Nana ended the call, leaving Beau to ponder her last point. It bothered him. A lot. He had no idea what time Ashlee was going out or when she’d be home, but he couldn’t stand sitting by idly any longer. He had to talk with Chase.
Stripping off his shirt, he took the stairs two at a time and took a quick shower. While he dressed in tan cargo shorts and a graphic tee, he debated about texting Chase to ask if he could come over or if he should just show up at the house.
Since he didn’t want things to be weird and formal, he opted for the latter. Twenty minutes later, he pulled in behind Ashlee’s yellow VW. It made him remember rescuing her yesterday and gave him the added incentive to follow through with his plans.
While he waited for someone to answer the door, he thought about how to start the conversation with Chase. Should he just come right out and say something or should he ease into it?
“Hey, Beau,” Charles Nichols said as he opened the door. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Thank you.” Beau shook Ashlee’s daddy’s hand, hoping his palms weren’t as sweaty as they felt. Maybe he should talk to Mr. and Mrs. Nichols before talking to Chase. “It’s good to see you too, sir.”
Charles invited him inside and closed the door. “Come on out back. Amanda just pulled peach cobbler from the oven, and I’m making homemade ice cream to go with it.”
“I picked a good night to stop by,” Beau said, following Mr. Nichols through the kitchen.
Addie and Mrs. Nichols were sitting at the patio table and both welcomed him enthusiastically. “You’re just in time for dessert,” Amanda Nichols said, giving him a hug.
“That’s great,” he said, spotting Chase in the backyard pushing his daughter on the swing. “I skipped supper so I may have two helpings.”
That was the wrong thing to say. Amanda insisted on warming him a plate of food. She’d made chicken and dumplings and had plenty left over.
Beau started to argue, but Amanda was already opening the back door to the kitchen. “The ice cream has a few minutes before it’s done so there’s no use arguing, son,” Charles said, following his wife inside.
“Hey,” Addie said with a grin. “I’d give you a hug but I’m too tired to stand up.” She held out a fist to him. “This’ll have to do.”
Beau laughed and bumped his fist against hers. “How many more months do you have?”
“I prefer to countdown by weeks,” she said as Beau took a seat across from her. “If this little one comes a week early like her big sister did, then I only have ten weeks to go.”
“Wouldn’t it be shorter to say two and half months?”
“Not when full term is considered forty weeks.” Placing a hand over her stomach, she shifted on her chair to get in a more comfortable position. “That’s equivalent to ten months.”
Beau hadn’t been around too many pregnant women before, but seeing Addie so uncomfortable gave him a new appreciation for what women went through to bring babies into the world. “I’ll be praying for an early delivery then,” Beau said, wishing he could do something else.
“Thank you. That’s really sweet of you.”
From behind him, he could hear Chase trying to coax his daughter to get off the swing. “Is Izzy doing better?”
“Much better.” Addie adjusted her position again, propping her feet up on the chair next to her. “Poor little girl has an ear infection, but the doctor gave us some drops to help with the pain until the antibiotics kick in.”
“That’s great.” Beau was on the verge of asking about Ashlee and her date when Amanda came back outside with a plate in one hand and a Coke in the other. Charles was right behind her carrying the ice cream freezer.
“Let me know if this isn’t warmed all the way through,” Mrs. Nichols said, placing the steaming plate in front of him, along with the can of soda. “I’d just put everything away a few minutes ago, so it should be okay.”
“Thank you. It smells amazing.” Beau took a big bite and gave Mrs. Nichols the thumbs up.
“How is the house coming?” Charles asked, placing the ice cream container onto the table.
“I’m hoping the porch will be finished by next week,” Beau said, pulling back the tab on the drink. “After that, we can go ahead and list it with the realtor.”
Both of Chase’s parents expressed how much they loved the old house and asked him how his grandmother was adjusting to her condo. Between bites, he told them about all the new friends she was making and that she seemed to enjoy it. “I know it’ll be hard once it sells and is no longer in the Jacobsen family.” It would be hard on Beau as well. He wished he were in a better financial position to purchase the home himself.
Chase came up from behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, I’m glad you came over.” He sat down next to Addie’s propped up feet, holding his daughter on his lap. “I was going to text you to come shoot some hoops with me after Izzy goes down to bed.”
“I don’t wanna go to bed, Daddy,” Isabelle said, holding on to Chase’s face so he didn’t miss what she was saying. “I want ice cream.”
“You can have ice cream, princess.” Chase laughed and kissed the little girl on the forehead. “I would never deny one of my girls their sweets.”
“And that’s why I love you so much,” Addie said, nudging her husband’s leg with her foot.
“Ice cream for the Nichols’ girls coming right up,” Charles said as he pried the lid off and grabbed a long metal serving spoon.
“Does Miss Isabelle want some peach cobbler to go with her ice cream?” Amanda asked, cutting into the buttery crust.
“No,” Isabelle answered.
“No thank you, ma’am,” Chase corrected her.
“No thank you, ma’am,” Isabelle repeated.
“Here you go, sugar,” Charles said, placing a small bowl of ice cream in front of the toddler.
“Izzy, tell Granddaddy thank you,” Addie prompted.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Izzy said, making everybody laugh.
Beau finished up the last of his meal while Amanda and Charles worked together, dishing up a generous portion of cobbler and ice cream for each person sitting around the table.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Beau teased when Charles placed a large serving of the delicious dessert in front of him.
Charles and Amanda both laughed. “I’ve really missed you, young man,” Mrs. Nichols said, giving Beau an impulsive hug. “I sure wish you could stick around Mitchel Creek.”
“I do too,” Beau said, feeling the weight of his decision press down on him.
“So, you really are moving to Savannah?” Amanda said, giving Beau a motherly pat on the shoulder before taking a seat next to him.
“That’s the plan.” Beau picked up his fork and stirred the melting ice cream in with some of the peaches.
“I’ve talked with Miss Barbara a few times, and she told me all about the architect firm you’ll be working for,” Mrs. Nichols said. “It sounds like a wonderful opportunity.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Beau said, hoping no one picked up on the uncertainty in his voice. He’d been thinking more and more about Ashlee’s idea. What if moving was a mistake? He would owe the firm at least a year. By that time, Nana’s house would be sold and Mr. Fredrickson would be developing the surrounding property with modern looking condominiums.
“Savannah is so beautiful.” Amanda dipped her fork into her dessert. “Maybe you’ll meet a nice girl there and settle down.”
“Or, you could get on Flirt and meet someone here and settle down,” Addie said with a sly grin. “Ashlee’s date seemed very nice. Didn’t you think so, Mom?”
Beau’s stomach twisted into a corkscrew of jealousy, making the peach cobbler feel like he’d swallowed a lump of cement. He didn’t want Ashlee’s date to be nice. He didn’t want the Nichols to think he was nice either.
“Kade has grown into a handsome young man, and quite the athlete.” Mrs. Nichols tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind on
e ear. “I think he and Ashlee looked really cute together.”
“His parents are good people too,” Charles added as he got to his feet. “I wouldn’t mind at all having Carlton Sinclair as an in-law.” He then excused himself to put the ice cream away before it melted.
Beau was still reeling from both Mr. and Mrs. Nichols’ accolades for Ashlee’s date. Seriously? An in-law? Beau felt sick inside. He’d obviously waited too long to make his move.
“Hey, I’m not ready for another brother-in-law,” Chase said as he tried to wipe Isabelle’s sticky face with a napkin. “But Kade seemed pretty chill. He might grow on me.”
“My tummy hurts,” Isabelle said with a whimper as she climbed onto Chase’s lap.
Beau’s stomach hurt too. He should’ve come over before Ashlee went out with Kade Sinclair. He should have talked to Chase the first day he realized how he felt about Ashlee.
“That’s code for I need to go to B-E-D,” Chase said, rubbing his hand across his daughter’s back. He started to get up from the table, but Amanda beat him to it.
“Come here, sugar.” She held out her arms to her granddaughter. “How about we have a nice warm bath, and then Granddaddy can read you a story?”
“I want Daddy to carry me,” Isabelle said, wrapping her arms around Chase’s neck.
The soft smile on Chase’s face said he didn’t mind how much his daughter loved him. He looked at Beau and said, “I’ll be back for our game ASAP.”
The talk with Chase wasn’t going to happen tonight. Maybe it wasn’t supposed to happen ever. “Are you okay if we reschedule?” Beau asked. “I really should get back to the house to finish packing.”
“Sounds good,” Chase said. He started singing to Isabelle as he carried her toward the house.
“That girl sure loves her daddy.” Amanda picked up the dish with the leftover cobbler. “Anyone want seconds?” When he and Addie both declined, Mrs. Nichols took the dish and followed Chase into the house.
Beau expected Addie to get up and follow the family inside, but she remained sitting, watching him closely. “You should talk to Chase.”
“About what?” he asked, even though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.
Her lips twitched. “About dating Ashlee.”
He could keep on pretending like he hadn’t come over for that very reason, but there was no point in hiding it. Not unless he was ready to forfeit to Kade or any other man, which he wasn’t.
“I think I’m too late.” He pushed his cobbler away from him and sighed. “Besides, everyone seems to like the guy she’s out with right now.”
“Of course they like him.” Addie picked up a napkin and folded it in half. “We were all worried when Ashlee announced she was going out with someone she met on a dating app. Mom and Dad Nichols were so relieved when they found out who it was I thought for sure they were going to offer him a tidy nest egg if he’d sign a marriage contract.”
“Exactly.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “But when it comes to me, nobody, except maybe you and my grandmother, has suspected I have a thing for Ashlee.”
Addie’s eyes twinkled with laughter. “Beau, my husband is the sexiest man alive, and I love him more than chocolate, but for some reason he’s blind when it comes to seeing the chemistry between you and Ashlee.”
“Or, maybe he doesn’t want to see it because he doesn’t want me dating his baby sister.”
“Do you have any idea how happy he’d be if you were the one dating Ashlee?” When he shook his head, she crumpled up the napkin and threw it at him. “Seriously, you saw him with our daughter. Part of his charm is how much he loves and wants to protect the women in his life. If he knew you were the guy dating Ashlee then he could stop worrying about her.”
“Kade sounds like a good guy.”
“Kade doesn’t make Ashlee go all gooey-eyed. You do.”
“Gooey-eyed?”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”
Snagging the can of Coke, Beau took a long swallow, feeling the burn of the soda all the way down to his stomach. He wasn’t sure what he should do about Ashlee. It seemed like there was one obstacle after another when it came to pursuing her.
Addie studied him for a few moments and then slowly got to her feet. “I can’t tell you what to do, but I am going to give you a little inside info. Whether you decide to act on it is up to you.”
“Okay.” Beau scooted his chair back and stood up. “Shoot.”
“I happen to know that Kade’s team curfew is at ten and that he’s bringing Ash home about a half hour before.” She waddled around the table and stopped in front of Beau. “I also know that Kade couldn’t take his eyes off of Ashlee, and he kept focusing on her mouth whenever she talked. So I can pretty much guarantee you he’s going to ask her out again right after he kisses her goodnight.”
Beau’s fingers curled into his palms as he absorbed Addie’s prediction. He also remembered Ashlee’s kissing-a-lot-of-frog’s theory. The only frog she was kissing tonight was going to be him.
With a smug smile, Addie reached out and patted him on the chest. “You’re welcome.” Then she waddled her way into the house.
Chapter 19
Ashlee stood as still as possible, concentrating on the task before her. Her fingers gripped the bowling ball tightly before she took two steps forward and let the ball fly. It landed with a thud and went straight down the middle.
“Nice,” Kade said, coming up beside her. His arm brushed against hers as they watched the ball tap the center pin. “And she does it again,” Kade said when the rest of the bowling pins toppled over.
“We won!” she said, turning to give him a high five.
“Thanks to you,” Kade said, keeping a hold of her hand. His eyes held admiration as he slipped his fingers between hers and dropped their joined hands between them. “What other talents are you hiding?” he said, glancing at her mouth.
He’d done that a lot tonight, along with holding her hand or sitting close to her. All his signals telegraphed he was into her. Ashlee wished she felt the same way. Kade had everything a girl could want, including looks and personality, but he wasn’t Beau.
“Y’all are just lucky,” Eli slurred. He was one of Kade’s teammates and was on his fourth or fifth beer. Ashlee had lost count. “Let’s have another round.”
“I think you’ve had enough,” his girlfriend said, taking the bottle away from him and placing it on the small table. Shay was a pretty girl and could do a lot better than Eli. “Come on,” she said, taking her boyfriend’s hand. “We’ve got to get you back to the hotel and sober before coach sees you.”
“I’m all yours, baby,” Eli said, leaning down to kiss her.
“Lucky me,” Shay said, kissing him briefly. Then she turned toward Kade and Ashlee. “It was nice meeting you, Ashlee.”
“You too.” Ashlee’s hand felt all sweaty, so she let go of Kade’s hand to give Shay a one-armed hug. “Good luck with your exam next week.”
“Thanks, I’ll need it.” Shay tugged on Eli’s hand and waved goodbye. “Don’t forget curfew,” she said to Kade with a wink.
“I won’t.” Kade glanced over at Ashlee. “Sorry about Eli. He usually doesn’t drink that much, especially on a game night. But, he didn’t make curfew last night, and coach is benching him for this game.”
“That’s too bad.” Ashlee sat down on the bench and slipped off the burgundy and navy blue bowling shoes. “I guess we better make sure you get in on time.”
Kade glanced at his watch. “Yeah, it’s already nine-fifteen. I should get you home.” He sat down beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched. “Just so we’re clear. I don’t want to take you home. I’ve had a lot of fun tonight.”
“Thank you,” she said, pulling her gaze away from his. “I haven’t been bowling in years. It was fun.” She bent down, picked up her shoes and then quickly stood up. “I’m gonna go turn these in and then run into the lady’s room.”
One side of Kade’s mouth edged up into a crooked smile. “Okay, I’ll meet you by the front desk.”
Ashlee nodded her head and then swiveled around. After dropping off her shoes, she hurried to the restroom. She didn’t want to do the whole doorstep goodbye, especially since she knew Kade would kiss her. She also knew he wanted to ask her out again. Ashlee didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but she felt absolutely no chemistry with him. She thought about all the other guys on the dating app and guessed the same thing would happen with them. She didn’t want to keep going out with random guys in hopes of meeting someone who could make her feel the way Beau did.
Curse that man. Whether he wanted it or not, he’d had her heart for more than a decade. Not wanting Kade to miss his curfew, she quickly used the facilities and then washed her hands.
Kade was waiting for her by the front desk. His eyes lit up when she walked toward him. She imagined her eyes did the same thing whenever she saw Beau. No wonder Beau was so freaked out.
She decided right there and then that the next time she saw Beau she was going to flat out ask him how he felt about her. No more games or second guessing his signals.
“Ready?” she asked Kade in her best I-just-want-to-be-friends voice.
“Yeah.” Kade gave her that lopsided smile again before taking her hand in his and leading her outside to his car.
Ashlee needed to do a better job of communicating. He wasn’t picking up on her verbal and non-verbal cues.
“Hey, I can get you a ticket if you want to come to tomorrow’s game,” Kade said, opening her door for her.
“Oh, I’m sorry, but I have to work tomorrow night,” Ashlee said, taking her seat.
Kade’s smile faltered. “Bummer.” He closed the door and walked around the back of the car to the driver’s side.
Ashlee didn’t want the drive home to be fraught with tension, even if it was only one-sided. She kept Kade talking by asking how the game of soccer was played. She wasn’t into sports and had never played soccer, other than in grade-school P.E.
Blue Moon Kisses: Georgia Moon Romance Book 3 Page 18
