by Parker, Lexy
She giggled softly. “I fix cars. What makes you think I don’t fish?”
“I suppose you have a good point. Does that mean you want to go?” I asked anxiously.
“I’d love to, if you don’t mind me out-fishing you,” she said with a laugh.
“You are welcome to try, but I have to confess something,” I said in a low voice.
“Uh-oh, I’m almost afraid to ask,” she said.
I leaned close to her. “I don’t really care if I catch anything. I really just like to sit out there and enjoy the outdoors.”
She turned her face to mine, her lips brushed over my ear. “Good, because I really don’t like to put the worm on the hook.”
I chuckled. “Then I think we have a date. You can toss your naked hook in the water and we can sit on the riverbank and pretend we’re fishing for real.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I’ll bring some snacks,” she mused.
“I’ll bring the beer.”
Philip returned with his family. The three of them were all looking at us with smiles on their faces. I put my arm around Dani and grinned. Sadie looked from me to Dani, her eyes bright with amusement. She put her hand up, indicating she wanted a high-five. I happily obliged. Dani gave her a high-five as well.
I walked Dani to her car, giving her a quick, chaste kiss before getting into my truck and leaving. I was looking forward to tomorrow.
Chapter 26
Dani
I parked my car alongside Clay’s truck in the small parking lot. He jumped out when he saw me, coming around to meet me at the back of the car.
“Hi,” he said, greeting me with a small kiss on the cheek.
“Hi. I thought you’d already be down there. I’m sorry I’m late,” I told him.
“I don’t mind waiting. I’m not one of those early morning fishers.”
“Especially since you’re not actually trying to catch fish,” I said with a wink.
He chuckled, nodding. “This is true.”
I grabbed the picnic basket from the back seat, while he carried two folding chairs, two poles and a tackle box and somehow managed to carry a small ice chest as well. It wasn’t exactly a date that most women would dream of, but I was looking forward to sitting with him and chatting without distractions.
He set up my chair before putting his close by. I settled into mine, really not all that interested in fishing. It was a beautiful day and I had enough bug spray on to protect the whole county from ticks and mosquitoes.
“It is beautiful out here. Is this your super-secret hideout?” I asked him.
He smiled at me, his dark sunglasses shielding those warm brown eyes from my view. “It’s not so secret, but I have kind of claimed it as my own.”
“It’s nice, really nice. Do you ever catch fish?”
He grinned. “I certainly do—when I want to. The problem with being such an excellent fisherman like myself, is I have to clean the fish and that’s the part I’m not so fond of.”
“I could see how that could be an issue.”
He reached into the cooler and pulled out a beer, ice clinging to the dark bottle. “Want one?”
I pretended to look at my watch. I wasn’t wearing one, but it made the point. “It’s like eleven in the morning.”
He twisted the top off and took a long drink. “It’s Saturday and we’re fishing. It’s five o’clock in my mind.”
I burst into laughter. “Then I suppose I will have one, thank you.”
He grabbed a bottle, twisted the top off and handed it to me. “Want me to bait your hook?”
“I suppose that would be a good idea. I have to at least try to catch a fish,” I said.
He reached for one of the poles, opened his tackle box and quickly baited the hook with some pink goo. “Want me to cast it for you?”
I shook my head. “Nope. The best part of fishing is the casting.”
I quickly adjusted the reel and stood up, casting like a pro. I had mastered fishing by the time I was eight thanks to my dad. I turned to look at him, smiling before I sat down, sticking my pole in the ground to do its thing.
“Thanks for coming out here today. I know it’s probably not what you normally do on a Saturday.”
“I don’t normally do anything. I got up, went to the gym, did housework and here I am. It’s a nice change of pace,” I said casually.
“You already did all that and it’s not even noon!” he said with awe.
“I like to get an early start.”
“I’d say. I don’t know if this is going to work. I can’t say I enjoy getting up early,” he said with a laugh.
“Trust me, if I’m there, you’ll enjoy getting up early.”
I should have probably been more ladylike, but it wasn’t like we hadn’t already had sex. He knew I liked sex with him and I wasn’t going to pretend otherwise.
“You’re a dangerous woman,” he groaned.
“So, tell me again what the beef is between you and your brother,” I said, quickly switching gears.
He choked on his beer. “What? You don’t want to know about that.”
“I do. I want to understand what makes a man hate his own brother, especially a man like you,” I told him.
“A man like me?” he questioned.
“Yes. You’re kind and seem to be nice to everyone you meet. The only person I’ve seen you be truly negative about is your brother. Why? Of all people, I would think he would be the last person you could feel such a strong dislike for,” I said, not willing to let it go.
In my mind, I needed to know what the deal was before I could consider being in a real relationship with him.
“I don’t hate him. He is my brother and there is that connection, but I don’t like him. I don’t like him because he doesn’t like me. I know that sounds ridiculous, but that’s what it stems from. I think he hates me. He can’t stand to talk to me. He always has something critical or negative to say. He’s rude, obnoxious and it makes me crazy,” he said.
I took a drink from my bottle. “Do you think it might just be a little sibling rivalry?”
“No. I wish. He just hates me. I will admit there is some jealousy on my part because I see how my mom treats him. He’s her angel. He can do no wrong. Emmitt has always been good at everything he does. It took him no effort to be successful. I think my mom always measured me against his standards and I failed miserably, and she let me know it,” he muttered.
“You own your own business. You served your country. I think that’s pretty impressive,” I told him.
“I’m not as successful as he is. I don’t carry myself the same way. He’s just this kind of guy that exudes class and wealth. I’m the guy drinking a beer and taking a beautiful woman fishing on a Saturday morning instead of taking her out to some fancy lunch,” he said, the self-condemnation obvious.
I mulled over what he said. “I don’t know. I think you’re you and that’s who you’re supposed to be. You’re doing what you were meant to and I like that guy. I like the guy who takes a woman fishing on a Saturday morning. You don’t have to be him, and you certainly don’t have to envy him.”
He smiled, nodding his head. “I appreciate that, but not everyone feels the same way as you do. My mom and dad, for example.”
“Are you close with them?”
“Kind of. I’m close with them when they need something. I’m close with them when Emmitt isn’t around, which he is hardly ever.”
I nodded my head, suddenly understanding the jealous bit. “You’re mad that he came to town and took the attention.”
He shook his head. “No. That is definitely not it. I’m upset with him because he came into town, which makes them crazy happy and they dote on him. They treat him like a king and he treats them like shit, especially my mom. That’s what I hate. I hate that he can treat his own mother like she’s a nuisance. Like she’s the maid that’s coming in to clean up after him.”
I was beginning to get a clearer picture of t
he situation. He was protective of his mama, which was incredibly sweet. I knew he wasn’t fond of being called sweet, but that was the word I thought of when I saw him with Sadie and when I heard him defend his mother’s treatment.
“I bet your mom appreciates you looking out for her,” I commented.
He scoffed. “I don’t think she does. If I say anything that remotely sounds like criticism about Boy Wonder, she scolds me. She always makes excuses for his bad behavior and his atrocious manners. I’m sure it’s the reason he is the way he is. She is always making excuses for him. He will never learn because she gives him an easy way out. It pisses me off.”
“I can tell. I won’t bug you about it anymore. It’s a bummer you don’t get along with him. I used to always wish I had a big family. When I lost my parents, it was just me in the world. They were only children and then I’m an only child. Now, it’s just me, and Jamie, of course,” I said with a fond smile.
He was quiet for a few seconds, staring out at the water. “I guess I could understand why you would want to have several kids. I guess I’ve never really thought about it like that,” he replied.
I picked up my pole and slowly reeled it in. Not because I had anything, but because I liked casting and it seemed like I’d waited an appropriate amount of time. I recast and sat back, watching him go through the same motion.
“Want a snack?” I asked.
“Sure, what’d you bring?”
“Cheese, crackers, some granola and fruit and nut bars,” I replied.
He looked at me, pushing his glasses up on his forehead to eyeball me with those chocolatey smooth brown eyes. “That sounds like something you take on a nature hike.”
I giggled. “Yes, I’m sure I would. It’s all I had and it’s all I really snack on.”
“You’re really into the fitness thing?” he asked, as if he wasn’t sure he was okay with that.
I shrugged a shoulder. “Not really into it, but I don’t like to munch on chips and candy a lot. This food gives me energy, fills me up and I like it.”
“Well, hell, it works for me. Your body is smokin’ hot and if you get it by eating like a hippie, I’m cool with it. How about one of those nut bars?” he asked.
I happily opened the picnic basket and handed him one. I liked that he appreciated my body. We munched on our food, washing it all down with a beer before he checked the time and groaned.
“I hate to break up this little party, but I really need to get to my mom’s house,” he said, his voice full of dread.
“You sound really excited about it.”
“I would invite you, but I cannot subject you to my brother. I don’t want you to turn tail and run in the opposite direction,” he said with a small laugh.
“Do I look like I easily scare?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “No, actually you don’t, but my brother is not an easy person to deal with. Trust me, he’s a lot to take in. I don’t want you to meet him and think poorly of me or my parents. I truly don’t know what happened to him. We were both raised in the same house, but he’s just not a good man.”
“I’ll go,” I said.
“Dani, this is serious. You don’t know what you’re saying. I know I sound like a jealous little brother, exaggerating his big brother’s worst qualities, but I really haven’t scratched the surface,” he insisted.
“Clay, I’m a big girl. I can handle myself. I want to go, and it sounds like you could use the back-up. I’m going with you,” I said, making up my mind.
I knew it was a little rude to invite myself along, but I was not a meek woman. I wanted Clay, but I was not going to get caught up with a man who loved drama. That wasn’t my thing. If his parents and brother were truly as bad as he said, I would know it wasn’t him exaggerating or being a big baby. I was leaning toward the idea he was being honest. If I were being honest with myself, I was curious to see this train wreck of a brother he described. Morbid curiosity, I supposed.
“Okay, but please, I’m begging you, don’t hold their horrible behaviors against me. You know me, you’ve seen me for who I am. I am not them and absolutely do not listen to a word my brother says about me. He is going to go out of his way to paint an ugly picture,” he said, his eyes pleading with me.
I reached out and put my hand on his face. “It’s going to be okay.”
His eyes looked troubled. “I hope so.”
Chapter 27
Clay
We’d gone back to my place so I could shower and change into something that would earn me less scrutiny from my brother and mother—I hoped. There was no way to avoid all scrutiny, but I couldn’t show up in my khaki cargo shorts and old T-shirt. That was my fishing outfit and would only earn me ridicule from my uptight brother. Dani looked great, of course, and said she was fine with what she was wearing. I completely agreed. The woman looked amazing all the time. She had a natural beauty that required little makeup or effort. She could get out of bed, pull her hair back into a ponytail and throw on just about anything and look like she spent hours getting ready.
“Are you ready for this?” I asked her, coming into my living room where she was waiting for me.
She stood up and turned to look at me. She was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, flat sandals that showed off her pretty pink toes and a pink button-up shirt. “I am.”
“You can change your mind.” I offered her one last way out.
“Nope. Let’s go. You’re stalling,” she said firmly.
I inhaled a deep breath and nodded. We walked out to my truck and I headed over to my mother’s house. I was dreading the meeting, dreading the confrontation and hoped Emmitt could at least be civil. I was doing a surprise attack. I hadn’t called to warn my mom I was bringing a guest. I didn’t want Emmitt to have the chance to sharpen his fangs. Dani was the first woman I was bringing home and I had no idea how things would go, but I wasn’t expecting anything great.
“This is it,” I said, parking my truck in front of the modest house.
“It doesn’t look like a house of horrors from the outside,” she said with a laugh.
“Looks can be deceiving,” I mumbled, getting out of the truck and opening her door.
When my mother answered the door, I thought I was going to have to surgically reattach her lower jaw. She looked at me, then Dani, then back at me.
“Hi, I’m Dani Yates,” she said, extending her hand to my mother when neither of us said a word.
My mom’s face nearly split in two with her huge smile. “It’s so nice to meet you, Dani!”
Both women looked at me. “Dani, my mom, Mom, this is Dani,” I said, a little late on the introductions.
“Come in. I’m just putting together the rest of dinner. We’re having chicken-fried steak and redeye gravy. Does that work for you?” my mom prattled on as we walked into the kitchen.
I scanned the area, looking for Emmitt and didn’t see him. Maybe he’d gone back to New York.
“What can I do to help?” Dani asked, walking right to the kitchen sink and washing her hands.
My mom turned to look at me, a pleasant surprise on her face. “You can check the biscuits,” she said, shooing me out of the kitchen.
I reluctantly left, almost afraid to leave Dani alone with my mother, but I wanted to find Emmitt. It was always better to know where he was, much like knowing where a viper was waiting. I needed to keep my eye on him. I meandered into the living room, finding my father in his recliner, the remote in his hand, passed out cold. Emmitt was sitting quietly in one of the corner chairs, staring at his laptop as usual. I wondered if he was submitting resumes. I knew he wasn’t working. I didn’t bother asking him about his company’s bankruptcy—I didn’t care and was sure he would lie about it anyway.
“You actually have a girlfriend?” he quipped. “She must be desperate.”
“Not a girlfriend and she is far from desperate,” I replied, refusing to rise to the bait.
“Just fucking, huh?”
; “Don’t talk about her like that,” I snapped.
“Oh, touchy, touchy. She isn’t giving it up, huh? Maybe she needs someone with a little more game to work her over. I’ll get her nice and loosened up and when I’m done, you can have my sloppy seconds,” he said with a disgusting grin.
I got up and went back into the kitchen. I couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him. I sat at the kitchen table, watching and listening to my mom and Dani talk about happenings around town. They were getting along really well, which surprised me.
Dani walked to the table carrying a stack of plates. “She’s nice,” she whispered.
“Wait until the good son has a seat,” I mumbled under my breath.
With everyone seated around the table, including Emmitt, who had taken the seat next to Dani in an obvious attempt to make me jealous, dinner was underway. Dani didn’t appear to be uncomfortable in the slightest as she smiled at Emmitt. I could see him leering at her and wanted to slam my plate into his face. I barely managed to resist the temptation.
Emmitt was finding every reason possible to touch Dani. He reached for the basket of biscuits at the same time as she did, his hand resting on top of hers. He was sitting closer to her than was necessary, his shoulder brushing against hers on occasion.
“You have a gorgeous figure; do you work out a lot?” he asked her.
I gritted my teeth together. “Knock it off,” I hissed.
“I like to do a lot of spin classes. You should think about taking a class,” she quipped.
Emmitt’s nostrils flared. He did not like being insulted and she had very smoothly done exactly that.
“How long have you and Clay known each other?” my mother asked Dani.
Dani smiled. “You know, we’ve known of each other for a couple of years. His best friend is my best friend’s husband. We’ve never really met before a couple of weeks ago though.”
