Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 106839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
“What is going on here, April? Why is everyone staring at us?”
“Oh, my God. Did you…” She looks at me. She looks at Amon. She looks back at me. “Oh. My God. It was an accident, wasn’t it? The two of you have some secret role-playing thing going, don’t ya?”
I’m so confused. Because on the one hand, we kinda do, and on the other… I gasp. April laughs harder, holding up this week’s Busybody insert. “Oh, no!” In all the excitement on Wednesday when Amon came into my printshop, I had the wrong Busybody printed up!
The one that’s been inserted into the Revival News is the dirty one I wrote for Amon’s eyes only. I look at him with a grimace on my face. “I’m might die of embarrassment right here on this spot.”
“What’s going on? I don’t get it?” When he remembers our flirty written correspondence, Amon’s eyes start smiling. “Is that your reply to Rugged and Handsome? Give it here, April. Let me read it.”
I prepare myself as Amon’s eyes glide down the paper and then a guffaw comes flying out of his mouth. Those wild eyes of his are dancing when they meet mine.
April sighs. Holding her hand over her heart. “‘Kisses like a prince and fucks like a villain!’” Then she bends over laughing. “Jim Bob is gonna pitch a fit!”
And this is true. He’s going to kill me.
As soon as I think that I hear him. “Rosie Harlow! Where are you!”
Amon takes my hand, pulling me deeper into the tent grounds, and we run all the way over to the tea-party tent. When we stop, we’re out of breath. “Hide in here until Revival’s over,” he says. “I’ll handle Jim Bob.” Then Amon leans in and growls, “I’m gonna spank you like a master, fondle you like a toy, and take you from behind tonight, Rosie Harlow. So you get ready for it.”
Then he spins me around, slaps my ass, and gives it a teasing pinch before turning his back and walking back to security.
I swear I can hear him cackling until he disappears around the funnel cake tent.
There is no tea party before the Revival, but it’s the general meetin’ place for us tea-party gals if we get here early enough. So when I turn and walk in I see MacyLynn and MaisieLee Roberts doin’ their best to hold back their smirks. Behind them Lettie Gainer is waggling a finger at me. The twins are my age, but Lettie is a good ten years older than us and she’s the big boss of the tea party tent.
I put a hand up. “I don’t wanna hear it. I really don’t wanna hear it.”
“Oh, come on, Rosie!” MaisieLee hooks her arm in mine and leads me over to a table. “‘Fucks like a villain!’ You can’t tease a whole town with a detail like that without spilling some tea!”
“That’s enough!” Lettie kinda roars this. “There will be no discussion of Ms.”—she practically buzzes my title out, emphasizing that ‘z’ sound for many seconds longer than she should—“Harlow’s private life in the tea party tent!” Lettie narrows her gaze on me. “You should be ashamed of yourself, printing those words and smearing the good name of the Revival News like that.”
“Obviously, it was an accident, Lettie. For fuck’s sake. Why the hell would I incite Jim Bob’s temper on purpose? I made two editions this week, one for Amon’s private eyes only and one for public consumption. They just got mixed up, is all. I was…” I blow out a breath. “Distracted.”
MaisieLee points at me, her eyes dancing with wild abandon. “You fucked him in the print shop, didn’t you?”
Lettie is just about to blow her top when the call to Revival sounds and the twins laugh as they pull me up from my chair and drag me towards the tent, far, far away from Lettie Gainer’s wrath.
The Revival is a mess of whispers about my private life, but I think the tourists kind of enjoy the drama. Jim Bob makes my great-aunt Ester stand at the entrance of the tent with her hand out, trying to collect the papers, promising free tea cakes if they hand them over.
Almost no one does, so after a couple of minutes she gives up and Jim Bob calms down, and Pastor Simon pushes his glasses up his nose, and the Revival begins.
But I’m surrounded by Disciple girls and they do nothing but jab me for details the whole service. I even miss my faintin’ cue, I’m so distracted.
My afternoon at the tea party tent goes much the same, but again, the guests eat it up. It’s really only Lettie who’s put out. So far I have avoided Jim Bob, but I’ll have to pay the piper eventually, that’s for sure.
Still, it is kinda fun. Especially since Cross isn’t here to see any of it. And I’m glad that my relationship with Amon is so public now.