Read Online Whirlwind Love: Libby's Journey by DiDi Hendley - Free Book Online

crush.” Joe snickered at the idea.
    “Nah, man...I blew off several babes tonight—I hate to think it was for nothin’,” Chuck replied.
    Joe gave Chuck a look that implied, shut up .
    Ignoring Joe, Chuck glanced at Libby and changed his topic. “So, how’d your pictures turn out, sweetheart? I couldn’t help but notice you got too many of my bad side. I thought we had an agreement.”
    Libby laughed and glanced at Joe. “I think they’re great! But, you’ll have to be the judge.”
    Sue appeared with plates stacked up her arm. After doling out the meal, she refilled the coffee and asked, “Anything else y’all need?”
    “We’re good, sweetheart, thanks,” Chuck responded. “Hey, darlin’ did you call in a yellow-gel-o shootout tonight?” he grinned.
    Sue winked at him and seemed to prance away from the table. “I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout what you’re talkin’ about,” she smirked.
    Smiling, Libby noticed how the weary waitress seemed to perk up from Chuck’s question.
    “So…you seem like a woman of few words,” Chuck chided Libby, “I like that.”
    Joe kicked him under the table. Chuck glared.
    “If your fork were hittin’ that mouth...my fist wouldn’t be,” Joe growled.
    Chuck offered a sneer as he shoved a fork full of food into his mouth defiantly. As everyone began to consume their meal, the table grew silent.
    To fill the awkwardness of the moment, Libby asked, “So, what’s it like, traveling from place to place, performing?”
    Joe glared at Chuck almost daring him to speak. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and then turned to Libby in response. Before he had the chance, however, Chuck piped in, “Ah...it’s great. Love the energy. Love the ladies ,” he laughed, dragging out the last word for emphasis. “Now, really, what are we supposed to do? If a woman wants to throw her panties at me,” Chuck leered at Libby, his fork flying through the air as he spoke, tossing a little food onto the window beside Libby. “I mean, it would be RUDE to ignore them, right?” He laughed as he shoved another fork full of food into his mouth.
    Joe glared at his brother.
    “If you don’t mind my asking, how old are you, Chuck?” Libby inquired.
    “Thirty-one,” he responded absently, clearly not interested in the conversation any longer. He leaned out the booth and watched two women walk to the last booth at the opposite end of the diner.
    Libby glanced hard at Chuck upon hearing his age. Noting his attentive stare, she turned to see what had transfixed him so.
    “She’s a teenager! Tell me you don’t date...well, I guess date isn’t exactly the right word, is it?”
    Chuck grinned as he glanced at Libby and raised an eyebrow. Joe shook his head, clearly wanting no part of this conversation; he clenched his jaw and tried to focus on his food, occasionally shooting glances at Chuck across the table.
    “So, how long have you guys been singing?” Libby asked, desperately wanting to change the topic of conversation.
    Relieved, Joe jumped in to explain before Chuck could speak, “I was in a garage band in high school. I played with a few bands, actually, got screwed by ‘em mostly. Like claiming copyrights to my songs and signing contracts behind my back. Chuck and I started playing together seriously when I was 20…21. He was around 16. We’ve been together ever since.”
    “That’s a long time. No wonder you’re so in sync. You’re an amazing guitarist, Chuck. I’m jealous.” She directed her conversation to Joe. “My Mom played and sang. She taught music and voice lessons for a long time. Our concerts were on our front porch in the summer evenings.”
    Libby smiled as she moved the food on her plate around with her fork. “No standing ovations,” she smiled. “Course, we didn’t have shootouts either.”
    Joe smiled as he watched her awkward attempt at conversation. Realizing his amusement, she lay down her fork and contemplated how to get out of her