by Carrie Elks
Chapter Seven
“I don’t see why we have to go to church,” Michael said on Sunday morning, wrinkling his nose as they walked up the steps. “We didn’t go every week in Kansas City.”
“We went at least twice a month,” Mia pointed out, as they walked through the open double doors and onto the parquet floor. The church was almost full, and the sound of conversations and laughter momentarily stopped her from walking. She hated being the new people in town as much as Michael did, but unlike him, she was trying to hide it. “Anyway, it’s the best way to get to know people. Sam said most people around here go to church.”
“Sam hasn’t come,” Michael muttered.
“Yeah, why isn’t he here?” Josh asked. “If everybody comes?”
“He worked late last night, remember?” Mia pointed to a half empty pew, and Michael sat, sliding down to make space for his mom and brother. “He needs some rest. And we can thank God on his behalf.”
“We don’t have anything to be thankful for.”
She lifted an eyebrow at her older son. “How about having a roof over our heads? A good week at school? You got on the football team.” She let out a mouthful of air, because being so damn positive all the time was exhausting.
“And Mom got a job. That’s good, too, right?” Josh beamed at them.
“Good if you never want to go back to Kansas City,” Michael muttered, taking the hymn book from the shelf on the back of the pew in front of them, and flicking through it. He’d been like this since she’d gotten the call from the distillery offering her the job. She’d taken it, of course. But rather than be happy for her, Michael had rolled his eyes when she’d made his favorite meal to celebrate – chicken pot pies with mashed potatoes.
She knew it was making it all real for him. That even though he’d gone out for football trials, he was still hoping he’d be back at his old school with his friends and team. But she was damned if she’d let that spoil her happiness, because getting this job was a good thing.
The service passed quickly, thanks to an entertaining sermon from Reverend Maitland, who made everybody – even Michael – laugh. When they’d asked for the children to come to the front for a song, Josh had happily gone forward, singing so loud Mia could swear she heard him at the back. He was settling in nicely. He’d already been over to a new friend’s house to play that weekend. And from the way he was talking to two of the kids as they walked back to their seats, he’d made a few more.
It was so much easier being eight than fourteen. She wished Michael had found life as simple as Josh did.
As they followed the crowd of worshippers, shaking Reverend Maitland’s hand as they left, Mia’s gaze landed on the one person she was trying not to think about.
Cam Hartson was standing on the lawn at the front of the church, talking to a woman who was holding a baby. He was dressed up, wearing a sharp suit and shirt, and his hair was styled differently. Maybe that was why she didn’t feel the spark she’d gotten before.
She was both relieved and disappointed. Because that spark was the only thing giving her life right now.
“I’ll be right back,” she murmured to the boys.
“Can I go play?” Josh asked, pointing at the town square where other kids his age were congregating.
“Sure. But keep within my eyesight,” Mia agreed. “You want to go, too?” she asked Michael.
“Nope.”
“Okay then. Stay here. I’ll be back soon and we’ll go grab a shake from the diner.” She walked over to where Cam and the woman were laughing.
“Could I have a quick word?” Mia asked him.
For a moment he looked at her, surprised. There was no flash of recognition in his eyes. No soft appraisal of her, like he’d done last week. “Um yeah, sure. You okay, sweetheart?” he asked the woman with the baby.
She smiled at Mia. “Sure.”
Sweetheart? So he had a girlfriend and a baby. And she’d sworn he’d been ogling her when she was changing the tire on her car. What an asshole.
Now she was glad there was no attraction. Ugh.
“I wanted to say thank you for the tire,” she said quickly, because she wanted to get home and forget about all this. “You didn’t need to do it, though. I had it covered.”
“The tire?” His brows pulled together. “What tire?”
“The tire you helped me change on the side of the road. You must remember?” Why was he being so weird?
“I didn’t change a tire. I’m afraid I don’t know who you are.” He swallowed, his voice full of politeness.
“You don’t remember my sons throwing a football against your car?” She tried to keep her voice civil, but it was getting tough.
He laughed, recognition finally washing over his face. “You’ve got me mixed up with my twin. You’re talking about Cam, right? I’m Logan Hartson.” He held his hand out. “And you must be Mia. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She shook his hand quickly, then closed her eyes, her face flaming with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were twins. I never would have…” She trailed off, looking for a rock to hide under.
Logan shrugged. “It’s fine. It happens all the time. Most people around here know we’re twins, but you’re new so you wouldn’t.” He smiled again, as though trying to put her at ease. “Why don’t you come meet my family?” He inclined his head at the woman he was talking to. “Courtney, come say hi to Mia.”
“Mia, the car denter?” Courtney grinned and rushed over, passing the baby to Logan. “I’ve heard all about you. Welcome to town.” Instead of offering her hand, she hugged Mia, who despite her surprise, hugged her back.
“Thank you.”
“How are you settling in?” Courtney asked. “You’re living with Sam, right?”
This was how Mia had thought small towns would be, everybody knowing everyone. And for some reason it made her feel warm.
“We’re getting there,” she told the pretty woman. “The boys are in school, and I got a job, which is a huge relief. I start next Monday.”
“Where are you going to work?” Courtney asked her.
“At the G. Scott Carter Distillery. Do you know it?”
“Of course I do. Logan’s sister works there. You need to meet her. Becca!” Courtney shouted out, and a familiar head turned around. Mia remembered seeing her in the offices. “Come meet Mia Devlin. She’s going to work at the distillery.”
“Hi.” Becca smiled widely. “I heard all about you from Nathan.” With her dark hair and hazel eyes she bore more than a passing resemblance to her brothers. But where they were tall and masculine, Becca was petite. She held her hand out and Mia shook it. “I’m Becca Hartson. I’m one of the junior distillers at G. Scott Carter. When do you start?”
“Next Monday, if everything is finalized on time.” Mia had already signed her contract and sent it back. The sooner she started the sooner she’d get paid.
Becca gave her a wide smile. “That’s wonderful. We need some new ideas. I swear Eliana is stuck in the dark ages sometimes. I mentioned how gin was having a resurgence and that we could take some tips from that industry and she almost bit my head off.”
Mia grimaced. “I said the same thing.”
“Well hopefully she’ll listen to you. You should meet my other brothers. Mind if I steal her?” Becca asked Courtney.
“Be my guest.” Courtney smiled at her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. We should have coffee some time. Becca, make sure you get Mia’s number.”
“Oh, I will.” Becca’s eyes sparkled. “Did I hear something about you having children?”
“I have two boys,” Mia told her. “That’s Josh playing in the square.” She pointed at a group of children running around the bandstand. “And Michael’s over there.” He was leaning against the rail of the church steps, his arms folded stubbornly across his chest.
“He’s huge. He must be head and shoulders above you,” Becca said, sliding her arm through Mia’s and
leading her over to a circle of people. “Everybody, this is Mia. She’s starting work at my place next week.”
About ten heads turned, interested eyes taking her in as smiles welcomed her. Her eyes locked with green-flecked hazel ones, and she felt that familiar rush of blood through her veins. Okay, so the attraction hadn’t gone. But she could ignore it. Pretend that she didn’t get all fluttery inside when she locked gazes with Cam Hartson.
Weird how she didn’t get that way when she looked at his twin. Maybe it was the difference in the way he wore his hair, or the fact Cam was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt that did nothing to hide his defined pectorals.
She tried really hard not to look at the ripple of muscle from his waistband to his ribcage. And those shoulders, damn, they looked almost as big without shoulder pads as they did when he was playing a game.
Not that she’d Googled him. No sir. Not her.
It was impossible to remember everybodys’ names as she was introduced to them. There was Gray, the rock singer, and his fiancée Maddie, plus their two boys. Then a younger version of Gray, who was introduced as Tanner, along with his wife Van, who was a gorgeous blonde. Then there was Becca’s aunt, and an even older man who was Becca’s father. And more people who were either friends or relatives, but Mia couldn’t work out which.
As she talked to Becca about the distillery, she found herself looking out of the corner of her eye at Cam. He was staring right at her, and he didn’t look embarrassed at all to be caught. Instead, he gave her a lazy smile that did something to her.
It took her a moment to remember to breathe.
“Definitely avoid the coffee machine,” Becca was saying. “A few of us get together and order in from a local place. I’ll add you to our message group, that way you won’t be poisoned during your first week.”
“Sounds good,” Mia agreed. Becca was a little ray of sunshine. She’d said she was the youngest of her siblings, which must put her in her mid to late twenties, probably ten years younger than Mia. But she could sense they would be friends.
There were some people you just clicked with.
“Will you be coming to Chairs on Friday?” Becca asked her.
“Chairs?” Mia’s brows knitted. “What’s that?”
As Becca attempted to explain the town tradition, Mia found her gaze wandering to the left again. Cam was talking to his aunt, but his face turned abruptly and he was staring right at her.
Busted. Mia bit her lip, and looked firmly away.
He was way too good looking. And according to the article she’d read about him, one of the best safeties the NFL had ever seen.
And way out of your league, Mia Devlin. Yeah, she knew that, but a little look didn’t hurt, did it?
She was going to be paying ten thousand dollars to the guy, for goodness sake. Or more, if you added the cost of the top end tire. So she’d look if she wanted to.
“So do you think you’ll come next week?” Becca asked her.
Mia dragged her eyes away from Cam’s. “I wish I could,” she told her. “But it’s Friday night football at school. I promised I’d take Michael and Josh.”
“Do your sons play?”
“Michael does. Josh tried pee wee last year and hated it. He likes going to games, though. For the snacks.” Mia laughed.
“I used to like those, too. I remember being dragged along to football at the high school for years. First for Gray, then for Cam and Logan. Even Tanner played, and he hates getting dirty.” She tipped her head to the side and looked over at Cam. “Hey, did you know Mia’s son plays football?”
“Oh yeah. I’ve seen him in action.”
It was getting stupid how often they were looking at each other. This time, there was a curl to his lips. A kind of half smile that made her legs feel weak. She grinned back at him, and he winked.
Damn it, how could a wink be sexy?
“My son dented Cam’s car,” she admitted to Becca.
“He’s the one?” Becca’s eyes widened. “I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked Cam.
“Because I haven’t seen you. Anyway, it’s none of your business, Miss Nosey.” He walked over and ruffled her hair. “Now can I steal Mia away from you for a minute? I want to talk to her about the car.”
“You can talk here,” Becca suggested. “I won’t listen.”
“Sure. And you didn’t rat me out every time I snuck in late at night when we were kids.” Cam shook his head. “You forget how well I know you.”
“I forgot how much you annoy me.” Becca shook her head. “Go on. Steal my new friend. See if I care.”
Mia smiled at her. “I’ll see you at the distillery.”
“Yep. Oh wait, can I have your number? To add you to our messenger group? And Courtney wanted it, too.”
“I’ll send it to you,” Cam told her, his voice impatient. “Okay?”
“You have Mia’s number?” Becca’s eyes widened. “Why?”
Ignoring her, he inclined his head at Mia. “Shall we go?”
She nodded.
“Bye, Mia. Bye, Cam. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” Becca’s eyes sparkled, while Cam’s rolled as they walked over to an old oak tree, where nobody else was standing.
Finally alone, Mia looked up at him. The sun was shining through the branches, casting a dappled light onto them, making Cam’s eyes look almost bronze as they stared down at her.
“Thank you for the tire,” she said softly. “But you didn’t need to do that. I had it handled.”
“I know. But I was going to the dealership anyway.”
“Not the Honda dealership.”
He shrugged. “They’re all connected.”
“So you can add it to the invoice?”
“Add what?” Three tiny lines appeared between his brows.
“Add the cost of the tire to the money I owe you for the dent. The ten thousand dollars.”
Cam looked at her strangely. “I’m still waiting for the final total. It won’t be that much. They said it should be an easy fix. Maybe a couple of thousand. We’ll see.”
“But you were adamant it was going to cost at least ten thousand.” Why was she arguing? This was good news, wasn’t it? But she didn’t want to be blindsided, not when she still had no idea how to find the money. Better to be realistic than to have hope.
Life had taught her that much.
“I was wrong. And maybe a little hot headed.” He gave her that sexy half smile again. “I kind of like my car.”
“I got that impression.”
Cam bit down a grin at her sarcasm. “Maybe you’d like to come out with me in it once I have it back,” he suggested. “You might like it, too.”
She stared at him for a few long seconds. “You want me to come out in your car?”
“Only if you want to. It’ll be kind of part yours anyway, after you pay for the repairs.”
She felt the shudders run through her. It was a physical sensation. A little fear, a little excitement, and a whole lot of panic. “I don’t… I can’t…” She glanced to the side. Michael was talking to a kid his age. Was that actually a smile on his face? “I’m married,” she blurted out. Ugh, what an idiot she was. The divorce was almost completed in the courts.
“I heard you were separated.”
Her heart was pummeling against her chest. “Who told you that?”
“It’s a small town. Word gets round.”
“Yeah, well it’s complicated. Like the rest of my life. Seriously, you wouldn’t want me in your car. Or to do anything with me, come to that. I have two kids, an almost ex-husband, and more baggage than you could fit in the trunk of your Audi.”
“I wasn’t asking you to bring any luggage.” He gave her a wink. “Let me take you out to dinner. That’s all. See if this thing between us means something.”
“This thing between us?” She arched an eyebrow. “There’s nothing between us apart from a ten thousand dollar debt.”
No stupid crazy glances. N
o hot blushes. No Googling and clicking on image searches.
Nope, nothing at all.
He blinked, thick eyelashes sweeping down. “I wasn’t asking for your hand in marriage, Mia. Just a date. But I get the hint. You’re not interested.” He shrugged. “Your choice.”
Yeah, it was. But she already felt like a prize asshole for turning him down like that. Sure, he was a player. Maybe in more ways than one. But it never hurt to be polite.
“I should go,” she said quickly, looking around at Michael. “I need to get home and cook lunch. I’ll see you around. Thank you again for the tire.”
“You’re welcome.” Why was he still smiling? “I’ll see you around, Mia.”
No he wouldn’t, because she planned to hide herself away until he left town. Or maybe join a nunnery. That would work. She wondered if they accepted single moms and their children.
Chapter Eight
“Mom! Guess what?” Michael barreled into the kitchen, his bag slung over his shoulder. Mia looked up from the table where she was helping Josh with his homework, watching as Michael dumped his bag on the tiled floor and walked over to kiss her cheek.
Well, that was new. So was the smile on his face. “What?” she asked, her lips curling.
“Coach asked me to sit with the varsity team tonight. I’m not on the roster, but he says he wants me to sit in with the guys. Get to know them so I’m ready for next year.”
“He thinks you’ll get onto varsity next year?” Her eyes softened. “That’s amazing.”
“Yeah. He’s already told me to be ready for a JV game next week. There are a few of us who are gonna sit with the team tonight.”
“Do we need to be there early?”
“Maybe half past six?”
Mia checked her watch. She hadn’t started dinner yet. “Okay. I’ll make us some sandwiches and we can go out to eat after to celebrate. How does that sound?”
Michael’s grin was huge. “Great.”
Her heart clenched – he was finally settling in. With her job starting on Monday, and Josh spending lots of time with his new found friends, they were all making good progress. All those sleepless nights and tears were worth it, if her boys were happy.