“Later, CG,” I called out after her as I watched her walking down the street toward her house.
“Fuck off, cowboy. ”
I smiled and tried not to start laughing. I turned and faced Richard with a serious look on my face as I shrugged. “See what I mean? B. I. T. C. H. ”
“Thanks, dude. At least I know that’s a lost cause. See you later tonight at Joe’s. ”
I shook Richard’s hand. “Yep, see ya then. ”
I strolled back to my truck and got in. My heart was beating a mile a minute. I couldn’t believe what I’d just done. Richard was a friend of mine.
Why did I just steer him away from Whitley?
Why do I have the feeling Whitley Reynolds is going to be a thorn in my side?
Damn girl with those green eyes.
Chapter Five: Whitley
“So, today, while you were getting your first real client, I went to Ruby Cowgirl. ”
I rolled my eyes as I grabbed a Diet Coke out of the fridge. “Jesus, Court, you’re gonna own everything they sell if you keep going there!”
Courtney jumped up from the sofa. “I did buy a really cute white dress in there. Anyway, the girl who works there invited me over to Fuel, the coffee house, for a cup of coffee. Guess what happened?”
I wasn’t really in the mood for guessing games. Layton had me thrown for a loop, and my head was pounding. The moment I saw him, he had my stomach doing stupid flip-flops.
Why does he have to be such a jerk? A stupid, gorgeous, Southern cowboy jerk with a rocking body! No, it’s good that he’s a jerk. Keeps me uninterested.
“What, Court?”
“Come on, Whit, guess!”
I snapped my head over toward her. “Courtney, I’ve had a shit-filled day with the exception of picking up two new clients. I met one of the most annoying men I’ve ever encountered in my entire life today, and he wore my patience thin. ”
Courtney’s mouth dropped open. “Holy shit. You like him!”
Wait—what? “What? Are you insane? Courtney, really? Do you think I want to get into a relationship with anyone? I mean, the last boyfriend I had just about killed me a few short weeks ago. I’m pretty sure I’m done with men. ”
Courtney rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Whatever. Believe what you want, Whit. You’ve got the hots for a cowboy named Layton. ”
I closed my eyes and just prayed she’d stop talking. I thought back to when Layton had grabbed my arm. All I had seen was Roger’s face.
“Hello? Whit! Are you even listening to me?”
I opened my eyes and smiled. “Yeah, of course, I am. ”
“Okay, well, I guess that guy who works at the bank—what’s his name? Richard?”
I sighed because I knew what was coming up. “Yes, I just ran into him and Layton. ”
A smile spread across Courtney’s face. “Well, I ran into him at the coffee shop during lunch. He invited us to that bar on the square—Joe’s. I guess one of his friends is home on leave. A Marine, Whit. A. Marine. ”
I started laughing. Courtney had a thing for military guys, guys who rode bikes, guys with tattoos. The list was endless.
“Court, you need to change jobs. I know you’re looking for that perfect guy, like the ones in all those books you read, but you’re never going to find him. He doesn’t exist. ”
“Okay, first off, that’s my job. It’s so not fair to drag my job into my manhunt. I love being a freelance editor, Whit, you know that. Plus, my ass can live anywhere I want…hence, being able to pick up my life and move to Texas with you!”