Dancing Shoes and Honky-Tonk Blues Read Online Free

him stand out from all of the truckers, construction workers, farmers, and a smattering of tourists. Quite frankly, I was expecting someone young and California hip, not some older gentleman who appears to be . . . flirting with my mama . . .
    And she appears to be flirting right back! “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle,” I whisper. Clutched in one hand is her coffeepot and her other hand is waving in the air in an animated fashion while she chats. Now, don’t get me wrong, my mother is a fine-looking woman and in my opinion doesn’t look her age of forty-eight years. She gets hit on all the time, but in the twelve years since my daddy’s passing I have never even seen her glance twice at another man . . . until now. One might think that she might be kissing up but my mother’s not like that at all. When she turns and motions to me I realize that I’m standing in the middle of the diner gawking at them. Taking a deep breath, I walk over to the booth and paste a smile on my face.
    “Abilene, I’d like you to meet Mitchell Banks from Comedy Corner.”
    I grasp his hand when he politely stands up. “How do you do?” His handshake is firm and he gives me a warm smile, making me relax a bit. His eyes are a gorgeous shade of light blue accentuated by his deep tan and I can see why my mother is smitten.
    He gestures to the bench seat that’s cracked and patched with duct tape, reminding me how important this interview really is. “Please join me, Abilene.”
    “I’ll leave you two to discuss your business,” my mother tells him. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Banks.”
    “My pleasure,” he responds in a deep voice that has Mama all a-flutter. She blushes a pretty shade of pink that makes her appear young and sort of . . . wistful. My throat closes up when it occurs to me that my mother has been such a rock for Jesse and me and deserves to enjoy the softer, sweeter side of life.
    As I slide into the cool vinyl seat, I notice that Mitchell Banks watches Mama walk away from the table, not in a leering kind of way, but with male appreciation. What makes me smile, though, is that my mother has just a hint of sway in her hips that I’ve never noticed before. “So, Mr. Banks, tell me about this ballroom dancing competition.”
    “You can call me Mitch,” he says before taking a sip of his coffee. “Wow, this is good.” He seems surprised, making me guess that fancy Starbucks is his usual choice.
    “We use one hundred percent Colombian beans, real cream, butter, and fresh eggs here at Sadie’s Diner,” I inform him with a measure of pride. “Mama is a firm believer in using the real thing. She never cuts corners or sacrifices quality in order to turn a profit.”
    “Smart woman,” he says with a smile.
    I give him a serious nod but I’m feeling a bit foolish about my little speech. I’m not quite sure why I just told him all that other than the fact that I still don’t really like that Misty Creek is going to be made fun of.
    “You’re proud of this town, aren’t you?”
    “Yes, I am,” I admit to him even though I’m not sure where he’s going with this.
    “And you’re not too keen on being laughed at.”
    With a slight hesitation, I nod again, realizing that I may have just given the wrong answer.
    “But the chance of winning fifty thousand dollars is too good to pass up.”
    Feeling the color rise in my cheeks I give him an honest nod of my head.
    “Do you ever watch Comedy Corner, Abilene?”
    Crap . “I don’t get the opportunity to watch much TV,” I tell him, which is pretty much true. I decide to leave out the part about not liking or understanding some of the shows. “My brother is a big fan, though,” I quickly add, trying to remember some of the buzzwords Jesse used yesterday. Oh yeah . . . “He enjoys the political satire and the . . . um . . . parodies and spoofs on pop culture.” I give him a serious frown and lean forward to show my sincerity. I notice that his lips twitch and I