One summer, three (and a half) weddings, a hunky neighbor, and a secret Dolly Parton impersonator.
I’m Mercer “Hose Bath” Byrd. Hiking boots are my preferred footwear and I have engine grease under my fingernails. What my friends don’t know? I just got a side hustle impersonating Dolly Parton in Las Vegas.
I took the gig because it pays well and I dream of tearing down my dad’s double-wide trailer. I want to build a real house with a flower garden and a concrete foundation. I didn’t consider that I’d actually enjoy playing Dolly, or that I’d go nuts trying to keep it a secret.
My old neighbor, Jack Spencer, blew back into town just in time for my friends to get married and abandon me. Jack has a way of swooping in exactly when I need him—including being my plus-one for this summer of weddings—but he also has a knack for catching me in incriminating sequins.
We couldn’t be more opposite. He’s foie gras—I’m Pop Tarts. He’s a globetrotting government contractor—I secretly sing “9 to 5” on the Strip. And I think he might be on to me.
