Undone

by Shannon Richard

  “She only married locals the first and second time,” Grace explained. “The others she tends to find online. She sets her hooks in them—”

  “Fangs more like it,” Panky said. “That woman is a black widow.”

  “Yeah,” Grace said. “She is a black widow. So anyways, she gets her fangs in them, gets them to propose, and then keeps the ring. I don’t know who her next victim is though.”

  “Geez,” Paige said, shaking her head.

  “Yeah, so be careful around her,” Tara said. “She’s very manipulative.”

  “Enough about Missy,” Pinky said. “What’s going on with you, Paige? Delta Forns came in to get her roots touched up. She told me that Brendan came over to your parents’ last night.”

  Paige’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

  “So that’s why you were glowing,” Tara said, slapping the table.

  “You were with Brendan last night?” Lula Mae asked. The bell rang and her eyes flickered to the door behind Paige.

  “Glowing?” Grace smiled. “Why would Brendan make you glow, Paige?”

  “Yeah,” a deep voice said in her ear. “Why would I make you glow?”

  Paige jumped out of her seat as Brendan pressed his lips to her neck.

  “Hi, ladies,” he said as he walked over to Lula Mae and kissed her on the cheek.

  “What are you doing here?” Paige asked, looking over at him, her mouth hanging open.

  “I’m going to drive you back to work. You guys done?”

  “We haven’t had dessert yet,” Grace said, standing up. “Sit down,” she said, gesturing to the now vacant seat next to Paige. “I’ll go get it.”

  “I’ll help you,” Pinky said, standing up too. “Tara, why don’t you help us?”

  “Panky,” Lula Mae said, pushing her chair back. “Let me show you that thing I was telling you about.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Panky nodded, following her. “That thing.”

  “Well…” Brendan laughed as he pulled a chair close to Paige and sat down. “I’ve never seen them scatter faster in my life.”

  “You know that they’re all watching us.”

  “Then let’s give them something to watch,” he said before he leaned in to kiss her.

  “Stop it,” she said, smiling and pushing him away.

  “Why?” he asked lightly, pressing his mouth to her jaw before he sat back in his chair.

  “Because there are people everywhere,” she said, looking around the small café. But no one was even paying attention to them.

  “Do you not want people to know that we’re together?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “No, it’s not that,” she said, shaking her head. “I just don’t want to be the center of more town gossip.”

  “Oh, sweetie,” Pinky said, coming back to the table with Grace and Tara, their hands full of bowls of banana pudding. “If Delta Forns knows about the two of you, then everyone knows about the two of you,” she said, sitting down in a chair.

  “Yeah,” Grace said as Lula Mae and Panky sat down. “I heard about the two of you making out all over town on Monday.”

  “Oh my God,” Paige said, putting her hands to her flaming cheeks. This couldn’t be happening; this just could not be happening. “How?” she asked, looking around the table. “How does everyone know?”

  “Paige, if you’re going to live in a small town, you need to understand that if one person sees something interesting, it’s pretty much going to be news,” Panky said, shoving a spoonful of pudding into her mouth.

  “Hell, if you get a speeding ticket around here they put it in the paper,” Pinky said.

  “Please tell me we aren’t in the paper.” Paige gave Brendan a pleading look.

  “You all are freaking Paige out,” Brendan said, putting his hand underneath her elbow and pulling her to her feet as he stood up. “We’re going to take these to go,” he said, picking up Paige’s bowl and handing it to her. He grabbed his own and put his free hand on her back. “You ladies have a nice rest of the day. Come on, Paige,” he said and guided her out the door.

  He kept his hand on her back as they walked to his truck. He let go of her as he opened the door, grabbed the pudding from her, and put both bowls down on the seat. He grabbed her waist and pulled her into him, his hands on her back and his lips coming down hard on hers.

  “I’ve wanted to do that since I walked in there,” he said against the hollow of her ear. “God, you smell good.” His mouth trailed down and he pressed his nose into her neck. “How do you smell this good? Like oranges and vanilla only so much better. Mmm,” he hummed against her skin.

  “You work with men and cars all day. You haven’t got much to compare me to.”

  He pulled back so he could look at her. “No, Paige,” he said and shook his head. “There’s nothing that compares to you.”

  Chapter Eight

  The Ugly Underwear Theory

  Paige was wrapped in just a towel as she searched for something to wear. She had exactly twenty minutes before Brendan was supposed to pick her up. There was a knock on her door as her hands closed over a pair of jeans.

  “Come in,” she called over her shoulder.

  The door opened and Paige turned, throwing her jeans onto her bed.

  “What time is he picking you up?” Denise asked as she stuck her head inside the doorway.

  Paige had a sudden flashback to high school when her mother would help her get ready before a date. She immediately thought of Brendan and Grace and how their mother had died when they were both so young. They’d missed out on so much, especially Grace. Paige couldn’t imagine not having all of those years with her mother and she felt intensely grateful for every single one of them.

  “At seven. You busy?”

  “No,” Denise said, shaking her head.

  “Will you sit and talk with me while I get ready?” Paige asked.

  “Yeah,” Denise said, her mouth breaking into a smile. She opened the door farther and walked into the room, a glass of wine in hand. She shut the door behind her and sat down on the edge of Paige’s bed, just like old times. “What are you going to wear?” she asked, grabbing a pillow and playing with the frilly lace edging.

  “Jeans,” Paige said, pointing to the pair on her bed. “I haven’t decided on a shirt though,” she said and turned back to her closet.

  “Shoes?”

  “My black wedges.” She thought it was appropriate, as she’d been wearing them the first time she’d met Brendan.

  “What about your red peasant top. The one that hangs off your shoulders and hugs your waist.”

  Paige grabbed the shirt and turned around, holding it up to show her mom.

  “Red on a first date?”

  “You look good in red,” Denise said.

  “You don’t think it’s too much?”

  Her mother gave the blouse a critical eye. “Just wear ugly underwear. If you wear stuff that you don’t want him to see, you’ll be less likely to sleep with him.”

  “Mom!” Paige said shocked. “I’m not going to sleep with him on the first date.”

  “I know. Just wear something to keep you grounded, and then you won’t slip.”

  “I have some self-control.”

  “Yes, well, I’ve seen that boy. Slipping would be completely justifiable considering the circumstances.”

  “What circumstances would those be?” Paige asked as she walked over to her dresser and opened her underwear drawer.

  “That gleam in his eyes,” Denise said.

  “What gleam?” Paige asked, turning to her mom.

  “The one he gets when he’s looking at you. It’s something that goes way beyond sex.”

  “Well, he is a nice young man,” Paige said mockingly.

  “Yes, he is.” Denise nodded, taking a sip of her wine.

  Paige turned back around to her dresser. She riffled through her drawer, looking for this supposed ugly underwear that would keep her grounded, but she did
n’t own any. Along with shoes, another one of her vices was fun panties. What was the point in buying anything ugly?

  She grabbed a fairly tame pair with yellow and white stripes. Stripes didn’t scream “I’m going to have sex tonight,” at least not like black or red lace would have. She could’ve sworn she’d read that stripes were unflattering on most people.

  She dug around in the drawer and found her strapless bra. She grabbed her clothes from the bed and went into the bathroom.

  “So where is he taking you?” her mother asked through the door.

  “To Caliente’s, and then we’re going to Shep’s bar,” Paige said as she hung her towel on the back of the door and started to get dressed. “Are you and dad still going to go to the baseball game tomorrow?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m going to go with you guys and then leave with Brendan. They’re doing a cookout at Shep’s house,” Paige said as she struggled into her skinny jeans.

  “Oh, that’ll be fun. His friends are nice?” Denise asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “So the whole town doesn’t have it out against you?”

  “It would seem that isn’t the case,” Paige said as she pulled her shirt over her head.

  “So you don’t hate it as much down here anymore?”

  “No. It’s a lot better now,” Paige said, opening the door.

  “You look beautiful.” Denise smiled.

  “Are you sure it isn’t too much?” Paige asked, fidgeting with the sleeves on her shirt.

  “No, not at all. What are you doing with your hair?”

  “I was just going to wear it down,” Paige said, pulling the clip out of her hair and flipping her head over. She fluffed her messy curls with her fingertips and flipped her head back.

  “I wish I had your hair,” Denise said ruefully as she ran her fingers through her own straight bob. “Those curls of yours are just so beautiful.”

  “So is your hair, Mom,” Paige said as she walked over to her mother and kissed her on the forehead. “Thanks for helping me get ready.”

  “Paige,” Denise said, grabbing her hand before she moved away. “I know the circumstances that got you here weren’t the best. And I know you’ve had a rough couple of months, but I’m glad you’re here. I’ve missed you, Little Miss.”

  “Thanks mom.” Paige tightened her hand around her mother’s.

  “I’m also happy you’re smiling again.”

  The doorbell rang and Denise squeezed Paige’s hand twice before she let go. A fresh wave of nerves ran through Paige’s stomach and she took a deep breath trying to steady herself. She shouldn’t be nervous. She’d dated before. This was nothing new or different. Except with Brendan everything was new and different.

  “Wear those dangly black earrings,” Denise said, standing up. “No necklace.”

  Paige heard her father answer the door and a second later his and Brendan’s voices echoed down the hallway.

  Paige went to her dresser and found the black earrings, sticking them into her ears. She put on a couple of rings and then slipped her shoes on. She stood in front of her mother and waited for the final verdict.

  “Perfect,” her mother said, scooping Paige’s purse off the bed and handing it to her.

  Paige followed her mom out the door and down the hallway. As they rounded the corner, she saw Brendan and her father laughing. When Brendan saw her, his laugh died and he took a deep breath as he stared at her. His eyes traveled down the length of her body and then back up again to her eyes.

  He didn’t look half bad himself in a light gray polo and faded jeans that hugged his thighs and, she suspected, his very nice butt.

  “Well, you two have fun,” Denise said and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss Paige on the cheek. “And no sex,” she whispered to Paige.

  “Oh God.” Paige’s cheeks immediately started flaming. Her mother was talking about sex with Brendan while he was less than four feet away. Paige just couldn’t handle it. “You ready?” she asked, looking at Brendan with pleading eyes.

  “Yeah. It was nice talking to you, Mr. Morrison. You two have a good night.”

  “You too, but just not too good of a night,” Trevor said.

  “Oh jeez. Bye, Daddy,” Paige said kissing her father on the cheek before she shoved Brendan out the front door.

  * * *

  Paige was incredibly flustered as Brendan walked her out to his truck. Truth be told, so was he. She was wearing the tightest pair of jeans he’d ever seen, a red shirt that exposed her freckled shoulders and hugged her very nice curves, and those black wedges that drove him out of his mind. When he’d seen her, all of the blood had drained from his head and gone south.

  “What did your mom say to you?” he asked, helping her into his truck.

  “Don’t worry about it,” she said as her cheeks flamed again.

  “Oh come on,” he said, holding onto the door as she settled in the seat. “She said something to get you all flustered.”

  “I’m not flustered,” she said, her voice going up an octave.

  “You’re a bad liar,” he said, shutting the door.

  When he got into his side of the truck, he shut the door and slid to the middle, pressing Paige up against the back of her seat. She gasped right before he covered her mouth with his. Her hands fisted in his shirt. God, he loved it when she did that.

  “You look beautiful,” he said against her lips.

  “So do you,” she said, dazed.

  “I look beautiful?” he asked, pulling back to look at her face.

  “Yes. You, Brendan King, look beautiful.”

  “Aw, Paige, you’re going to make me blush.” He grinned.

  “I don’t think I could make you blush if I tried.”

  “Oh, I disagree with you there,” he said, shaking his head as he came in for another kiss.

  After a couple more minutes, he retreated to his side of the car.

  “You’re dangerous,” he said, shaking his head as he put his truck into gear.

  “I’m dangerous?” she asked. “You started it.”

  “I suppose I did.” Brendan smiled. “So how was your first entire week of work? Any more interesting encounters?”

  “No. Verna’s pretty much ignored me since she yelled at me last week.”

  “What about Missy?”

  “Every time I go downstairs, she heads me off in the hallway. She wants me to run everything by her before I run it by Mr. Adams. It’s a way to be more efficient,” she said, imitating Missy’s thick southern drawl.

  “You do that pretty well.” He laughed.

  “Why, thank you,” she said, still sounding like Missy.

  “But seriously, watch out for her,” Brendan said. “My mother grew up with her and she can be nasty.”

  “Aww, are you worried about me, Mr. King?” she asked playfully.

  “Yes,” he said, looking over at her.

  Something in her eyes flickered as he held her gaze but she didn’t break eye contact.

  “Well, thank you,” she said softly and smiled.

  Instinctively, he let go of the steering wheel with his right hand and grabbed hers, lacing his fingers through hers.

  * * *

  Almost every single guy stared at Paige as they walked through Caliente’s. Brendan had his hand at the small of her back to make sure that all of those wondering eyes understood that she was off the market. He let go only when he went to help her into her chair.

  “What would you like to drink?” the waiter asked as he handed them menus.

  “I’d like a margarita,” Paige said. “Frozen with extra salt.”

  “Make that two,” Brendan said holding up two fingers.

  “So what’s good?” Paige asked as she opened her menu and stared down.

  “Everything. What are you in the mood for?” he asked, watching her.

  “I haven’t had enchiladas in forever, but the steak fajitas sound amazing.”

  “Let’s get both and
share.”

  “Really?” she asked, looking up at him, genuine shock on her face.

  “I don’t mind sharing with you.” He’d had his tongue down her throat on multiple occasions. Sharing food wasn’t that big of a deal.

  The waiter came over a second later and gave them their margaritas, a bowl of golden-yellow tortilla chips, and salsa. Brendan handed him the menus and gave him their order.

  “So,” he said, looking at Paige, “you going to tell me what your mom said to you?”

  “Nope,” she said, grabbing her margarita. Her tongue darted out onto the rim of the glass, grabbing some of the salt before she took a sip of the lime green slush.

  “Aww, come on,” he said, still watching her mouth in fascination.

  “Uh-uh,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m not going to tell you.”

  “You know, Paige, starting off a relationship with secrets is never a good thing.”

  “If I told you everything,” she said, grabbing a chip and breaking it in half, “there would be no mystery.” She dipped her chip into the salsa and scooped some up, bringing it to her mouth. “And where would the fun be in that?” she asked after she swallowed.

  She was going to torture him throughout the entire dinner. There was no way he was going to survive it. He reached out and grabbed his drink, desperately needing something to cool himself down with. It would’ve been more effective if he just poured the drink directly onto his lap.

  * * *

  Dylan had never shared food with Paige. He would horde his plate on his side of the table and if she asked for a bite he would get annoyed with her.

  “If you wanted this, why didn’t you just order it?” he would always ask.

  But Brendan had no problem with it.

  They ate their way through both plates and a second margarita each. All the while, Brendan told her about playing baseball in high school and about the team he played on now.

  “So you’ve always played with Jax and Shep?” she asked, chasing some enchilada sauce around her plate with a chip.

  “Yup, since we were five.”

  “Wow. That’s crazy.”

  “What about you? Did you ever play any sports?”