by Amie Stuart
He looked up at me, the fork halfway to his mouth. “A ring?”
“An engagement ring,” I explained. “We told Mom mine was being resized.”
“Shit...sorry. I didn’t mean to swear.”
“It’s okay. And about the ring, too. I’ll take care of it.” I waved it off as casually as I could.
“No. This is my fault for shooting off my mouth to your mom in the first place. I know where I can get a ring.”
“Are you sure? It’s no trouble for me to—”
“I said I’d take care of it.” His sharp tone made me blink in surprise.
Fine! I held up my hands in surrender. We were both obviously pretty uptight, and if he wanted to take care of a ring, then so be it.
“I’m sorry,” he sighed, dropping his fork on his plate. “I didn’t mean to snap.” He carried his plate to the sink and rinsed it off. But he seemed a million miles away all of the sudden.
“If you want to save some time, take a shower before you leave?” Not much of a peace offering, but it was all I had.
“I think I will.” He gave me a tiny, tight smile and kissed my cheek. Neither the laid-back Rowdy Yates I’d fallen in love with, nor my intensely sensual lover of the night before were anywhere to be seen.
I’d just started the dishwasher when he reappeared in the kitchen, showered and dressed, his hair still a bit damp.
“I’ll see you tonight? About six-thirty?”
“I thought y’all didn’t start playing until seven?” I dried my hands and tossed the dishtowel on the counter, forcing my stiff lips into another smile.
“Come early so I can give you the ring. I don’t wanna carry it around on me all night.” He held out a hand and I took it, still wondering at his suddenly edgy and distracted mood.
Why had he agreed to dinner if he didn’t want to go?
“Sure you don’t want me to call Daddy and cancel?” I blurted out as we neared the front door. “I don’t mind.” Matter of fact, it’d be my pleasure.
He turned to face me, his expression unreadable. “No.”
“Alright.” I squeezed his fingers and silently let him lead me out onto the front stoop. I could feel myself relax against his solidness as he gave me a slow, deep, toe-curling kiss.
“I’ll see you later, and no see-through blouses, Missy.”
“Trying to dress me now?” I gave him a flirty wink, hoping he’d lighten up some, relax.
“Please don’t wear that black see-through blouse up to the dancehall again. I could barely play.”
“I thought you played just fine.” I smirked.
“I’m going now.” He shook a finger at me, then shook his head and grinned. “Six-thirty.”
“Six-thirty.” I watched him walk to his truck and waved goodbye, my smirk fading.
After Rowdy left, I spent the morning gardening and just thinking.
Rowdy was so damned charming, I didn’t doubt for a minute he could handle himself at the country club, even if it wasn’t his scene. Hell, it wasn’t my scene.
Every time I walked through those hallowed doors, I felt like one of those misfit toys from that children’s holiday cartoon. The ones that lived on their own island—but even misfit toys served some purpose. And after that last fight with my mother, the thought of seeing her again left me as excited as going for my yearly pap smear.
Maybe I could worm out of it.
I headed for the phone in my office and dialed Daddy’s direct line.
“Jade! I’d hoped you’d call back after I forgot to tell your young man to have you call me.”
“Hi, Daddy.” I propped my feet on the desk.
“I’m looking forward to seeing you both tomorrow night, Sweetheart.”
I took the opening and ran with it. “That’s why I’m calling.”
“There’s not a problem, is there?”
“Well....” I searched for the right words to explain my hesitation about coming.
“Jade, your mother loves you.”
“She has a funny way of showing it, throwing Allan at me and just appearing on my doorstep demanding to meet Rowdy.” I’d always tried to fight my own battles, not drag Daddy in between HH and I, but not this time.
“She just wants what’s best for you.” Daddy’s low soothing voice didn’t work on me this time.
“No, Daddy, she wants what she thinks is best for me.”
I heard a long drawn out sigh from the other end of the phone and tried to rein in my own anger. None of this was his fault.
“You know, Jade, your mother means well, but she’s worried about you. She knows well what an ugly place the world can be.”
“Just because she’s a judge, that doesn’t give her the right to try and control my life. She said I picked Rowdy to spite her, Daddy!”
“I know,” he sighed. “She told me. She also told me what you said about Allan. And how you couldn’t imagine why I stayed married to her. I know your mother is difficult at times, but I do love her. You just don’t throw thirty-odd years of marriage aside because someone changes. Marriage is for better or worse.”
“Marriage is hard work,” I said softly. Almost word for word what Betti had said to me last week.
“Exactly! However, your mother overstepped herself, and I’ve taken her to task for her part in all of that. And I know we’ve never discussed Allan, but I’m glad he stood you up at the altar. I think he’s a complete idiot, and I think you moving south was the best thing you could have done for yourself, even if you have alienated yourself from us the last few years. I wanted you to have time to heal, but I’ve missed you, Jade.”
“I missed you too.” I took a deep breath and blinked back the sudden prick of tears, listening to the silence on the other end of the phone. “And I am sorry about what happened...at the country club. I’m sorry I made such a scene.”
“I’m sorry your birthday was ruined. I was so looking forward to spending some time with you. But, for what it’s worth, I laughed all the way home. Hell froze over and you took over as queen, Jade?”
I giggled. “I was horrible.”
“You were the breath of fresh air you’ve always been. I’m glad Nicholas took good care of you and got you home.”
“He’s alright.”
Daddy chuckled. “Yes, he is. So, tell me about this man you’re marrying—Rowdy.”
I sighed, hating myself for perpetuating a lie. At least I didn’t have to lie about him. “He’s gentle and sweet. He loves music. He’s good with his hands.” A picture of Rowdy holding Hope flashed through my mind. “He loves children. He’s nobody important or big or pretentious. He’d probably laugh at Her Honorable’s country club friends, or charm them,” I added with a small laugh. “He’s a good man, I think.”
“That’s the important thing. He treats you well? He’s respectful?”
“Very.”
“Well, while she might think Rowdy is an unsuitable mate for you because he doesn’t live the same lifestyle or move in the same circles as your mother and I do, all I want is for you to be happy. As long as you know what makes you happy. When you were home a few weeks ago, you said something about not being where you thought you’d be, and I must admit, hearing you announce an engagement the same night, caught me completely off guard.”
Busted. But rather than make things worse, I kept my mouth shut.
“Is he someone you think you can spend the rest of your life with? Grow old with? Because if not, I don’t want you marrying him.”
“Yes, he’s someone I can imagine growing old with. He’s someone I want to grow old with.”
“Despite the obvious differences of class?”
“Class is in the eye of the beholder, Daddy,” I scoffed. “So my daughters will never be debutantes. I can’t think that’s a bad thing.” The knowledge that my own daughters wouldn’t have to “make their bow” made me smile.
His chuckle encouraged me to push on. “I’m different, Daddy! I’ve never been like her and E
merald. Hell, even Nicky can schmooze and charm his way through. But me, I don’t belong there, and I hated living under that fake social microscope.”
“And Rowdy?”
“He’d hate it, too.”
QUEST OF A REDNECK KNIGHT
ROWDY PRACTICALLY RAN down the sidewalk to his Bronco. He wanted to get this done before he changed his mind. Only a ring for Jade could get him to Baytown to see his mother. More specifically, one Jade's mother couldn’t turn her nose up at.
His mom’s mom, his Nona had a ring. A really nice ring, even if it wasn’t exactly an engagement ring. His grandfather had given the ring to his grandmother when Liv was born—the first live birth after three miscarriages—and it had been Nona’s favorite. Nona used to love to tell that story, and after she died, Mom said the ring would go to his wife when he had his first child.
But she owed him.
Rowdy ran home long enough to change, then headed back out before he lost his nerve and hit a pawn shop instead.
The drive to the coast flew by, his mind too busy for him to worry about time passing.
Jade had become more important than his anger at Liv, at Charlene, at the almost ten years that had passed since he’d last seen either of them. But that didn’t prevent his stomach from quaking a bit or his hands from becoming clammy as he turned onto the street where his mom lived. Yeah, he knew where she lived. Always had. That didn’t mean he’d wanted to see her.
He still didn’t, but he’d be damned if Judge Trudy would get the chance to look down her nose at Jade. He wanted Jade to be able to hold her head up tomorrow night at dinner. And he wanted her to have his Nona’s ring.
Rowdy parked in front of the tiny two-tone blue bungalow located just a couple of blocks from the beach and sat listening to the ticking of the engine. Little white curtains hung in the windows on either side of the door. A dark blue Monte Carlo sat in the driveway. The whole street was quiet, the noon hour too hot for anyone to be outside, even with the Gulf Coast breezes.
He needed the ring.
He’d driven over three hours for it.
Rowdy climbed out and slammed the door, wincing at how loud it sounded in the still air. There was no movement behind the white curtains, or anywhere up and down the street. He took a deep breath and strode up the walk. If she—Liv—were watching from inside, he didn’t want her thinking he was scared. But deep down inside, he was.
He walked up the sidewalk that cut her tidy little yard in two and stepped up on to her porch.
Rowdy didn’t give himself time to think. To hesitate. He punched the doorbell before he could chicken out.
He wanted the ring.
While he stood waiting for someone to answer, he looked around. The curtains at the window reminded him of the ones from when he was a kid. The lacy white ones that had hung in his mother’s dining room. Two white plastic chairs sat on the front porch, and he wondered who she might visit with in the evenings. If any of the neighbors came around.
Liv was a stranger to him.
Sounds at the door caught his attention. A chain rattled, a deadbolt clicked and the door swung open. Not that much could penetrate the sound of blood in his ears. Blood that stopped flowing at the sight of a man behind the screen door. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded before he realized he had no right to ask.
“I could ask you the same thing,” replied a gray-haired man with an easy smile on a face creased by laugh lines. He was shorter than Rowdy and slender, with wire rim glasses, and wore a pale striped dress shirt, sharply creased navy pants, and his tie was loose. He opened the screen door and looked Rowdy up and down, but not in a rude way. “You look exactly like your father, young man. She’ll be tickled pink to see you.”
The older man held the door open, his smile never wavering, but Rowdy wasn’t buying, and he scowled at the reference to how much he resembled Big Rob. His mother’s friend wasn’t the first to notice or comment. “Who are you?” he asked softly.
“Joseph Carmichael.” He held out a hand, his smile never wavering. “I’m your mother’s...gentleman friend,” he finished with a chuckle.
“I guess Liv’s a little old for a boyfriend.” Rowdy stepped inside the cracker box house, clutching his keys and sunglasses in one hand while trying to take in as much of the cozy house as he could. The little living area to his left sported an abundance of doilies and well-oiled wood, and the smell of Old English furniture polish brought back its own set of memories—those last few holidays with his Nona.
“Liv’s in the kitchen, washing up from lunch. Liv!”
Rowdy followed Joseph down the hallway that led to the kitchen. Tuna fish and toasted bread teased his nose, distracting him.
The hallway’s walls were covered with old photos of him and Charlene, but Rowdy didn’t give them more than a glance, too intent on the sound of running water coming from the kitchen.
“Liv!” Something about the way Mr. Carmichael spoke his mother’s name made Rowdy think they’d been “friends” for a while.
The water stopped, and he heard light footsteps. Before Rowdy could catch his breath, there she was, dressed in jeans and a pink blouse.
She looked like his mother but different. The mother he remembered wore her long, faded brown hair in a ponytail and didn’t wear makeup. She was always too thin and always looked worn down and nervous, not pretty like this woman with short, stylish chestnut hair that probably came from a bottle.
“Look who’s come to visit.” Joseph stepped through the arched doorway into the kitchen before turning to face Rowdy, a gentle smile on his face.
Rowdy struggled for air. His anger stalled at the sight of his mother. What the hell had he done, coming here like this? “H...hi, Liv.”
She dropped the apron she’d been using to dry her hands and slowly walked toward him, her mouth hanging open. “Rowdy. Oh, honey. My God, you’re the spitting image of your daddy.”
He felt his brows crease into another frown at the second comparison to Big Rob. “Gee thanks, Liv,” he snapped in a sudden burst of temper. “After nine years, the first thing you do is compare me to him?”
“I’m sorry. I’d just...forgotten.” She rested her hands on his chest, and he looked down, stared at her small hands and tried to find words. His brain slowed to a crawl. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, refusing to release all the bitter, angry words that sizzled on his tongue.
Rowdy wanted that ring.
He could do this. That thought kick-started his heart back to a normal rhythm, and he tried again. “Hi, Liv.”
“Wha...what brings you here? Is Rene okay? Charlene?” Her voice quavered on the last question.
He nodded. “I need Nona’s ring.”
She gasped, her watery smile firming into something more definite. “You’re married? You’re having a baby? Charlene didn’t say a word in her last letter. Oh, but…maybe she didn’t know?”
Rowdy let his nervously chattering mother drag him into the kitchen and push him into a ladder-back chair, then watched her bustle around.
“Tell me everything. When did you get married? Who is she? Would I know her?” Finally, she set a glass of tea in front of him and sat beside him at the small kitchen table. Joseph sat on her other side.
“My God, you’re going to be a daddy? I’m gonna be a grandmother again.”
Tears filled her eyes and Joseph produced a handkerchief from his pocket, handed it over and patted her hand. Her tears and happy surprise filled Rowdy with equal amounts of skepticism and guilt, and he struggled against the urge to squirm like a six-year-old in his chair.
No matter what else happened, he could see his mother had found someone who treated her good, and Liv’s taste in men had definitely improved. Rowdy already liked Joseph. Something about the older man’s kindness and Liv’s soft smile, her happiness at seeing him, Rowdy, made it impossible for him to just ask for the ring and leave. Not ask the bigger question. He was still angry, but a part him realized that his trip
south had been a way to avoid a public confrontation at the family reunion.
He couldn’t deny he had deep feelings for Jade, but marriage was something else all together. Was he ready for that sort of commitment? After last night, Rowdy now accepted that he was, but he regretted not sorting out what to tell Liv before he up and took off for Baytown this morning. Of course, he couldn’t just demand Nona’s ring and not offer some sort of explanation. Which meant lying—as little as possible. And now he’d be perpetrating one on her, as well as Jade's family.
And Liv looked so damned happy, too.
“I’m not married,” he finally blurted out.
“Oh?” She frowned at him like a confused puppy. “I thought—”
“Yet.” He took a deep shaky breath and continued, “Her name is Jade—”
“How pretty,” she interrupted. She looked so anxious and hopeful, the same small smile, the worry in her eyes, that he remembered as a kid. That she couldn’t hide behind her newly stylish appearance. Or rather, new to him. “Tell me everything.”
“She’s originally from Austin. She’s real sweet.”
“Will she be at the Boudreaux cookout?”
“Yeah, she’ll be there.” What the hell kind of mess had he gotten himself into? Between Jade's family and his, they’d never get this straightened out.
“Maggie Boudreaux has invited us to stay with her.”
“Maggie knew about Joseph?” he asked, frowning in shock. They could have told him!
“Yes,” she said softly. Her cheeks turned pink. “Tell me about Jade. I want to know everything.” She patted his hand. “It’s been so long,” she added softly.
Too long. He tried to keep it brief, sticking to just the basics.
“She works for a liquor distributor—”
“How did you meet?”
Great, he’d never considered the sticky logistics of explaining that. “On the Internet. We uh, we met on an e-mail list for music...stuff.”
“Do you still play? I used to love to listen to you play.”
