Wallflowers: One Heart Remains
Page 31
Bernice looked aghast. “I didn’t throw down. Ladies do not throw down.” She sighed dramatically. “It was more like a suggestion.”
“Was not. You totally threw down.”
“Was so. Throwin’ down implies blood. A genteel slap, to remind someone they should use good manners, is a suggestion.”
“Was not.”
“Was so.”
Dagnabit, Bernice knew how to play this game like a pro.
_______________
One month later . . .
Devin Hawthorne sat at the bar inside Teasers, an upscale strip club located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He kept his eyes on the back of the bar, rather than the stage. He already had a woman. One he loved. He had no desire to check out the merchandise. But the same woman who owned his heart had sent him inside the strip club to gather intel on a man.
A man in his fifties walked behind the bar. He looked closer to mid-forties, but Devin had already done his homework and knew that looks were deceiving. Dressed in jeans, a dark gray, long-sleeved Henley and biker boots, the man he knew as Joe Rouger handed a sheet of paper to his bartender.
Devin kept his eyes on Rouger, watching to see if his gaze lingered on any of the dancers longer than was needed by a club owner. Rouger glanced at the stage briefly, then away. He checked to make sure his employees were doing their job, then moved on to other business, unaffected by ample breasts and lack of clothing.
And he moved on to Devin.
“Second time this week,” Rouger stated, scanning Devin from head to toe with a suspicious eye. “You’re either a cop or you’re new to the area.”
Joe Rouger had good instincts.
Devin shook his head once. “I’m from Georgia. Tybee Island area.”
Rouger’s eyes lit a bit at the mention of Tybee. If Devin were a betting man, he’d say something about his trip to Tybee last summer stuck.
“What brings you to Tennessee?” Rouger asked, leaning an arm on the smooth surface of the bar.
Devin liked the man. Could tell he was solid. So he went with his gut, took out his phone, and pulled up a photo of Calla and Bernice, keeping a close eye on Rouger’s face as he flipped the picture to face him.
“My woman . . .”
_______________
One month later . . .
The sun was setting over the ocean while Bernice Armstrong watched from the front porch of her Tybee Island cottage. Her sister, Eunice, was inside making dinner. The sisters planned to spend the weekend together catching up. Just the two of them. No Odis Lee. No Wallflowers and their crazy antics.
Bernice paused to retie the sarong that covered her bikini. She planned to stick her toes in the water and cool off after they ate.
“Sister?” Eunice called through the open window. “I made a batch of mojitos.”
Bernice looked up, ready to head inside and grab a cool glass of their favorite beverage and paused. A Harley pulled up to the rental beside theirs. She was struck with a sense familiarity when the man climbed off the bike and peeled off his leather jacket.
Watching as he unhooked his saddlebag, Bernice’s heart began to pound. A tattoo peeking out from under his sleeve raised her suspicions further. When the man finally turned her direction fully, she knew for certain.
“Joe,” she whispered to herself. “Oh, my God. It’s Joe.”
The End
Stay tuned for Until Joe, part of the
Happily Ever Alpha World, coming April 2019.
Brought to you by Boom Factory Publishing and CP Smith.
Titles by CP Smith
Reason Series
a reason to breathe
a reason to kill
a reason to live
Wallflowers Series
Wallflowers: Three of a Kind
Wallflowers: Double Trouble
Wallflowers: One Heart Remains
Wallflowers: A Highland Wedding (2019)
Standalones
Restoring Hope
Property Of
FRAMED
Happily Ever Alpha World
Until Susan
Until Joe (April 2019)
About the Author
CP Smith lives in Oklahoma with her husband and five children. She loves football, reading, and card games. Writing for her is about escape. She writes what she loves to read and leaves the rest to those with better imaginations.
You can reach Ms. Smith at:
cpsmith74135@gmail.com
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