Chapter Sixteen
Everett
“Love sets everything it touches free. When you’re in love, Everett, holding on means letting go.”
Papaw Joe
Sexy and protective from afar.
Fuck afar. I would be protective from right here, next to her. It was best that I stay where she needed me to be. Her hand squeezing mine in a death grip told me not to let her out of my sight until Tommy was completely out of the picture. It occurred to me that he would fight her. That he wouldn’t accept anything she had to say unless she were saying words he wanted to hear. I knew his type—controlling, domineering, a bully— and I knew him. I had no respect for men like that and I would not tolerate him trying to intimidate Willa.
“We’re here,” I whispered. Her head had fallen to my shoulder as she leaned sideways over the console, asleep, with my hand gripped tightly in hers. When I noticed her start to drift off, I switched to the scenic route home. Obviously, she needed a nap before going to Genie’s tonight.
“Everett?”
“Wake up, sweetheart.” Unable to help myself, I shifted to the side so I could kiss the top of her head. She smelled of flowers and something warm, like vanilla. I could spend forever with her sweet scent in my nostrils and wished she was in my arms like the other night.
She sat up and her startled eyes grew round as she looked around, adorable in her confusion. “It’s late.” Her eyebrows furrowed and her big blue eyes landed on me. I grinned.
“You fell asleep, so I drove around for a while to let you rest.” Glancing at the clock on the dashboard, she shifted her hair behind her back, only to have some of the wild curls shoot back around and frame her face, melting my heart in the process.
“You must have been driving for hours—it’s three-thirty, Everett.”
“It’s no big deal, you needed the sleep. You snored the whole time,” I lied. She didn’t really snore, but occasionally she would let out the cutest little snort. Like a puff of air from her nose. When awake, Willa had an effortless elegance about her. She was graceful and feline in her movements, all lithe and sexy as hell. During the night we spent together, I discovered that sleeping Willa was not elegant at all. In fact, she remined me of my Papaw Joe when he’d crash out in his recliner during Monday Night Football after having a beer or two. All wide-open mouth, hair in her face, and arms and legs akimbo. I have a king-size bed and she had taken up most of the space. It worked for me because it meant she’d been all over me like I was a human body pillow and I liked that. Willa slept like an old man and, god help me, I thought it was hot.
“I do not snore, Everett! Take it back. Oh, no! I was supposed to have lunch with Sabrina,” she cried while looking frantically around for her cell phone, patting her pockets then leaning over to check the floor.
I held it up with a chuckle. “No worries, she called. I answered and explained. She’ll see you tonight at Genie’s, with Wyatt.”
“Oh. Thank you, for…thank you for everything, Everett. Today was the worst and I—”
“Always, sweetheart, anytime. Anything you need and I’m there. I already told you that and I meant it. Everything I have is yours.” Including my heart.
“I don’t know what to say. I shouldn’t be here like this, with you. You could do so much better—” The empty sadness in her eyes startled me. It broke my heart that she felt this way.
“Stop it. Why do you say things like that?” She huffed out a startled breath along with a false laugh. Her eyes hit the ceiling of the truck as she turned her head toward the passenger window.
“I…I feel like…My mother always said that I—I don’t know. I can’t—” I captured her chin with two fingers to force her to look at me. To force her to see the truth in my eyes. I wanted her to see exactly how much she meant to me, how much I wanted her to be right here with me, and how there was no way on earth I could ever do better than her. With a dip of my head, I kissed her. Just once, a simple brush of my lips over hers, but I hoped it communicated what I couldn’t adequately express with words. God, I was no good with words…
A rap at my window caused me to bump my head on the ceiling as I turned around with a curse. “Gracie!” Willa’s startled voice rang out, breaking the moment we had almost shared. I lifted a chin toward Gracie, and she stepped back so I could open my door.
“I rode the bus home,” she complained as I got out of the truck. “No more hitching, just like I promised.” Her head tilted as her backpack slid off her shoulder.
“Do you have a driver’s license?” I questioned.
“Yeah, why?” I reached into my truck and clicked the garage door opener attached to the sun visor. I had an old Ford Bronco in there. I’d bought it in high school and restored it. It ran, but I preferred my pickup because it was easier to haul stuff around. “Y’all can use that.” I removed the key from my keyring and offered it to Willa who now stood at my side.
“I can’t use your car! That’s too much,” Willa protested. She refused to take the key.
“Well, I can. I’ll drive her to work every day when I get home from school.” Gracie snatched the key with a laugh. “And I’ll pick her up whenever her dopey ass needs a ride back home,” she promised.
I laughed. “Deal.” She rolled up to her tiptoes and smacked a kiss on my cheek, then gave one to Willa.
“Thank you, Everett. You’re the best. I’m going to go call Ruby.”
“You’re welcome,” I shouted after her as she slammed her way into the apartment.
“You’re doing too much for me, Everett. I can’t—”
“It’s just a car. I’m not using it, so it’s no big deal. Why is it so hard for you to accept help?”
Her mouth opened to answer but nothing came out. I grinned at her as she stood there clearly frustrated with my question. Willa was generous and she cared about people. Flipping the script on her would probably be effective.
“Would you help me if I needed it? Are you helping Gracie by letting her live with you?” She nodded. “How does it feel, Willard? Does it feel good to help when you know you can? Don’t answer, just think about it.” I tugged one of her curls, watching it straighten and then bounce back up. I held her eyes until they softened on mine and I cupped her soft cheek with my palm, lingering there while she leaned into my touch, telling me everything I needed to know without words. I wanted to kiss her again, but I’d already stolen one kiss today. More would be pushing it. For now, I’d settle for this. Soft touches to let her know how it would stay between us. Little things to show her I cared until she was ready for more again.
“I’ll drive you to Genie’s tonight and take you home when you’re off.” It wasn’t an offer; it was a promise. “Have Gracie go spend time at the Logan Ranch with Ruby, or one of her other friends tonight, okay? I don’t want her to be alone here. At least not until I finish the security system tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she whispered as she gazed at me. Why had she thought I would let her go so easily? As long her eyes reflected back what was in my own, I would stay. I would stay forever if she allowed it.
Chapter Seventeen
Willa
“You have everything you need here at Lavender Hill, with your momma and sisters. Don’t ever count on anyone for things you can do yourself. People will always let you down.”
Momma
I headed to the apartment to get ready for work and contemplate this insane day. Maybe make a list or bullet journal my feelings. Thoughts swirled around like a tsunami of jumbled up doubts and fears—about money, my mother, Everett, Tommy, the entire populace of Green Valley seeming to know about my business, my van breaking down, and probably some stuff I was forgetting to worry about for the moment—and I had not begun to get anywhere near sorting it out in my head.
“Gracie?” I called as I entered.
She popped her head out of the bedroom with a huge smile. “It’s like you never broke up with him at all. He’s kind of awesome, Willa.”
&n
bsp; “I—yeah, he is. How did that happen?” Maybe I would focus on the Everett issue first.
“I’ve read about guys like this,” she said excitedly. “He’s the good kind of alpha. I don’t think you have to worry.”
“What are you talking about?”
“How can you be friends with Sabrina and not know about alpha heroes?” She rolled her eyes, landed on the couch with a plop and patted the cushion next to her with a smile. I had time before work. With a shrug, I joined her.
“Number one, go to the library. You need better books. Get some romance novels and lose the—” She picked up my copy of The Shining from the coffee table and tossed it to the floor with a shake of her head. “No wonder you’re so fucked up,” she muttered. “At least get Rose Madder, or something that could actually help you right now.”
“I know what alpha heroes are, okay? And I don’t feel like talking anymore.” I stood up.
“I bet you don’t. You know what’s up now, don’t you?” She cracked up as she watched me grow flustered.
“Yeah, he’s going to stick around whether I want him to or not,” I grumbled.
“Nope. That’s not it at all. We both know you still want him, right?” I looked away. “Uh-huh, well, you don’t have to admit it because it’s written all over you. You want him, bad. Well, Everett knows it too, and that is why he’s still around. If you really didn’t want him, he’d be gone. That’s the difference between him and Tommy. And yeah, I know about the roses and Tommy being at Everett’s shop, so don’t bother trying to keep it from me, okay?”
“God! How, how does everybody know everything? What is it with this place?” I stormed off to the bedroom to change for work and stew over everything. After selecting my appropriately dark attire for the evening’s shift—black jeans, black cowboy boots, black Genie’s tank—I stuck my face in the mirror to apply my work makeup. More lashes, eye liner, and painted lips equaled more tips. And I was not above painting my face up for money. Lord knew I could use it.
Speaking of money, where was my van? Everett said he would have it towed here, but it wasn’t outside. I inhaled a deep sigh. Maybe I should take up meditating, or yoga. Or maybe I needed another nap and a bubble bath. Jumping wildly from thought to thought was not working for me. I needed to get my mind focused on one track and let the other stuff float to the side. For now, work would be my focus. And Gracie, always Gracie.
“Willa! I’m going to take Everett’s cool-as-shit Bronco and go to Ruby’s to do homework. Bye.”
“No! Wait!” I planned to take the Bronco to avoid riding with Everett to Genie’s. He was dangerous to my libido. I had an out of control lady boner for him and being near him was making it worse, dammit. Gah! Get your mind back on work. And don’t let Gracie take that Bronco.
“Oh, you want to drive it, now? Do you?” She was laughing at me. She knew too much, just like everyone else in this freaking town. Formerly homeless, teenage runaway Willa with her scandalous past and broken-down escape van started banging her landlord and is potentially being stalked by her ex-husband. What a winner.
“Yeah, I’ll drop you off then go to work.” I said. Her eyes drifted upward as she thought about it. As if she had a leg to stand on in this argument, or any other option.
“But I wanted—”
“I’ll drive you. I’m older. I outrank you. You spend the night with Ruby, I’ll arrange it with Sabrina. I don’t want you to be alone here until—”
Her eyes widened. “Are we freaking out about Tommy?”
“Not freaking out. Being cautious, okay?”
“Gotcha. I’ll get my clothes ready for tomorrow. Or your clothes, rather. My stuff is still at Momma’s.” I sighed and added gathering Gracie’s things and talking to my mother to my list of stuff I did not want to do.
I shot a text to Sabrina while Gracie got ready. I hoped nothing else would come up to add to the list while making a plan to avoid Everett, Tommy, and everyone else who knew my business. I wasn’t worried about people noticing me at Genie’s. The pace was so fast it was easy to keep people at the small talk level of “Can I help you?” and not engage. It was everywhere else in town I had to avoid.
Chapter Eighteen
Willa
“I own you, Willa, and I protect what’s mine.”
Tommy
I dreaded my shift tonight. All the crap in my life felt like it was bearing down on me. My van was who even knew where, and it was broken down so I couldn’t leave town. Taking Everett’s Bronco and running off with it would be stealing. I didn’t want to leave Gracie and honestly, I still had a bit of hope left for Everett and me. But I didn’t want to stay either. Keeping my head down and going to work was my only option. Quelling these out of control and wildly opposing thoughts seemed like an impossible feat, but I would endeavor to soldier on.
Everett’s Bronco was old but ran perfectly. His ability to repair and maintain old vehicles was just one more thing to admire about him. Not only admire, because we shared that hobby. Now I was imagining long weekends spent fixing cars together. He would be shirtless, of course, and sweaty, and covered with motor oil, while I worked by his side, maybe in a skimpy tank top perfect for peeling over my head. Then we would sink down to the garage floor and—Stop it. Think of literally anything else. Scrambling through my messed-up thoughts, I landed on a memory of my father. I had learned to fix cars from my daddy before he left us. The ability to fix cars and the desire to escape my problems like he did were all he ever gave me. I guess I should be grateful I got something good from him before he left.
Scowling and squinting against the flashing neon sign in my Aunt Genie’s parking lot, I pulled into an employee spot near the dumpsters on the side, toward the back of the massive lot. With a crunch of my boots, I hopped down to the gravel and did my best to abate my anger by stomping through it to the rear entrance. I was in a mood. Wanting things I could not have and hating the things I was stuck with.
“Willa-girl, it’s beyond busy and tips are incredible! Seems like everyone in Green Valley came out tonight!” My cousin Patty hugged my neck as I stowed my stuff in Aunt Genie’s office. I couldn’t help but smile at her as I returned her hug and snagged one of the half aprons from the hook by the door.
“That’s good to hear. We both know I could use the cash,” I teased as I took a small order notebook and pen from the shelf in the corner.
“Yeah, I know! You should have let me help. I love you, you big dummy.” Trailed by her lilting laughter, she ran off back out front. After tying back my hair, I joined her through the big double doors to the front and froze in front of them, taking it all in.
Immediately, I grew overwhelmed by the live music blasting from the stage at the rear of the dance floor and throughout the speaker system. Pounding bass and the twang of the country guitar charged through my system and muted my thoughts while at the microphone, the singer sang of his “Friends in Low Places” almost as well as Garth Brooks. Live music was so much louder and always attracted a huge crowd. Patty was right; this place was packed to the gills. A smile crossed my face as I began to anticipate tips galore. Quickly I washed my hands in the small sink by the door and made my way out front to wait tables with Patty and the other waitresses.
Two blonde blurs swept over, each taking one of my hands. A smile filled my face as my sisters hugged me, kissed my cheeks, then ran off to sit at the bar.
“Willa!” My head followed by my body turned toward the high-top table sitting near the corner of the dance floor at the sound of Beau Winston calling my name. “I have your van at my shop,” he announced. “Everett had it towed. I was going to call you tomorrow and offer to buy it.” His grin was so easy and friendly that I almost said yes without thinking.
“Oh, I can’t sell her. I spent too much time getting everything right.”
“I figured. Never hurts to ask, right?”
“Nope, it doesn’t. Do y’all need another pitcher?” I gestured the empty pitcher on the tab
le.
“Yes please. Hey, darlin’.” My eyes rounded and I tried not to laugh as I saw Hank Weller seated alongside Beau, innocently sipping a beer while giving me a friendly, flirty chin lift, and a deftly discrete top-to-toe look. He had absolutely no idea what he might be in for if one of my sisters spotted him.
“I’ll bring it right over.” I imagined for a moment going to the Pink Pony and applying for a job—bet I’d be able to pay off my attorney a lot faster working for Hank at his strip club. Yeah, no thanks. Back at the bar, I warned my crazy sisters to stay away from Hank. They assured me they were over it and in no mood for anything but dancing and darts. I delivered the pitcher, refilled their glasses then moved on to the next table, all while making a mental note to inquire about my van and how to get it Everett’s house. I sighed because I already knew I would forget all about my mental note as well as my van, until it hit me again that it wasn’t in Everett’s garage. I needed a nap, or a vacation. More like an extended stay in a mental hospital for “exhaustion.” Basically, I needed a freaking break, dang it.
I spotted Sabrina and Wyatt with Boone and a few of the other deputies along with their wives or girlfriends. They had pushed a few of the high-top tables together and were chatting over beer and chicken wings. With a wave, I passed them to continue to my section of the bar.
Sabrina stood up to follow me, so I paused on the way. “How are you doing, Willa?”
“Oh! I’m fine. It’s busy, isn’t—”
“I know you’re not fine.” She held up a hand to quiet me. Sabrina was shy, but she certainly had her moments. Everyone did, I supposed. “I also know it’s not the time to talk right now. But now you know that I know you’re not fine. Got it?” I let out a giggle. Sabrina attempting to be bad ass was hilarious and adorable. But I got her, and since she had always got me, I would make time for another lunch date.
Carpentry and Cocktails: A Heartfelt Small Town Romance (Green Valley Library Book 5) Page 13