Know Me Well

by Kait Nolan

“What’re friends for?”

  She gave him an odd look as she stepped away. “I don’t know what the hell we were, but it was never anything so simple as friends.”

  That was undoubtedly true.

  He probably should’ve let it go, but this was as honest as they’d been with each other in twelve years. “I’d like to be.”

  It was the truth, if not the whole truth, and it was all he dared hope for after how they’d left things when he’d enlisted.

  Riley inclined her head. “Well, you’re certainly holding up your end of the deal.”

  Not exactly a yes, but he’d take it.

  She shrugged out of her lab coat and hung it on a hook behind the door. “Can I give you a ride somewhere? I assume you drove Jo here to deliver her.”

  “I’m on the demolition crew for the city playground.” Which had been slated to start at noon, so he was officially late.

  The playground at Waldrop Park was Norah’s latest cause. On seeing the patchwork of rust and warped wood that constituted the play space, she’d orchestrated a picket fence fundraiser. Seemed like more than half the town had bought a picket to raise the money for replacement of the equipment that hadn’t been touched since Liam himself had been in elementary school. Once the new playground was built, the pickets would each be inscribed with the name of the donor, and a new fence built around the park. It was pretty ingenious, really.

  “Jessie left for that about an hour ago.”

  Liam eyed the shorts and t-shirt that had been hiding beneath her coat. “Why don’t you come with me?”

  “Beg your pardon?”

  “Come to the work day with me. Bunch of folks are gonna be there. I think it’d be good for you.” It would give her a chance to work off some of that frustration still simmering below the surface.

  Riley frowned.

  “You have something else to do this afternoon?”

  “Well, no, but—”

  “Then come break stuff with me, Riley Marie.” He tweaked her pony-tail, much as he’d done when they were kids.

  “You’re such a guy.” But the corners of her luscious mouth twitched.

  “What? Breaking stuff is fun.”

  “You think I don’t remember you had exactly the same expression when you, Jack, and Cruz thought it would be a good idea to blow up pumpkins with M80s?”

  A lot of the best times with his brothers had involved blowing things up. “Blowing stuff up can be fun, too.” Liam took her arm and started steering her toward the door. “I volunteered to rig the explosives, but Norah vetoed that plan.”

  “Well, it’s not exactly safe to be exploding things in the middle of town.”

  “Not if you know what you’re doing. Which I do. Mitch thinks she’s running a secret op to get sweaty, shirtless pics of the available bachelors in Wishful for a fund-raising calendar.”

  Riley snorted. “You know she wouldn’t make a secret of it. She’d give some kind of compelling presentation about the marketing benefits and everybody would jump to do her bidding.”

  “This is probably true,” he conceded. “So how about it? You coming with or are you gonna wuss out?”

  She shot him a narrowed-eyed glare. “Watch it, Boy Scout, or I’ll suggest that calendar to Norah.”

  He held up his hands in surrender. He’d had enough trouble after his mother’s announcement at his welcome home party about taking applications for the mother of her future grandchildren. She’d been joking. He was pretty sure.

  As he shoehorned himself into Riley’s car, his phone buzzed with a text.

  Speak of the devil.

  Mom: Just heard from Jessie. Walgreens is opening out on the highway.

  Well, that explained part of Riley’s mood.

  He texted back, I’ll mention it to Norah at the demolition.

  They both knew Riley would never say anything herself.

  When they got to Waldrop Park and climbed out of the car, Norah called, “You’re late!”

  “Doesn’t count.” He and Riley crossed to join everyone. “I brought more helping hands.”

  “We haven’t gotten started yet anyway,” Norah said. “Figured we’d wait on you, given demolition is your area of expertise.”

  “That’d be a lot more relevant if you’d let me make things go boom,” Liam told her. “Mitch is more than capable of telling people how to tear a structure down.”

  Mitch Campbell, a local architect and one of Liam’s oldest friends, lifted his hand. “Dude, I build stuff. I don’t destroy.”

  “I suggested we kill some time by using it for target practice with those old potato canons we built senior year,” Judd said.

  “Best physics project ever,” Liam pronounced. “Pretty sure that’s when Cruz knew he wanted to be a sniper. I found mine in the shed when I cleaned it out a couple months ago.”

  “You boys gonna keep running your mouths or are you planning on doing some work?” Riley asked. “I was promised I could break stuff.”

  “You heard the lady.” Liam made quick work assigning people to various posts, making a rapid plan of attack before grabbing a hardhat. He plunked it down on Riley’s head and handed her a pair of safety goggles and some leather gloves.

  Riley eyed them for a moment before slipping both on.

  “I can’t believe this thing is finally coming down.” Mitch looked fondly at the wreck of a playground, a sledge hammer balanced on his shoulder.

  “Remember when we used to play Star Wars out here?” Liam crossed to a broken swing and slapped at it. “Looks like our Millennium Falcon is busted.”

  “Ooo, maybe I should tweak the design,” Mitch said.

  “Oh no you don’t,” Norah interrupted. “The castle and turret design was finalized and all the materials were bought based on those specs.”

  “Spoil-sport,” Mitch grumbled. “Your fiancée is no fun,” he told his cousin.

  Cam Crawford laughed and looped an arm around Norah’s waist, drawing her in for a smacking kiss. “You know my girl is gonna keep us on budget. That’s a good thing.”

  Liam watched them, amused and a little envious at their obvious joy in each other. His parents had loved like that, and he only hoped to someday be half as lucky.

  “Fine, fine. No Millennium Falcon.”

  “Let’s get this show on the road,” Mitch’s sister, Miranda, said. “I’ve got an ER shift later, and I want time to shower and take a nap.”

  “Your wish, Randa Panda.”

  Miranda gave him a withering look that had him grinning in return. She’d crushed on him as a teenager. Unlike Riley, Miranda had always felt like a sister to him, so nothing ever came of it. But, God, it was still fun to poke at her.

  “Okay, she who just found out Walgreens is opening out on the highway gets the first swing.”

  Riley’s gaze flashed to his, but she didn’t ask how he knew.

  “Man, seriously?” Norah asked.

  “Look out,” Cam said. “She’s got that war-mongering look in her eye again. GrandGoods left her with a taste for blood.”

  Riley jerked her chin toward Autumn. “Save your war-mongering for a campaign to save the library and the job of the head librarians. The pharmacy is fine.”

  Liam was reasonably sure she’d say that up to and possibly including the place burning down. “War council can wait.” He led her toward a section of semi-rotten tunnel. Built in the days before the widespread use of plastic components, the thing was entirely wood, missing a few slats along the roof and sides.

  “Stand back.” When she did as he asked, Liam demonstrated the correct hold and swing. “Think you can manage that?”

  Riley held out a gloved hand for the sledgehammer. After making certain she had the proper grip, Liam moved well out of the way himself and watched her heft the thing. Her first swing had her turning a complete circle, missing the target completely.

  Mitch laughed and started toward her. “You need a real man to show you how it’s done.”

&n
bsp; Liam held up a hand. “No, give her a minute.”

  Eyes narrowed, Riley readjusted her grip and swung. This time the blow landed true, slamming into the side and caving in two slats at the first blow, a testament to exactly how bad a shape the playground was in. Eyes narrowed, she swung again, and then again, finding her rhythm and steadily destroying the entire length of the tunnel within her reach.

  “Hooo-eee,” Mitch remarked. “Remind me never to get on her bad side.”

  “Let’s get our piece of this.” With a war whoop, Judd threw himself into the cause.

  “Oo rah,” Liam said, and dove into the fray.

  Soon, there was a cacophony of thuds and crashes as they all set to demolition. The steady flex and stretch of muscle felt good, even in the heat of the sun. Before his tour in Iraq, Liam had thought Mississippi was hot. A hundred and twenty degrees in the shade had changed his perspective.

  “We’re gonna need a chainsaw for the bridge ties,” Judd observed. “These bolts are long since rusted in place.”

  “There’s one in my truck,” Mitch called.

  “I’ll get it.” Liam set his own sledgehammer aside, glancing over to check on Riley as she went after the walls of the crow’s nest.

  Judd followed his gaze. “She’s gonna be super sore tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, but her head will be clearer.”

  Judd trailed him over to Mitch’s truck. “Maybe you should offer to massage out the kinks. Since this was your idea and all.”

  Liam gave him a flat stare and checked the fuel level in the chainsaw.

  “Fixing her car had to have gotten you back into her good graces.”

  “That’s not why I did it.” Though it probably hadn’t hurt that particular cause.

  Judd grinned. “Sure it wasn’t.”

  Liam flipped him off. “Grab those bolt cutters. We’ll need them for the chains holding the suspension bridge.”

  Hard, noisy work kept him occupied for another hour. By the time the pieces of the bridge had been relegated to the dumpster hauled on site, he was ready to pour the entire cooler of water over his head. He guzzled a couple of glasses before switching over to the sweet tea Mama Pearl had sent over from Dinner Belles. They’d made good progress. In another hour, all the detritus would be cleared and they’d be done for the day.

  Grabbing another glass of tea, Liam took it over to Riley, who was breathing hard and glaring in triumph at a splintered support post.

  “Okay, I admit it. You were absolutely right. Totally cathartic.”

  “Sometimes you just need to beat the shit out of something. Feel better?”

  She took the tea and drank deep, watching him over the rim of the cup. “Some.”

  “It’s not just Walgreens, is it?” he asked quietly.

  Not even surprise in her big blue eyes this time. Just resignation. “Sometimes your perceptiveness is a real pain in the ass.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “I really don’t.”

  Liam tried to ignore the sting of that. He’d been out of her life a long time. He couldn’t expect easy entry back into it. “Fair enough.”

  Riley drained the tea. “I’d like to take you to dinner.”

  That stopped him. “What?”

  “As a thank you,” she explained. “My car. Demolition therapy. It’s the least I can do.”

  His traitorous brain supplied a quick montage of other things she could do that had absolutely nothing to do with dinner.

  Not on the menu, he reminded himself and immediately began to mentally tear apart a Beretta M9 as a distraction. “Sounds good.”

  “Tonight work for you?”

  “Sure.”

  “We’ll go to Magnolia Heights.”

  “All the way in Lawley?”

  “I know how much you love their prime rib.” She dropped her voice low. “You said want to be friends. If you’re serious about that, there are things we should probably talk about, and I’d just as soon not do it where anybody in town can hear.”

  Clearly she was done dancing around the issue. Good.

  “Pick you up at 6:30.”

  Chapter 5

  Safely ensconced back in Jo, it was all Riley could do not to hyperventilate. What the hell had she done? In what world was it actually a good idea to face this head on? To invite him to dinner to talk about the past on purpose?

  The heat had fried her brain. That was it. She was under the influence of dehydration and the sight of all his muscles in action. Between that and feeling gooey toward him over all the nice things he’d done, she’d suffered a massive lapse in judgment.

  There was no way out of it. You didn’t cancel a thank you dinner. Postponement wouldn’t help anything. If she never went through with it, she’d look bitchy and ungrateful. Which meant her only possible option to potentially avoid this conversation was distraction.

  She thought of what Autumn had said about Drool Night and picked up the phone. “I need your help.”

  Autumn was waiting when Riley got back to the duplex.

  “I’ve lost my mind.”

  “You’ve found your gumption,” Autumn corrected. “Way to go for asking him out.”

  “It’s just a thank you dinner for fixing my car. It’s not a date.”

  “You did not call me over here to help you prepare for a non-date. You wanted help in making Liam see you as something other than a little sister or a friend, and I’m going to deliver. Get your ass in the shower, while I peruse your closet.”

  Grumbling, Riley did as she was told.

  As the heated spray beat on her tired muscles—she was going to feel the effects of wielding that sledgehammer for at least a week—Riley reflected on all the many ways this dinner could blow up in her face. He could think she was throwing herself at him and not catch her—coming up with all new reasons for them to feel awkward around each other. He could relegate her permanently to the friend zone. He could admit he’d really only ever seen her as another sister. He could not be distracted by whatever Autumn came up with to make him drool and want to actually talk about the letter. Or she could cave and bring it up only to find out that he’d never even gotten the thing and didn’t have any idea what she was talking about. Worst of all, he could believe she was like her mother, trying to woo him in order to find some kind of protector or caretaker.

  As if.

  She’d rather give up chocolate for life than ever follow in those footsteps.

  Wrapped in her robe, Riley stepped back into her bedroom. “This is a terrible idea I don’t have any idea what to say to him. I’m going to trip all over my tongue.”

  “It’s an opportunity,” Autumn corrected. “And you’re not going to trip over your tongue because he’s going to be too busy tripping over his.”

  She emerged from the closet with a little black dress. Knee-length, with fluttering cap sleeves, the princess seams and sweetheart V-neck played up every asset Riley had, clinging to her curves like a second skin. She’d never had excuse to wear it.

  “This dress is sex on a stick. We’ll do up some Veronica Lake hair, smoky eyes, siren red lips, and Sergeant Montgomery won’t know what hit him.”

  Riley rocked the dress. She knew she did. She’d bought it because it made her feel feminine and sexy. Confident. God knew she could use some confidence when it came to Liam. And yet…

  “I don’t know.” Maybe she should just go casual—or at least as casual as one ever went to Magnolia Heights.

  “You are not required to know, you’re just required to wear the outfit.”

  Riley took a long look at the dress. It really would be a shame to let it go to waste. “Tell me how to do the hair.”

  “Go ahead and dry it. I require tools and product. Back in a jiff.”

  The pile of supplies she returned with was mildly alarming.

  “Did you go to beauty school when I wasn’t looking?”

  “No, but my mom’s a beautician. I know a thing or three.” Autumn gest
ured to the edge of the bed. “Sit here.”

  “Not in the bathroom?”

  “Oh no, no mirrors. You don’t get to see until I’m done with you.”

  Riley looked askance in her direction.

  “Come on. Would I steer you wrong?” Autumn demanded.

  “You are a serial matchmaker. I know this about you. You might not deliberately steer me wrong, but you want to see love everywhere, whether it exists or not.”

  “It exists, and my role in life is to help nudge it along. Besides, tonight is not about love. It’s about inspiring lust. Now sit.”

  Riley sat, back to the dresser mirror, and felt like she was going to crawl out of her skin.

  “Stop fidgeting.”

  “Sorry. I’m just…”

  “Nervous. I get it. Do all these doubts have to do with that complicated history you won’t talk about?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well sugar, you’re going to have to either get some resolution there or let it go entirely. Otherwise, you’re gonna be stuck in this weird-ass limbo. Given he’s back for good, I’d say that’s a pretty uncomfortable place to be.” She did something with the curling iron. “You might feel better if you talked about it.”

  God, maybe she would. Autumn would tell her if she was being an idiot, maybe save her some embarrassment tonight.

  Riley took a bracing breath. “You didn’t know me when we were younger, but you know I’ve always been up in the middle of the Montgomerys. Wynne and I were thick as thieves from first grade on. Her brothers were my brothers and her folks were another set of parents—a much appreciated, much needed second set, since Mom and I were on our own.”

  “Your dad was military, right?”

  “Air Force. He was killed in action when I was five. My mom didn’t take it well. They had a really traditional marriage, with traditional gender roles. Despite the fact that he was deployed a fair bit, he still managed to take care of everything. So when he died, she not only had to cope with the devastation of losing the love of her life, but she was suddenly responsible for all this stuff that she’d never had to worry about before. She tried. She really did, for a long time.” Riley had to acknowledge that. “But she just…couldn’t deal. She started looking for a replacement for Daddy. Somebody who could fill his role and take of her. Of us.”