Once and Again: Petal, Georgia, Book 1

by Lauren Dane

  He kept talking like she wasn’t imagining him naked. “He’s pretty far gone. But here are some extra-credit assignments. I want all four of them done and I want quality work. I won’t be doing him any favors if I let him slide.”

  Did she ask for that? Good gracious. But, he was in charge and her brother had messed up so it was time to suck it up and deal. She nodded, taking the papers and reading them over. “All right. He’ll do them.”

  “I know things have been hard since…”

  No. Not there and not with him. “He always was a crappy father. Chris can’t let our father hurt him any more than he already has. It’s not going to bring him back if Chris has to take summer classes or fail tenth grade. I’m not here to make excuses for him. He knows he’s been slacking and he knows I aim to make him stop.”

  He paused, licking his lips before he spoke again and little tingles spread out from all her best places. “Your momma’s okay with this?”

  “I know she’s been a problem.” Which had been such a lovely thing when she’d lived far enough away, not to be drawn into her mother’s passive aggressive ways of getting attention. The drinking only made it worse. “Which is why I have the guardianship. She’s been too lenient to try to make up for our father leaving. Chris knows how to work her and get what he wants. But I’m not her.”

  Thank God. If she had been, maybe Lily never would have had the nerve to box up Nathan’s stuff and leave it on his doorstep along with a check to cover his half of the security deposit on the apartment they’d rented together. It wasn’t the way he’d kissed Alison. Her cousin Alison. Lily knew her cousin had been throwing herself at Nathan in the time he and Lily had been taking some space from one another. It was, the way he’d made her feel when he never bothered to try to talk to her about it.

  Gah! Enough. Back to Chris and the situation with her mother.

  It wasn’t that Pamela didn’t care about her children. It was that she often found it best to get attention by letting Nancy show up and complain and criticize while Lily tried to ignore it. That way drama swirled all around and their mother got to be part of it without being a target.

  As their mother never did a thing to stop it, Lily had learned over her life that the best way to deal with her sister was not to let her ruffle feathers. Lily just pretended Nancy wasn’t standing there carping about something she was far too lazy to have done herself.

  The only balancing act would be to keep their mother from getting drawn into it for entertainment. The last thing Lily wanted to do was mother her own darned parent, but it appeared to be what was needed. Because it was Chris who mattered right then. Not Nathan Murphy looking all handsome and smoking hot or anyone else. Lily knew she was the only one in Chris’s life who could make a difference, and she meant to do it. Whether he liked it or not.

  Nathan looked back to the papers on his desk and then to her again. “He’s also missing assignments. I want them all completed and turned in. You can go online to see exactly what he’s missing. The school has a link on the website. I have a mini-site too with all assignments and directions available. If you have any questions, just ask.”

  She wrote more down. Having all the stuff available online would help her a lot because she knew she couldn’t trust Chris to keep her updated.

  “All right, thank you. He’ll get it done.”

  He hesitated. “Lil…Lily, some of the kids he’s hanging out with aren’t going to give you any help in getting Chris turned around.”

  He told her a few names and she thanked him, standing and tucking her things in her bag. She needed to go. Be away from Nathan who made such an attractive target for her attentions right then. Like that can of Pringles, he had to be resisted because he was bad for her.

  She needed to keep him squarely in the authority-figure camp. He was her brother’s teacher. She was resourceful and intelligent, she could overrule her ovaries and get the job done. Pull up her big-girl panties and all those sayings. Forever and ever, amen.

  She withheld her sigh at the discovery that in his presence her ovaries had the wheel and they were not letting go.

  “Would it be all right if I checked in with you every few days to make sure he’s doing what he should be?”

  He stood and moved toward her so she scooted toward the door. “Yes, of course.” He handed her a card. “My email and numbers are there. I check email each morning, at noon and then at four or so. If I can count on you and we can work together, we might be able to get Chris to his junior year.”

  “Thank you. I mean that.”

  “Why don’t we catch up over pie and coffee later?”

  “No thank you, I’m busy.” She was very proud of the way she’d managed to sound as if she didn’t care at all.

  “We used to be friends, remember?” He stepped closer and made her dizzy.

  “I’m friends with your sister. I have enough friends.”

  Beth Murphy was one of her best girlfriends. Growing up, Beth had practically lived at her house every summer, and given the situation the Murphy kids had at home, neither of her parents had ever complained to see Beth sleeping over.

  But then Lily had gone to college and ended up with Nathan. It had been like a fairy tale at first. He was the handsome boy from back home. Older. Sophisticated. And really hot. Plus he taught her plenty of sex-type stuff that unfortunately she’d never found a man good enough to replicate. She’d considered him The One. It was fabulous until it all fell to pieces.

  She and Beth had remained good friends, but they’d grown apart a little, especially after the breakup and then when she’d moved to Macon. As friends went, Lily considered herself to be very fortunate to have one in Beth, and it was one of the things she considered best about moving back to Petal.

  Now for the thing she dreaded most about moving back to Petal. She sighed as she hiked her bag up to her shoulder.

  “Thanks for the help.” She opened the door and nudged him aside to get past. He was solid and warm and still smelled really good. And she was totally sure he’d meant to brush against her the way he had. Man he was sneaky.

  She’d once loved him more than anything or anyone in the world. Times change.

  So close to her just then he caught sight of the flutter of her pulse at the hollow of her throat and the scent of her perfume wafted over. He imagined her body heating for him, the way his was for her. Her lips parted just a breath and he caught his own but drew her into his lungs and the shock of it echoed through his gut.

  Ensnared, he drew another deep breath and barely managed to keep from burying his face in her hair. “You still wear frangipani?” He couldn’t help but smile. He loved the earthy scent she wore. He wanted to ask if she still put it behind her knees and in the hollow of her throat. But the look on her face told him that would be a bad idea.

  But he was hungry for her. A hunger he hadn’t admitted to himself in a really long time. But there she stood, close enough to touch and he couldn’t.

  And he had no one to blame but himself.

  Chapter Two

  Lily walked out to her car after six meetings with six teachers. A whole rasher of begging and apologizing and a lot of promises had been given. The principal liked Chris and believed in him, which was a huge help.

  But the state was already giving them the evil eye about all the absences, and Lily had to sign an official warning saying that if he continued to cut class, he’d be expelled and have to be home schooled and they’d have to deal with child-protective services too.

  That was the last thing any of them needed. The general store on Main should carry some of the organizational supplies she’d need for his room. A trip to Atlanta or one of the bigger towns closer in would be necessary to get the rest. Or she could order off the internet.

  Seeing the Honey Bear, she pulled in and parked. Once she’d grabbed some carbs, she decided to hit the bookstore to see if they carried any of the books Nathan had listed for his extra-credit assignments.

 
; They did and they had some calendar stuff she needed as well.

  “Hi there. Wow! You look fabulous.”

  Lily turned to see the freaking fashion model behind the counter holding a toddler with pale blonde hair and big green eyes to complement her wicked grin. That was new. Not babies, but the woman wasn’t someone she recognized.

  “Um, thanks.”

  Glamazon smiled, looking even prettier. “I’m Cassie and this is Meg, my niece.” A greedy little hand plopped a big plastic horse on the counter and soon, another set of big green eyes and a mop of dark brown hair showed themselves. She laughed. “Not a daycare, I promise. That’s Ward, my son. Sorry, my sister-in-law ran to grab some lunch. You new around here?”

  “No, actually. I grew up in Petal. I’m Lily Travis. Just moved back. This week in fact. Is Penny around?”

  “She sold the store to me a few years back. She’s married now, with two kids. Lives in Atlanta. Lily? You and Beth Murphy are friends, right? Your mom is Pamela Travis?” The brief look that flashed across Cassie’s features told Lily the entire town knew about her father.

  “I’ve known Beth since first grade. I’ve liked her since third.” Lily laughed. “And yep, Pamela is my mother. You’re not from around here. I’d remember that hair.”

  Cassie laughed, and the little girl she held laughed and clapped as well.

  “Thank you. Not originally. I didn’t plan to end up here. But a few minutes after I drove into town, I was rear-ended by the woman who turned out to be my future mother-in-law. I was a goner when I saw all eleven feet of handsome gorgeous that was her son. Oh and look, it’s my sister-in-law. Well, more than one of them.”

  Lily turned to see a petite blonde with a baby so clearly her own in one of those baby-carrier things women wore, her hands full of bags. Next to her a sleek-looking, visibly pregnant brunette holding the hand of a preschooler.

  Suddenly the place was awash with Chase wives. Lily smiled at the blonde. “Hey you.”

  Tate Murphy, or rather, given the pictures her mother had taken at her wedding reception, Tate Chase, hugged her around the baby in the sling. “Oh my God! Lily! You’re here. Beth said you’d be in town a bit.”

  “You look fabulous.” She looked her friend over after they broke the hug. “Marriage suits you. Then again, if I was married to Matt Chase, I’d look satisfied and a little bit smug about it too.”

  Tate grinned. “I have a very good life and that includes a pretty tasty-looking man to come home to every night. It’s good to see you. Olivia? You remember Lily?”

  Lily looked around Tate and smiled at the woman she remembered from back in the day. “Marc Chase I hear. My mom keeps me apprised of all the comings and goings. Congratulations to you too.”

  “You were a few grades down from me. I was in Nancy’s class.”

  Olivia sent a raised brow to Tate, who laughed. “It’s okay, Lily knows what her sister is.” Tate turned back to Lily as they moved to put all the bags of food on the counter. “Give me an update. What’s going on with things?”

  She told them a little, just the basics. If Nathan was still close to his sister—and she knew he would be—he’d tell her himself. He valued family; it was one of the things she’d admired about him, and he and Tate were especially tight.

  “Well, I’m glad to have you back.” Tate held the curve of the baby in the sling as she leaned down to kiss the toddler in Cassie’s arms. “Beth’s been so happy to have you around. I’m glad you’re back for good.”

  “I need to call her. I’ve been meaning to, but things keep getting in the way. I haven’t spoken to her in a week.”

  “She’ll understand. Sounds like you’ve had a lot to do.”

  “Yeah. Speaking of that, I have to get going. I need to pick Chris up from school and I want to drop some stuff off first. Cassie, it was nice meeting you. Nice seeing you again, Liv. Tate, when you see Beth, please tell her I’ll be calling.” She paid for the books and said her goodbyes once more before heading out to her car.

  “Lily.”

  She looked up to see Tate coming out of the store.

  “Nathan would like to see you too, I’m sure.”

  “I’ve been over to the high school already. He’s one of Chris’s teachers.”

  “He’s single.”

  “Not surprised. But it has nothing to do with me.”

  “I know he did you wrong. He knows he did you wrong. But you two were good together.”

  It was impossible not to love Tate Chase. “Subtlety is not your strong point.”

  Tate laughed and hugged Lily again. “I fully expect you to be at Shane and Cassie’s house for Martini Friday. All my sisters will be there. All the Chase wives. We’ve got a great group of friends and I know you’d fit in like you never left.”

  She paused. It had been hard…after the breakup. She’d had to distance herself from the Murphys and it had felt as if she lost part of her family. They hadn’t made her feel bad or anything, but just being around them made her think of Nathan and she couldn’t do it. It would be a good thing to have a group of close women friends again. “All right. Thank you for asking.”

  Tate scribbled down an address and handed it back.

  The baby in the carrier squealed and kicked her legs. Her smile was as easy and charming as Matt’s had been back in the day.

  “You and Matt sure do make some sweet kids.”

  “This is Elizabeth, but we call her Lil Beth. She’s pretty much all about her daddy except when she’s hungry.”

  “Can’t blame her. She’s clearly got good taste.”

  Tate’s already wide smile brightened. “I’m glad you’re back, Lily. I’ve missed having you around.”

  Maybe, just maybe—she mused as she drove slowly through town, calling out her hellos through the open windows—she missed being around too.

  Nathan walked into his sister’s house and grinned at the sight. He didn’t bother knocking or using the bell. No one would have heard it anyway.

  This was his life. Filled with all these people he loved. Not a bad way to end a day.

  Tate and Matt’s house was the chief gathering place for the Murphy siblings. Wall-to-wall adults, kids out in the spacious backyard playing and running. It was normal. Nice and normal. And totally noisy.

  Nathan and his siblings didn’t have much normal when they were growing up in that tiny, suffocating trailer. But Tate had raised them, had given them all as much love as they’d needed and more. And now she was an amazing mother to her two children and her husband adored her. No one deserved it more.

  Tate returned his smile when she looked up, waving him toward the kitchen where she stirred a series of pots on the stove. “Nathan Murphy! You’re late.”

  “Hi there, hon.” He bent to kiss the top of her head. “Sorry. I have a problem kid in my class and I met with his sister today. I wanted to check in with some of his other teachers.”

  “You didn’t miss anything. Other than mentioning the problem kid’s sister was none other than Lily Travis.” She paused, turning her head. “Meg! You give that back to Lise right now.”

  He laughed at his niece, who gaped at her mother’s seemingly superhuman ability to know exactly when she was up to trouble. “Deal with it, kiddo. She has eyes in the back of her head.”

  Her brow furrowed, just like her mother’s did. “Daddy!” she howled as she tore out of the room.

  “Always runs to daddy.” Tate snorted.

  “Matt’s a smart guy, not like he’s going to overrule you.”

  Tate grinned. “Well, he’s smitten with all the women in his life.”

  “Where’s the littlest of his women anyway?” He looked toward the swing, which was empty, and the little saucer thing Lil Beth jumped in and spun around while squealing.

  “Matt’s doing a diaper check. So back to the subject. I ran into the most gorgeous woman today in Cassie’s bookstore. Like she stepped out of a magazine ad from 1958. Cute pants and shirt. Matching jew
elry. Really just a whole package.”

  He groaned. “Chris is in trouble. She’s come back to Petal to straighten him out. He needs it, Lord knows. But she’s got a big job ahead of her. I don’t envy it.”

  Tate harrumphed. “Are we pretending you don’t care that she’s back in Petal?”

  He put his hands up defensively. “She’s the one who dumped me. This is strictly professional. You know I’m not looking for anyone right now.” Not after his last girlfriend had gotten through with him and his bank account.

  “Oh fuck that fucking woman! That’s what you get for trusting a grown person who wanted people to call her Steffie. I told you she was trouble.” Tate hissed angrily as she looked around to be sure no kids were nearby.

  “I thought you were working on your little F-word issue.” He hid a smile. His beautiful, petite sister had a mouth a sailor could envy.

  “I am! I was. But she makes me want to say all the really bad words and there aren’t any kids around to hear and so I stumbled a little.” She managed to make her sniff sound indignant, and Nathan only loved his sister more for it.

  She shot a glare his way again briefly before turning her attention back to meal prep. “Stephanie needs her butt kicked to Texas and back. But you’re just as dumb. She was a skank, much like the rest of them have been. Which is why Lily dumped you, dumbass.”

  “I clearly need to stop making any commitments to women I’m not related to. I’m not cut out for long-term relationships.” He shrugged, wishing he felt what he was saying. But with Lily back in Petal, it seemed a thinner excuse than it had been even a few days before.

  The vegetables she was chopping shook a little from the force she was putting into it for a few breaths. “Oh you clearly need to stop making commitments? What commitments would those be? Aside from your lack of commitments to anyone since her, your real problem is that you’ve got appalling taste in women. Other than Lily Travis that is. You ignore all the suitable women you come across to focus on one pretty and totally vicious woman after the next. You can’t commit to that and thank God you don’t.”