Kevin: They’re fighting again
Kevin: Jess is really pissed this time
Kevin: Can you come get me?
The song switches to Maroon 5, but Mallory stops dancing in her seat. Her eyes focus on me, brows pushed together and there’s a hint of concern on her face.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
I take my cap off, run my fingers through my hair, then throw it up onto the dash. She looks at me, all wide-eyed and worried. “So I planned for this weekend to be just us but…um.” I let out a sigh. This sucks.
“Oh, God,” she says, her voice almost a whisper. “You do have a girlfriend.” Mallory eyes fall to her lap. She twirls the hem of her shirt between her fingers. “I’m so stupid, I—”
“Mallory, no.” I say too loudly, my voice echoes in the small cab of my truck. “It’s not like that!”
I’m practically yelling. Not angry yelling, just loud, but it did something. Mallory’s face blanches. Her hands tremble, and her bottom lip quivers. Tears are on the brims of her lashes, eager to break free, and I feel like a complete jerk.
“Mallory, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.” She’s not looking at me. My chest tightens, as adrenaline laced with panic courses through me. I’m screwing up again. “You were panicking and the music was loud. I just, I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Mallory whispers, her eyes glued to her hands.
It’s not fine.
We’re not fine.
I pull over into the Winn-Dixie parking lot and shut off the truck. I search Mallory’s face for a sign that we really are fine, but she won’t look at me. She’s fiercely rubbing her palm with her thumb. Feeling defeated, and desperate to redeem myself in her eyes, I reach over and put my hand on hers.
“Hey,” I say.
Mallory’s eyes drift up and lock onto mine.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds later, she finally says, “Hi.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, hoping she can hear my sincerity, “I didn’t mean to yell. You were freaking out, and I wasn’t sure how to make you stop.”
Mallory’s eyes pull away and fixate on something out the window. She nods and a rogue tear runs down her cheek. Leaning over, I brush my thumb against her soft skin, wiping the tear away. Her breath hitches.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Chewing on her cheek, she nods. “My ex,” she pauses, probably searching for the right words. “He would get loud when he drank…”
A fire sparks inside me along with a laundry list of questions I don’t want the answers to.
Was Mallory verbally abused?
Did he ever lay a hand her?
I swear if he did I’ll find him and kick his ass.
That low-life probably cheated on her. Does she have Stockholm Syndrome? I bet he locked Mallory away in a dungeon and she was only allowed out at social gatherings?
Okay that last thought’s a little far-fetched. But Shannon did say that Mallory just got out of a bad relationship. I can’t help but wonder if this is what she meant by bad.
Fighting back the heat in my chest I ask, “So your relationship sucked, huh?”
Mallory gives a sad, half smile. “Only at the end.”
“Did he hurt you?”
Mallory’s quiet a long time before finally saying, “Never on purpose.”
What the hell does that mean?
I reach out to touch hold Mallory, to comfort her, but she flinches. My heart falls to my feet.
Chapter 27
Mallory
After a long fifteen minutes of reassuring Beau that I’m fine (I’m not sure if actually he believes me) we pull up to Rob and Jess’s place. I sit up in my seat upon hearing something glass breaking inside their house.
“Should we go inside and check on them?”
Beau shakes his head. “No, it’s best to let them hash things out on their own.”
Déjà vu hits me. I’m brought back to my childhood, listening to my parents argue, watching my father turn violent. I push the memories away but am unable to shake my concern for Jess. I unbuckle and reach for the door handle.
“Stay out of it, Mallory.” Beau warns.
Ignoring him, I open the door. I hurry across the yard. Beau’s door slams behind me. He groans, then jogs to be at my side.
“This is a bad idea,” he says as we approach their house, the inaudible sound of yelling and shattering glass getting louder.
Kevin stands upon seeing us and walks over from the firepit. “It’s bad this time.”
Nervous goosebumps prick my skin. I hover at the back door, terrified of what I might see on the other side. Something else shatters. I can’t take it anymore, I open the door.
“I hate you,” Jess throws another plate. Rob ducks and it hits the wall behind him.
“Nothing happened, I swear,” Rob pleads, his hands in the air in surrender.
“Liar,” Jess screams. She picks up a cup, ready to throw it, but stops when she sees me standing in the doorway.
I freeze, not expecting Rob to be the one needing saving.
“What the hell are you doing here, Mallory?”
“I…uh…”words…where are my words?
Beau comes up from behind me and snakes a hand around my waist. “We came to get Kevin. Mallory had to pee but she can wait.” He looks at me. “Right, babe?”
“Uh…yeah. Sorry guys.”
Beau takes my hand, closing the door behind us as he drags me away. “I tried to warn you.”
I’m so embarrassed. I let my demons get the best of me again. “I know, I’m sorry.”
Chapter 28
Mallory
I’ve only got one week left in Georgia. It’s not enough time. If I didn’t have a tea-party-thing with my Aunt this morning, I never would have left Beau. My phone dins as I hide in the bathroom.
Beau: So tomorrow is the Fourth of July
Me: And?
Beau: What are you doing for it?
Me: I have a luncheon with my Aunt at her country club
Beau: Ok never mind
Me: ?
I leave the bathroom and walk the perfectly manicured grounds of the country club. I wait thirty minutes, an agonizing, excruciatingly long thirty minutes for Beau to respond, but he doesn't.
Is he still mad about the Jess thing?
Time’s ticking away, my Aunt will be looking for me soon. Unable to wait any longer, I call Beau’s number. He picks up on the first ring.
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey.” Neither of us speaks for a few seconds and I instantly regret calling. Maybe things weren’t as great as I thought they were this past weekend.
“So, what’s up?” he finally asks. He sounds nervous or maybe preoccupied…I shouldn’t have called.
“Nothing. I should go.”
“Wait!” Beau calls into the phone. “I want you to come over tomorrow and stay again. I don’t have to go to the ranch until Wednesday.”
That’s two more days together. I smile, grateful he can’t see my blushing cheeks.
“Okay.”
“Will you come after your lunch thing?”
“Wait…I um.” Shoot. “I promised Jess I’d go to a barbeque with her and Rob on the fourth. I completely forgot. I can come by after…if you still want me to.”
Beau chuckles and that low rumble of his sends a vibration deep into my core.
“What’s so funny?”
“Jess is good,” he says.
I can see Beau now, shaking his head, a wide grin on his face. My face, on the other hand, probably doesn’t look so cute right now, all twisted and contorted.
“I’m very confused right now. What is so funny?”
“Jess invited you to my Fourth of July party.”
“Oh!” I say through a laugh. “She is a sneaky one, isn’t she?”
“Jess wouldn’t be Jess if she wasn’t meddling. Um…fair warning, it’s a pool p
arty and it’s at my house.” He pauses.
I’ve been to Beau’s house before. What’s the big deal?
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
I’m going crazy with anticipation.
Finally, he says, “You’ll get to meet my mom and my brother.”
My heart begins to race. Are we at the meet the family stage? We aren’t even dating? Or are we? I thought this was a friends with benefits thing. I’m overreacting. It’s just a bunch of friends having a party at his house. I bet all of his friends have met his family before.
“Mallory? You still there?”
Shit! Shit! Shit! Beau probably thinks I’m freaking out. Hell, I am freaking out. “Err, sorry. I got distracted. Sounds great, Beau. I can’t wait to meet them. See you tomorrow.”
***
“Why do you keep looking at your phone? It’s rude. We invited you to out luncheon to socialize, not fall into the social media wormhole,” my Aunt says, giving me the stink eye.
I drop my phone into my lap, ashamed to have gotten caught. “I…uh…have another celebration to get to today.”
Her eyes narrow on me. “With that Beau boy again?”
“Oh, Trisha, give the girl a break,” my Aunt’s friend Nell says. “You wanted her out, socializing and that’s just what she’s doing.”
“Socializing is one thing,” my Aunt says bringing her tea cup to her lips. She takes a sip then says, “but fraternizing with a country-bumpkin is another.”
Nell gives my Aunt a knowing look. “You were about her age when you met Don. He was…what did you call it…a country-bumpkin?”
I take a bite of my blueberry muffin to hide my laughter. My Aunt’s eyes dart over to me, as if she knows I’m laughing at her expense.
“Eric was sophisticated,” my Aunt says, with more than a hint of irritation n her tone. “Lord only knows what kind of man this Beau character is.”
“He is a gentleman Aunt Trisha.”
“Well then I’d like to meet him.”
“Trish—” My Aunt holds up her hand, silencing her friend.
“I know you Mallory. You get attached far too easily and you’re sleeping with this boy—”
“I am doing no such thing!” I interject. A few people turn their heads. My Aunt’s face turns red, angry with the attention I’m drawing.
“You will bring him for lunch Friday. It’s not up for negation.”
I look at Nell, my eyes pleading with her to say something but she remains silent. “I’m leaving next Tuesday for Florida. There’s no point.” Maybe my Aunt will see reason. Beau and I aren’t dating. We’re barely friends in the eyes of anyone that matters. Why must she insist on meeting him?
“He will join us or so help me God child, I with withdraw all the money I’ve contributed to your college fund over the years.”
I feel the color drain from my face. My Aunt’s not a woman who bluffs. She’s forcing my hand and she knows it. Defeated and a little embarrassed I nod. “Fine Aunt Trisha, we will be there.”
Chapter 29
Beau
Mom’s house is full, just like it is every year, with a mix of my brother’s friends and mine but it’s hard to enjoy the party when Mallory’s not here. I’m trying my best to be sociable, talking with everyone who comes up to me, but my mind is elsewhere. It’s on the screen door, waiting for her to arrive.
A loud whistle pulls me out of my daze. I look around, wondering if anyone is trying to get my attention when I finally see her. Mallory appears dressed in a yellow knee length tea dress that makes her hair glow.
Mallory scans the crowd and our eyes find each other almost immediately. I push my way through what feels like heaps of people before finally wrapping my arms around Mallory’s waist. I pull her into me, lifting her off the ground while I spin her around. Mallory makes a squealing-laughing sound.
Setting Mallory back on her feet, her mouth opens but I don’t give her the chance to speak. Instead, my mouth covers her in a hungry, needy kiss, until I’m gasping for air. My fingers run through her hair, gently pulling her lips from mine. Her lips curl up into a contagious grin and I find myself smiling too, the flavor of her kiss still alive on my tongue.
Mallory
“Oh, my heavens is this her?” a woman squeals as Beau and I walk into the kitchen. She puts down the bowl of potato salad she’s fixing and pulls me in for a hug. Both arms wrap around me as she rocks me a time or two before putting her hands on my shoulders and pushing me back a few inches. “Let me get a good look at you, sugar.”
The woman has the same brown hair as Beau, only hers is much longer and pulled into a messy bun on her head.
Her grin reaches her ears as she says, “Mercy me, Beau, she’s a beauty.”
My cheeks burn, embarrassed by the flattery. Beau slips his arm around my waist and pulls me away from her.
“Mom,” Beau says, hugging me close. “quit. You’ll scare her off.”
“Oh, hush now, child,” Mama Cooper says to her son. Her eyes meet mine again. “Darlin’, I’m Sandy Cooper. Most kids around here call me Sandy.”
“Or Mama C,” someone says, coming around the corner. The voice is owned by an older, more muscular, blond version of Beau. His cheeks are fuller and his eyes are a deep blue, but other than those differences, he’s the spitting image of Beau.
“I call her Mama. I’m Landry,” he says, holding out a hand.
“Mallory,” I reply, shaking it and taking in the two faces beaming at me.
Landry pulls me out of Beau’s arms and twirls me once. “How did my brother score a fine piece like you?”
Mama C backhands her son across the chest. “Landry Allen, I taught you to talk to ladies with more respect than that.”
I stifle my laugh. These two are amazing—so warm and welcoming. My Aunt judged Beau simply for being southern whereas Beau’s family accepts me, no questions asked. But Beau doesn’t seem amused by his family’s antics and quickly pulls me back into the safety of his arms.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” I say.
“Look at that, Landry,” Mama C says, her hand flying to her chest. “she’s got manners. Lord help me, Beau, if you screw this one up, I’ll tan your hinny.”
Beau groans in frustration. “Damn it, Mom! I’m not five. You can’t say that anymore.”
“Watch your mouth around me, son,” Mama C picks up a spatula from the counter and waves it at him. Beau ducks behind me, hiding his face in my hair.
“Now, Mallory, dear, after everything I’ve heard about you, I expect to join our family dinners from time to time.”
“It’s all lies I swear,” I tease, my cheeks so hot I probably have third degree burns.
“Oh, hush now, darlin’. That boy couldn’t tell a lie to save his life. He’s real smitten with you.”
“Mom!” Beau, facepalms himself.
“Well it’s true!” Mama C leans over and not so quietly whispers, “He hasn’t brought a girl home since that one lass back in high school.”
“Ma, we don’t bring girls home because you embarrass the shit out of us,” Landry says. Mama C swings the spatula, but Landry jumps back a step before she can hit him.
“All right, Mom,” Beau says, backing us towards the door. “You’ve met her. We’re going out to the party now.”
We almost make it to the back door when Mamma C yells, “Don’t use protection, dear. Y’all would make such cute babies!”
“Oh, dear Lord,” Beau mumbles, shutting the door behind us.
Once outside, Beau heads straight a set of coolers near a ping pong table. Lifting the lid, he hands me a beer before taking one for himself. Before I’m finished swallowing my first sip, Beau downs half his bottle in one swallow.
He rubs at the back of his neck. “Sorry about them.”
I shake my head. “I love it. Your family is so kind and welcoming and mine…mine isn’t.”
Beau nods, then finishes his b
eer. “My brother, Landry, is basically an older version of Kevin.”
My eyes dart over to Kevin. He’s got some girl straddling him, her lips locked on his. I take a sip of my beer, fighting a smile.
“He’s a player from way back,” Beau continues.
“Aw, come on. Landry seems nice.”
Beau shakes his head, a tight-lipped smile on his face. “See, that’s how he gets ya. He makes you think he’s all nice and sweet, but once he screws you, he’s gone.”
“First of all, Landry and I will never be tangled up together,” I take a swallow of my beer. “but that does sound a lot like Kevin.” Silence creeps into our conversation. Beau looks over at the pool. “Your mom seemed pretty great.”
Beau smiles, his eyes quickly finding their way back to me. “Mom’s the best. My dad died when I was eleven but she never remarried, just raised us on her own.” He pauses. “I think she’s given up hope on Landry settling down.”
“That sucks,” I say before finishing my beer. “Just so we are on the same page, I’m not down for babies.”
“Ever?”
I shrug. “Maybe one day in the future, but that day is not today.”
“Agreed.”
I look down at my watch and a yawn overcomes me. It’s only nine-thirty, but I’m beat.
Beau draws in a sharp breath, exhaling slowly. “You want to get out of here?”
“What about your friends and your party?”
He shrugs. “I can see them tomorrow. Tonight, I just want to spend time with you.”
Chapter 30
Mallory
Beau takes my hand, guiding me away from the party and to his apartment. I’ve spent more time here this past week than I ever thought I would but for some reason, I still get butterflies climbing these steps.
Beau unlocks the door and goes inside the apartment first, flipping a few lights before heading to the bathroom. I press my back against the door and wait. A minute or so later, he’s standing in the hallway in nothing but a pair of plaid shorts, the sight of him half naked sets a fire inside me so hot it’s almost overwhelming.
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