“Mom, can I help with anything?”
But she waved her off. “You have your own packing to do and I’m sure you’ll remember to clean your room and bathroom before you leave tomorrow. I have a cleaning company coming in tomorrow afternoon and then the property management people will handle our guests.”
“Is that what we’re calling them?” she muttered.
Pausing, her mother stared at her. “Is this still bothering you? I thought with you leaving in the morning, it wouldn’t be a big deal.”
“It just feels weird, that’s all.”
“Are you sure? Because you look like something’s bothering you.”
That’s when she told her about Scarlett’s health scare.
“Oh, my goodness! And just as they were leaving for their honeymoon! That is too bad.”
“And now I feel guilty about not being here,” she admitted, flopping down on the couch. “I know Mason’s going to be with her, but after everything we’ve been through together, it just feels wrong to leave.”
Sitting beside her, her mother sighed. “And now you can’t even stay here.”
“Exactly.”
“You could stay with Grandma,” her father suggested. “You know she’d love to have you.”
While that was true, her grandmother was a bit of a handful at times and Courtney wasn’t sure how long she’d last staying there.
“Did you talk to Scarlett? I’m sure she’d understand if you weren’t here. After all, no one could have predicted this turn of events,” her mother offered.
“I guess.” But it still didn’t feel right. Of course, she could still leave and maybe come back for the weekend. It wasn’t ideal but she knew she and Scarlett would talk every day so it wasn’t like she was completely abandoning her. It seemed like the most logical choice.
Or was it?
“So what do you think you’ll do?”
“I think I need to sleep on it,” she said. “It was a busy weekend and a hectic day and I still have so much to do, so…” She stood and stretched. “I might as well get to it.”
The wrench slipped from his hands for the fourth time and Dean let out a string of curses. His focus was total crap today and he hadn’t accomplished one damn thing.
“I think you need to call it a day,” his father said. “I know we’re all worried about your sister but you’re going to hurt yourself at this rate.”
Straightening, he looked at his father oddly. “Um…what?”
“It’s obvious that you’re distracted today. I know I am. But Mason said she’s doing fine and is resting. Maybe tomorrow we can go see her after work.”
That’s when it hit him that his dad thought his mood had to do with Scarlett.
And he was going to keep on letting him think that.
“Yeah. That sounds good. Maybe we’ll bring some Chinese food or something,” he suggested, wiping his hands on the rag he kept in his back pocket.
“Go on. It’s almost quitting time anyway. We’ll start fresh tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Why don’t you call Scarlett when you get home so you can hear for yourself that she’s doing okay?”
Smiling, he said, “I will.” After he washed up, he asked, “What about you? What are you doing tonight?”
“Tommy asked Kyle and me to go look at some pieces he wants to use in the restaurant. Something about an auction,” Domenic said with a shrug. “He needs help moving them if he buys them.”
“Oh.” He wondered why his grandfather didn’t think to include him. “Well, have fun.”
Within minutes he was in his truck and heading home. He was tired, filthy, and starving. A hot shower would make a world of difference and then he’d go pick up something for dinner because he was in no mood to cook tonight.
Once he was home, he stripped as he made his way to the bedroom and once he was under the hot spray of the shower, he felt himself begin to relax. Visions of Courtney came to mind–just like they had all day. This particular time he could attribute to his own wild and wishful imagination. Over the course of their night together, he had fantasized about waking up with her in the morning and taking a shower together. Why it had been something he wanted so badly, he couldn’t say. But now the image was lodged there and wouldn’t leave.
Groaning, he shook his head. It had to get better, right? Eventually he’d stop thinking about her and just…get back to his regularly scheduled life. He had to. It was just on his mind so much because it had all just happened. By tomorrow, hopefully, he’d be able to think about it less and less. What they had was a one-time thing, that’s all. It was a combination of years of curiosity and just…
Hell, who was he kidding, and really, what was the point in lying to himself? He’d had a thing for Courtney since she was about eighteen. He could still remember the night of Scarlett’s graduation party. She had shown up wearing a white strapless dress that hit about mid-thigh and he just about swallowed his own tongue. He’d always thought she was pretty, but that was the night he realized she wasn’t a kid anymore.
And then he felt ashamed for even thinking of her at all. She was six years younger and yet he always felt way older–like ancient, comparatively.
When she kissed him Friday night after the rehearsal dinner, he was shocked, turned on, and ultimately relieved that she felt the same way he did.
Until she took off.
He let out a mirthless laugh as he thought about it. Maybe he should be examining why she felt the need to run off on him not once but twice.
Talk about crushing a guy’s ego…
Still, he wished he had forced himself to say something more to her yesterday. He knew she was leaving but he could have said something about how he felt about her or how he wished they’d had more time. Something. Anything.
But he hadn’t and he knew he was going to regret that for a long time.
Rinsing his hair, he cursed himself. Thinking about her was not what he was supposed to be doing. He needed to think about something else. For the rest of the shower–which wasn’t long–he started thinking about the work he wanted to start on Scarlett’s place. After he dropped Courtney off there yesterday, he didn’t stay and try to get any work done. His head wasn’t in it. But sometime this week, he really needed to get himself organized so he could be prepared to hit it hard next weekend.
Stepping out of the shower, he dried off and dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a black t-shirt–his standard attire. Looking at himself in the mirror, he finger-combed his hair and sighed. He had meant to get it cut before the wedding but hadn’t made the time.
And speaking of the wedding, he grabbed his phone and called his sister. Her new husband answered the phone.
“Hey, Dean, what’s up?”
“Hey, Mason. I’m sure you’ve had like a hundred calls today, but I just wanted to make sure Scarlett was doing okay.”
He laughed a little. “She is the worst patient. I swear, I think the nurse ran with the wheelchair this morning to get her out of the hospital as fast as she could.”
The image had Dean laughing too. “Sounds about right. She’s always been like that. Doesn’t like taking orders and hates to be confined.” He laughed again. “Good luck with that.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Is there anything you need? Want me to pick up some dinner for you guys?”
“I appreciate the offer, but my mother dropped off about a month’s worth of food here this afternoon–a combination of groceries and ready-made stuff. We barely had enough room for it.”
“Yikes.”
“Exactly. Listen, I’d ask if you want to talk to Scarlett but she’s sleeping. Although I do need to wake her up to eat…”
“No, don’t wake her up on my account. I’ll try to call her tomorrow or maybe swing by after work if that’s okay.”
“Absolutely. We’ll just be hanging out and trying not to think about the tropical vacation we’re not on,” he said lightly.
“Yeah, we talked about that and we know this is all for the best. Plus, her doctor was already a little against her flying in the third trimester. So now we definitely won’t be going anywhere until after the baby comes.”
“Damn. Sorry.”
“It’s all good. The only thing that matters is that Scarlett and the baby are okay.”
It was just another reason Dean liked Mason. He knew he genuinely loved Scarlett.
“I’ll let you go,” Dean said. “I’m going to go get myself something to eat and come back and just chill.” He paused. “Oh, I’m going to start working on Scarlett’s place this week. I was there yesterday when we got the call, so I didn’t get anything started yet.”
“No worries and no rush, Dean. Seriously. Don’t go killing yourself. We know you put in long hours at the garage as it is so…we’re really okay with you doing it at your own pace.”
“Thanks. I appreciate you saying that, but I’ll keep you up to date so you’ll know when you can possibly get it on the market.”
“Sounds good,” Mason said. “And we’ll see you tomorrow.”
Hanging up, he slid his phone into his pocket as he walked back across the house. Grabbing a pair of sneakers, he slid them on before picking up his keys and sunglasses and heading out. It was still relatively early–barely six o’clock–and he had no idea what he wanted to eat. There were all the usual suspects like pizza or Chinese food, but neither seemed overly appealing. He didn’t mind driving through town until something piqued his interest. Traffic was mild and maybe something would come to mind while he drove. The sky was getting darker–and not because of the time of day. There were some storms predicted, and with any luck, he’d be home before the rain started.
There was the Mystic Magnolia–his grandfather’s place–but he was already heading in the opposite direction and it wasn’t fully open yet. Still, he was all for helping test the new menu.
“Another time,” he murmured.
He drove by the country club and shook his head and Café Magnolia wasn’t open for dinner. A little farther up the road was Michael’s Italian Restaurant, but the more he thought about it, he wasn’t in the mood for pasta. Panda Garden was right next to it and while he always enjoyed some shrimp with lobster sauce, that didn’t appeal to him either.
“God, when did I get this picky?”
Driving past the supermarket, he considered going in and just getting something to make when he realized The Sand Bar was coming up. They had the best burgers and even though it was more of a sit-down place, he was sure he could order his food to go.
Feeling satisfied with his decision, he pulled into the turning lane and saw the parking lot wasn’t overly full and he figured he should be able to get in and out pretty quickly. Then he pulled in and spotted a familiar car.
With a small trailer hitched to the back of it.
Courtney’s still in town?
Pulling into a parking spot, he was out of his truck and stalking through the front door, his expression fairly murderous. The hostess took one look at him and stepped back before she could even welcome him and he barely spared her a glance while he scanned the room.
There she is.
Sitting alone in one of the small corner booths sat Courtney. She had a drink in front of her and a small basket with some sort of appetizer in it that he was determined to see for himself. He took a minute to compose himself so he didn’t come off as some kind of aggressive jerk before walking over to her.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked smoothly as he slid in across from her. Her eyes went wide and he smiled. “Ooh…fried pickles. I love these.” Popping one in his mouth, he continued to grin at her.
It was obvious he had surprised her and he had a ton of questions, but when she remained silent, he figured he’d have to be the one to lead the conversation.
Again.
“I would have thought you’d be checking out all the places to eat in Raleigh tonight. Did you change your mind?”
Fidgeting in her seat, she shook her head. “Just getting a late start.” She cleared her throat. “I had some things to take care of and I wanted one last burger from The Sand Bar before I left.”
He nodded. “They are the best.”
“Yup.”
“But…it’s not like you’re never coming back to Magnolia again.”
“Yeah, I know. It was just…” She stopped and shrugged. “I was just in the mood for it.”
Another nod. “So what kind of things did you have to do? And this is going to make you get to Raleigh pretty late. Do you have a reservation at a hotel or anything?”
“Um…no. No reservation. I was just planning on driving and stopping at the first decent one I saw.”
“And the reason you’re leaving so late?” he prompted.
“I wanted to go see Scarlett and then I thought I’d spend the night at my grandmother’s, but she had some friends from out of town staying with her already, so…”
So she had no place to go. He was going to suggest Scarlett’s but figured she had her reasons for not going there.
The waitress came by and took his order and when Courtney stared at him with mild annoyance, he couldn’t help but tease her a little. “What? Did you think I was going to go sit at another table? What would be the point in that?”
“How about I was enjoying sitting here by myself?”
Unable to help himself, he laughed out loud before resting his arms on the table. “Sweetheart, you and I both know that’s a lie. You hate being by yourself–you especially hate eating by yourself. If you ask me, it’s a good thing I came in here and sat with you.”
And yeah, her eyes went wide right before they narrowed at him.
“You think you know me so well,” she said with a hint of snark, “but you don’t. I was just fine sitting here alone. I was thinking of all the things I’ll need to do when I get up tomorrow. It’s going to be very hectic. And now you’re interrupting that!”
Leaning slightly across the table, he said, “You’ve got a three-hour drive, Court. You have more than enough time to think. Try again.”
“Ugh…why are you like this?” she cried, slamming her hand on the table. “And why are you even here? I’ve never seen you in here before!” She paused and gasped. “Are you like…following me or something?”
Leaning back in his seat, he crossed his arms over his chest and saw the way her gaze landed on his tattooed arms. “I’m not following you. Trust me. I got the hint yesterday morning.” He liked the way her cheeks flushed at his words. “I eat here a lot so I could say the same thing about you–I’ve never seen you here before either.”
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered. “I should have just grabbed some McDonald’s on the road.”
Reaching over, he plucked another fried pickle chip from the basket and popped it in his mouth. “Yeah, but you didn’t. So why don’t you just relax and we’ll enjoy our dinner before you get on the road.” And before she could argue, he asked about her parents and if they had left this morning as planned.
The change of subject seemed to do the trick because she visibly relaxed. She told him about how the first part of their trip was taking them to the western part of the state before they started off across the country. They were going to be gone for three months and he had to wonder how they could just take off from their jobs for such an extended period of time. Their food arrived before he could ask and then she began sharing some of the stories of their paranormal encounters.
And she had a lot of them.
Before he knew it, they were both done eating and he was paying the bill.
“Dean,” she protested, “you don’t have to do that.”
“Yeah, I know. Just consider it a going-away present or something.” He slid from the booth and waited for
her to do the same. They walked out to the parking lot and over to her car. The idea of her pulling the trailer on a hitch her father installed still didn’t sit well with him, but he hoped she would be okay.
Looking down at her–he towered over her by at least six inches–he thought of all the things he wanted to say. All the things he told himself he should have said to her yesterday were on the tip of his tongue, but…he didn’t say any of them. He couldn’t.
“Thank you for dinner,” she said. Glancing over at her car, she sighed. “I should get going. It’s already later than I thought.”
With a curt nod, he stepped back and felt the first drops of rain hit him. Courtney’s expression fell.
“Dammit, now I’m going to be stuck driving in the rain,” she said with dismay. Opening her car door, she tossed her purse in and looked at Dean one last time. Her shoulders sagged and her eyes looked a little sad. “Dean, I…”
He nodded again. “Yeah,” he said gruffly. “I know.” Walking closer, he held the car door open for her while she climbed in. “Be safe, Court.”
Wordlessly, she nodded and he closed the door for her.
And watched her drive away.
It wasn’t until she pulled out of the parking lot and her taillights were out of sight did he move. The rain was starting to come down a bit harder and he was close to being soaked, but it barely registered with him. Letting out a long breath, he walked over to his truck and climbed in as he called himself every name in the book.
Again.
How many chances would he piss away without talking to her about the things that were important?
“Apparently, all of them,” he said with disgust. Pulling out of the parking lot, he headed for home. It was still early and he was restless and considered going to Scarlett’s again and doing some demo. All of his tools were still in the truck and it wasn’t like he had anyone or anything waiting for him at home. With the decision made, that’s where he went.
At the house, he carried the tools in and walked around inspecting the place. He took his time to try to envision what he wanted to do first and how he wanted it all to look when he was done. Scarlett had given him the go-ahead to do whatever he wanted. As much as he liked the idea of not having to follow anyone’s plans, he hadn’t given much thought about what he was going to do here. Most of the furniture was gone and he knew his sister had emptied all the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen so it seemed like the perfect place to start.
And Then One Day Page 6