Pour Judgment

  “Ryan, this is my fiancée, Korie Potter.” His eyes grow wide as he reaches for her hand. I can’t believe my sister didn’t tell him before tonight. Way to put the girl on the spot. I was really hoping this evening would endear her to me, not scare her off. “Korie, your soon-to-be brother-in-law, Ryan.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Her face softens, and a slight blush colors her cheeks as she returns his handshake, before plastering her body to the side of mine. It’s an unconscious move, one that makes me puff up like a peacock as I stroke my fingers along the Velcro fasteners at her back. I’ll be her security blanket any day.

  After introductions are made, we take our seats around the table, Judy and Ryan on one side, Korie and me on the other, and Princess Autumn at the end.

  “I feel a little underdressed,” I announce, eying my T-shirt and jeans before following that up with a perusal of our two Southern belles. Korie and Autumn look fresh off the set of Gone with the Wind.

  “Keep it up, peasant,” Korie teases, “and you’ll find yourself eating out in the stables with the animals.”

  Autumn, of course, laughs like it’s the funniest thing she’s ever heard and threatens to send me out to eat with her sheep dog, Jerry. And I ain’t even mad that Stick seems to have replaced me as her favorite for the evening.

  Okay, so maybe a little jealous…

  Throughout dinner, I soak up all I can about Stick while Ryan gives her the third degree. Like her favorite color is yellow. She’s got an addiction to romance novels, which I find sort of ironic for a girl so afraid of falling in love. She hates red meat of any kind, mustard, and peanut butter. Her plans after graduation are to work for the children’s hospital she’s been volunteering at through college. I never thought to ask if she had a job, but apparently, she’s been living off a small trust fund her grandfather left her for school. The fact that she doesn’t have any real schedule to adhere to for the time being is really good for our mission. If we’re going to get her into the games, we’ll have to work hard and fast.

  I keep catching myself starting to ask questions, and having to reign it in, because I should know all of this already about the woman I plan to marry. I definitely don’t want to make my sister any more uneasy about our sudden engagement than she already is.

  “I didn’t know you worked at the hospital.” I’m the first to speak as we start down the winding drive.

  “You never asked.”

  She’s right. I don’t really have anything to say to that, so I focus on the drive, drumming my thumbs on the steering wheel and hoping she’ll be the one to bring up the conversation I’ve been dying to have all day.

  “I like them—your family. They’re protective of you…” she muses. “Even the baby.”

  I catch a glimpse of her dreamy smile in my peripheral vision, and my heartbeat quickens. As happy as it makes me that she enjoyed her time with my family, I don’t have the patience for another minute of small talk. “It’s after,” I finally blurt out.

  She laughs. “You’re not wasting any time are you? We haven’t even made it to the highway.”

  “Are you kidding me?” I throw my head back onto the headrest while keeping my eyes on the road. “That was excruciating.”

  “Really? I thought it was so much fun.”

  “Stick…” With a growl, I tighten my grip on the wheel.

  “Even if I agree to this, it doesn’t mean I’m marrying you.”

  “Noted.”

  “This is freaking crazy…I mean, I don’t even like you all that much.” She fiddles with the hem of her dress. I can see that she’s nervous, so I try to give her time to sort through her thoughts. For a long stretch there’s nothing but silence. When I look over to make sure she hasn’t fallen asleep on me, she finally breaks it.

  “Rhett?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I meant what I said.”

  “What was that?”

  “Don’t fall in love with me.”

  “Stick?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Maybe you should heed your own advice.”

  Chapter 24

  Korie

  He’s gone.

  Rhett and Nick left for Los Angeles to finish recording their new album before the sun was even up over the horizon. It’ll be at least three weeks until I see him again. Anika and the guys have cut us off from any more visits until they’ve completed their studio time. I thought I’d feel relieved once he left and things went back to some kind of normal. But I’m actually missing having him around, and it’s only been a couple of hours. Although, I’m not ready to admit that to Rhett. Truth be told, I hope I never am because I’m still trying, albeit failing, not to fall in love with the hopelessly charming fucker.

  “Well, look who finally decided to show her pretty face.”

  “Hey, Momma.” I figure since I’m already having a rotten day, I might as well get this meeting over with. Take it all up the ass at once, if you will.

  “I’ve been worried sick about you.” She pulls the double doors open wider, ushering me inside. The familiar smell of home wraps around me like a warm blanket, and when her arms envelop me in a tight hug, I have the sudden urge to burst into tears.

  Ugh, I’m just all sorts of hormonal today. Gross.

  “Sorry, Ma. You know I’ve been busy with finals and stuff.”

  “Mmmhmm…and stuff…” Cocking her right brow, she takes a step back, cradling my face in her hands. Her warm caramel eyes lock with mine. Then her lower lip begins to quiver, and something inside me splinters. “What did you do, baby?”

  Dammit. I was expecting to be yelled at. That I was prepared for. That I could handle.

  With a resigned sigh, I turn to push the doors shut before filling her in. Rhett and I discussed at length the importance of keeping our families in the dark. So, I tell her how we met at Nick’s party and embellish the weeks between then and Camp Pour Judgment. By the time I’ve made it through his visit to College Station and my impending trip to Los Angeles, I feel like I’ve run a marathon. Lying to the one person I’ve always been able to count on is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. It just adds to the awesome mood I find myself in today.

  My mother remains quiet while I talk. She grabs my hand, examining the ring with something akin to disgust on her face. “It’s too much.” She shakes her head. “This is all happening entirely too fast. What’s the rush?”

  I swallow down the lump that’s growing larger with every lie I feed her. “You know what they say…When you know, you know, right?”

  “But how? Why?” She shakes her head, gnawing on her thumb nail as she paces the marble foyer. “I taught you better than this. I wanted so much more for you. For your children. This life…” She looks around the empty mansion she once shared with my father. “It’s lonely.” My beautiful mother’s eyes well with tears, the worry lines on her face growing deeper. “Why couldn’t you just find some nice college boy?”

  “It just sort of…happened.”

  “Natural disasters just happen, Korie. This is a train wreck in the making. You tie yourself to the tracks, and eventually you’re going to get struck. I don’t want to see you end up spending the rest of your life regretting a rash decision.”

  My blood heats to boiling, and the need to come to Rhett’s defense is both shocking and undeniable. “He’s not Dad!”

  He’s not Dad. Those three words run on loop in my mind while I work out my frustration at Buck Nutty’s, Little Hope’s indoor skate park, over the massive argument I just had with my mother. It’s in this room where I fell in love with the sport. Although it’s ancient and smells of teenage boys and dirty gym socks, it’ll always be my favorite place to hone my craft. I know this terrain like the back of my hand.

  Effortlessly I run trick after trick, landing the 360 that’s been giving me hell this week like I could do it in my sleep. I’m shredding up the course, having one of the best runs of my life, when suddenly I get the feeling of being
watched. The unease trips me up, and just as I go careening down the ramp, a slow clap sounds behind me.

  What the—?

  “That was great. Where should I send it?”

  I turn to find a middle-aged man in a red and black flannel and worn jeans crouched behind a camera on a tripod. His too-long hair curls around the edges of his Etnies ball cap.

  Where’d he come from?

  “I’m sorry…and you are?” With some hesitation, I pop my board into my hand and walk over to meet the intruder. He looks harmless enough. Probably a damn paparazzi.

  “Name’s Wally. I work for Mac’s Media Marketing Solutions.”

  “Okay…Let’s try this instead. Why are you here filming me?”

  “I was hired by Mr. Taylor to get some video footage for your Instagram. That was one hell of a run.” His hand lifts into the air for a high five, but I’m still too much in shock over his being here to do more than stare at it, and he lowers it back to his side with an embarrassed shrug. “Yeah, so…it should get tons of engagement, and I got some great still shots as well. I’ll fire ’em over to your email, and you can start posting today.”

  “Dammit, Rhett,” I hiss. He knew I’d be visiting Mom today, and I mentioned hitting up the park before heading home. He could have given me some warning before sending the dude to scare my ass half to death.

  Me: What the hell, Hollywood???

  Rhett: Gonna need you to be a little more specific…

  Me: Your stalking is getting out of hand. What’s with the video guy?

  Rhett: Ahhh, that. You’re welcome. ☺

  Me: You could have given me a heads up.

  Rhett: If you’d known he was filming, your nerves would have ruined it. We don’t have a lot of time to pull this off. I wanted you completely in the dark and skating at your best. And it worked.

  “Excuse me?” Wally interrupts my texting tirade. “If you could just let me know where to send all these files, I’ll get out of your hair.”

  I spout off my email address and thank him for his services. After all, he was only doing his job. It’s not his fault Rhett doesn’t possess an ounce of common courtesy.

  With my legs dangling over the edge of the half-pipe, I plop down to sift through the footage.

  Me: Okay, so these are really good.

  Rhett: Yeah, they are. You look hot!

  Of course, Wally sent them to Rhett already. He’s the one who hired him after all.

  Me: Great! Because that is totally the goal…

  Rhett: Well, talented, too, but looking good never hurt anyone.

  He would know…

  “How’d it go with DeeDee today?” Raven saunters over with a pen clutched between her teeth and order pad in hand when she finds me curling into my usual booth at Little Sicily’s, the pizza place she waitresses at five nights a week.

  “As bad as you’re thinking.” Slouching in my seat, I stare up at the dust-covered teardrop lights, remembering the way I leaped to Rhett’s defense. What was that? “Worse, probably.”

  “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Nope.”

  “Good,” she snarks. “Cuz I didn’t really wanna hear about it.”

  I glance around to be sure none of her customers are watching then give her the finger. “Bitch.”

  She shrugs, poking out her tongue. “The usual?”

  “You know it.”

  Dessert nachos for the win! There’s nothing quite like a heaping plate of cinnamon chips piled high with vanilla ice cream, then drizzled in caramel and hot fudge, to end a shit-tastic day.

  Raven giggles when I shovel a loaded crisp into my mouth and moan at its decadence. “I don’t know how you don’t have diabetes or weigh five hundred pounds by now. The shit you eat’d go straight to my ass.”

  I wave her away, stuffing my face while she finishes up with her shift. On the ride home, I fill her in on all the gory details of my day. Despite her earlier insistence that she didn’t care to hear it, her ears perk up at the mention of the Insta photo guy. She’s all about this making me famous thing.

  “Did you see this?” she asks, showing me the video I uploaded before leaving the skate park.

  I cast a brief glance to the side before turning my attention back to the road.

  “Your page is at twelve thousand followers now…and there are hundreds of comments on this video, including one from Melanie Binx.”

  “Holy shit!” My excitement causes me to momentarily veer onto the shoulder. She’s one of the pioneers of the women’s skate scene and my freaking idol. “What’d she say?” I ask after righting the ship.

  “Don’t run us into a ditch, hooker!” She gives my shoulder a shove, like that’ll improve my driving, before turning back to the phone. “Gnarly run, chicka. Hope I’ll be seeing you around the circuit!”

  Someone check my pulse. Pretty sure I just died.

  Chapter 25

  Rhett

  “What the fuck, man? You leave your balls in Texas?” The track cuts just as Lyle’s voice filters through the speakers into the sound booth. “Try it again. This time without sounding like a fucking girl.”

  I flip him off and chug a bottle of water. We’ve been working on the vocal for the same damn song all morning. Or rather, I’ve been working while they pick every fucking note apart. I can’t seem to get this chorus right, and it’s pissing me off.

  “Needs more tractors and truck beds, Taylor,” our producer, Mitch, adds, speaking into the mic. “Twang it up a bit.” He points at me with a cigarette dangling between his fingers. “You’ve got it in you. I know you do.”

  The door opens and in struts Nick, flask in hand. “I’ve got just what he needs.” Unscrewing the top, he passes it my way. “Desperate times,” he says “Forget Anika. She doesn’t get paid if we don’t.”

  “Touché.” I press the cool steel rim to my lips and tip my head back, relishing the feel of the bitter heat washing over my tongue and burning its way down my throat. Warmth blooms in my stomach, spreading like a current of molten lava to my face and extremities. “Whoo!” I shout, pounding a fist on my chest. “Damn, that’s good.”

  “Puts hair on the nuts, boy!” Nick says in his best Jax Potter impression. We recorded our first album at his Nashville studio, where he provided an endless supply of drugs and liquor. He wasn’t the greatest role model for sure, but I’ll give the man this much, he knows his music.

  Let’s just say that while under his influence, the guys and I fell into some bad habits. When it reached the point where Anika had to start making excuses and rescheduling shows, shit got old quick. Our little spitfire of a manager threatened to walk, and we cleaned up our act, leaving the partying until after our work was done. But she’s not here, and no shows will be canceled if we catch a little buzz.

  “Thattaboy!” Nick thumps me between the shoulder blades and heads back to join the others while I take another long pull of liquid fire to coat the vocal cords.

  Mitch gives me the thumbs up and waits for me to return it before restarting the track.

  Channeling my best Luke Bryan, I give it another go.

  “They say every man has a weakness

  Well, as it turns out mine is you

  So, think long and hard before this goes too far

  Cuz once you dip your toes in these waters

  Babe, you best be ready to swim.”

  “We got it!” Mitch slaps his hands down on the soundboard before throwing a fist into the air. “That’s a wrap!”

  “Whiskey brings the twang!” I thrust my shot glass into the air and try not to fall off my bar stool when the motion causes me to lose my balance.

  “And the tang!” Aiden adds, grabbing the girl that’s been fluttering around him all night and plunging his tongue down her throat.

  “Mitch said you guys nailed it.”

  I turn toward the familiar sound of Anika’s voice as she saddles up on the stool beside me, grab a fresh shot, and raise my glass in her direction. “T
o whiskey!”

  “Cheers,” she says, smiling before combing a hand through her loose hair and throwing back the shot Nick placed on the bar in front of her. She blows out a long breath. “Shit, that’s strong.”

  “Yeah, Annie!” Lyle cheers her on using the nickname we reserve for the days we actually still like her.

  “I’m really proud of y’all.”

  “Uh-oh, I feel one comin’ on…” Nick gets up out of his chair and Anika squeals, trying to shrink away. “Group hug!”

  “Is this really necessary?” she asks through high-pitched laughter while the four of us squish her between us.

  She’s still fighting us off when the beginning notes to “Back that Ass Up” float through the speakers. Our group, along with most of the bar, gravitate toward the dance floor. A huge crowd begins to circle around us. The lights are pulsating and the bass is pumping, and our girl is shaking what her momma gave her. Damn, I can’t help but notice how good she looks tonight, with her hair down and eyes all smoky. She’s traded her signature business attire for distressed jeans and a tight, fitted tee. Her cleavage is on point.

  Aiden, for one, takes notice, dropping the chick from the bar and molding the front of his body to hers. His hands land on her hips, guiding her movement to match his. The coy smile she sends over her shoulder when she turns to uncover her mystery partner is scorching hot.

  “It’s a damn good thing we have a strict no fraternizing with the manager rule in place,” I shout at the two of them over the music. “Pretty sure that look alone just got me pregnant.”

  “Always said you were a pussy,” Aiden quips, making a V with his first two fingers and lapping his tongue in the air between them.

  Anika’s cheeks heat. “Ohhh…is someone jealous?” She leaves his arms for mine. “Ready for your turn?” she asks, fluttering her lashes as she links her hands behind my neck.

  “Careful, Annie,” I tease. “You’re starting to sound like the ho all those jealous bitches in high school thought you were.”