Read Online Sweet Tea at Sunrise by Sherryl Woods - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sherryl Woods
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Price, if you’re even half as good as I think you’re going to be, this is going to change your life!”
5
S arah did not want her life changed. Not like that. She sat on the stool at the counter in Wharton’s staring at Travis McDonald as if he’d suddenly sprouted two heads. He’d said some pretty outrageous things to her over the past few weeks, but this was the craziest.
“You can’t be serious,” she said. “Me? On the radio?”
“That’s what I said.” He seemed undaunted by her shock.
“Not a chance,” she told him, dismissing the idea as ridiculous. “I wouldn’t have a thing to say.”
“You have plenty to say in here,” Travis said. “At least to everyone else. You have this easy way that gets people to open up. That’s what I want you to do on the air.”
“Why?” she asked, bewildered. “I mean why me?”
“Because I’ve been watching you. You know how to draw people out, make them laugh, get them to reveal themselves. You’ll be a natural at this, Sarah. I guarantee it.”
She studied him suspiciously. “So you want me to embarrass people in town on the air?”
“I never said that,” he replied with exaggerated patience. “I said you had a way with people.”
“Well, if I’m so good, how come you never answered a single one of the questions I asked you? You’ve been coming in here for what, a month now? And I don’t really know much more than your name and that you’re Tom’s cousin.”
“And that I own the radio station that’s going to make you a hometown celebrity,” he reminded her.
“Well, it took until today for me to find out about that,” she said. She waved off the comment. “But that’s not what matters, anyway. I haven’t gotten to know one personal thing about you.”
He grinned one of those slow, sexy grins that made her toes curl. “Because I’m a hardcase,” he drawled. “But I’m sure you could find out anything you want to know if you put your mind to it.”
Sarah scowled at the remark. “Don’t you imagine there are plenty of hardcases around? For all you know, you’d have nothing but dead air for a couple of hours every day. There’s nothing worse on the radio than a host who’s run out of questions and a guest who’s clammed up. I can’t just sit there and chatter away about nothing.”
“Sure you can. I’ve seen you do it in here every single day. And if things get really quiet, you can always pump up a Toby Keith song.”
“I prefer Kenny Chesney,” she replied, mostly to be contrary.
“Fine. You’ll play Kenny Chesney. And if you’re as bad at this as you’re predicting, you’ll have time for some George Strait and Trace Adkins, too.”
“You’re not taking me seriously. I can’t do this to people I’ve known all my life,” she argued.
“All you’re going to do is bring these friends of yours into the studio when they have a story to share or an event to promote,” he explained. “You’ll chat about it, get people excited, make them want to come. And say some celebrity comes into town, you’d get to interview them.”
“We don’t get a lot of celebrities in Serenity.”
“Because there was no radio station for them to visit to get publicity. Now there will be. It’ll be my job to make sure all these fancy New York or Nashville publicists know that we’re looking for guests.”
She studied him with a frown. “Did you see Field of Dreams a few too many times, maybe get the crazy idea if you build it, they will come?”
Travis laughed. “Personally I was a bigger fan of Bull Durham. My mama used to watch that on DVD at least once a year. I think that’s why I grew up wanting to play baseball.”
Distracted for a moment from the bigger issue, she asked, “And did you? Play ball, I mean?”
“For a while,” he said, though his expression shut down. “So, what do you say? I can promise you’ll make more money than you do here.”
Though Helen had seen to it that Walter was generous,
5
S arah did not want her life changed. Not like that. She sat on the stool at the counter in Wharton’s staring at Travis McDonald as if he’d suddenly sprouted two heads. He’d said some pretty outrageous things to her over the past few weeks, but this was the craziest.
“You can’t be serious,” she said. “Me? On the radio?”
“That’s what I said.” He seemed undaunted by her shock.
“Not a chance,” she told him, dismissing the idea as ridiculous. “I wouldn’t have a thing to say.”
“You have plenty to say in here,” Travis said. “At least to everyone else. You have this easy way that gets people to open up. That’s what I want you to do on the air.”
“Why?” she asked, bewildered. “I mean why me?”
“Because I’ve been watching you. You know how to draw people out, make them laugh, get them to reveal themselves. You’ll be a natural at this, Sarah. I guarantee it.”
She studied him suspiciously. “So you want me to embarrass people in town on the air?”
“I never said that,” he replied with exaggerated patience. “I said you had a way with people.”
“Well, if I’m so good, how come you never answered a single one of the questions I asked you? You’ve been coming in here for what, a month now? And I don’t really know much more than your name and that you’re Tom’s cousin.”
“And that I own the radio station that’s going to make you a hometown celebrity,” he reminded her.
“Well, it took until today for me to find out about that,” she said. She waved off the comment. “But that’s not what matters, anyway. I haven’t gotten to know one personal thing about you.”
He grinned one of those slow, sexy grins that made her toes curl. “Because I’m a hardcase,” he drawled. “But I’m sure you could find out anything you want to know if you put your mind to it.”
Sarah scowled at the remark. “Don’t you imagine there are plenty of hardcases around? For all you know, you’d have nothing but dead air for a couple of hours every day. There’s nothing worse on the radio than a host who’s run out of questions and a guest who’s clammed up. I can’t just sit there and chatter away about nothing.”
“Sure you can. I’ve seen you do it in here every single day. And if things get really quiet, you can always pump up a Toby Keith song.”
“I prefer Kenny Chesney,” she replied, mostly to be contrary.
“Fine. You’ll play Kenny Chesney. And if you’re as bad at this as you’re predicting, you’ll have time for some George Strait and Trace Adkins, too.”
“You’re not taking me seriously. I can’t do this to people I’ve known all my life,” she argued.
“All you’re going to do is bring these friends of yours into the studio when they have a story to share or an event to promote,” he explained. “You’ll chat about it, get people excited, make them want to come. And say some celebrity comes into town, you’d get to interview them.”
“We don’t get a lot of celebrities in Serenity.”
“Because there was no radio station for them to visit to get publicity. Now there will be. It’ll be my job to make sure all these fancy New York or Nashville publicists know that we’re looking for guests.”
She studied him with a frown. “Did you see Field of Dreams a few too many times, maybe get the crazy idea if you build it, they will come?”
Travis laughed. “Personally I was a bigger fan of Bull Durham. My mama used to watch that on DVD at least once a year. I think that’s why I grew up wanting to play baseball.”
Distracted for a moment from the bigger issue, she asked, “And did you? Play ball, I mean?”
“For a while,” he said, though his expression shut down. “So, what do you say? I can promise you’ll make more money than you do here.”
Though Helen had seen to it that Walter was generous,
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