horrified. “Hey, it’s just the gossip girls. No biggie.”
“Cody, I swear I wasn’t flirting. First, I just ran into him at the gas station and we got to talking about his new business. And the other time at the cleaners, we just talked about the prices of stuff here versus the city. And the night he came to the bar, we just talked – you know about nothing. This morning I was just looking at a dress in the window of the new
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