end, he’d obligated himself to some huge contracts, but the whole deal was on schedule.
Several more top music stars had made calls, inquiring about the availability of building tracts. Three had already bought in and two more were pending. Things were running smoothly. On that front.
His wayward thoughts haunted him. For years he’d tried to establish a reputation of being a lady’s man. Well, it had worked, maybe too well. While he was no novice at romance, he had nowhere near the experience local legend held it to be.
Try telling that to Paige. She’s convinced I’m the lover-boy of all time. And now, in her mind, I’m the rat of all time.
Julie interrupted his solitaire pity session with a call from Jason.
“Hi, JT. What’s cooking?”
“My goose, I think. Troy , I got me a problem.”
“Lay it on me, my man. One problem, more or less, will be no more of a burden to me than what I’m already under.”
“I gotta get hitched. Quick.”
“Whoa! Aggie’s angry father show up or something like that?”
“Somethin’. Seems me’n her’re gonna have a kid.”
“Oh...” Fleeting thoughts about how nice it could have been if he’d been able to handle things with Paige so easily. Then came the realization that JT and Aggie had only known each other a few weeks. How could the woman be pregnant so soon?
“You still there, Troy ?”
“Yeah, JT, I’m still here. Just trying to figure out how you know already that you’re going to be a daddy.”
“She took one of them EPT tests. It come out positive.”
“You sure it’s your kid she’s carrying?”
“She says so and I s’pect she’s right. She made no bones ‘bout her love life with that professor feller. But he insisted they always used condoms, so she says. I gotta believe her.”
“No, you don’t gotta believe her but I understand why you want to. But, how does this have anything to do with me?”
“I need a best man. Fer our weddin’.”
“You weren’t kidding, then. You’re really getting hitched. When’s it going to be?”
“She wants to go off to Arkansas and get it over with quiet-like, but I said, no way, we’re gonna do it up right. We’re lookin’ at a couple, three weeks outside. I need to know, will you stand up fer me?”
“You bet. I’d be honored to be your best man. But what about the guys in your band? Surely at least one of them is a long time friend.”
“Yeah. All of ‘em. Only they cain’t stop kiddin’ and teasin’ me ‘bout knockin’ Aggie up. They done pissed me off ‘nuff, I need you to do it fer me.”
“Okay, JT. I’ll do it. Does Aggie have a maid of honor?”
“Not yet. Said she’s gonna ask Paige, since she’s kind of the only woman friend she has in these parts.”
Yikes! I’m going to be in a wedding and Paige and I will have to be arm in arm for it. Could anything be worse right now?
“I don’t think Paige will do it, especially if she knows I’m going to be involved in it.”
“Whasamatter? You two fightin’ again?”
“You could say that. But anyway, I’ll stand up for you one way or the other. Let me know when and where and I’ll be there. Oh yeah, it looks like we’re on track for getting your mansion built this fall.”
“Good. Sure as heck I’m gonna need it, sooner’n I thought. ‘Specially the nursery.”
Troy guffawed. “You don’t have cold feet about marrying Aggie, do you? She can’t hold you to this, you know.”
“I know but I don’t care. Even if the kid turned out to be that egghead ‘o her’s, I want her to be my wife. So bad I can’t think of nothin’ else. I truly love that woman somethin’ crazy.”
“You got it bad, pal. I know how it feels, for all the good it’s done me. See you soon, JT.”
Troy sat at his desk, wondering what this wedding would turn out to be. It could be a lot of fun. Or it could...
* * *
Aggie stuck her head inside the Herald office and Ozzie Turner greeted her. She said, “I’m
Several more top music stars had made calls, inquiring about the availability of building tracts. Three had already bought in and two more were pending. Things were running smoothly. On that front.
His wayward thoughts haunted him. For years he’d tried to establish a reputation of being a lady’s man. Well, it had worked, maybe too well. While he was no novice at romance, he had nowhere near the experience local legend held it to be.
Try telling that to Paige. She’s convinced I’m the lover-boy of all time. And now, in her mind, I’m the rat of all time.
Julie interrupted his solitaire pity session with a call from Jason.
“Hi, JT. What’s cooking?”
“My goose, I think. Troy , I got me a problem.”
“Lay it on me, my man. One problem, more or less, will be no more of a burden to me than what I’m already under.”
“I gotta get hitched. Quick.”
“Whoa! Aggie’s angry father show up or something like that?”
“Somethin’. Seems me’n her’re gonna have a kid.”
“Oh...” Fleeting thoughts about how nice it could have been if he’d been able to handle things with Paige so easily. Then came the realization that JT and Aggie had only known each other a few weeks. How could the woman be pregnant so soon?
“You still there, Troy ?”
“Yeah, JT, I’m still here. Just trying to figure out how you know already that you’re going to be a daddy.”
“She took one of them EPT tests. It come out positive.”
“You sure it’s your kid she’s carrying?”
“She says so and I s’pect she’s right. She made no bones ‘bout her love life with that professor feller. But he insisted they always used condoms, so she says. I gotta believe her.”
“No, you don’t gotta believe her but I understand why you want to. But, how does this have anything to do with me?”
“I need a best man. Fer our weddin’.”
“You weren’t kidding, then. You’re really getting hitched. When’s it going to be?”
“She wants to go off to Arkansas and get it over with quiet-like, but I said, no way, we’re gonna do it up right. We’re lookin’ at a couple, three weeks outside. I need to know, will you stand up fer me?”
“You bet. I’d be honored to be your best man. But what about the guys in your band? Surely at least one of them is a long time friend.”
“Yeah. All of ‘em. Only they cain’t stop kiddin’ and teasin’ me ‘bout knockin’ Aggie up. They done pissed me off ‘nuff, I need you to do it fer me.”
“Okay, JT. I’ll do it. Does Aggie have a maid of honor?”
“Not yet. Said she’s gonna ask Paige, since she’s kind of the only woman friend she has in these parts.”
Yikes! I’m going to be in a wedding and Paige and I will have to be arm in arm for it. Could anything be worse right now?
“I don’t think Paige will do it, especially if she knows I’m going to be involved in it.”
“Whasamatter? You two fightin’ again?”
“You could say that. But anyway, I’ll stand up for you one way or the other. Let me know when and where and I’ll be there. Oh yeah, it looks like we’re on track for getting your mansion built this fall.”
“Good. Sure as heck I’m gonna need it, sooner’n I thought. ‘Specially the nursery.”
Troy guffawed. “You don’t have cold feet about marrying Aggie, do you? She can’t hold you to this, you know.”
“I know but I don’t care. Even if the kid turned out to be that egghead ‘o her’s, I want her to be my wife. So bad I can’t think of nothin’ else. I truly love that woman somethin’ crazy.”
“You got it bad, pal. I know how it feels, for all the good it’s done me. See you soon, JT.”
Troy sat at his desk, wondering what this wedding would turn out to be. It could be a lot of fun. Or it could...
* * *
Aggie stuck her head inside the Herald office and Ozzie Turner greeted her. She said, “I’m
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