Golden Trail (The 'Burg #3)(123)
“Definitely the church needs a new office lady,” he murmured.
“She’s harmless,” Rocky replied.
“I think, sweetcheeks, weekly offerings are confidential and I also think that it’s not a law not to gossip but it is a commandment and we’re standin’ in a building where God pays a fair amount of attention.” Rocky pressed her lips together but her eyes were dancing and she didn’t reply so Layne went on. “Probably coulda asked her for the personnel file and she would have handed it over.”
He heard Rocky’s quiet giggle then they all heard, “Rocky!” and Layne turned to see Josie Judd bearing down on them.
“Hey Josie,” Rocky smiled, moving out of Layne’s arm to give her friend a hug and get one in return.
When they stepped away from each other, Josie’s eyes surveyed the group and went back to Rocky.
“Jeez, you’re a miracle worker, honey,” Josie noted. “I left Chip in his underpants on the couch counting down the minutes to when he can crack open a beer and the kids are all still in bed doin’ their zombie act which they only do on Sunday mornings or on days when they have tests at school. How’d you get these boys all dressed up and to church?”
Layne looked at his sons. Jasper was wearing a pair of chinos and a blue shirt under the leather jacket his Mom bought him last Christmas and Tripp was wearing the same except his shirt was maroon and he had a navy sweater pulled over it. Layne was wearing another suit and shirt that he’d never worn before that Melody had given him.
“Um…” Rocky mumbled and Josie waved her hand between them and kept talking.
“You can share your secrets without an audience and with a bottle of wine,” she stated. “And also when we sit down and talk about the bachelor auction. I had a gab with her and Heidi’s in. Did you talk to Feb and Vi?”
“Bachelor auction?” Layne asked.
Rocky ignored him and answered Josie, “I had a word with Vi yesterday, she’s in and she said she’d talk with Feb, Cheryl and Jackie.”
“Bachelor auction?” Layne repeated.
“This is going to be so fun!” Josie exclaimed. “I love it!”
Layne claimed Rocky with an arm around her shoulders again, turned her into his side, dipped his head and asked yet again, “Sweetcheeks, bachelor auction?”
“We’re doing a bachelor auction for Meghan Reilly,” Josie answered before Rocky could and Layne looked at her. “Gettin’ all the single boys at the police department and fire station to volunteer. Havin’ a fancy dinner, a band, a casino and sellin’ stuff in silent auctions. Rocky called me yesterday, it was her idea and it’ll be a hoot.”
“Cool!” Tripp entered the conversation.
“You should invite kids. I could talk to some of the football team, they’d go up for auction,” Jasper put in.
Josie swung to him and clapped her hands. “What a great idea! The more the merrier.”
“What’s this?” Vera asked and Layne looked to his mother.
“Meghan Reilly, she’s sick and can’t afford her medication,” Josie answered. “Things are not good, she’s gettin’ behind and Rocky does charity gigs, usually it’s for hospitals and clinics and stuff but this time she’s doin’ it just for Meghan.”
Vera’s eyes hit Rocky but before she could say more, Tripp butted in.
“You go up for auction, Jas, you better get Keira to save up her allowance,” Tripp advised Jasper.
“My woman’ll take care of me, Tripp-o-matic,” Jasper returned arrogantly and Layne’s eyes rolled to the ceiling.
“You could go up for sale too, Dad,” Tripp went on and Layne’s eyes rolled back to his boy. “You’d get top dollar.”
“Think I’m off the market, Pal,” Layne said quietly and felt Rocky’s body go tight before it relaxed against his side just as Josie’s eyes shot to him and a huge smile spread on her face.
“Yeah, Dad, but you aren’t actually off the market and Roc’s loaded. I reckon she’d pay a whack for you,” Tripp went on and every pair of eyes in their huddle turned to him, including Rocky’s.
Fuck, but he was not going up for auction. Firstly, because Rocky wasn’t loaded, she had a nest egg but she didn’t need to be depleting it bidding on him and secondly, because he was not going up for auction.
“We’ll talk about it later,” he muttered, Josie giggled softly, Vera gave him a stare and Rocky looked down at her shoes, that fall of hair that wasn’t tied back in the ponytail at the nape of her neck not succeeding in hiding her smile.
Vera saved him by announcing, “We should probably find a pew.”
“Good idea,” Rocky murmured and looked at Josie. “Sit with us?”
“You bet,” Josie replied and they all moved into the sanctuary.
They were there approximately thirty seconds when Rocky and Layne spied him at the same time.
He was at the front of the church, wearing about the same outfit as Jasper except he had dark blue pants. Even so, it was plain to see it wasn’t the same quality. Both Layne’s boys cared about their appearance and their clothes, it was essential to the high school experience and Jasper, mostly, but Tripp also, had a role amongst their peers to lead the pack of high school cool. Layne knew exactly how expensive their clothes were since he’d paid for them.