Tangled Up In You (Fleur de Lis Book 1)

by A. L. Vincent

  Emily was restless, she had a lot on her mind. Other than that last day, she had never argued with Eddie. She had never had the nerve. Something about this place was good for her. Emily thought of the flowerbeds at Grams’. There were still more weeds than there were plants or flowers. She checked on Oscar, who was still carousing in the waves. Maybe she’d pull a few weeds this morning. It was so early; she still had plenty of time before she had to get ready to go to Snapper’s. She’d work off some nervous energy so maybe she could focus.

  Emily leashed Oscar and they walked to Grams’ instead of driving. She secured his leash around a post on the porch. She couldn’t keep an eye on him, and the road in front of Grams’ was more hazardous than the beach. She could trust him at home, but not here. Then Emily brushed the hair out of her eyes and started pulling at weeds. Some of the droopy, fading plants in the flowerbeds around the house were salvageable. Like Emily, most just needed some TLC. She needed to pull the weeds that kept the flowers underneath from blooming. The remaining flowers and plants needed a good watering and feeding. Because it was fall, there weren’t many options for new planting. She wanted to plant some fresh herbs for cooking.

  The sun was warm on her face. Maybe she’d tan a little. She was pale, pasty white like a vampire after months of nothing but work. They could cast her in that HBO vampire show. She could use a little color, in more ways than one. Her life had been black and white and lifeless for too long.

  The cell phone rang. Another text from Eddie.

  Eddie: Divors paopwrs?

  And he was drunk again judging by his spelling. Next order of business? A new number. But at least he’d been served the papers.

  Good, Emily thought

  She pulled out another weed and tossed it angrily behind her.

  Eddie: Hoq couols u do thid?

  Emily rolled her eyes. “Damn drunk.”

  She pulled out another weed and threw it.

  Did he even remember what he had done?

  Sleeping around, she thought, I wish I had. It would have been more enjoyable than all those double shifts she had pulled for nothing. She pulled out another weed and tossed it. This time it sailed across the yard.

  How could he just sit there and do nothing? How could he choose a bottle over their relationship? Over her? And then scream at her like it was her fault?

  She stood and kicked at a clump of dirt, sending it flying across the yard.

  How fitting. That’s what her life had done. Just crumbled.

  She kicked another clump.

  “Dumbass.”

  How could he let her feel like that? That the whole thing was her fault? Actually, she was the dumbass for putting up with it so long.

  “Asshole.” She pulled out another clump of weeds.

  So much for for better or worse. She’d had the worse. It was time to find the better. And that better was Noah.

  She threw another clump of weeds. Then she straightened up again. Putting her hands on her hips, she took a deep breath. She relished the feel of the blood coursing through her veins and the sun’s warmth on her face. She felt strong, like an Amazon.

  “Feel better?”

  She jumped slightly, startled. She turned to see Noah holding a thermos and two coffee cups.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, a little more sharply than she intended to. Her embarrassment adding an edge to her voice.

  His eyes sparkled despite the bags underneath them. His lips twitched. He was about to laugh.

  “Don’t you dare laugh,” Emily warned.

  He bit his lip. “I wouldn’t dare laugh at anyone carrying garden shears and throwing weeds like a mad woman.”

  She fought her own smile as he held out a cup. “Coffee, huh?”

  She sighed. “Would love it. Come have a seat,” she said, motioning to the porch swing.

  “Thank you.”

  As they walked up the stairs, she surveyed her progress in the flower beds. It was amazing what a little care and attention could do. Although the flowerbeds hadn’t looked bad before, they hadn’t looked good either. Now, all the stray weeds were gone. She had weeded out the junk. Left the healthy, strong plants. Plants that would continue to grow, and even flower eventually.

  Emily wondered if she would look like that when all her weeds were gone. When there was nothing left to suck the life out of her. Even after a sleepless night, her eyes looked brighter now that they weren’t red and bloodshot from exhaustion. She was still pale, but perking up. She was dealing with Eddie. Soon, he’d be no more than an unhappy memory. For now, she would just concentrate on the cook-off today, then the contest.

  “You okay?” Noah asked.

  “Are you?” she countered. She wiped the dirt off her hands and smiled. Emily knew the visit from his former superior had bothered him and was glad he hadn’t pushed her away again.

  “Yeah. Yeah, actually, I think I am,” he said.

  “Okay. Let me go wash up, and I’ll have that cup of coffee. I’m going to need all the caffeine I can get to make it through today.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Emily grabbed the rest of the plastic shopping bags from the back of the SUV. Hopefully she had remembered everything. It felt so weird cooking outside of a kitchen, or outside in general. Other than to grill, she’d never cooked outside before. This was definitely another new experience. Luckily, Noah had an extra burner to use. Carly was using an electric one inside to keep an eye on the bar. Apparently they were expecting a crowd for today’s event. It would be an even bigger crowd than yesterday. Nice, she thought, an audience. The town being small, the locals tended to appreciate any type of entertainment.

  Noah waved her over.

  “Hey,” she said.

  Noah had already set up two tables and two propane tanks with burners. Usually, it was the setup used for crawfish boils. Emily chewed her bottom lip nervously. Seeing her hands full of shopping bags, Noah reached out to help.

  “I’ll help you out as much as I can with the burner,” Noah said. “I can’t help with the actual cooking though. I want to win fair and square.”

  The cooking she could do. Setting the rest of the bags on the tables, she started sorting vegetables, cans of tomato sauce and tomato paste, and spices. When finished, she looked around. To her left, Joey had a table and a burner and was already slicing and dicing.

  Overachiever, she thought.

  Red and Walter, two locals, had two tables together. They had decided to cook as well. But they hadn’t started yet. Their bags were still on the table. They had chosen to take a break and were sitting in their folding chairs drinking beer, long legs stretched out.

  Jay, a friend of Carly’s, had the same idea. Bags were out on his table, but he had joined Red and Walter by their tables and burners for a beer and some pre cook-off trash talk.

  Joey was already working. His station was set up and pristine. He would do some cutting, then some cleaning.

  Other tables were set up, but Emily didn’t know any of those people. Some were locals, and some were representatives from various oil companies, judging from the logos on their tents. Taking a cue from Joey and Noah, Emily began to chop onions to get a sauce started.

  Music from the jukebox filtered out from the open bar. It was a nice accompaniment to the light conversation and dock noise. It was a weekend, and boats were going in and out of the water. Some for fishing, some just out to enjoy the water and sunshine. A light breeze blew, keeping things cool. It would be chilly when the sun went down, but everyone would be done by then.

  “You ready for the burner?” Noah asked her.

  “Yes,” she said, glancing down at the pile of onions.

  “I’ll take care of that,” he said. Emily watched as he lit the burner and adjusted the flame.

  “That good?” he asked.

  “I think so.”

  He smiled at her. “Let me know, and I’ll change it for you.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  C
arly approached with plastic cups in hand. “Mimosas, anyone?”

  “I’d love one,” Emily said.

  Carly handed her a glass and laughed when Noah turned his nose up when she tried to give him one.

  “Not for you?” she asked.

  “Um, no. Too sweet.”

  Carly took a sip of hers and took a seat in the extra chair Noah had set out. She watched as Emily and Noah periodically got up to add a spice or stir sauces.

  “You still cooking, Carly?” Emily asked.

  “Yep. Doesn’t take me long. Just call me Carly Boyardee.”

  “You’re not really making your spaghetti from a can, are you?” Emily looked at her aghast.

  “No. Not really. The noodles aren’t in a can,” Carly said.

  “I told you, Carly can’t boil water,” Noah said.

  “It’s true,” Carly said. “Cooking isn’t my thing. I did put together a good salad to go with the spaghetti and bought garlic bread. That, I can do.”

  Joey had finished the prep work and was now stirring the sauce. His face was serious, dimples gone. Unlike the others, he didn’t participate in the teasing comments about who would win. Red, Walter, and Jay were still taking a break. Emily glanced at her watch. They still had a few hours before judging. Some people just liked to wait until the last minute, she guessed. Or some were just here to have a good time and not taking their cooking too seriously.

  “Well, I’m going to go see what everyone else is up to,” Carly said, jumping up. “Time to socialize. My favorite part,” she said with a wink.

  Emily shook her head as Carly walked away. “She’s something else.”

  “Yes, she is,” Noah agreed. “How’s your fire going? Need me to turn it up?”

  Images of that last kiss popped in her mind. “You know what? Why don’t you turn it up? Just a little bit.”

  He turned the knob to turn the fire up and smiled at her. Emily smiled back and rested her hand on his thigh when he sat back down.

  Emily watched as the three guys across from them grabbed another beer and began to prepare their ingredients. It was time to get serious and get down to business. Well, as serious as they got, she thought. Emily noticed that instead of cutting their own vegetables, they had bought the pre-chopped version. Emily grinned. She guessed that was one way to do it. It saved cooking time and added to drinking time.

  Everything in the pot, Emily relaxed. She was lounging in the sun, sunglasses on.

  She heard someone walk up and opened her eyes to see Ryder. He was smiling. She smiled back.

  “I just came by to let you know that Carly’s asked me to judge today.”

  “Is that right?” Emily asked.

  “Yep. And to let you know that my vote can be bought.” He flashed his dimples.

  “Oh, really?” Emily looked at Noah. “And are you making that same offer to all contestants?”

  Ryder laughed. “Nope. My services are only for the female contestants.”

  Emily shook her head. “No, as tempting as your offer is…” She laughed. “I will win fair and square. No judge tampering.”

  “Okay, then. I tried.” He tipped his black cowboy hat. “I’ll see you later,” he said before walking off.

  “I see you’re cooking too,” said Justice, who was wearing huge white sunglasses, probably to shield bloodshot eyes from the sun.

  “It looks that way,” Emily replied. She kept her expression blank. She was not going to let Justice needle her today. It wasn’t worth it.

  “I talked to Eddie last night.” Justice was grinning.

  “That’s nice.” Emily glanced up and met Justice’s eyes for a moment. She got up to stir the sauce. Emily wondered where Jeremy was, but didn’t ask. She’d rather both of them just go away.

  Carly came back around with more mimosas. Emily laughed to herself as Carly gave everyone a glass except for Justice. When it was Justice’s turn, Carly just smiled apologetically and shrugged her shoulders.

  “Sorry, all out,” Carly said. Apparently getting the hint, Justice walked away. Carly just shook her head and sipped her drink.

  Emily took a moment to taste the spaghetti sauce. She needed more garlic, but had diced all that she had brought with her.

  “I need some more garlic,” she said. “I’m going to run over to the house and get some more. I can do that, right?”

  “I don’t see why not,” Noah responded.

  “I’ll be right back,” Emily said, and left.

  ***

  Noah

  Noah watched Emily walk off. As she walked away, Douglas came up, setting Noah’s ragged nerves on edge again.

  “You’re cooking too?” Douglas asked.

  “Yeah, Carly talked me into it,” he said. “And it’s for a good cause.”

  “Yeah, if I had any idea how to cook, I would have entered too.”

  An unfamiliar car pulled into the parking lot. Noah watched as two guys got out. Justice’s husband, Jeremy, and another man. The other man was wobbly. He’d either started early or was still drunk from the night before. This was not a good sign. The drunken man walked up to the tables where Joey and Noah were. Noah exchanged a look with Joey and they stood up.

  “Where is she?” The words came out like a hiss. His face was red and swollen from too much alcohol. He swayed slightly, and with that rounded belly, he reminded Noah of one of those Weeble Wobble toys he’d played with as a child. Stains spotted his already dirty shirt, and he smelled of stale beer. Eddie, Noah thought, and his blood began to boil.

  Joey, always the diplomat, was the one to try to reason with Eddie. “Who are you talking about?”

  The inebriated man turned to Joey. “My wife. Emily Breaux. Not that it’s any of your busssinesssss.”

  “Actually, this is my bar, so it is my business. I would appreciate it if you would calm down.”

  “I’m not calming down until you tell that selfish bitch to get her ass out here. And while you’re at it, tell that sonofabitch she’s sleeping with to get out here too. Ryder. R-Y-D-E-R.”

  Noah felt the muscle in his cheek twitch, but said nothing. He looked at Joey, who had lost his patience at bitch. He could also feel the chill in the atmosphere. Emily was a woman, and in this community, respect was a given. Especially to one of their own. This could get ugly quick. And he involved Ryder, who had no patience and been in more than one bar fight. He stepped around the cooking table and took a step closer to Eddie. This was not good, because he didn’t need to be within grabbing distance of the guy either.

  “Well, are you going to tell me where ssshe is?” Eddie bellowed.

  Noah was close enough to smell the alcohol on Eddie’s breath. He flinched but kept eyes on Eddie. He concentrated on keeping his hands at his sides as debilitating moves he’d learned in training flashed through his mind.

  “Sir, I don’t know who you’re talking about. If you calm down we can talk about it.” Joey attempted to calm him again.

  “You know who I’m talking about. I know she’s here. That whore. I shoulda known she wouldn’t wait long.”

  Noah took another step forward. Sweat popped out on his forehead. He was dangerously close to losing it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Douglas step up and stand beside him.

  “Devereaux,” Douglas said, his voice low.

  Noah cut his eyes over at Douglas. Douglas shook his head.

  “Okay, sir. I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Joey said again.

  “I’m not leaving until you tell me where she is.” He turned to face Joey, wobbling slightly.

  Noah exhaled a deep breath. His hands itched. He wanted to get his hands on this guy. He looked at Douglas again.

  “No,” Douglas said again.

  Noah heard movement on the rocky parking lot and on the bar’s wooden porch. They had attracted attention from the bar. Yep, this was going to get ugly.

  “Sir, you can see she’s not here. You need to go,” Joey said.

  Eddie slowly g
lanced around the bar. “She’s with that guy, isn’t she? Where is he? Wait ’til I get my handssss on him. He scared or something?”

  Ryder stepped out into the circle. “Scared of you? I don’t think so. You were looking for me?” He took a long sip from a beer bottle and set it on the porch railing. He pulled a cigarette out of the pack and lit it, eyes never leaving Eddie. Eddie looked from Ryder to Noah.

  “Douglas?” Noah asked. His voice was a growl.

  “Sir, I’m going to ask you one more time to leave. Don’t make me call the cops,” Joey said. His voice was quiet but strong.

  “And I’m telling you one more time I’m not. Not without her. Where is she?” He took a wobbly step toward Ryder.

  “It’s you!” He took another step and Noah stepped in his way. Ryder wasn’t far behind.

  “Move,” Eddie said. “This issss between me and him.”

  Noah’s fists flexed. “Now it’s between you and me.”

  Noah was seconds away from lunging when he heard Emily. She stood just behind Eddie.

  “Eddie,” she said. Her face was pale.

  Eddie turned, wobbling slightly still.

  “Leave, Eddie,” Emily said.

  “I’m not leaving without you, Emily.”

  “I’m not going, Eddie. Leave.” Emily walked around to stand by Noah, facing Eddie.

  “You’re going. You don’t get to just leave.” Eddie reached out to grab her arm. Emily jerked away and stepped back.

  Eddie, reaching out and grabbing nothing, lost his balance and stumbled forward. He slammed into Emily and she hit the table. The table and Emily went flying backward. Noah tried to catch Emily, but it was too late. Like a set of dominoes, Eddie fell, Emily fell, the table fell, and the table knocked the pots and burners over. Dark red sauce leaked out on the gray rocks of the parking lot.