Free Good Time Bad Boy by Sonya Clark Page A
Authors: Sonya Clark
your first time, cowboy.” An evil grin split Ronisha’s pretty face. “But if it helps, just lie back and think of the rodeo.”
This time Daisy’s laughter was more of a guffaw. She tapped her fist against the bartender’s as she walked by with another basket of silverware.
“Now who’s being sexually harassed.” Wade grinned, strumming the guitar as he held it in front of him like a shield. “I believe I need to file a complaint.”
“There’s gonna be a lot of complaints tonight if that’s the best you can do,” Daisy said as she passed him on her way to the other dining room.
“I deliver when it counts,” Wade said. “Don’t you worry.” With a flourish, he launched into something hard and fast and possibly in the wrong key if the way it scraped against her nerves was any indication.
Midway through the early dinner rush, Ronisha flagged her down. “Where’s the cowboy?”
“No idea.”
“He’s supposed to be up there in five minutes. The Tuckers are at their table. I haven’t seen Chris but their momma’s here. The last time I saw Wade, he was asking where he could change his clothes.”
“Where’d you send him?”
“Randy’s office but he’s not there now. I just sent Alonzo to check.” Alonzo was the head cook.
“I’m due for my break. Have Amber cover my tables and I’ll go look for him.”
Ronisha nodded as she pulled two draft beers then called Amber’s name. “Daisy’s on break. Can you get these to table fourteen?”
“Sure thing.” Amber nodded at Daisy.
Daisy thanked her and looked over the room. At a table right next to Randy Tucker and his wife was Marlene Sheppard. Chris was nowhere to be seen and neither was Wade. She ducked into the smaller dining room for a quick look then checked the sidewalk out front. No Wade there either. She hurried to the back and looked in Randy’s office then the small employee break room. One of the young bus boys sat at a table playing a game on his phone.
“Hey, Toby! Go check the men’s room for Wade Sheppard.”
“Who the hell’s Wayne Shipper?”
She grabbed him by the ear and hauled him up. “Wayne Sheppard is the guy who’s supposed to sing tonight. Go check the men’s room.”
“Is that the guy in the cowboy hat?”
“Yes, now go, hurry it up.”
The boy left.
He had to be here somewhere. And surely he was better than that lackluster rehearsal, otherwise how had he ever made it in Nashville to start with?
She paced back and forth in the small space, hoping she didn’t have to go check the men’s bathroom herself. If she found Wayne drunk somewhere, she might kill him.
Wade. His name was Wade.
Toby returned. “He’s not there. Why’s it so busy tonight? Are the steak’s half price or something?”
“They’re here to see him.” She rushed from the break room.
Rocky Top was unusually crowded for a Thursday night. She hadn’t thought anything of it at first, she’d been too busy. But then more and more people started commenting about how excited they were to see Brittain’s own Wade Sheppard. How they’d seen him perform here years ago before he went to Nashville, or they’d seen him at special hometown shows after, or driven hours away to attend his big arena shows at the height of his fame. Over and over she’d heard the chatter, or people talked to her directly.
Another quick check of the kitchen and even the walk-in freezer, then she opened the dry goods storage room and searched. Finally she didn’t know where else to look so she opened the back door and peered into the alley.
The sound of vomiting reached her. Shit. Please be sober, please be sober . Daisy ran back to the break room for a bottle of water, then propped the door open and went outside.
Wade Sheppard was at the end of the alley, knelt over with one hand on the brick wall as he barfed up his supper. Daisy opened the water and thrust it at him when she got to his side. “Are your drunk?”
“No.” He retched again
This time Daisy’s laughter was more of a guffaw. She tapped her fist against the bartender’s as she walked by with another basket of silverware.
“Now who’s being sexually harassed.” Wade grinned, strumming the guitar as he held it in front of him like a shield. “I believe I need to file a complaint.”
“There’s gonna be a lot of complaints tonight if that’s the best you can do,” Daisy said as she passed him on her way to the other dining room.
“I deliver when it counts,” Wade said. “Don’t you worry.” With a flourish, he launched into something hard and fast and possibly in the wrong key if the way it scraped against her nerves was any indication.
Midway through the early dinner rush, Ronisha flagged her down. “Where’s the cowboy?”
“No idea.”
“He’s supposed to be up there in five minutes. The Tuckers are at their table. I haven’t seen Chris but their momma’s here. The last time I saw Wade, he was asking where he could change his clothes.”
“Where’d you send him?”
“Randy’s office but he’s not there now. I just sent Alonzo to check.” Alonzo was the head cook.
“I’m due for my break. Have Amber cover my tables and I’ll go look for him.”
Ronisha nodded as she pulled two draft beers then called Amber’s name. “Daisy’s on break. Can you get these to table fourteen?”
“Sure thing.” Amber nodded at Daisy.
Daisy thanked her and looked over the room. At a table right next to Randy Tucker and his wife was Marlene Sheppard. Chris was nowhere to be seen and neither was Wade. She ducked into the smaller dining room for a quick look then checked the sidewalk out front. No Wade there either. She hurried to the back and looked in Randy’s office then the small employee break room. One of the young bus boys sat at a table playing a game on his phone.
“Hey, Toby! Go check the men’s room for Wade Sheppard.”
“Who the hell’s Wayne Shipper?”
She grabbed him by the ear and hauled him up. “Wayne Sheppard is the guy who’s supposed to sing tonight. Go check the men’s room.”
“Is that the guy in the cowboy hat?”
“Yes, now go, hurry it up.”
The boy left.
He had to be here somewhere. And surely he was better than that lackluster rehearsal, otherwise how had he ever made it in Nashville to start with?
She paced back and forth in the small space, hoping she didn’t have to go check the men’s bathroom herself. If she found Wayne drunk somewhere, she might kill him.
Wade. His name was Wade.
Toby returned. “He’s not there. Why’s it so busy tonight? Are the steak’s half price or something?”
“They’re here to see him.” She rushed from the break room.
Rocky Top was unusually crowded for a Thursday night. She hadn’t thought anything of it at first, she’d been too busy. But then more and more people started commenting about how excited they were to see Brittain’s own Wade Sheppard. How they’d seen him perform here years ago before he went to Nashville, or they’d seen him at special hometown shows after, or driven hours away to attend his big arena shows at the height of his fame. Over and over she’d heard the chatter, or people talked to her directly.
Another quick check of the kitchen and even the walk-in freezer, then she opened the dry goods storage room and searched. Finally she didn’t know where else to look so she opened the back door and peered into the alley.
The sound of vomiting reached her. Shit. Please be sober, please be sober . Daisy ran back to the break room for a bottle of water, then propped the door open and went outside.
Wade Sheppard was at the end of the alley, knelt over with one hand on the brick wall as he barfed up his supper. Daisy opened the water and thrust it at him when she got to his side. “Are your drunk?”
“No.” He retched again