Suddenly Sexy (9 page)
Authors: Linda Francis Lee
Tags: #Women television journalists, #Man-woman relationships, #Single women, #Contemporary, #General, #Romance, #Adult, #Fiction, #Athletes, #Texas, #Love stories
Those traitorous thoughts she always had when Jesse was near fought to
the surface. Kissing. This man. And maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be
so bad to give in to a little fling.
She nearly scoffed out loud. Giving in? A little fling? Like those
women he brought to the wedding?
Like her mother.
The thought cut through the desire licking through her body.
"No sex!"
He hesitated, though for only a half second before his smile turned
wicked and he grabbed something
off the table behind her. Too late she
realized he must have been going for a towel the whole time.
"Can't take a shower without this," he stated.
Embarrassment flashed through her, wiping out every bit of desire. She
should have been relieved, and yet again she should have left well
enough alone. But she couldn't help herself when her mind circled back
to the question that
had been plaguing her.
Maybe it was her pride, or maybe the reporter in her couldn't be held
back any longer by dictates to be sweet and affable, but she asked,
"Jesse, if you're so determined to keep distant from your past, then
really, why did you come back?"
His body went taut. Seconds ticked by before he said, "Everyone needs a
vacation."
"Seems to me that most people go to the Bahamas or Tahiti to get away."
"Not when they're trying to avoid the media."
"Is it really so hard to be a hero? Do you really have to fight off so
much attention that you had to run away?" She was on a roll and
couldn't seem to stop herself. "Why do I think there's something you
aren't telling me?"
She could see his jaw start to work, the towel gripped between his two
hands.
"Because you were always filled with dreams inside a head that you
fooled everyone into thinking was sensible." He secured the terry cloth
around his neck. "Now, unless you want to hang around and get the sort
of show that I'm beginning to think you secretly want, I'd suggest you
head on back to your house. Wouldn't want you breaking any of those
no-sex rules of yours."
To add muscle to his point, he unzipped his shorts, the khaki slipping
low on his hips, his thumbs hooking under stark white Jockeys. And just
when she turned to make a hasty retreat, she caught a glimpse of his
beautifully chiseled anatomy as he tossed his shorts aside.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Julia Boudreaux
Subject: Getting your wish
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Katherine Bloom
Subject: Thank you
Katherine C. Bloom
News Anchor, KTEX TV West Texas
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Chloe Sinclair
From: Julia Boudreaux
Subject: Girl Scout
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Chloe Sinclair
From: Katherine Bloom
Subject: Unprepared!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Chloe Sinclair
From: Julia Boudreaux
Subject: Hmmm
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Katherine Bloom
From: Chloe Sinclair
Subject: Bad boys
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Julia Boudreaux
Subject: Snippy
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Here."
Travis looked around the small group of other kids who stood on the
driving range of the Canutillo Golf School. A big burly guy who didn't
look like he knew the first thing about golf, much less had the ability
to hold a club due to his girth, called roll.
A group of boys stood off to the side. Travis could tell on sight that
they were the cool kids. Uncool kids had a second sense about these
things. Normally, he would have steered clear of the group, but he had
the next few weeks, if that long, to show his dad what a great kid he
was. And didn't great kids have
cool friends?
Once roll call was done and their coach said to get into foursomes,
Travis drew up his nerve and walked over to the three coolest guys.
"Hey," he said, shuffling his feet, his hand flying up nervously as he
waved.
The kid who must have been their leader shot him a scowl. "What do you
want, twerp?"
"Ah, you know. A foursome."
"You pervert!"
The boys laughed.
"What's so funny?" the coach asked.
"Nothing, sir," one boy said with exaggerated politeness.
Coach considered them, grumbled, then went on. "Sanders, I'm putting
you with Hartman, Puskus, and Fisk."
Great. One glance and any idiot could tell they were not cool at all.
Proof came when the cool guys announced variations of their names. None
of them good. At least Travis didn't have a name that could
be twisted
into anything embarrassing.
"Hey, perve," they whispered at him.
Okay, so they didn't need a name to contort.
The rest of the afternoon didn't go much better. The clubs assigned to
him were old, and when he did manage to connect with the ball, a
metallic shudder raced up through his arms into his shoulders,
sparking
a head-splitting pain.
"No, Sanders, don't slap at the ball. Stroke it," Coach said.
Though what exactly that meant, Travis didn't know, since whenever the
man swung the club he looked more like a baseball player than any
golfer Travis had ever seen.
But he tried nonetheless, determined to make inroads with the cool guys.
After hitting a few balls, it was someone else's turn to step up to the
tee. Travis fell back.
"You can swing pretty good," he told the number one cool guy.
The compliment didn't go unappreciated, though it didn't get a response.
"My dad would probably be impressed."
Still nothing. Okay, time to go in for the kill.
"Yeah, my dad, he can really play golf. Everyone says so."
"Like who?" Jimmy, the head cool guy, begrudgingly asked.
Travis shrugged, his heart pounding hard. It was happening. They were
talking to him. And in a second when they found out about Jesse, his
place would be secured.
"The newspapers and stuff. They write about him all the time."
"Who is your dad?"
"Jesse Chapman."
For half a second awe simmered through their eyes, then they burst out
laughing. "Yeah, sure. You related to Chapman? No way, perve."
"It's the truth. Everyone says I look just like him."
"He isn't even married." Then Jimmy got sly. "What are you, some kind
of accident?"
Travis's fluttering heart turned into a heart attack. He hadn't thought
about that part. He hadn't realized where this would lead.
"You are!" the boys screamed in glee, laughing.
"You're a perve and a bastard."
They really thought that was funny.
"Is your mom a whore? Is she expensive? Can we afford her?"
It had never happened before, but standing there in the heat and dirt
with tiny tufts of grass here and there, he snapped. All his good cheer
and optimism shattered. He hardly knew
how it happened, but suddenly he lunged at Jimmy. Years of being a kid
with no real father, since Harlan had never liked him much, welled up
until he felt tears streaming down his cheeks with every strike of his
fist. He punched and hit, but after a second of surprise, Jimmy quickly
moved out of the way, and the boys only laughed harder when Travis
swung one last time, missed, and landed in a patch of dry desert sand
face first.
They laughed for a while longer, then left him there. He wanted the
ground to open up and swallow
him whole. He stayed that way for what
seemed like forever. Then suddenly Coach's big meaty hand grasped him
by the shoulder.
"Here, Sanders, don't let 'em get to you," the man said, helping him
up. "And don't ever let 'em see
you cry."
The man dusted him off, then shoved a club in his hands. "You're up
again. And this time put all that anger into your swing."
Monte. He'd had to sit right by
the bus driver in order to survive the
short trip from the golf school. When he hopped down, the rental clubs
he'd been assigned banging against his legs, he could hear the other
kids' taunts as they drove away.
Travis didn't move. He watched the van until it disappeared down the
street, then he turned and walked across to Kate's house.
Kate was really nice. Heck, she worried about him way more than his mom
did. But he wouldn't think about that. Kate wasn't his mom, and soon
he'd be leaving for Las Vegas. He
wondered if Jesse would miss him, then he scoffed. His dad would
probably jump up and down for joy.
He was surprised when he walked down the drive and saw Jesse by the
pool. He had some tools and he was fixing one of the lounge chairs.
Seemed like Jesse was always fixing something around here, always had
some tool. Though Travis had seen that at night Jesse read all kinds of
books about golf. Strategy books, books on how to play. He even watched
videos of golf game after golf game on Kate's machine.
It was like the
guy was looking for something.
Given the totally crummy day he'd had, Travis wasn't in the mood to
talk. He tried to slip by without being noticed. But Jesse must have
heard him, because he turned around.
"Hey," Jesse called out, standing up with a hammer in his hand.
Travis gave a quick wave, but he didn't stop.
Inside the house, he found something to eat. He felt a spark of
pleasure at the sight of a plate lined with real sugar cookies, not
hard ones out of a box, with creamy icing on top. He managed to pour a
glass of milk and head for the table with the entire plate.
He couldn't have been more surprised when a few minutes later Jesse
actually came into the house.
"So," his dad said, all cheery. "You found the cookies. I made them."
"You?"
"Yeah. I used to love those
things."Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Amazingly, his dad looked like he really cared what I Travis thought
about the cookies. "They're good."
Jesse beamed. "How was golf camp?"
Not nearly as good. But Travis wasn't about to admit that maybe he
wasn't cut out for golf after all. He forced a smile and said, "Great!
It was really fun!"
Jesse looked at him kind of funny. "You want to tell me about it?" he
asked.
"Nothing much to tell. We learned about the clubs, hit some balls.
Tomorrow we're going to learn to putt."
Great. Tomorrow he'd have to go back.
"Who's teaching?"
"Coach Peters."
"Gary? You're kidding me. He's a great guy and all, but he's a baseball
coach."
That would explain his peculiar form of hitting the ball. Travis
answered with a shrug.
They both turned at the sound of tires on gravel. Seconds later, Kate
came into the house with a gigantic smile on her face.
"Hi, T. How was camp?"
T. She had started calling him T. A fun nickname that showed he was
part of the crowd. He felt stupid tears burn in his eyes.
"Great," both he and Jesse said at the same time.
She glanced between them, then said, "This is wonderful news. What have
you learned so far?"
Travis pushed up. "Just stuff. But I'm kind of sweaty, so can I go for
a swim?"
"Well, sure."
Travis headed out before they could ask him any more about golf. Nope,
he'd have to spend some time coming up with some answers about that.
And boy was he glad he was heading out because just as he was leaving
the kitchen to go to his room to change, Derek came to the back door.
He looked really mad, but the minute he saw Travis he kind of worked up
a smile. "Hi, Travis."
"Hi." He flipped up a wave, then bolted for his room.
the surface. Kissing. This man. And maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be
so bad to give in to a little fling.
She nearly scoffed out loud. Giving in? A little fling? Like those
women he brought to the wedding?
Like her mother.
The thought cut through the desire licking through her body.
"No sex!"
He hesitated, though for only a half second before his smile turned
wicked and he grabbed something
off the table behind her. Too late she
realized he must have been going for a towel the whole time.
"Can't take a shower without this," he stated.
Embarrassment flashed through her, wiping out every bit of desire. She
should have been relieved, and yet again she should have left well
enough alone. But she couldn't help herself when her mind circled back
to the question that
had been plaguing her.
Maybe it was her pride, or maybe the reporter in her couldn't be held
back any longer by dictates to be sweet and affable, but she asked,
"Jesse, if you're so determined to keep distant from your past, then
really, why did you come back?"
His body went taut. Seconds ticked by before he said, "Everyone needs a
vacation."
"Seems to me that most people go to the Bahamas or Tahiti to get away."
"Not when they're trying to avoid the media."
"Is it really so hard to be a hero? Do you really have to fight off so
much attention that you had to run away?" She was on a roll and
couldn't seem to stop herself. "Why do I think there's something you
aren't telling me?"
She could see his jaw start to work, the towel gripped between his two
hands.
"Because you were always filled with dreams inside a head that you
fooled everyone into thinking was sensible." He secured the terry cloth
around his neck. "Now, unless you want to hang around and get the sort
of show that I'm beginning to think you secretly want, I'd suggest you
head on back to your house. Wouldn't want you breaking any of those
no-sex rules of yours."
To add muscle to his point, he unzipped his shorts, the khaki slipping
low on his hips, his thumbs hooking under stark white Jockeys. And just
when she turned to make a hasty retreat, she caught a glimpse of his
beautifully chiseled anatomy as he tossed his shorts aside.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
From: Julia Boudreaux
Subject: Getting your wish
I've
thought about it, and I agree
that a pet show for the next segment
of Getting Real with Kate
will be perfect. I even have a great idea.
It's fresh and original. You are going to love it, as will the audience!
xo, jthought about it, and I agree
that a pet show for the next segment
of Getting Real with Kate
will be perfect. I even have a great idea.
It's fresh and original. You are going to love it, as will the audience!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
From: Katherine Bloom
Subject: Thank you
I
appreciate this, Julia. Pets are
much more me than naked or
wanting-to-get-naked sorts of men.
I promise I'll do the station proud
this time.
appreciate this, Julia. Pets are
much more me than naked or
wanting-to-get-naked sorts of men.
I promise I'll do the station proud
this time.
Now, tell
me a bit about whom I'll
be interviewing. I want to be
prepared and have a list of proper questions to ask. Maybe I should go
over to the library and get a few books on pet care so I'll
look knowledgeable.
Many thanks, Kme a bit about whom I'll
be interviewing. I want to be
prepared and have a list of proper questions to ask. Maybe I should go
over to the library and get a few books on pet care so I'll
look knowledgeable.
Katherine C. Bloom
News Anchor, KTEX TV West Texas
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
     Chloe Sinclair
From: Julia Boudreaux
Subject: Girl Scout
Kate,
sugar, I think it's best you
go in unprepared. It's all your Girl
Scout sort of planning that gets you in trouble. Think of this segment
as a time to relax and have fun. Then on Thursday, the night before,
let's go out and have a pre-show celebration. Just the three of us. I
promise not to end the night early with a date. It will be fun.
xoxo, jsugar, I think it's best you
go in unprepared. It's all your Girl
Scout sort of planning that gets you in trouble. Think of this segment
as a time to relax and have fun. Then on Thursday, the night before,
let's go out and have a pre-show celebration. Just the three of us. I
promise not to end the night early with a date. It will be fun.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
     Chloe Sinclair
From: Katherine Bloom
Subject: Unprepared!
How can I
go in unprepared? Though
maybe you're right. Perhaps it's
best if I just let it flow. It's only pets after all.
As to Thursday night with the girls, I would love to, but Travis
has
his first day of golf camp and
I want to be at home to see how it went.
Kgo in unprepared? Though
maybe you're right. Perhaps it's
best if I just let it flow. It's only pets after all.
As to Thursday night with the girls, I would love to, but Travis
has
his first day of golf camp and
I want to be at home to see how it went.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
     Chloe Sinclair
From: Julia Boudreaux
Subject: Hmmm
Aren't you
the little domestic
these days. Staying home to make sure
all is well in the domicile. Though it's fine. Turns out Roberto called
after all.
xoxo, jthe little domestic
these days. Staying home to make sure
all is well in the domicile. Though it's fine. Turns out Roberto called
after all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
     Katherine Bloom
From: Chloe Sinclair
Subject: Bad boys
Admit it,
Jules, for someone who
keeps telling Kate and me to find
someone to settle down with, you sure keep yourself distant from any
truly marriageable men. The only guys you date are passionate artists
and rugged cowboys who make it clear they aren't interested in settling
down.
Chloe, the observantJules, for someone who
keeps telling Kate and me to find
someone to settle down with, you sure keep yourself distant from any
truly marriageable men. The only guys you date are passionate artists
and rugged cowboys who make it clear they aren't interested in settling
down.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
From: Julia Boudreaux
Subject: Snippy
You're not
observant, you're
making things up. I am only twenty-seven,
young enough to date anyone I choose. Now get back to work. You have
Kate's pet show to arrange. I sent my ideas
in a separate e-mail.
xo, jobservant, you're
making things up. I am only twenty-seven,
young enough to date anyone I choose. Now get back to work. You have
Kate's pet show to arrange. I sent my ideas
in a separate e-mail.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Â
EIGHT
"Sanders, Travis!""Here."
Travis looked around the small group of other kids who stood on the
driving range of the Canutillo Golf School. A big burly guy who didn't
look like he knew the first thing about golf, much less had the ability
to hold a club due to his girth, called roll.
A group of boys stood off to the side. Travis could tell on sight that
they were the cool kids. Uncool kids had a second sense about these
things. Normally, he would have steered clear of the group, but he had
the next few weeks, if that long, to show his dad what a great kid he
was. And didn't great kids have
cool friends?
Once roll call was done and their coach said to get into foursomes,
Travis drew up his nerve and walked over to the three coolest guys.
"Hey," he said, shuffling his feet, his hand flying up nervously as he
waved.
The kid who must have been their leader shot him a scowl. "What do you
want, twerp?"
"Ah, you know. A foursome."
"You pervert!"
The boys laughed.
"What's so funny?" the coach asked.
"Nothing, sir," one boy said with exaggerated politeness.
Coach considered them, grumbled, then went on. "Sanders, I'm putting
you with Hartman, Puskus, and Fisk."
Great. One glance and any idiot could tell they were not cool at all.
Proof came when the cool guys announced variations of their names. None
of them good. At least Travis didn't have a name that could
be twisted
into anything embarrassing.
"Hey, perve," they whispered at him.
Okay, so they didn't need a name to contort.
The rest of the afternoon didn't go much better. The clubs assigned to
him were old, and when he did manage to connect with the ball, a
metallic shudder raced up through his arms into his shoulders,
sparking
a head-splitting pain.
"No, Sanders, don't slap at the ball. Stroke it," Coach said.
Though what exactly that meant, Travis didn't know, since whenever the
man swung the club he looked more like a baseball player than any
golfer Travis had ever seen.
But he tried nonetheless, determined to make inroads with the cool guys.
After hitting a few balls, it was someone else's turn to step up to the
tee. Travis fell back.
"You can swing pretty good," he told the number one cool guy.
The compliment didn't go unappreciated, though it didn't get a response.
"My dad would probably be impressed."
Still nothing. Okay, time to go in for the kill.
"Yeah, my dad, he can really play golf. Everyone says so."
"Like who?" Jimmy, the head cool guy, begrudgingly asked.
Travis shrugged, his heart pounding hard. It was happening. They were
talking to him. And in a second when they found out about Jesse, his
place would be secured.
"The newspapers and stuff. They write about him all the time."
"Who is your dad?"
"Jesse Chapman."
For half a second awe simmered through their eyes, then they burst out
laughing. "Yeah, sure. You related to Chapman? No way, perve."
"It's the truth. Everyone says I look just like him."
"He isn't even married." Then Jimmy got sly. "What are you, some kind
of accident?"
Travis's fluttering heart turned into a heart attack. He hadn't thought
about that part. He hadn't realized where this would lead.
"You are!" the boys screamed in glee, laughing.
"You're a perve and a bastard."
They really thought that was funny.
"Is your mom a whore? Is she expensive? Can we afford her?"
It had never happened before, but standing there in the heat and dirt
with tiny tufts of grass here and there, he snapped. All his good cheer
and optimism shattered. He hardly knew
how it happened, but suddenly he lunged at Jimmy. Years of being a kid
with no real father, since Harlan had never liked him much, welled up
until he felt tears streaming down his cheeks with every strike of his
fist. He punched and hit, but after a second of surprise, Jimmy quickly
moved out of the way, and the boys only laughed harder when Travis
swung one last time, missed, and landed in a patch of dry desert sand
face first.
They laughed for a while longer, then left him there. He wanted the
ground to open up and swallow
him whole. He stayed that way for what
seemed like forever. Then suddenly Coach's big meaty hand grasped him
by the shoulder.
"Here, Sanders, don't let 'em get to you," the man said, helping him
up. "And don't ever let 'em see
you cry."
The man dusted him off, then shoved a club in his hands. "You're up
again. And this time put all that anger into your swing."
*Â
*Â *
The van dropped Travis off at the corner of Meadowlark and Vista del*Â *
Monte. He'd had to sit right by
the bus driver in order to survive the
short trip from the golf school. When he hopped down, the rental clubs
he'd been assigned banging against his legs, he could hear the other
kids' taunts as they drove away.
Travis didn't move. He watched the van until it disappeared down the
street, then he turned and walked across to Kate's house.
Kate was really nice. Heck, she worried about him way more than his mom
did. But he wouldn't think about that. Kate wasn't his mom, and soon
he'd be leaving for Las Vegas. He
wondered if Jesse would miss him, then he scoffed. His dad would
probably jump up and down for joy.
He was surprised when he walked down the drive and saw Jesse by the
pool. He had some tools and he was fixing one of the lounge chairs.
Seemed like Jesse was always fixing something around here, always had
some tool. Though Travis had seen that at night Jesse read all kinds of
books about golf. Strategy books, books on how to play. He even watched
videos of golf game after golf game on Kate's machine.
It was like the
guy was looking for something.
Given the totally crummy day he'd had, Travis wasn't in the mood to
talk. He tried to slip by without being noticed. But Jesse must have
heard him, because he turned around.
"Hey," Jesse called out, standing up with a hammer in his hand.
Travis gave a quick wave, but he didn't stop.
Inside the house, he found something to eat. He felt a spark of
pleasure at the sight of a plate lined with real sugar cookies, not
hard ones out of a box, with creamy icing on top. He managed to pour a
glass of milk and head for the table with the entire plate.
He couldn't have been more surprised when a few minutes later Jesse
actually came into the house.
"So," his dad said, all cheery. "You found the cookies. I made them."
"You?"
"Yeah. I used to love those
things."Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Amazingly, his dad looked like he really cared what I Travis thought
about the cookies. "They're good."
Jesse beamed. "How was golf camp?"
Not nearly as good. But Travis wasn't about to admit that maybe he
wasn't cut out for golf after all. He forced a smile and said, "Great!
It was really fun!"
Jesse looked at him kind of funny. "You want to tell me about it?" he
asked.
"Nothing much to tell. We learned about the clubs, hit some balls.
Tomorrow we're going to learn to putt."
Great. Tomorrow he'd have to go back.
"Who's teaching?"
"Coach Peters."
"Gary? You're kidding me. He's a great guy and all, but he's a baseball
coach."
That would explain his peculiar form of hitting the ball. Travis
answered with a shrug.
They both turned at the sound of tires on gravel. Seconds later, Kate
came into the house with a gigantic smile on her face.
"Hi, T. How was camp?"
T. She had started calling him T. A fun nickname that showed he was
part of the crowd. He felt stupid tears burn in his eyes.
"Great," both he and Jesse said at the same time.
She glanced between them, then said, "This is wonderful news. What have
you learned so far?"
Travis pushed up. "Just stuff. But I'm kind of sweaty, so can I go for
a swim?"
"Well, sure."
Travis headed out before they could ask him any more about golf. Nope,
he'd have to spend some time coming up with some answers about that.
And boy was he glad he was heading out because just as he was leaving
the kitchen to go to his room to change, Derek came to the back door.
He looked really mad, but the minute he saw Travis he kind of worked up
a smile. "Hi, Travis."
"Hi." He flipped up a wave, then bolted for his room.
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