One Lucky Deal by Kelli Evans Read Free Book Online

checked her wristwatch.
    “I told you I would be back in a bit,” he grumbled and headed to the fridge.
    “I didn’t believe you,” Candace said with obvious apology in her voice.
    “Yeah, well, neither did I,” Tad said quietly under his breath.
    * * * *
    “All right—all right.” Reagan calmed the group down. “Tad, you’ve got to go away for a minute.”
    He easily got up and took the pitcher with him. He pointed at Candace, silently asking her if she wanted another shot of whiskey. It was her drink of choice, but she rarely splurged on it. She shook her head, and Tad left the group to hang around the bar.
    “All right, so? What have you got?” Ronnie bounced a little in her seat and rubbed her hands together. Her sisters were far too excited about this whole thing.
    “Well, how about putt-putt?” Candace looked on at the four of them all lined up on one side of the large booth.
    “No,” they all said in unison.
    Candace frowned. “I figured. All right, so seriously—a picnic on the beach? Maybe get some snow cones on the pier afterward?”
    The four of them looked impressed. “Decent. It has the potential to be romantic.”
    “Thank you.” Candace smiled. She was quite pleased with herself.
    “Next,” Reagan said and flagged Tad back over. Candace begrudgingly slid from the booth.
    “Tough crowd,” Candace whispered jokingly to Tad as they passed each other. She headed to the jukebox in the corner to peruse the playlist.
    *
    Tad plopped down in the seat where Candace had just been a moment before. He stared at the four of his friends and they stared back at him expectantly. “Uh…” He nervously chuckled. “All right.” He poured himself a drink and then pitched them his idea with one word. “Parking.”
    “What?” Ronnie coughed.
    “Yeah, we’re going to go parking.” It was the most romantic thing he could think of. He was self-admittedly not the most romantic guy in the world, but he thought for sure they were going to go for this.
    “Yes.” Joe and Reed laughed in unison.
    “No!” Ronnie and Reagan stared at him wide-eyed.
    “Ro-man-tic.” Ronnie enunciated the word for him.
    “Yeah, it will be. Listen. There’s this solar flare going on, so for the next couple of days there’s elevated probability in seeing some northern lights. I know that she’s really wanted to see them for a while, so I figure we’d take the truck for a drive out of the city and…” Tad shrugged. He felt a little self-conscious pitching a date like a business deal. “Park.”
    Ronnie and Reagan turned to each other, did that silent communication thing that twins could do, and then looked back to him. “A-plus, Dundee.”
    “Yeah, not bad,” Reed said just before taking a big swig from his glass.
    * * * *
    Candace was positive that Tad’s date was going to overshadow hers. She didn’t know what his date was going to entail, but she knew how her sisters’ faces looked every time they talked about it. So Candace insisted that her date come first, and since there was a time constraint on Tad’s date they went on Candace’s the following night. They left as soon as Tad got out of work.
    He’d come home to find her in an adorable strapless, short summer dress. She’d attempted to curl her pin-straight hair but had failed miserably. But Tad thought the only imperfect thing about the way she looked was the five dog leashes that were hanging from her hand.
    “I’m pretty sure when Reagan said romance, she hadn’t meant The Lady and the Tramp variety.”
    Candace frowned. “But, Tad, we’re going to the beach, and I don’t want to just leave them here.”
    “Two.”
    Candace shook her head. “All of them.”
    “Two,” Tad insisted.
    “Three?” Candace asked hopefully.
    “Two or none. Final offer.”
    Candace frowned. “Well, I can’t pick which two to take. It wouldn’t be fair.”
    “So none.” Tad grinned. “Great.” He took the leashes from her hands and went to