Mandy followed him to the cab. He held the door open and gestured for her to get in. With two big guys already scrunched inside, there was barely enough room for A.J. Marc’s glare almost had her backing out of lunch altogether.
“Sometime today, Mand,” Marc bit out.
She climbed up. A.J. shut the door and his muscled body nestled next to hers, nudging her against Larry.
Because they were crammed like sardines in a can, A.J.
stretched out his arm behind her back.
“See? Little thing like you can fit anywhere,” A.J.
smiled.
“Thanks for making room.”
“You’re one of us now.” A.J. patted her shoulder.
“Where we go, you go. Right, boss?”
“Uh, right.” As soon as Marc started the car, Aerosmith blared from all four speakers. Mandy didn’t miss the teasing smile Marc shot at A.J. as he pulled the truck out onto the street. A truck full of construction workers and she was the only girl? She had a feeling they wouldn’t be dining at Wendy’s.
• • • • •
Five notes off-key, A.J. sang with Steven Tyler as the truck rumbled along. He was the kind of guy who did what he wanted, and Mandy liked that.
“So you work construction because American Idol turned you away?” she teased.
He grinned, nodded. “You got it.” And he kept singing.
Marc wore his usual scowl. She couldn’t understand why he seemed so miserable. Like her, he’d wanted to work for their dad’s company. Like her, he’d joined a crew right after he’d graduated from high school two years ago. Now, he had his first crew and his first job as foreman. He was currently girlfriendless, maybe that was the problem. But then his girlfriends never stuck around very long because he was such a grouch. Go figure.
Larry was tuned out. His pearly-blue eyes fixed out the front window as if he was hypnotized by the long stretch of road they were driving on.
Once they had driven out of the residential area of Saratoga Springs, Mandy noticed that Marc was driving them to the newer retail section of town. Good, there’d be a lot to choose from to eat. Pizza was her favorite, but she could handle a double bacon cheeseburger right about now, too. Mmm. And a nice, frosty chocolate shake. Her stomach let out a cascade of growls right between Sweet Emotion and Rag Doll.
A.J. tapped her. “You hungry?”
“Yeah, I am, actually.”
“I could eat a horse,” Larry said.
Mandy cocked her head. “Just one? I would have thought you could eat two by now.”
Larry’s eyes shifted to hers.
“They have horses on the menu where you’re taking us, Marc?” she asked.
Marc covered a grin by scrubbing his jaw. “Uh, yeah.”
“Big horses,” A.J.’s smile wasn’t any less teasing, and Mandy saw her first red flag.
The new strip mall wasn’t even full of retailers yet, but it had one of Mandy’s essentials: a Barnes and Noble Book Store. She often haunted the place late at night when her friends were working or dating. It’d been a while since she’d been there, busy as she had been with the end of senior year. A dry cleaners, a Payless Shoe Store and a couple of boutique dress shops dotted the mall. The rest of the retail spots were still empty. She couldn’t imagine where the guys planned to eat.
Then she saw it over in the far corner. Of course the parking lot surrounding the place was packed. She let out a smirk as Marc searched for an empty spot to park.
Brown, orange and white, the owl with perfectly round, boob-shaped eyes looked at her, mocking. Mandy took a deep breath. Leave it to Marc. No way was she going to appear ruffled.
“I love this place,” she squealed.
Marc snorted and put the truck in park.
“They have the best…” She had to think for a second. She’d heard her guy friends talk about the chicken. “Wings here.”
“The wings aren’t the reason I come here,” Marc chided, getting out. At least his scowl was gone, that was something.
“It’s why I come here,” Mandy piped, sliding out behind A.J. His teeth gleamed at her. “Yup, love those chicken wings,” she said.
“You’ve never eaten here in your life.” After everybody had piled out, Marc pressed the remote and locked the truck.
“I come here with Cam all the time.”
“Right. This is the kinda place a gay guy would love.”
“Cam is not gay.”
“I have a feeling you’ll do just fine here,” A.J.
grinned.
“Yup.” Mandy took a deep breath.
She was smack in the middle of the four guys as they walked to the entrance. Marc probably hadn’t bought the story about her eating there before—with Cam—but she didn’t care. If they were going to play, she’d play right along.
Marc pulled the door open and in typical brotherly fashion, went inside first. The social faux pas didn’t go unnoticed by A.J., who held the door wide open for her.
“Thank you, A.J.”
The place rocked. Between the loud music, sports-blasting TV’s hanging from the ceiling, and bouncing bosoms of the waitresses in their orange shorts and tight tees, Mandy rated the raucous room about a seven on the Richter scale.
A brunette Hooter greeted them with a smile.
“Welcome to Hooters. Party of five?”
Marc nodded. He looked amazingly chipper now, Mandy mused. The lot of them walked through the restaurant, passing tables packed with loud lunch diners, most of them men. Though she saw a few females, she felt out of place, and when some of the male diners were brazen enough to glance at her chest, she cringed and crossed her arms.
The Hooters’ hostess sat them at a center table.
Super, Mandy thought, nothing like being in the spotlight.
A.J. pulled out a chair for her and she sat. “Thanks, A.J.
Wow. Nothing distracts you from being a gentleman, does it? That’s nice.”
Because Boston had taken the seat to her left, Larry sat on her right and A.J. sat across from her, next to Marc.
“I grew up with four sisters.” A.J. grinned.
“That explains it.” Mandy opened her menu. She scanned the options, but she didn’t miss Marc elbowing A.J. and pointing to a Hooters hottie working a few tables over.
Mandy stole a look. Tiny, blonde and bouncy, the woman was the typical bombshell that always caught her brother’s eye. To her left, Boston focused intensely on the menu. He’d taken off his hat, probably right after they’d walked in, and now his deep chocolate-colored hair was matted against his head in the shape of a cap, the ends curled out and up.
“So, what’s good here?” she asked him.
His onyx eyes slid to hers. “I thought you said you’ve eaten here.”
His voice traveled through her on a slow wave.
He’d said his name earlier when they’d first met, but that hadn’t been enough for her to catch the low melodic cadence.
“Uh, yeah, I have. You just looked so…well, like you’re really making a big decision. I thought you might have some suggestions. Or favorites.”
His expression remained neutral and his gaze went back to the menu. “I like the Chicken Caesar salad.”
Then he closed the menu and set it aside. Chicken Caesar salad was bland for her liking, and Mandy settled on something hot and satisfying.
Mandy found the scene telling. A.J., Marc and Larry sat sprawled in their chairs, watching the waitresses come and go. Boston, on the other hand, sat upright, his serious face forward, his gaze straight ahead and undistracted more like he was seated in a classroom than a restaurant.
Marc was in luck. Blond bombshell wiggled over. “Hi, have you all been to Hooters before?”
Everyone said they had.
“What can I get you all to drink to start out with?”
Mandy wasn’t surprised the guys ordered waters and soda. Everyone except Boston who ordered only water.
“I’ll have
a chocolate shake,” Mandy said. “And could you add a little bit of roasted peanuts to that, please?”
Boston twirked his head her direction, what looked like amusement played on his face. “What?” Mandy shrugged.
“And for lunch?” The blonde batted her lashes, starting with Marc, who asked her what her favorite menu item was— Hooters famous wings—before ordering it. A.J.
wanted the fried chicken plate. Larry asked for a platter of chili fries and Boston ordered the Chicken Caesar salad – dressing on the side.
Mandy didn’t know any guys who liked salad, and stared at him with fascination.
The Hooters bombshell cleared her throat.
Mandy looked at her. “Oh, I’ll have a bacon double cheeseburger, fries and coleslaw.”
Boston’s dark eyes swept her with a quick look of disbelief. “Hey,” she said, noticing the look, “some of us like to eat real food.”
The waitress snapped the order on a cable overhead that ran directly to the kitchen, gave it quick tug, and sent it sliding off before she wiggled on her way.
“You really going to eat that, a little thing like you?”
A.J. asked.
Mandy noticed the scowl was back on Marc’s face.
“She’s always eaten like a pig.”
“Marc.” Mandy made sure her tone whipped.
“It’s true.” The glimmer of teasing in her brother’s eyes didn’t bother her, at least he wasn’t scowling. “Ever since we were kids, she’s packed it away like a cow. We have to bring her in every night so she stops grazing.”
“I like a woman who appreciates a meal.” A.J.’s nod was approving. “Too many think they have to eat to impress the men they’re with.”
“She’s still a kid.” Marc’s gaze was now fastened on another waitress. “It’ll catch up with her soon enough.
Check it out. Nice.”
Mandy didn’t like that Marc refused to see her as an adult. One sweep around at the guys’ faces, and she hoped they didn’t all think that way. “I’m not the one with love handles.”
The guys chided Marc, bringing a blush to his tanned skin. “This is steel under here.” He caressed his abdomen in jest. “Pure, hard steel one hundred percent.”
Mandy grimaced. “Ew, too much information.”
A.J. and Larry laughed. To her left, Boston had a smile on his face, but Mandy couldn’t tell if he was laughing or just pretending. “You’re going to have to get used to hearing it raw.” Marc’s expression was cocky.
“You’re one of the guys now.”
“I can handle it.” Mandy plucked her napkin, opened it and set it on her lap. “It’s nothing I haven’t heard before. I’ve lived with you, haven’t I?”
“She’s a sassy one, isn’t she?” A.J. chuckled.
“More than sassy,” Marc sneered. “Pain in the butt is what she is.” Marc’s head turned. “Wow, check it out.
Baaayybee. Now that’s the way a woman should be built. Perfect. Mmm, yeah.”
Larry licked his lips. “Sweet.”
Mandy followed Marc, Larry, and A.J.’s gazes to a redhead, shaped like a guitar, serving lunch to a table of hungry men two tables away.
She laughed in spite of herself. Guys were guys and there was just no getting around it. She caught Boston’s determined profile. He didn’t even turn around for a look at the redhead, and she wondered why.
chapter two
They baptized her right there at the table, immersing her in wild stories, raunchy jokes and crass language, peppered with words Mandy had never even heard before. Marc wasn’t going to make anything pleasant or easy for her, that she knew going in. He still hoped she’d go whining home to Daddy about a scraped knee or a broken nail.
Through the course of lunch she learned that Larry went through women like he went through nails. The guys had a cash kitty that had grown to fifteen dollars over the last week, each of them putting in a dollar every time Larry had a new girl. Like Marc, A.J. was currently without a woman. A.J. had been working construction for the past seven years, since he’d quit his accounting job for the sole purpose of making money doing something with his hands. All of the guys were new to Haynes Construction, but claimed her dad was a better contractor than most out there.
Mandy loved hearing that.
None of the guys said much about Boston during the brief tell-all. Except when Marc cracked that he might as well be celibate, like Boston, for all the women he’d been able to keep lately.
“Celibate?” Mandy looked at Boston. No wonder he looked serious all the time. He had both hands on his glass of water, his long, tanned fingers glued to the frosty glass.
“He’s sworn off females indefinitely,” Marc piped.
“Man, I could never do that,” Larry said.
“It’s because you do the burning,” A.J said. “Wait until it’s you that gets fried.” His gaze shifted to Mandy.
“Charlie just got dumped.”
So that was the reason for the stand offishness.
Mandy eyed Boston’s tight jaw. He picked up his glass and threw back an ice cube. His firm, wide mouth moved jaggedly. He stared straight ahead.
“I’m sorry,” she said. He turned wary eyes to her.
“No, I mean it. Some girls can be such idiots. Catty, self-serving, manipulative, jealous…If I were a guy, I’d be careful.”
“You got that one down,” A.J. agreed.
“Who are you? The voice of experience?” Marc couldn’t pass up the opportunity to rub her nose in.
Mandy rolled her eyes. “I’m a girl and I know girls.”
“Charlie’s taking it to the extreme,” Marc said through a grin. “I’ve seen him cross a street to avoid the opposite sex. I’m surprised you didn’t bolt when the waitress took our order, man.”
Boston smirked and shook his head. His dark eyes sparkled, and Mandy felt a quivering rush deep inside.
She’d have given her tools to see him smile right then.
“I gotta hand it to him,” A.J. began. “He’s disciplined. More than I’d be.”
“That night at the bar?” Larry started, and both Marc and A.J. laughed along. “We had to drag him there.”
“Then he spent the whole night in a corner,” Marc added. “Never mind all the babes that kept asking him to hook up.”
“Yeah,” Larry’s grin spread. “He sent ‘em to me.
Thanks, dude.”
Marc elbowed Larry. “And you could have shared, man.”
“No way, you kidding?”
“Drop it,” Boston’s tone was sharp. He picked up his empty water glass and plunked it down again.
Marc slugged a hand playfully into Larry’s bicep.
“Guess you’re going to see what it’s really like to be a guy, Mand.” He leaned forward with relish. “Every rough, slick, nasty detail.”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “As long as it doesn’t come from you. That’s just twisted.” Out the corner of her eye, Mandy thought she saw Boston give a fast nod of agreement then but she couldn’t be sure.
The waitress brought over the check and Marc, Larry and A.J. all shot teasing grins at Boston who shifted in his chair, determination drawing his face tight. Another quivering rush shook Mandy. Everybody dug into their pockets and tossed their money to Marc.
“You all come back now, okay?” the blonde waitress bubbled.
“Oh, we will.” Marc laid the cash in the bill fold and handed it back to her. “Keep the change, sweetheart.”
Her eyes grew big when she looked at the money.
“Thanks. Thanks a lot.” With a swivel, she was gone.
Mandy stood. “Looks like you just bought yourself a date.”
“You think?” Marc asked absently, watching the waitress’s hips sway away. “I’ll buy it. I got no shame.”
Mandy nodded. “Oh, yeah. That’s what fluff girls do when they want a guy…act all cute and brainless.”
The five of them started through the packed restaurant tow
ard the door. A.J. smiled down at her. “Not you, though, right baby doll?”
Leading the pack, Mandy shoved the glass doors open with both hands. “Not this girl.”