by J. H. Croix
“Of course, of course. It’s just such a shame, you know? That you…”
“Thanks again, sir. You have a good day now.” I gave Mr. Linden a quick wave, turned and made my way around his house to my truck, itching to get away from the old fan. I didn’t like talking about those days. In fact, I did everything in my power to avoid talking about them. Football was in the past for me. There was nothing good that could come from dredging it all up, reminiscing about times I couldn’t go back to or things I couldn’t change. Lately, it felt as if the past was colliding with the present in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Back in high school and college, my family was beloved in our small town, and my success on the field only added to the luster. In a few short years, an injury ended my dreams of a football career and my father was in jail. Talk about a fall from grace.
To add to my sense of frustration, Linden gave me cash. Since all cash had to be deposited before the end of each day, that now meant that I had to go to the bank and face yet another person I wasn’t in the mood for.
Leila.
Mentally preparing myself for the encounter I was about to have, I wrapped my fingers tightly around the leather sleeve of the steering wheel in my truck and pointed it the direction of the bank. My radio crackled to life when I flicked the knob, the cab filling with classic rock.
My thumbs tapped out the rhythm on the wheel. I let myself be absorbed by the familiar guitar riffs and the melodic pounding of the drums. I almost managed to forget where I was going and who I was about to see, but then I was at the bank and it all came back to me.
With a deep sigh rattling from my lungs, I shut down the truck, grabbed the wad of cash and made my way into the air conditioned main floor of the bank.
I’d hardly pushed my way through the double doors at the entrance when I heard her. Leila Anders was a force to be reckoned with. “Jeremy Lovett as I live and breathe. You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
Blonde hair teased to within an inch of its life, Leila was never seen with so much as a hair out of place. I often wondered if it was actually a wig until I’d been reliably informed by Tyson in easier days gone by that it was very much attached.
A soft chuckle fell my from my lips at the memory of my uptight older brother, hungover as all hell, stumbling back into our house in nothing but his boxers and a torn t- shirt with vague memories of having finally taken Leila up on her offer the night before. She’d been coming on to us all for years, chasing after us because she thought she had a shot on account of all the trouble our family had gotten into with our father’s deplorable choices. Not to make it seem like we Lovett boys were special thought. Rather, Leila fancied herself a cougar and pursued any handsome guy who took her fancy as long as he was around a decade shy of her age.
Now forty-five, the remnants of the cheerleader she once was were still there, however faintly. Her face mapped with fine lines that told the story of her harder younger days, her pale blue eyes telling stories I sure as hell didn’t want to hear.
She’d taken over the bank a few years ago and as such, was unfortunately a necessary evil that I had to deal with every oh-so-often. Flashing her a tight smile, I strolled right up to the counter and started filling out the deposit forms.
“Leila,” I said, greeting her with a perfunctory nod as she approached me. I kept my eyes trained on the papers I was filling out. I quickly stuffed the cash into a deposit envelope and handed it over to the teller. She took it, printed my receipt and I was ready to go.
Leila was there behind me when I turned, reaching out to curl a hand over my forearm. “You can’t be done so soon, Jeremy. How about some tea?”
“I can’t. Sorry.” I tried to shrug her off, but her nails dug into my skin and her smile froze on her lips.
“You never want to stay with me, baby. Why is that?” she purred, flipping her rigid hair over her shoulder.
I suppressed a shudder when I caught a whiff of her sickly sweet scent, my eyes darting around the bank hoping for a distraction. There was nothing. Plain wooden paneling stretched along the walls, brown and depressing. The bank was empty, but for us and the clerk who’d accepted the money and she’d disappeared in the meantime.
It was time to face the cougar. “I never stay because my business here is done, Leila.”
Shrinking back slightly at the coolness of my tone and how clipped my words were, I saw her strengthen her resolve and work at widening her smile. “You could just come to see me every once in a while, no business.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I said sharply. I wasn’t too chatty, nor did I care about to win any awards for being Mr. Congeniality, but I was generally, at the very least, polite to people. Being rude wasn’t my thing, even if being direct was.
“We could be great together,” she said, her red-painted lips rolling together before her teeth sank into her bottom lip. She wagged her finger from her chest to mine and back. “You and I, it could be magical.”
Damn this woman was aggressive. I admired strong women, my mother had been one of the strongest and the best one I’d ever known, but Leila wasn’t that. It wasn’t strength that made her act the way she did.
“Let me repeat myself,” I said curtly, making sure to look directly into her eyes and let her see how serious I was. “That’s never going to happen.”
Leila still wasn’t deterred, though her nostrils flared and the sting of rejection flashed in her eyes. It was almost enough to make me feel pity for her. Almost, but not quite. Especially not when she took a step closer to me and pressed her blatantly enhanced breasts right into my chest.
“A relationship between us could be explosive, just give it chance. Get to know me.”
I shook my head, taking a step back to put some distance between us. I needed Leila’s claws, and the rest of her, as far away from me as possible. “I’m not the relationship type. Sorry.”
Unfortunately, she wasn’t ready to let me go just yet. A smile that I was sure was meant to be seductive, but was slightly nauseating instead, played on her lips. “I’m okay with that too. You don’t want a relationship? We could just have a little fun.”
Her hand shot forward so a sharp, long red nail could rake down my chest, over my stomach. An involuntary shudder ripped through me at the contact, but Leila mistook that as a good thing, her smile turning into a knowing smirk.
Oh for fuck’s sake. This woman would stop at nothing. Closing my hand around her wrist gently but firmly, I pushed down until her hand was back at her side, then I hooked my index finger under her chin and lifted it, so she was looking right at me again. This time I allowed my disgust of her to shine through clearly.
“Listen to me one last time, Ms. Anders. I’m only going to say this one more time. Not interested, not happening, not ever. M’kay? Now, I really do have to get going.”
Her eyes widened and then narrowed, a flash of anger in them.
She didn’t try to stop me again. I stalked out of the bank without looking back, pushing through the door and sliding my sunglasses over my eyes. I didn’t stop going until I was back at the construction yard, walking up the metal steps to Doc’s office.
I knocked twice on his door before letting myself in. “All done for the day, Doc.”
“Good job. Jamie called, they’re thrilled about the new patio.”
“Good. S’long as the clients are happy, right?” I grunted, signing off on the last paperwork for that job and filing it away. “Money’s in the bank. Which job do want me to tackle next?”
“Sarah’s. In the morning.”
“Yeah, I remember. But I was talking about today. That was the last job we had scheduled for me today.”
Doc chuckled and checked the notes on his calendar. “I remember too, and there is nothing else urgent on here. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? Come on back after you’re done at the salon in the morning.”
It was only just after lunch, but I wasn’t going to question his sudden generosity with giving afterno
ons off.
“Whatever you say, boss man. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Doc waved me off. “See you in the morning.”
Chapter Six
Marie
“This is it, buddy. You ready for your first day?” The daycare Miranda suggested had brightly painted walls with murals of cartoon characters on every second panel. It was a quiet tree-lined street and just like she’d promised, it was minutes away from our new apartment. The daycare also offered preschool classes for children, so this was a new experience for Austin in more ways than one.
Austin squeezed my hand, his eyes wide as they darted from mural to mural. I could feel the excitement coming off him to be starting preschool here, even if I could also tell that he was nervous. “I’m ready.”
The owner of the daycare emailed the application forms to me the night before, mentioning that she knew Miranda and she’d spoken to her about us. Usually we wouldn’t have been able to get a spot the very next day, but thanks to Miranda’s groundwork and the fact that this was a very small town, there wouldn’t be a delay in Austin starting here.
The place was bustling with kids, all of whom looked happy and healthy, to my eternal relief. I got Austin situated in a bright classroom with views of the garden and play equipment outside.
We found him a spot that he liked near the window once we’d made sure another child wasn’t usually seated there, and I dropped to my haunches in front of him. “You’re going to be happy here, I can tell. But if you need anything, you ask your teacher to call me, okay?”
He flung his arms around me neck. I returned the hug and pulled him in tight. He reached up to stroke my hair, murmuring softly, “Don’t worry mommy, I’m tough. I’ll be fine.”
Tears sprung to my eyes, and I quickly blinked them back. I held on to Austin for another quick second before letting him go, giving him what I hoped was an encouraging smile. “I know you are. I love you, you hear?”
Austin flashed me a smile, but he was distracted by the teacher and several other children making their way into the classroom. The teacher gestured them to a small table with a puzzle in the center. I could see he was itching to go join them.
“Go on, I’ll see you later,” I said as I pushed back up onto my feet. He didn’t need any more encouragement, bouncing over and sidling in next to boy about his age. He would be fine. On my way out, I briefly spoke with his teacher and then it was time for me to start my own first day.
I lingered in the doorway, watching as Austin tentatively started talking to the other children around his table. He was so brave. He’d been going to the same daycare in Savannah for the last two years, so it was big for him to try to get to know new peers. Austin was my whole heart, my reason for being. It was only when another parent came hurrying through the door that I was snapped out of my reverie. I’d almost made myself late.
Thankfully, nothing in central Cypress Creek was more than a few minutes’ drive away. I arrived at the salon ten minutes before starting time despite my hold up.
Sarah’s salon was a street front shop called Manetain. She’d expanded from the one station she’d started with in the old barber shop to her own salon that now encompassed two storefronts. A pink and black awning outside with two round tables underneath it where ladies could wait or sip coffee gave it a cheerful, welcoming air.
I smiled at the thought of women with foils in their hair sitting right out on the street, but this was on Main Street. The five-tiered herb planters Sarah had on either side of the entrance would provide the women with at least some semblance of privacy.
As if she’d been waiting for me, which she probably had, the ornate bell above the door tinkled as Sarah pushed it open and rushed out to me. She was an older woman who did her best to stay young, whether it was with her clothes, hairstyle, gadgets or language she used.
Today, her hair was a loud red with soft ringlets of curls framing her face. Her makeup was subtle in coloring, but very much there and her lithe body was draped in a black wrap dress that accentuated her narrow waist and ample chest.
A wide smile stretched across her face. In her excitement to get to me, she nearly bowled me over. “Marie! Oh honey, it’s so, so good to have you home.”
“It’s good to be home,” I replied, opening my arms to scoop her in for a big hug. Sarah was something of a mother to me, though she preferred to think of herself more as a slightly older sister. She smelled faintly of the ammonia in hair dye, betraying the fact she’d been working already, with undertones of the same floral perfume she’d been using since I was a little girl.
Planting her hands on my shoulders, she stepped out of my hug and gave me a long once over. Her eyes narrowed, probably when she realized that I’d lost more than a fair amount of weight since the last time I’d visited, but she didn’t say anything about it.
“And you were able to start so soon. You literally saved my life, the school’s got a dance coming up and those girls would’ve just about killed me if I wouldn’t have been able to fit everyone in to have their hair done. You know how it goes, every dance has the girls’ lives depending on it.”
A ghost of a smile touched my lips as many of my memories from dances back in high school came rolling back. “Yeah, I remember. There would’ve been hell to pay.”
Sarah laughed and pretended to wipe her brow. “Thank gawd I dodged that bullet then, huh? Come on, let’s get you inside. I cleared out a station for you right near mine.”
She spun around, and I followed her into the shop, beyond grateful to get out of the muggy heat inside and into the cool salon. The flooring was done up in black and white checkerboard, the walls a soft pastel pink with big black leather seats at each station.
The entire salon smelled like hair products and coffee with stacks of fashion magazines everywhere. There were six stations in all, separated down the middle by couches where friends or family could wait and still be part of the action.
The place wasn’t exactly my style, but it was feminine, beautiful and I could see why Manetain was such a popular salon. Excitement drifted like bubbles through my veins that I was going to be working here.
The only thing out of place was a blue tarp hung over what looked like a door that led to the back. Sarah noticed my curious glance and waved me on to the station in front of me. “Don’t worry about that. We’re having some work done that starts on Friday, so the back’s a bit of a mess. Shouldn’t take long and then we’ll be even bigger and better.”
She swept her hand to one of the larger stations, with its own row of shelving filled with products next to it. “That’s you. You like it?”
The mirror was framed with a large antique, brass frame, while the equipment was shiny and new. I loved the contrast just as much as I loved the general vibe in the salon. “I love it.”
“Great.” She beamed at me, walking to the reception desk to flip on the radio. Soft notes of country music drifted to my ears, and I took a moment simply to appreciate where I was and how things were changing for me.
“You get Austin enrolled in preschool okay?” Sarah asked as she walked over to the coffee station.
“Sure did. I think he’s going to like it there.” I joined her, reaching for two mugs while she filled the kettle. “What work are you having done in the back?”
Sarah cocked her hip against the table, setting the kettle down to boil and crossed her arms as she lifted her eyes to mine. “Just a bit of an expansion and renovation. A larger storage area, new floors, some new shelving, painting. We’ll see what else Doc’s crew recommends. I just need more storage space, more room for organization, and I want to have space for us as a break room or lunch area or whatever.”
I nodded, happy that I was coming in at such an exciting time for the salon. “Sounds good. What else is new around here?”
Sarah’s eyes lit up as she shot me an exaggerated wink. “You! You’re new around here. Old, but new too. Let’s skip the boring town gossip and catch me up with what�
��s going on with you.”
I’d seen this conversation coming and I’d already decided I wouldn’t mention Wesley to Sarah. I didn’t want to cause her any concern and I was kind of hoping that his name was a little like ‘Candyman.’ If I didn’t say it, he wouldn’t show up. A girl could dream.
“What’s going on with me?” I mused, fixing our coffee when the kettle whistled and wrapping my hands around the cup of steaming goodness. “I’m just trying to settle back in here, I guess. Austin’s great, he’s growing up so fast it’s hard to believe sometimes.”
Sarah’s lips curled into a fond smile. “Tell me about it. And he’s just the mirror image of his mama. He’s going to be a heartbreaker, that boy.”
“I don’t even want to think about that yet.” I shook my head, lifting my mug to take a sip of the strong coffee Sarah’d brewed. “I’m having a tough time adjusting to him being so independent and not crawling into bed with me every night anymore. I can’t even think about him being all grown up. It’s just too much.”
Sarah gave my shoulder a comforting pat and smiled over the top of her mug. “If it’s any consolation, you’ve still got, what? Probably a little under a decade before that happens.”
I mock shuddered and held up my hand. “Hold up. Can I forbid him from dating at fifteen? That seems really young to me right now.”
Sarah’s sly laugh made me smile. “You can try, but I don’t think you’ll have much success.”
“Probably not.” I sighed, more determined than ever to enjoy my little boy while he was both still little and still mine.
“You know who doesn’t have to wait another decade before they start dating?” she asked me, her eyes twinkling. “You.”
“Sarah, don’t even go there,” I groaned.
She lifted a shoulder innocently and took a long sip of her coffee. “What? It’s the truth. You’re young, you’re beautiful and you’re smart. Men must be lining up outside your door and you’re trying to tell me there’s no one special in your life?”
