by Tonya Kappes
Brett’s dark eyes held a softness as she looked at him. Her heart skipped a beat. She put her hands under her legs and sat on them, keeping them under control. With the way her mind had been playing games on her, she couldn’t guarantee her hands wouldn’t grab Brett right there. The urge was there and she was blaming it on Elmer T.
“Oh, now we are going to call her a saint?” Troy walked up. “She has made my little woman happier this week. But I’m not liking how much time she’s been spending with her.”
“Thank you!” Elizabeth spoke up. “For asking me to spend the night over the past couple of nights. It’s been like old times.” Poppy felt a kick to her shin.
“You two had another sleepover?” Lily face turned to the side.
“You are the one who had a beef with her.” Elizabeth’s shoulders shrugged. Then she turned her eyes to Poppy and subtly opened wide. “Right, Poppy?”
“Yes.” Poppy turned her head to Troy. “It’s been a lot of fun. After all, she’s going to be an old married woman soon.”
“Speaking of an old married woman.” Scooter wasted no time. “What’s going on with you? I hear all this conflicting stuff like you lost your shit and threw a big hissy fit. Burning shit down. Talking dirty talk on the radio.”
“Whoa.” Brett stepped up in Poppy’s defense. “Let her back in town a few days before y’all go and rip her a new one. Maybe she’s here to check on the Coach.”
Poppy knew Brett wanted to know the answer to Scooter’s questions just as much as Scooter did, but she was grateful for his stepping in.
“I think it’s your turn.” The back of Brett’s hand hit Scooter on the shoulder, directing him back to the pool table.
“Thank you,” Poppy whispered when Scooter had walked away. She picked up the bourbon and took another drink. The four-finger pour had quickly become two fingers. “Excuse me.”
Poppy had suddenly found her liquid courage and grabbed her purse along with her drink. She walked into the back of the bar, where the bathrooms were. That hallway was the quietest place in the bar.
“No better time than now. Right, Elmer?” She looked at the glass and downed the rest. She leaned her back against the wall for support, pulled the phone out of her purse, and dialed Sid.
“Harper?” Sid answered, her voice quick and gaspy. “Harper? Is that you?”
“My name is Poppy,” Poppy spat into the phone.
“Where are you? Who’s phone is this?”
“I’m with my good friend Elmer and we just wanted to tell you to stick that damn contract up your ass.” Poppy leaned her head back against the wall, the phone up to her ear and her purse tucked under her arm. “I’m not crazy. So whatever scheme you have with Rob is shit! You hear me?” Poppy screamed into the phone.
“Calm down, Harper.”
“Poppy! Poppy Bailey!”
“Fine, Poppy.” The agent’s voice was filled with sarcasm. “Just tell me where you are.”
“Are you kidding me? Benji told me everything,” Poppy spewed. “He said you want me to be a good girl and go back to his cheating ass. You want me to be a kept wife with my mouth shut while I do my job and make you money.”
“Benji took that way out of context,” Sid protested. She was good at covering up and backtracking her actions. Poppy had seen Sid do this several times to her other clients. Poppy was too smart to fall for it. She wasn’t about to let Sid get the best of her.
“Really?” Poppy’s mind was swirling, but if she kept her eyes closed, the hall didn’t spin.
“Of course Rob wants you back, and I want you back on the radio doing what you love. But we can’t do anything until you come back. Come to New York and stay with me. Hell, I’ll put you up in a hotel and we can meet. Just meet me.”
“Do you think I’m going to fall for that?” Poppy’s words were beginning to slur. “Y’all have taken my life away from me.”
“Y’all?” An evil laugh came out of Sid’s mouth. “Don’t tell me that you have all of a sudden forgotten all the speech lessons and money we have invested for you to lose your accent.”
“You know what?” Poppy pushed herself off the wall and was about to tell Sid exactly where she could go with her speech lessons.
“I know that you don’t want to do this right now.” Brett grabbed the phone and snapped it shut. He stuck it in his pocket.
“You have no idea what I want, Brett Barrett. “ Poppy leaned back against the wall. She couldn’t stop her eyes from moving up and down his body. “Maybe it’s you I want.”
He smiled and let out a little laugh. He shook his head. “Is that so?”
“Maybe.” She looked into his eyes.
“I don’t think so. Not like this.” He shook his head and left her there.
She sucked in a deep breath and watched Brett stalk through the bar and out the door, leaving her there. Something he never would’ve done in the past.
“There you are.” Lily walked down the hall. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Me too.” Poppy kept the interaction between her and Brett to herself. She followed Lily into the bathroom and looked in her purse. “Son of a bitch!”
“What?” Lily asked from behind the stall door.
“Brett took my phone.” Poppy turned on the water faucet in the sink and took a handful of water, splashing it on her face.
“Why would he do that?” Lily asked.
“I don’t know, but I want my phone.”
“You know he still lives in his childhood home?” Lily walked out of the bathroom stall and washed her hands.
“I bet we can get Elizabeth to take us over there because she stopped drinking six beers ago.” Lily’s brow cocked. “Plus she doesn’t seem like she wants to go home with her fian-cée.”
“So I heard.” Poppy walked out of the bathroom with Lily on her heels. There was another Elmer T. sitting in front of her chair.
“Compliments of one Brett Barrett.” Elizabeth smiled and pushed it toward Poppy.
“Screw him.” Poppy picked up the drink and took a nice long sip. “He took my phone.” She twisted around and looked around the bar. “Where is he?”
“He dropped off your drink and went home.” Elizabeth eased back on the barstool.
Lily gestured between her and Poppy. “We want you to take us to his house to get it.”
“Yeah, I still hear he lives with his mama.” Poppy’s lip curled, but her insides jumped. If he lived with his mama, he wasn’t married yet. Something she had been afraid to ask her friends.
Plus she was still married and didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. She certainly wasn’t going to pull a Melanie and break up a marriage.
“Come on, girls.” Elizabeth jumped off the stool and headed out the door with the others behind her.
Elizabeth had put the top back down. The night wind whipped so loud, they were all screaming at one another, none of them hearing a word.
“So why did you lie to Troy and tell him you stayed with me last night?” Poppy was in the backseat and scooted her butt up to the edge and put her arms around both front chairs. Her body was practically in the console and gearshift. “And where did you stay?”
“You lied to him?” Lily adjusted herself and turned to face Elizabeth. “You didn’t stay with Poppy last night?”
“You have such a big mouth when you drink.” Elizabeth bit her lip and kept her eyes forward as the buzz of the Bug took the backcountry roads.
Brett’s family home was situated on a hundred-acre farm with cows, horses, chickens, goats, and a big vegetable garden.
“I didn’t know it was a big secret among friends.” Poppy sat back in the seat. The curvy road was playing havoc on her equilibrium. “I just want my phone.” She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes.
“Well?” Lily asked.
“I stayed at my parents.” Elizabeth kept her eyes on the road. “For God’s sake, I’m getting married and I want to spend some time with my f
amily. Troy wouldn’t see it that way. He’d take it personal. That’s all.” She sucked in a deep breath. “He’d say that I could see them any time because we all live here.”
Poppy might’ve been a little drunk, but she knew when Elizabeth was lying and making up any old excuse. Elizabeth was up to something. Poppy knew it. She’d let it drop for now because she was in no mood to hear the truth, but she did tuck the information in the back of her head, hoping she’d remember it in the morning.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Elizabeth had pulled and parked the Bug on the old country road in front of Brett’s childhood home. If Mrs. Barrett saw headlights coming up the driveway at this time of night, she’d call the law. Being a guest of the county jail was not in Poppy’s plan.
“It’s that one.” Poppy pointed to the last window in the back of Brett’s house.
“Are you sure it’s that window?” Lily asked.
“Trust me.” Poppy smiled. “I’ve snuck in and out of that bedroom window so many times.”
“You’re nasty.” Elizabeth groaned. “Go on up there and get your phone back. You show him.”
Poppy didn’t need encouragement from her two friends. She had the encouragement of Elmer T. Lee running through her veins and she felt unstoppable.
She picked up a piece of gravel from the flower garden, tossed it up at the window, and stepped back. A fit of giggles from behind her made her start laughing. She felt like she was back in high school. The excitement of sneaking around tickled her insides; though she knew she was an adult, it still was fun.
When nothing happened, she picked up another pebble and threw it harder, smacking the glass. A light popped on and the giggling behind her stopped. Poppy straightened herself up. She was prepared to demand her phone back.
A shadow appeared at the window and it flew open.
“Give me my phone, asshole!” Poppy screamed with a giggle and looked back to her friends for support, only their mouths and eyes were fully opened. “What?” Poppy asked, and turned back to the window.
“Ma’am, I don’t have your phone.” The little girl stood in a white nightgown with pink kitty cats on it. Her black hair hung down in long pigtails.
“Sadie?” The familiar voice of Brett came from the house. From behind the little girl, to be exact.
“Daddy, this lady wants her phone, asshole.” Sadie giggled.
His head popped into the window.
“Poppy? Is that you?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Sadie, that is a bad word.”
“Is everything all right?” Mrs. Barrett appeared next to her son and the little girl. Her nose snarled. Her eyes lowered. “Poppy Bailey, is that you?” She spat, “I should’ve known you’d be knocking on my son’s window when I heard you come back to town.”
“I’m so sorry.” Poppy was suddenly sober. “I. . .” she babbled. “Gotta go.”
She turned to find her friends had abandoned her. She ran back to where they had parked the car, but it was gone. They were gone.
“Damn them,” Poppy spat. This wasn’t the first time they had left her. They had done it plenty of times right here in this very spot when Mrs. Barrett had caught them sneaking in.
Poppy looked up at the sky, grateful the stars were still out. If she had to walk back, at least it wasn’t in the rain.
“Daddy?” Poppy could just cry. She shook her head and kept walking. She wasn’t going to be able to show her face around Brett for a long time. Maybe Sid was right. She needed to go back to her old life. Nothing was right in Hudson Hollow.
The Coach was sick, the farm was sold, her friends had their own lives, and Brett was married with a daughter. A really cute daughter. She could only imagine how gorgeous his wife was.
Headlights came from the curve behind her and she stepped off the road so she wouldn’t get hit. A truck skidded to a stop.
“Get it.” Brett had rolled down the window. “I’m not letting you walk.”
Poppy smiled. Relief came over her and she gave in, running around the front of the truck. Brett had popped the handle and swung the door open. She climbed in and adjusted her dress.
“I’m so sorry.” Poppy held back the tears. “At least I know what you would look like if you were a girl.” She laughed, causing the tears to come out. She brushed her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I mean…” She gulped and looked out the window. She couldn’t bear to look at him. Every time he looked at her, she could see the disappointment in his eyes. “I bet your wife is so mad.”
“Wife, no. Mom, yes.” His voice was soft and gentle and so was his touch on her leg.
Poppy glanced down. It looked so natural for his hand to rest there. He pulled his hand back.
“I didn’t know.” She looked over at him. “I had no idea you were married with a kid, and I didn’t know you lived with your mom too. I would’ve waited to get my phone.”
He looked back at her. He pulled the truck to the side of the road and stuck it in gear. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out her phone.
“I didn’t want you to make a call to anyone important just to regret it.” He held her phone out for her to take it and she did. He didn’t let go immediately. “I remember how you would make decisions by the seat of your pants, especially when you invited Elmer T. to the party.” He smiled, melting her heart. He put the truck back in gear and drove off.
Damn, why did he have to be such a great guy and married? Her thoughts took over.
They road in silence until they got to the farm. He pulled the truck in the driveway and put it in park.
“I would ask if you wanted a drink, but I’m sure you need to get back to your family.” Poppy wanted to crawl under her weeping willow tree and cry.
“I want to tell you about my life.” He got out of the car and Poppy followed him down to the dock.
The moon and stars covered the sky. The lake was peaceful and the only sounds were the cicadas and frogs.
Poppy sat on the edge of the old wooden dock, took her shoes off, and dangled her feet into the lake.
“Sadie.” Brett sat down next to her. There was pride all over his face. “She’s my daughter. She’s five. I got her mama pregnant when I was finishing up vet school.”
“Oh. So she’s not from Hudson Hollow?” Poppy asked, trying to pretend to care about the woman who had stolen his heart. She skimmed her toes on top of the water in a fluid motion, her hands under her butt.
“No.” He shook his head. “One-night stand. My mama was so embarrassed. I had planned to marry Sadie’s mama and stay in Auburn because that was where she was from.”
He looked over at Poppy.
“I was so mad at her for getting pregnant. I felt like she was the second girl who ruined my life.” He stared at Poppy. “You were the first.”
Poppy took big, deep breaths. “I’m prepared for you to yell at me. I know how I left you, and everyone else was wrong. I’m so sorry for a lot of things. Sorry for how I ended things with the people I love.”
“People who loved you, Poppy.” He wasn’t going to let her get away with it and she knew it. “But I’m not here to pass judgment. I didn’t want a wife. I didn’t want any other woman than you. Sadie’s mama was the first woman I was with after you, Poppy.”
Poppy gulped back the surprise his words had caused her.
“Don’t get me wrong.” He smiled. “There were plenty of opportunities.”
“I bet,” Poppy chuckled, leaned over, and nudged him with her elbow. “So you and Sadie’s mom decided to move here?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Brenda, that’s her name. Um. . .” His voice cracked. “She died during childbirth.”
“Oh my God.” The words escaped Poppy’s mouth before she could take them back. She put her hand over her mouth. Shocked. “I’m so sorry.”
Brett sucked in a deep breath and turned his head away from Poppy and looked down into the lake. He made circles in the water with his feet. His voice low, he said, “I
hated myself for a long time because I was so angry at God for Brenda getting pregnant. I felt like it was my fault she died. I felt like He was punishing me for being so mad. Punishing my sweet Sadie.”
Poppy put her hand on Brett’s arm.
“There is no way you had any idea this was going to happen.” Poppy wasn’t sure what to say. She was never good at the God thing or explaining how it worked. “But I do know that the God I believe in is not evil. The God I believe in doesn’t do things like that to get back at us for being angry.”
“Funny you should say that.” He looked over at her. “Brenda’s mom said the same thing.”
“Smart woman.” Poppy offered a smile.
“Brenda had an underlying heart condition since childhood that went undetected all those years.” He shook his head. “I just can’t believe Sadie is growing up without a mom.”
“You have your mom.” Even though Mrs. Barrett had always given Poppy a hard time, she was still a great mom.
“Funny how things work out. I’m a single dad. You went crazy.” He shrugged.
“You jerk!” Poppy swung her foot up out of the water and splashed him. Brett put his hands up to try to shield himself.
“Stop it!” He kicked his feet in the water, making big splashes before he dipped his hand in and smacked the water in Poppy’s direction.
They giggled and laughed, splashing each other until they were soaked. They fell down on their backs and put their hands on their stomachs, laughing.
“You always did know how to make me feel better.” Poppy turned her head toward Brett. She took in his silhouette. His strong jaw, thick brows, and perfect chin. She sucked in a deep breath and looked back up to the sky. Their feet still dangling in the water.
“So why are you here? Why now?” Brett asked her a loaded question she wasn’t sure she was prepared to answer.
“It’s no secret I sort of went nuts.”
“Knowing you, you had a good reason.”
“I did.” Poppy could feel the tears sting her eyes. It wasn’t that she was upset about what had happened with Rob; it was the fact that she had to tell Brett exactly what had happened. It was a feeling of shame that she couldn’t keep her crazy under wraps like her mama had told her to do when life wasn’t exactly playing by her rules.