by Cindi Madsen
So basically, it’d been named by mistake, and oh how the locals loved telling that story to anyone who wandered through.
Seeing as how the townsfolk also liked changing history to suit their whims, a case could be argued for reasonable doubt, although he certainly wouldn’t be undertaking it.
He might not be doing things like paying necessary bills, or having enough money for luxuries like groceries, either, but he was doing his best not to think about that.
Totally failing, too.
This might be the stupidest, most reckless thing I’ve ever done.
Considering his history of bad ideas that landed him in hot water, that was saying something.
Tucker slowed as he rounded the bend of the road leading into the heart of town. A group of women stood around a car, and the tense postures made him think something was wrong.
When a tall, skinny brunette looked over her shoulder and saw his car, relief flooded her features. She took a few steps toward him, her tall heels and the gravel road making her wobble as she waved her hands, signaling for him to stop.
Which he’d been planning on doing already.
He pulled up next to the vehicle. None of the women looked familiar, so maybe not everyone in town would know that he was back by the time evening fell.
Not like it mattered. They’d find out eventually, and besides, what was done was done. While it’d been impulsive and ill advised, he couldn’t bring himself to take it back.
Ever since that night at the houseboat when he and the rest of the gang had played poker, he couldn’t stop reminiscing on the good times and fixating on how miserable he was in the city. Working his job.
He hadn’t told a single soul he was coming back, deciding to just show up and surprise them with the news.
Now he was thinking everyone was going to wonder why the theatrics.
Speaking of theatrics, the woman who’d flagged him down was gesturing wildly outside of his window, talking even though he couldn’t hear her. He cut the engine and climbed out.
“Oh, thank goodness you came along. We were on the way to my friend’s bridal shower and the vehicle broke down and…” She placed her hand on his arm and he took in her delicate features. Pretty, and even with the heels, he had a few inches on her. Not that he was going to take advantage of her stranded situation, but maybe afterward he could get her number. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
The other two women turned to stare at him, and he flashed them a warm smile. “No worries, ladies. I’ll help however I can. How about you tell me what happened and we’ll take it from there.”
He froze when he caught sight of the bare legs sticking out from underneath the hood. The pink skirt was hiked high on her thighs, and the overlapping accounts of what’d happened as they were driving out of town faded to the background.
He’d always liked girls on the more athletic, curvy side, and this girl’s toned legs were quite a sight to behold. Add in that she was lying on the ground in her dress, no hesitation, and she seemed like his type of girl.
“I don’t think she knows what she’s doing,” the pretty brunette said.
“I do know what I’m doing. It just takes more than two seconds to check things out, and I don’t have the parts to fix it hidden in the nonexistent pockets of this dress.”
That voice.
Tucker tensed, thinking he was hearing things. He took another look at the sexy legs and strappy sandals. It couldn’t be who he was thinking of.
Then again, if anyone would lie underneath a car in a dress, it’d be—
She slid out from under the vehicle and he let out an accidental “Gah!” even though his brain had been trying to tell him it would be Addie.
Since he’d just checked out her legs, his brain had also tried to insist it wasn’t.
“Tucker?”
He nodded. As if it wasn’t clear.
A smudge of dirt marked her cheek, her hair hung in loose waves around her face, and she looked so different, he still tried to make her into someone else.
His body finally caught up with the mental overload situation and he extended a hand and helped her to her feet.
“Murph,” he said, because right now he needed an extra barrier or five between his mouth and his thoughts so he didn’t go saying something highly inappropriate about her thighs. That’d make things even weirder and they needed to get back to normal, stat. “I’ve seen you bent over a hood or underneath a car many a time, but I’ve never seen you do it in a dress. I gotta say, it’s rather eye opening.”
That was a little too true. Logically he knew she was a girl, but at the same time, he had no idea.
“I highly suggest you keep your smart-ass comments about me being all gussied up to yourself.”
His gaze dropped to the sandals again, just to make sure he hadn’t imagined them.
They were flat but lacked the support she always insisted upon—she sure as hell couldn’t play sports in those things, and that was one of her footwear requirements. When his eyes reached hers again, she gave him a deadly look, half daring, half threatening.
Working to get things back to normal, he said, “Let me guess, or you’ll introduce me to your right hook.”
One corner of her mouth twisted up. “Nah, not for you.”
He grinned, about to joke that he liked feeling special.
“You’d get my jab. Right to the nose.”
He laughed full out, and then the brunette, who was apparently the leader of the group, cleared her throat. “We’re on our way to the Magnolia House in Montgomery, and we’ve got reservations. How long is this going to take?”
“It’s a broken water pump belt,” Addie said. “Which means we’re gonna need a tow truck.”
The pretty brunette crossed her arms and turned to him. “Aren’t you going to double-check to see if she’s right?”
“Hell no. She just threatened to use her jab, and she throws a mean punch—trust me, I’ve been on the other end of one before. Besides, if Addie says that’s what’s wrong with the car, that’s good enough for me.”
Addie straightened a few inches—she’d always struggled to feel confident around other women, as opposed to being a total ball-buster around the guys.
This was the first time he got a glimpse of why.
The short, dark-haired girl who had only blinked up until now started hyperventilating—or close to it. “But it was all planned, and it took so long to get a reservation there, and I’m so sorry, Lexi. This was supposed to be your special day and now it’s ruined.”
Tucker glanced at the curvy platinum blonde wearing the red dress, glad he hadn’t checked her out, although she was definitely pretty. Just not his type. “You’re Lexi? As in Shep’s fiancée?”
“Right. I guess it’s on me to make introductions.” Addie gathered her hair in one hand and pulled it over her shoulder, and the brusque, slightly irritated way she did it made him think she wanted it up in her usual ponytail. “Lexi, Tucker. Tucker, Lexi.”
“It’s so nice to meet you!” Lexi surprised him with a hug. “I’ve heard so much about you that I feel like I know you already.”
She introduced him to Melanie and Brittany, the one he was currently debating whether or not to ask for her number.
He probably should so he could scrub the memory of Addie’s legs out of his mind and replace them with another set.
But his thoughts returned to being back home and his jobless situation, and it wasn’t like he wouldn’t have time later, what with her being part of the bridal party.
Besides, save Addie, the stress level seemed to be growing by the second.
Tucker dug his keys out of his pocket and extended them to his buddy. He wouldn’t trust many people with his vehicle, but they’d learned to drive together on the back roads of town, and she could pull a truck out of a
tailspin like nobody’s business.
Good thing, too, or the cop would’ve busted them for doing donuts in the parking lot of the formerly abandoned grocery store.
“Take my car,” he offered. “I’ll take care of this one.”
“That would be amazing,” Brittany said, her hand going to his arm again. “If we hurry, we can still make it.” She gave him a flirty smile that made it clear any advances would be welcome, and then the three women headed toward his car.
“Are you sure?” Addie spun the keys around her finger, the jingle filling the air. “You know how long it takes to get Ray out here.”
“I’m sure. You go. This way I get to save the day.”
“Oh, sure. I crawl under the hood while wearing a stupid dress, but you’re the hero.”
“Speaking of, you’ve got…” Tucker plucked leaves out of her hair and then tugged on the ends. “I don’t think I’ve seen you without a ponytail or bun in decades.”
“What I’m hearing is, you want to be reintroduced to my jab.”
“I’m just saying, you look…nice.” Putting that out there felt weird, and now he thought he should’ve just let it go. The dress was still throwing him off.
He longed for that ugly-ass Falcons sweatshirt.
She smoothed a hand down her hair and tugged at the hem of the skirt, clearly uncomfortable. “My sister forced me into her dress. She’s responsible for the hair, too. Luckily I was running late enough that the only makeup she could force on me was a swipe of mascara. I feel ridiculous, and we’re going to this frou-frou restaurant, and I just don’t fit in.”
The loud honk of a horn made her jump, and she daggered a glare at the car.
“And now I might kill the tall, Type A one. Do you think Lexi will care if I downsize her bridal party?”
He chuckled and clapped her on the back. “I have faith in you.”
“That I can take her out?”
“That you can make it one night out without offing her. Especially since I was kind of hoping you’d put in a good word for me.”
Addie rolled her eyes. “You want me to pass her a check yes or no note, you girl?”
“You threaten me, but then you go and insult me like that, and I have no choice but to point out that you’re the one wearing the dress. You girl,” he couldn’t help but add, even though he should’ve resisted.
The whole point in mentioning Brittany was to help him forget about Addie’s legs and redirect his thoughts to the tall brunette. Who also had nice legs. He thought, anyway.
Right now, he couldn’t exactly recall.
Addie blew out her breath. “Okay, fine on the no-killing thing. You can pass your own damn love notes, though. So are you in town for a bit, or—” The horn honked again and she curled her fists.
“We’ll talk later. You better go. Just one more thing…” He hesitated, but wouldn’t it make him a jerk if he let her go to a fancy restaurant with dirt on her cheek?
He used his thumb to wipe at the smudge.
She batted his hand away, scowling at him like he’d lost his mind, and took over rubbing the spot. “I’m a mess.” She shrugged. “What else is new? Anyway, talk later.”
“Later.”
When she turned to go, he noticed the dirt on her butt, even as he fought against focusing on the shape of it. That dress definitely needed to be baggier.
“You might want to also, uh, brush off your butt. Need help?” he asked before he thought better of it. That’d be weird as hell, mostly because he was thinking too much about it now.
He’d never offered to brush dirt off any of his friends’ asses before, and he sure as hell didn’t plan to ever again. Why did everything feel off today?
Oh, probably because you have no idea what you’re doing with your life and Murph’s walking around in a dress. It made him feel like he’d come back to some alternate universe.
That’s it. I’m not in Uncertainty. I’m in Bizarro World.
Chapter Three
Addie kicked off her sandals the second she stepped inside the door. She jumped when she turned and came face-to-face with Nonna Lucia, who was dressed in all black, a gardening spade in one hand, a six-pack of flowers in the other.
“Nonna, what in Sam Hill are you doing?” Earlier today she’d called to say her new meds made her woozy, which was why Addie had come over to check on her. Now she was wielding a weapon, a dark knitted cap masking her gray and white curls.
“The neighbors put wood chips in their yard.”
“And…?”
Nonna made a sour face. “They’re ugly and I don’t like looking at them. Every time I sit on the porch in my rocking chair, it’s all I can see.” She lifted the flowers a few inches. “I going to plant these and give the yard some color. I sneak over and water them when I can.”
Addie pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering how she was going to talk her stubborn Italian grandmother out of this one.
So far she was, like, zero for twenty on talking Nonna out of things she’d set her mind on, and she was extra crazy about gardening.
“You’re gonna get the cops called on you,” she warned.
“Not if I have a lookout…” Nonna eyed her in a way that meant she’d chosen her partner in crime.
Between the bridal shower at the fancy restaurant and the drinks that’d followed—lucky her, she was the DD and couldn’t numb the sense of not belonging with alcohol—she was done with tonight.
Honestly, she’d mostly dropped by to get her yoga pants, because the rest of hers were dirty.
She was also hoping to sneak the dress she had on to Nonna, who was a miracle worker when it came to stains. She prayed OxiClean (something she was out of at home, big surprise) and a simple wash would make the fact that she’d climbed under a car earlier undetectable.
What with needing a favor and the determined set of her grandmother’s jaw, Addie didn’t have a lot of options. “Let me change real quick and grab my hat. If we get caught, I’m so telling everyone it was your idea.”
Nonna Lucia beamed at her, obviously pleased with getting her way, even though it couldn’t have come as a surprise, considering how often Addie caved to her. “Grab the extra flowers on the back porch, too, love. I was afraid I have to make two trips.”
When Addie came back downstairs, T-shirt and her comfy, rediscovered overalls on and her ponytail threaded through her baseball cap, she heard voices. As she stepped into the entryway, she saw Nonna greet Tucker in her typical Italian fashion, one kiss to his cheek. Sometimes Addie got three or four.
When Nonna first moved in with them after Addie’s paternal grandfather died, it took people in town a while to get used to it—that and her accent, which several people mistakenly assumed was German—but now they all happily provided their cheeks, just like Tucker did.
His hair was longer than it’d been all those months ago when Shep announced his engagement, and he hadn’t bothered slicking it into place. His face was scruffy, too.
When he’d stopped to help with their car trouble situation, she’d been extra self-conscious about being in a dress, too focused on herself to notice, but something was definitely up with him.
“Hey,” she said.
“Why you no tell me he was moving back to town?” Nonna asked, aiming the question her way.
Addie looked at him, her spidey senses going into overdrive. “You’re moving back?”
“I am. I saw my car was here and thought I’d come give you the news, but your grandma got it out of me first. She started scolding me for leaving in the first place and I caved.”
“Caving in to her demands is going around.” Addie placed her hand on her grandma’s shoulder. “Nonna, maybe we can plant flowers another time?”
Right now, she wanted to find out what was going on with Tucker.
Nonna adamant
ly shook her head. “No. They out of town right now, so it’s our only chance.”
While Addie had tried to keep her words on the legal deniability side of the line, clearly her grandmother didn’t practice the same caution.
“You’re doing what now?” Tucker asked, one eyebrow arching as he glanced at Addison—she quickly feigned innocence.
“You’re a lawyer now, right?” Nonna asked, and he gave a noncommittal head-wobble before saying he was.
“Addison and I are going to go plant flowers in our neighbors’ ugly yard—it’s unbearable, all those bland woodchips and no color.”
Addie pressed her lips together to hold back her laughter. “This is what I do for fun since you left. Break the law with my grandmother. Trespassing tonight, then grand larceny tomorrow.” She turned to her grandma. “Did we plan on knocking over the liquor store this Friday or the next?”
Tucker chuckled, and happiness warmed her insides.
It was good to hear that familiar laugh, the same one that usually preceded hijinks of their own. “Well, I’m not sure you should be telling me all this. Although you seem to be dressed for it. You went from imposter in a dress to farmer in a flash.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Very funny. And for the record, I tried not to confess what we were up to, but Nonna’s never been the best at secrets.”
Addie nudged her with her elbow, and her grandmother’s mouth dropped.
“It’s not secrets. All this is attorney-client privilege.”
Tucker shook his head and let out a long exhale. “I’m afraid that only applies if you pay me.”
Nonna shifted her flowers to one hip, dug two dollars out of her pocket, and thrust them at Tucker. “Here’s your retainer.”
Now Tucker’s mouth was the one that dropped.
He gaped at Nonna as if he had no idea what to say or do, so Addie retrieved the purse she’d left near the door, pulled out the wad of ones she’d received for change after drinking a Coke, and then tucked two into the waistband of his jeans. “There’s mine, since I’d hate for you to bail out my grandma and leave me to rot.”