by Sharon Sala
“For what?” Rowan asked.
“I think he’s falling for you, girl,” Ella said.
Rowan sat down beside them. “And what would you think about that?”
“When two people love each other, there’s nothing better,” Pearl said, and reached for Rowan’s hand.
Ella clasped the other one. “We love our Bowie. And we’ve grown to love you. If you can find your way to each other, then as far as we’re concerned, it’s a match made in heaven. But if you decide it’s not right, it still won’t change a thing about how we feel about you. Okay?”
Rowan squeezed their hands, trying not to cry. “I’m learning everything about relationships on Bowie, and at a heart-stopping rate, but if this is what loving feels like, then yes, I’m ready for him.”
They both hugged her, then Pearl announced she was going to lie down and Ella went with her, leaving Rowan with the rest of the place on her own.
She didn’t know whether to cry about what her father had done to her or dance for joy about what was happening in her life now. But there was a roller coaster of emotions racing through her.
* * *
On the other side of town, Bowie was pulling up to the remodel site. Still rattled by what he was feeling, he had to put his personal life aside and concentrate on what had to be done. But when he got out of the car, he could still feel the impression of her body against him and the scent of his shampoo in her hair.
He wasn’t a hundred percent certain yet, but things were happening that left him with that can’t-live-without-her feeling.
Chapter 11
Mel was in a bad mood as he waited on Emmitt and Tiny’s arrival before he ordered. Not even the famous biscuits were tempting enough to get him past nibbling on one to pass the time.
Finally, they arrived, spotted him, and wound their way through the tables to join him.
Tiny chose the chair at the back of the wall facing the dining room and looked around to see who was here. She spotted Ruby Butterman and tried to catch her eye to wave, then gave up when Ruby never looked her way.
Lila, their waitress, came with menus and took drink orders, while Tiny was observing the diners. When she caught one of them staring, he quickly looked away. She reached for Emmitt’s arm and lowered her voice.
“What in the world is going on in here?”
Emmitt looked up, noticed that every diner was purposefully ignoring them, and shrugged.
“Last time Mel and I were here, we got a whole room full of go-to-hell looks. It appears today they’ve chosen to pretend we do not exist.”
“But why?” Tiny asked.
Mel frowned. “For the same reason Nellie is leaving me and Blessings behind. We’re the bad guys now…the people who denied and assaulted our blood kin. Wait until they find out Mama is divorcing Daddy, and that he already made his getaway. We’ll be lower than dirt.”
Tiny leaned back in total dismay. She’d never been shunned or dismissed as a person of no importance—ever. She glared back at all of them, then grabbed Emmitt’s hand.
“Emmitt, what are we going to do?”
“Deal with it,” he said.
“No! We have to move. I can’t live here like this,” Tiny said.
Emmitt shrugged. “Except we can’t, because of Junior and his legal troubles, so there’s no more discussion.”
Mel was silent. He’d already had this conversation with Nellie.
“Emmitt, give me the car keys,” Tiny said.
Emmitt frowned. “Why? We haven’t even ordered our food.”
She stood up. “I’ve lost my appetite. Mel can bring you home.”
As soon as Emmitt handed her the keys, she sailed out of the dining room with her head up and eyes blazing. They heard the door slam when she left, and Emmitt winced when he heard her peel out of the parking lot, imagining the gravel she was slinging as she went.
“She’s pissed,” Mel said.
Emmitt arched an eyebrow. “You think?”
Then Lila arrived. “Are y’all ready to order, or do you need a few more minutes?”
“We’re good,” Mel said. “I’ll have the lunch special…chicken and dumplings.”
“I’ll have the same,” Emmitt added.
Lila smiled. “Good choices,” she said, and left to turn in the order.
Emmitt glanced back at his brother. “What are you gonna do?”
Mel shrugged. “I don’t have a clue. It’s not like we have any real trade to fall back on, and even if we did, no one in Blessings is going to hire us. I was thinking about driving up to Savannah and talking to Daddy but I don’t know where he’s staying. We’ve been playing phone tag this morning, and I haven’t had a chance to see if he’s interested in seeing us.”
Emmitt was shocked by the whole idea. “Why wouldn’t he be willing to talk to us?”
“Who knows? He left without a word, and I never thought that would happen.”
Emmitt’s shoulders slumped. “If I could take one thing back in my life right now, it would be that beating. He was just a kid, and we did it anyway because Daddy said to.”
“Did you ever think about why Randall up and killed himself?” Mel asked.
Emmitt frowned. “Well, he took too many pills.”
“Except he didn’t do drugs until after the thing with Billie James.”
“So what are you getting at?” Emmitt asked.
“Remember when Mama told us about Billie James committing suicide?”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“She also said she felt sorry for that boy and wondered what would happen to him. And a week later, Randall was dead.”
Emmitt’s eyes widened. “Are you saying it was Billie James’s suicide that made him do that?”
Mel shrugged. “All I know is after we came back from roughing up the kid, the next night I found Randall drunk and crying. I asked him what was wrong, and all he would say was that he heard the bones break in the kid’s hand when he stomped it.”
Emmitt’s gut knotted. “I didn’t know.”
“There wasn’t any need to tell,” Mel said. “The damage had already been done when Daddy sent him out to hurt Billie. He kept saying it would be the perfect payback to the James family—leaving their pretty girl unwanted by any men. The rest has just been festering, waiting for someone to knock off that scab.”
Their conversation ended with the arrival of their food. Later, Mel dropped Emmitt off at home. That’s when he noticed his dad had called him, but he was in no mood to talk. Bringing up their ugly past was a reminder of what a negative impact Jud had had on their lives. If they were ever going to change their ways, the first thing needed was to distance themselves from Jud Boone.
* * *
The work crew was replacing the deck on the front porch, using their portable generator to run their power tools, and Bowie had gone to run down a local plumber and a local electrician. He and his men had the skills to do the work, but for it to be certified by a city inspector and qualify to be insured afterward it had to be done by people who were licensed in the area.
He had a plumber on board to come out tomorrow. He needed old plumbing replaced and then new plumbing added to the area where the second bathroom was going to be.
He’d googled electricians in Blessings, Georgia, and was now on the hunt for the business. He thought he remembered all the streets in town, but had to resort to his GPS to find Ken’s Electric. He finally found it in the alley behind the lumberyard.
A bell over the door jingled as he walked inside. The small, wiry man behind the counter looked up.
“Good afternoon. I’m Ken Abernathy. How can I help you?”
“Afternoon,” Bowie said, then introduced himself and told him what he needed.
“Are you the guy working on the old James house?” Ken asked.
“Yes. Pearl is my grandmother.”
Then Ken grinned. “Oh heck! You’re Billie’s boy, aren’t you? I went to school with her.”
Bowie smiled. It was a good feeling to know people who remembered her.
“Yes, I’m her son.”
“Real nice to meet you,” Ken said. “So, how about I follow you back to the house and take a look at what’s going to be needed? I have a couple of guys who work with me on bigger jobs, so I need to see the scope of the project.”
“Let’s do it,” Bowie said.
“My work van is out back. I know where the house is at. I’ll be right behind you.”
Bowie gave him a thumbs-up and left the building. He was on the way back when he glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a big white work van about a block behind him. He parked at the curb then got out, waiting to escort the electrician inside.
Ken got out carrying an iPad. “Lead the way.”
“We need to go in the back door for now. As you can see, my crew is laying down a new deck on the porch,” Bowie said as they circled the house to get inside.
With all the walls down and nothing left but the studs to indicate where the rooms were laid out, they could see all the way through the house to the front door.
Bowie began leading Ken around the house and explaining where they were in the process. “The power is off, and so is the water. Besides rewiring the whole house to accommodate the new appliances, we’re turning one of the bedrooms into a master bath and walk-in closet for my grandma’s bedroom. We’re removing the existing studs between those two rooms today, and I already have the floor area marked off with spray paint. You can see where the jetted tub will be, the shower, and the two-sink vanity as well. That should give you an idea of where to run wire.”
Ken made notes on his iPad as they moved from room to room, and when they got into the kitchen, took note of where wiring was needed there, as well as the wiring need for outlets for the big island Bowie was adding.
“Are you adding any outdoor lighting beyond what’s already here?” Ken asked.
Bowie shook his head. “No. She has a street light to the west of her house. I think what’s already here is more than sufficient.”
“Okay, then all I need from you is a phone number, and I can send you a quote.”
“Will you be available to start within the week?” Bowie asked.
“You let me know when you’re ready for us and we’ll be here.”
“Awesome,” Bowie said. They shook hands, and then Ken was gone.
Bowie walked through the house to the front door and paused in the open doorway to see how the porch was coming.
Ray saw him and stopped what he was doing. “Hey, Boss, did you get a delivery date on those two headers you ordered the other day?”
“Delivery is tomorrow before 10:00 a.m.”
“Good. Once we get those in, we can open up the spaces even more.”
“Will you be through with the porch by quitting time?” Bowie asked.
“Oh yeah…for sure, and then we can replace the posts first thing tomorrow.”
“Good. I’ve got a couple more things to do, but I’ll be back before quitting time to lock up. As always, call if you need me.”
“Sure thing,” Ray said. “You can come out this door. The floor joists are safe to walk on.”
Bowie was off the porch in three steps and headed for his car. He needed to find a body shop and get an estimate on fixing his car, and then he was going to get a haircut.
After a discussion with the owner of the only body shop in town, Bowie would be delivering his car to the shop tomorrow afternoon and renting a loaner for the week.
Next stop, the Curl Up and Dye for a much needed haircut.
* * *
Ruby Butterman had just finished styling Rachel Goodhope’s hair and was cleaning up around her chair when the front door chimed.
Vera and Vesta, the Conklin twins, were still working on clients, so Ruby set her broom aside and walked up front.
The man at the desk was a stranger, but she liked his smile.
“Welcome to the Curl Up and Dye. I’m Ruby,” she said.
“Thanks,” Bowie said. “I saw you take walk-ins, and as you can see, I’m way past needing a haircut. Does anyone have time to work me in?”
“Actually, I do,” Ruby said. “I don’t have another client for forty-five minutes. If you’ll follow me, we’ll get started.”
Bowie liked her on sight, and when she led him to the shampoo station, he plopped down in the chair.
She draped a cape around his shoulders and fastened it at the neck.
“Is that too tight for you?” she asked.
“No, ma’am. It’s fine.”
“Okay, lean back, and you can put the footrest up if you want but I’m afraid it’s going to be a little short for those long legs of yours.”
“I’m good,” Bowie said and leaned back.
“What’s your name?” Ruby asked as she was adjusting the water temperature.
“Bowie James. Pearl James is my grandma. Ella is my aunt.”
The chatter that had been going on between Vera and Vesta and their clients suddenly stopped. Every woman in the place turned to look. They’d all heard about the set-to between the Boone brothers and a man named Bowie James, but none of them knew who he was—until now.
It was his long muscled legs, wide shoulders, and flat belly they saw first, and then they saw him and for a few naughty moments let their imaginations run loose.
Vera glanced at her twin. “Ben Affleck,” she whispered.
Vesta shook her head. “No, more like that actor who married that little Miley Cyrus girl.”
Hope Talbot raised her hand like a little kid in school ready with the answer to the teacher’s question.
“Liam Hemsworth!” she whispered.
They all nodded, caught the frown Ruby was giving them, and immediately returned to what they’d been doing.
Not only did Ruby know what was going on, but she secretly agreed with them. However, it wasn’t proper to be ogling the customers, and she hoped the water rushing over Bowie’s head had drowned out their nonsense.
As soon as she finished, she moved him to her workstation.
Now all four women were watching as Ruby combed out his hair, then ran her fingers through it a couple of times to get the feel of the texture and length.
Vera sighed, and Vesta rolled her eyes, picturing her fingers in that thick black hair.
“So, what are we doing here?” Ruby asked. “How do you usually wear it?”
“Not real short, but definitely not hanging down the back of my neck, either.”
“What about the sides?” Ruby asked.
“Don’t want to be tucking any hair behind my ears, and I don’t want it falling in my eyes.”
Ruby grinned. “How about I begin, and you call the shots as we go?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Bowie said.
“Call me Ruby,” she said. “Everybody does.”
Bowie grinned at her, which turned up the volume on the heat the girls were generating.
“Lord love a duck,” Vera muttered.
Vesta frowned. “Where on earth did you come up with that?”
“Oh, I heard it on a TV show.”
As soon as they finished, they each got a bottle of pop from their mini-fridge and swiveled their chairs toward Ruby.
Front-row seats, with refreshments, for the ongoing show.
Ruby didn’t hold back as she wielded her scissors, aiming first for the length and took a good portion of it off. The twins watched the black hair dropping onto the white tiled floor and took another swig of pop.
A couple of times Bowie stopped Ruby to discuss the process. Then she would resume the haircut, until she fi
nally stopped and stepped back.
“So, what do you think?” she asked as she handed him a mirror and turned the chair so he could see it from all sides.
“Perfect,” Bowie said.
Ruby smiled. She did enjoy pleasing her customers. “Sit tight just a couple of minutes while I use the clippers on the back of your neck, and we’ll be through.”
Bowie was happy with the end result as she finished, and when he caught the twins staring at him, he winked.
They blushed in unison.
Ruby removed the cape. “You’re good to go. And just for the record, what you’re doing for Miss Pearl and for Ella is wonderful. So many good people lost so much during that hurricane and then the flooding that came with it. It’s going to take Blessings a long time to recover from that.”
“It comes in handy that my company builds houses,” Bowie said as he stood. “How much do I owe you?”
“Haircuts are twenty dollars,” Ruby said.
He handed her thirty dollars. “Ruby, it was a pleasure to meet you.” He turned to acknowledge his audience. “And you ladies as well.”
“It was nice meeting you,” they said, and then he was gone.
Vera leaned back in her chair, and when she did she burped.
“Oh good lord…excuse me. It’s this pop. Thank goodness I did not do that while he was still here.”
Vesta giggled.
Ruby was still smiling as she began to sweep up the hair she’d cut off.
A few minutes later, her next appointment arrived, and the day moved along at the Curl Up and Dye.
The day was moving along for Bowie as well. By the time he got back to the jobsite, the men were gathering up tools.
Samuel saw him get out of his car. “Hey, guys! The boss got a haircut.”
Ray turned around and whistled. “You turned yourself back into that pretty boy hiding behind all the hair and whiskers.”
Bowie grinned. It was nothing he didn’t expect. It’s what they always did when he finally broke down and got it cut.
“I bet I know why. I bet that pretty girl who’s staying with you is getting under your skin,” Joe said.
Bowie ignored him. “The porch looks great. Anything happen I need to know about before I lock up for the night?”
