Page 46 of Pink and Country

Good morning, Bubble Gum.

Went to town for a meeting.

I’ll be back for dinner.

HN – Heavenly Nice? Hot and Natty? Or Handsome and Neat? Pick one.

I cupped my mouth and snickered. Hot and Natty. I loved it.

Living with HN wasn’t so bad. Anyway, he left me no choice. He’d moved furniture around to create for me a writing nook in the den and filled the kitchen with the widest range of tea I’d ever seen because I mentioned I was a fan. He even let Bernice venture all around his place. Sweet. Spending my day alone in his place made me jittery. And a bit uncomfortable. At least he trusted me. In the den, I sipped the tea he left behind, bathing in the sun’s warm morning rays shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Unable to get a good reception in the cabin, I put my puffy jacket on and strolled toward the gate with a pep in my steps. I hummed a song, trying to guess why Saunders would use the nine-one-one emergency code. Was she freaking out about moving in with Reed? Typical Saunders’s life crisis. I grinned, putting my best friend suit on.

I neared the gate and dialed my friend, who answered on the first ring.

“What took you so long? Why are there pictures of you and Carter Hills all over the web?” My eyes widened at her inquisitiveness.

“Hello to you too. Sorry, who?”

“Carter Hills. The country music legend. The sexiest singer on the planet. Also known as the fit bloke who gets an entire stadium to wet their panties when he plays the guitar and sings love songs.”

“Carter Hills?”

“Yes, Bubble Head. C-A-R-T-E-R-H-I-L-L-S. The one and only.”

“It must be a mistake. I’ve never even met him. Are you sure it’s me in the pictures?”

“Sexy, pink-haired girl with sparkling blue eyes. Who else could it be?”

I sighed loudly, grinding my teeth. “I don’t know. Maybe we were at the same place at the same time once, and I got in the picture somehow. Who cares, right? Anyway, what’s the emergency?”

“Okay, you know I love you, but get real here. April, your Handsome Neighbor is Carter Hills.” Saunders paused to let the words sink in.

I laughed so hard I thought I’d choke. My eyes watered, and a fit of hiccups exited my mouth.

Saunders sighed. I imagined her rolling her eyes. “April, stop.” Why didn’t she let it go? “This isn’t a joke. The pictures were taken in Green Mountain.” I sucked in some air. Carter Hills? No.

HN looked nothing like the country singer. Did he? Okay, maybe a little.

Although, it couldn’t be him. If so, he would’ve told me. Wouldn’t he?

My handsome neighbor, a big country music star? No way. This made no sense. Wait, unless he shaved his beard and cut his hair shorter. Fuck.

Did HN play me all this time? My heart skipped a beat.

My hand cupped my pounding heart. Anger boiled in my veins.

Did HN lie to me? No. Not really. Did he have a great time messing around with my ignorance?

We never even exchanged names. How could it be a lie?

How was I so blind? The guitar lesson, the shades he kept on in the grocery store, the note I found on my countertop the day I got here. Your host, C.H. A tightness rooted in my stomach. I’d been living with Carter Hills. He kissed me. We laughed together. We bantered. Oh God, he put his hand in my panties. Dry heaves rattled my body.

I scratched my throat, my airways constricting. A cold feeling rose up my spine.

Saunders spoke, but my brain locked her out. I dropped my phone on the ground and placed my hands over my ears, silencing the buzzing sound thundering in my head. A chime brought my attention back. I picked my phone up, dusting dead pine needles from the case as my shaky finger skimmed the screen. I held my breath and opened the message Saunders just sent me. A picture. No. Not a picture. Pictures. Like lots of them.

The first one showed me and HN, or should I say Carter Hills, buying groceries together yesterday.