The Dirty South

by Penelope King

  He shakes his head. “You have secrets, Cadence St. Claire.”

  I look him in the eye. “Don’t we all, Colton Lassiter...” I say, mimicking his slow drawl.

  He gives me another smirk, and I’ve about had it. One second he’s caring and considerate—almost normal. The next moment he’s smug and arrogant.

  I throw all caution to the wind. “Why do you have so many horrible scars on your body? What happened to you?”

  Suddenly it’s like all the air’s been sucked out of the room. I immediately regret my words and wish I could take them back. But it’s too late now.

  Colton just sits there, not moving, his expression like stone. He glances briefly in my direction, then stares straight ahead again. Finally…

  “I didn’t know you’d be out there that day,” he says quietly. He resumes his robotic chopping. “You weren’t supposed to see all that.”

  I nod and look down at the table, my mouth dry. The question obviously struck a nerve. I admit it wasn’t delivered with the greatest of tact, but why is it such a sore subject? I’m sure plenty of other people have seen his scars. Why should he care that I did?

  After several long moments, he looks back over at me. “I raced motocross since I was ten. Retired four years ago, but I did it for almost twelve years.”

  I stare at him blankly, quickly calculating his age. I’m a little surprised. Not that he looks older, but for some reason he feels older. He must have been through a lot in his twenty-six years.

  “I crashed a lot.” He shrugs one shoulder and studiously focuses his attention on cutting the strawberries.

  He’s lying. I know he is. At the very least he’s not being totally honest with me. Those scars I saw weren’t from motorcycle crashes. They couldn’t be. But even if they were, why so defensive? It doesn’t make sense.

  I’d felt the pain in his eyes when I asked the question, and I don’t want to upset him any more than I apparently already have. Whatever his secrets are, he can keep them to himself.

  “That’s really cool that you used to race motorcycles.” I smile, attempting to ease the tension. “Were you any good?”

  He continues slicing, and I start cracking some eggs. “Pretty good, I guess. Turned pro at eighteen. Won or placed in several pretty big competitions here in the US, and a few in Europe.”

  “Wow, Europe?”

  His jaw twitches again, and he scoops all the cut-up strawberries back into the bowl. “Yup.”

  “Why’d you retire so young… only twenty-two?”

  Colton abruptly stands up, grabs the bowl, and crosses over to me in three long strides. He sets the berries down beside me, his eyes stormy again. But the rest of his face is an unreadable mask.

  “My time was over,” he says, and walks out the door.

  Chapter 13.

  I get myself cleaned up and dressed for the festival and try not to think about Colton’s weird behavior. But it’s hard. Why is he so hot and cold? Why does he care so much why I’m here in Sweet Oak, and why is he so sensitive about his injuries?

  It’s not yet noon, but the temps outside are in the low 90’s, with an 88% humidity level. Fabulous. I’ve changed from my earlier baking attire into some crisp white shorts and a navy blue tank. Some white sneakers and my hair in a loose, long braid complete the look. With all the amazing Southern food I’ve been scarfing down, I’ve been afraid to weigh myself lately. But my shorts still fit, so I’m not too terribly worried. I’ll start my diet next week. Or maybe the week after never. Who knows.

  I’m glad that Vivi said she’d come pick me up so we can drive together. I really don’t want to deal with the hassle of finding parking, and then trying to find her amongst the chaos, all the while lugging around four huge containers of over one hundred and fifty cookies. The strawberry-cream cheese-white chocolate-pieces of heaven turned out even better than I’d hoped, and it’s all I can do to keep from eating some as I wait for her to arrive.

  She calls me right at 12 o’clock. “I’m out front,” she says. “I’d come back to get you, but I don’t know which house you’re in.”

  “Don’t worry about it, I’ll be right there.” I give one last glance in the mirror, then dab on some more pale pink lip gloss and a little more mascara. My skin does seem to have a healthier glow than it has for a long time. Maybe being done with school and away from Brandon is doing me more good than I realized.

  Vivi’s car is the cutest thing ever – a sporty VW Beetle convertible with a baby-blue paint job and white leather seats. The top is down and she’s sitting with a big smile on her face, her wild red hair knotted in a loose bun.

  “Love your ride,” I tell her, as I open the door and set the boxes on the floor between my feet. I have to be careful the cookies don’t get jostled, since they squash easily. Another reason I’m happy she’s driving— so they won’t be flying all around the cab of Colton’s truck.

  “Thanks! Freddy bought it for my birthday a few years ago, and then Colton fixed it up for me good as new.”

  It’s funny how even hearing his name gives me a strange thrill. I can’t help it. I’m intrigued by him. There’s something deeper there, hidden away. A mystery waiting to be solved.

  I shake my head. A mystery, maybe. But I will definitely not be the one solving it. That’s the last thing I need to think about.

  Vivi puts on a pair of enormous white sunglasses and grins at me. They make her look like an adorable bug. We start driving through town on our way to Autumn Brook Farms where the celebration is being held.

  “What’d Colton do to it?” I ask her.

  “Oh, I’m not sure of all the details. That’s guy stuff. But he re-did all this interior—” she waves her hand around, “—the dash, and the seats. It was tore-up black vinyl before, all hard and cracked.”

  I run my hands over the soft, white leather. “Nice,” I murmur.

  She nods. “But the best was the paint job. When Freddy bought it, it was a flat boring silver color. But Colton said he’d pick me the perfect color, and he did. He mixed it custom himself, so no one else in the world will ever have a car like this.” She pats the dashboard affectionately.

  I can see how happy this makes her, and I marvel at the fact that a car that probably only cost a few thousand dollars to begin with can be transformed into something so pretty and unique. It suits her perfectly, even the way it compliments her bright red hair and big blue eyes.

  I want to ask her more about Colton, but I don’t want to make my interest—correction, my annoying curiosity—about him obvious. Don’t want her to get the wrong idea. Besides, I’m enjoying our ‘girl time’ together. It’s the first I’ve had since I got here. I’d like to get to know her better, and I’d like to not think about my own issues for a change.

  We chat about her upcoming wedding with Freddy at the end of the year, and she tells me all about how they met. I sense a kind of connection with her… she reminds me of myself a few years ago. Freddy is the only guy she’s ever been with, and the only man she’s ever loved. Like I was with Brandon. But it’s not exactly the same. Her face positively lights up any time she mentions her beloved fiancé’s name. I’m not quite sure my face ever did.

  The seven mile ride to Autumn Brook Farms is over far too quickly. It’s been so much fun driving around in Vivi’s convertible, it almost makes me miss my own destroyed car. Almost. Actually I’m happy to be rid of it. Another piece of my phony, former life that can just stay dead.

  The entrance to the farm is already a zoo, and we are ushered to a dirt lot off to the side where all the cars are parking. After several minutes we manage to find a spot.

  “Wow, this is crazy!” I look around in astonishment as we make our way back through the gate. “I expected it to be small... just some booths and maybe a few silly games.”

  Vivi laughs. “Oh no. Sweet Oak don’t mess around when it comes to its celebrations. Wait till you see Fall Fest!”

  It looks almost like a mix between a state
fair and a traveling carnival. There’s a big stage at the far end of the field where a band is playing, and the music is being piped through several loud speakers spread throughout the grounds. Groups of people wander up and down the rows and rows of booths, where vendors are hocking everything from homemade candles, to personalized door signs, to custom license plates, to every kind of belt buckle under the sun. There are booths with jewelry, crafts, face painting… And the food. Oh my, the food! From funnel cakes to foot long corn dogs to BBQ platters… the opportunities for gluttony are everywhere.

  “God, I’m gonna gain twenty pounds today, and I don’t even care!” Vivi says, eyeballing the gelato booth.

  “Where do we take these?” I nod toward the cookie boxes she and I are both carrying.

  She looks around and spots a white flag with a picture of a huge strawberry on it waving in the breeze. “Over there… that’s the bake sale area.”

  We make our way through the swelling crowds and over to a long wooden table covered with a yellow and white checkered tablecloth. There are already several plates of pies and cakes and other novelty treats lined up, and they all look amazing. I really don’t expect to win anything, but I hope people buy at least some of my cookies so that I can help raise some money for the charities. Be kind of a bummer if I had to lug all them back home with me. Plus, my shorts definitely wouldn’t fit anymore!

  I find the middle-aged, heavyset woman who seems to be in charge of things. “Oh, great, cookies!” she says with her thick twang as she looks inside the boxes we set on the table. “We don’t get too many cookie entries. Most people figure they’re too common. Good for you for being so brave!”

  What the fuck?

  “Yeah, they took a lot of courage to bake.” I give her a wide smile. “I just hope people aren’t too afraid to try them.”

  Vivi giggles beside me, and the woman tilts her head. “Oh, bless your heart, sweetie… What’s your name, so I can write it all down here?”

  I give her my info, and she tells me the judging portion of the bake-off goes from four til five with the winners announced at five thirty.

  I glance down the row of fancy confections and know my poor little cookies don’t stand a chance. Whatever. Winning a small town baking competition was never exactly high on my bucket list to begin with.

  “Just be careful with them… they smoosh easy,” I tell the woman, as Vivi grabs my arm and drags me off. We’re both pretty hungry, so we decide to start at the food court and make our way around the rest of fairgrounds from there.

  We each get some BBQ brisket and coleslaw, and then Vivi gets a funnel cake for dessert, while I opt for a huge snow cone. I haven’t had one in ages, and suddenly I feel like a kid again.

  “This looks like fun,” I say as we make our way to a ring toss booth. The game prices are outrageous, but like the bake sale, all the proceeds go to charity. So I whip out a five-dollar bill and the guy holds out three small hoops.

  “Make one, get a prize from the lower shelf. Make two, it’s the upper. Make all three, you get one of the grand prizes up there.” He points to the row of enormous animals hanging from the top of the booth. Seeing as how I’m not eight years old anymore, the thought of having a stuffed tiger larger than I am doesn’t exactly turn me on. But it’s all for fun, so I grin and take the rings.

  As I expected I miss all three shots. The guy smiles and hands me a small consolation prize, a miniature stuffed mouse the size of my hand.

  “Gee, thanks,” I laugh.

  “Better luck next time,” a voice says from behind me, and I turn around.

  “Oh, hi, Dr. Dan!”

  He steps closer, and he’s even cuter than I remember. He has a slightly crooked smile, and his eyes are intelligent and thoughtful. “Just Dan. Please.” He gives a friendly nod to Vivi and turns back to me. “How are you? How’s the neck?”

  I return his smile. “Great. No troubles at all.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  Vivi’s phone rings and she reaches into her purse to grab it, then she takes a few steps away to talk more privately.

  “So you started working over at Sheldon’s place, huh?” Dan says a few moments later, as he shields his face from the sun.

  “Yeah.” I open my purse and drop in the small mouse prize. “I started on Monday.”

  “How’re you finding it?”

  “It’s nice. It’s certainly keeping me busy, and he’s a wonderful man—”

  “Hey, Cady, Dan, sorry to interrupt,” Vivi says, coming back over. We turn to her and she rolls her eyes. “Stupid me forgot to get my mom’s meds earlier, and she needs them—”

  “How is Phyllis?” Dan asks, frowning. “Is she all right?”

  Vivi waves off his concern. “She’s fine, but she needs to stay on schedule. Anyways, I’m so sorry but I gotta dash out for just a few. I won’t be long. Maybe thirty minutes. Forty, tops. You wanna come with… or do you want to stay here?” She glances back and forth from Dan to me.

  Dan gives me a shy grin. “I’m happy to keep you company if you like, Miss Cady, until our Miss Vivian returns.”

  I look back at Vivi and shrug. It’s only half an hour. “I guess I’ll hang here, if it’s all the same...”

  “Sure, yeah, no worries. Keep your phone turned on so I can find you when I get back.”

  “Will do.”

  I turn to Dan with a smile. “Shall we?”

  Chapter 14.

  We make our way around the lively fairgrounds, but being with a man who not only seems to know everyone in town, but actually cares about them as well, means a lot of stopping and chatting. Dan makes an effort to introduce me to as many people as possible, and within twenty minutes my head is spinning.

  “So how long have you lived here in Sweet Oak?” I ask him as he nods and waves to yet another family.

  “I was born and raised here. Did my undergrad up in Durham, then on to Chicago for medical school and did my residency in D.C. I came back a few years ago.”

  “Did you always know you wanted to practice here?” He’s so easy to talk to, the kind of person who would make anyone instantly feel comfortable. It’s a nice change.

  Dan shakes his head. “No. For a while I—” He stops, and a slow smile spreads across his face as he points over to an enormous dunk tank. Deputy Dale is perched on a ledge over the water. We both laugh and start to make our way over there.

  “I was planning on staying in D.C., actually. My wife—my ex-wife—she’s still there.”

  “Oh, you’re divorced?”

  He nods. “Almost five years now. We married too young, I suppose. We made it last as long as we could, but once she got her Ph.D. and I finished up my residency… we both realized that we just weren’t happy. Once the distraction of school was over—”

  “—you were better able to see what was right in front of your face.” I finish his sentence with a tight smile.

  He looks at me directly. “Sounds like you know what I’m talking about.”

  It occurs to me that we’ve gotten real personal, real fast, and I’m not sure I’m ready to open that particular can of worms with anyone just yet, no matter how nice and understanding he may be.

  I just give him a casual shrug. “It makes sense, is all, being so wrapped up in your studies that you couldn’t really see anything else.”

  He tips his head to the side. “So how about you… anyone special in your life?”

  I flash him another quick, tight smile. Is Dr. Dan interested in me? He’s definitely cute and sweet… and he’d make a great friend. But I don’t feel anything else for him.

  “No, no one special anymore. I… I’m kind of taking some time to myself for a while. Figuring some things out.”

  He nods. “Ah. Been there. Sometimes you just need to be on your own for a bit to figure out exactly what you really need and want in life.”

  I feel some of my reserve slipping away. “Yes, that’s it. I… I was with someone for a long time. B
ut now I have to learn who I am without him in my life, and what’s really important to me.” I bite my lower lip and glance at the ground. “More and more, I’m starting to realize how much of who I was becoming was all based on him. So now—”

  “It’s back to the drawing board?” We both kind of chuckle.

  “In a way… yeah.”

  He looks me straight in the eye. “New beginnings are good for the soul. I’m a firm believer that we can always still become exactly who we were meant to be, and that it’s never too late. Sometimes you just need to shed the dead skin to reveal the newer, truer you.”

  The side of my mouth quirks up a bit. I really hope he’s right.

  We’ve reached the dunk tank, and the crowd erupts into laughter as a young, very pregnant woman steps forward holding a ball high in the air. Dale shakes his head and wags his finger, and the crowd laughs again.

  “That’s Marni, his wife,” Dan informs me.

  My jaw drops, and I look at him in astonishment. “Dale’s married? And about to be a father?”

  He chuckles. “Actually, this’ll be his third. He’s really not as young as he looks. He’s served in Afghanistan.”

  “No way…” And here I was wondering if he’d even finished high school yet. Guess you can never really tell about people.

  The crowd erupts even louder as Marni nails the bulls-eye lever on her first shot, sending Dale plunging into the water.

  She immediately wobbles over to him, laughing, as he breaks the surface and comes over to the side of the tank. He pulls himself up the side and greets her with a big, wet kiss for all to see. The laughter turns to ‘ahhh’.

  I can’t help but smile at the unexpected romantic display. It is so genuine and unscripted. Love. Natural and simple.

  My gaze starts to wander over the crowd—and stops on a pair of blue eyes blazing at me from the back.

  Colton.

  He stands perfectly still as his eyes lock onto mine. For a second it’s as if we’re alone, only inches apart.

  I’m trapped… and I like it. I don’t want to be cut loose just yet.