Bobby: Red, Hot & Blue, Book 6 by Cat Johnson Read Free Book Online Page A

her head for a second debating whether to deny it or tell him the truth. “Look, Corey. You’re really cute and I really do like you—”
    “Jeez, you’re dumping me and we haven’t even gotten to our date yet? Why did you even call me?”
    “I’m sorry. It was my boss’s idea, and it sucks, and if I had any balls at all I would have told her to take a giant leap.” Her shoulders slumped. “It was a shitty thing to do and I apologize. This whole thing is so unlike me. I feel like I don’t even know who I am anymore—”
    “Shh. Hey. Listen.” Corey pulled up along the curb in front of the ice cream shop and turned in his seat to look at her. Pretty ashamed, she forced herself to look back. Reaching out, he laid one hand on her shoulder. “Yeah, it was shitty, but I believe it wasn’t your fault. So how about a deal?”
    She narrowed her eyes. “What kind of a deal?”
    He grinned at her. “There’s a cute girl here in town who won’t give me the time of day, and that’s her car parked right in front of us. You go inside with me, pretend for a little while that I am your dream man and you can’t keep your hands off me and we’ll call it even.”
    Figuring she owed him at least this much, she nodded. “I think I can handle that.”
    He grinned. “Good. Let’s go.”
    Christy spent the next hour pressed against Corey in a tight booth in the back of the ice cream shop. They shared one triple scoop sundae with two spoons. Except for the one time when he tried to feed her the cherry with his mouth, which she refused, he was the perfect gentleman. Being that they attracted the attention of quite a few of the locals, and that news in Pigeon Hollow spread fast, Christy had to wonder how quickly word of the date would get back to Bobby.
    Her wondering was over the next morning when she walked into the Barton’s kitchen and felt a distinct chill radiating from Bobby’s icy glare. She had the definite feeling he knew about her little date, only he didn’t know it was pretend.
    She was barely inside the room, Fletch on her heels and already filming as if he was expecting some action, when Bobby stood. “You two might as well go back to the motel.”
    “Why?” Christy frowned.
    “I’m not working today.” Somehow, she didn’t think that was the real reason. She re-evaluated her original theory—Bobby wasn’t acting cold at all. He was seething. Beneath the surface, she could see his red-hot anger bubbling.
    “That’s fine if you’re not working. What are you going to do for the day? Doesn’t Mikey have a game or something?”
    “I don’t want you anywhere near Mikey.”
    She drew in a quick breath. “Oh.”
    For Bobby to say that to her, in that tone of voice, after she’d put her job on the line to not expose Mikey and Cole with that tape truly hurt. Christy was having trouble maintaining her composure in the face of his overt antagonism. Her vision began to blur. If she didn’t leave and fast, she’d be in tears right here in the middle of the Barton’s kitchen.
    “We’ll take the day off.” She turned and pushed past Fletch. Once outside, she ran all the way to the car. If Fletch didn’t follow her in the next three seconds, she was leaving him.
     
    Bobby sat back down in the chair and buried his face in his hands. Christy looked like she was about to cry and he felt like the biggest shit south of the Mason-Dixon line. Blowing out a frustrated breath, he lowered his hands and realized that although Christy had fled, Fletch and the camera remained, red light still blinking.
    “Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you go with your producer?”
    “ Associate producer and no, my job is now to shadow you, with or without her.”
    Bobby raised his brow. “And why is that?”
    Fletch grinned from behind the camera. “Because you are such an interesting guy?”
    “Don’t fuck with me, Fletch. I’m not in the mood.”
    “Why are you in such a bad mood?” Fletch, who usually never