September Tango
Scarlett Jade & Llerxt the 13
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Copyright © 2013 Scarlett Jade & Llerxt the 13th
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13: 978-1490973937
ISBN-10:1490973931
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to love almost at first sight, second chances, and whirlwind romances that stand the test of time.
This story is very loosely based on our own love story, a whirlwind bucket of craziness and the time that Llerxt spent in the military.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, thank you SO much to Vampy at Vampy's Ramblings for all of the help and encouragement. Without you, this story would never have been what it is today. Thank you also for being our blurb girl and for going absolutely above and beyond with your help and support.
WE LOVE YOU!
Second, thank you to our editor Genevieve at Big Bang Book Services for getting through this manuscript quickly and giving some awesome ideas. We highly recommend her services. Thank you also for your friendship!
Third, thank you to our friends for supporting us. Endless link shares, posting and talking about our books, etc. You are loved and we appreciate it more than you know.
Fourth, thank you to those who said we'd never make it.
Chapter One – Zoe (Thursday)
Zoe Parker had spent her whole life here, and she'd probably be here until the day she died. Major, Alabama was definitely not major. Major disappointment, possibly, she thought with a smirk. She was slowly swinging in the porch swing, a decrepit old thing that was painted Robin's egg blue; her mama's favorite color. Mama had died of cancer two years before, and Daddy had just started logging more hours at work. It was like having her own house really; he was rarely home. She knew he was spending time with the secretary from his work, Minnie Wilder, and it didn't bother her like she thought it would. Mama would have wanted him to move on, just like she would want me to move on from Derek. She sighed and leaned back in the swing, lifting her feet off the rough porch floor and letting herself fly back and forth. It was the biggest thrill; after flying down the highway in her Jeep with the windows down or being on a roller coaster.
She closed her brown eyes and smiled as the wind fluttered through her long dark hair. Lazy summer days were meant for this. She'd been laid off from the Quickie Burger; yet another restaurant closing their doors in the last few months. Major, Alabama may be waterfront, but it didn't have the pull that some of the bigger cities, like Mobile, did. People found the town antiquated, fussy, and backwater. It's true, she sighed, we are all of that.
She sat back up in the swing, the old chains squeaking in protest as she heard a car pulling up in the gravel drive. It was Derek, her long time boyfriend. They had broken up two weeks ago when she caught him drilling her best friend on the top of his 69 Camaro. She found them at the beach one afternoon when she had gone to swim, basically in full view of everyone. But then again, Callie Derringer had always been the type to love the spotlight. She'd let out a perfect faux orgasm moan just as she spotted Zoe, her eyes lighting up and her face slowly breaking into a vicious smile. So much for being a best friend, huh?
Hell flew in Zoe, and as her Mawmaw used to say, 'her blood clot shifted', and she went berserk, beating Derek and Callie with her purse in fury, tears running down her face. She vaguely remembered a few people finally pulling her off of them and Callie sitting up on the hood and smoothing down her skirt, smirking as she wiped a trickle of blood off her face from the busted nose she'd gotten.
Zoe had been fighting off both calls and visits from Derek almost daily since then. He obviously wasn't getting the hint. She wasn't interested in anyone's left over sandwich. Obviously this thing with Callie had been going on for a while. She'd gotten several sympathy calls from the old biddies in town. “Honey, we knew he was no good for you, but we figured you having a man was better than nothing.” Fuck needing a man. A real man wouldn't be banging my ex best friend, now would he?
Derek was walking up the steps now, a bouquet of pathetic looking roses in his hand. They looked like he'd snagged them off of a grave. The late August heat was making everything limper than a dead man's third leg, but these poor flowers were just pathetic. He was gorgeous, no doubt about that. He could be a damn poster boy for American Eagle, with his blond hair and twinkling blue eyes, perfectly tanned body, not a damn farmer's tan anywhere in sight. He'd even dressed up a little, putting on a polo and some khaki shorts. His legs flexed with each step he took and a bright grin split his face, his gorgeous white teeth flashing in the sunlight. The same damn teeth wrapped around Callie's nipple on the beach. I'm going to puke. She fought against the bile rising in her throat and swallowed repeatedly, taking some slow breaths.
“Hey, Beautiful,” his smooth voice called out, his grin deepening so those two gorgeous dimples popped up in his cheeks; she'd always loved them.
“Hello, Derek,” she replied coldly, crossing her arms over her chest, making her already large bosom look even more pronounced against the lavender tank top she wore. He smiled wickedly, putting extra sex appeal into his smile.
“Darlin',” he drawled, “don't I get a better reception than that? I even brought you flowers. You don't know how much I miss you.” He leaned against the railing of the porch and held the flowers out at a safe distance.
“Yeah, flowers that look like you jacked them off someone's headstone. Put them back. Give them to someone else. I don't want a damn thing you are offering, not your slicked up body, not your limp ass flowers, and certainly nothing else you've got. Go give 'em to Callie. You were damn happy to give her your dick.” She pursed her lips and one black eyebrow arched as she gave him a dirty look.
“Damn, that's why I love you. You're so passionate, Zoe. So stormy,” he sighed. “I've always loved that about you. I miss us. I miss making love to you and your nails scratching my back,” he groaned out softly. “I miss that incredible mouth on my dick. I miss you, baby.”
“You miss my body. Visit fucking Rosie and her five sisters and some Vaseline. I got nothing for you. These lips,” she pointed a long pale finger to her rosy mouth, “will NEVER be on or near you again.” He dropped his head and sighed. Now comes the guilt trip, she thought in disgust.
Sure enough, he looked up and his blue eyes were swimming in tears. He had his hand in his pocket so he was probably pinching the hell out of his thigh to bring up this kind of emotion. She rolled her eyes and that black eyebrow went up again. She waited patiently for him to talk, tapping her bare foot against the wooden porch. He took a slow breath and whispered raggedly, “I miss you, Zoe.”
She smirked and jumped off the porch swing. He retreated a step. “You know something, you cock sucker?” She stomped her foot. “You've never ONCE said you were sorry for banging my best friend on the hood of your car. Not once have you said you were sorry for hurting me. Not once! All you can say is how much you fucking miss me. Well, guess what? I don't miss fucking you! I don't miss faking orgasms with you. I don't miss you, period. I miss all the years I wasted on you when I was nothing but a launch pad for someone better. Someone skinnier and with perkier breasts, right? I wo
uld have just ended up the old lady at home with our kids while you were out at the bar fucking any whore who would lift her skirt, right? Just like almost every other pathetic ass relationship in this Podunk town, right? Well, I want more than that. I need more than that.” She paused for a second and rubbed her forehead, frustrated tears coming to her eyes. “You know, there is going to be a man one day who finds these curves dangerously addictive. A man who wants to love me for who I am, not who he wants me to be.” She took another step closer and stabbed her index finger in his muscular chest before she looked deep into his eyes and smiled softly, her rose tinted lips tipping up on one corner. “You know what, babe? That man isn't going to be you. I'm absolutely rejoicing in that. Get the fuck off my property before I call the law, and don't come back.”
She spun, the ends of her dark hair fluttering to strike his arm. He stood there in shock as she moved to the white screen door, flinging it open and stomping into the old clapboard house. She turned and locked the screen before growling, “I said get off my property.” She calmly walked into the house and collapsed on the couch, tears filling her brown eyes. She wiped at them furiously as she heard him walking off the porch and getting into his car, the slamming door making her jump. Tears fell harder as she heard the car start, the roar filling the silence. He spun out of the drive and gravel hit the side of the house. She leaned back against the bright orange couch and took a slow breath. “It's finally over,” she whispered.
The phone rang in the quiet. She almost didn't want to pick it up, but it could always be Daddy telling her he wasn't coming home for dinner again, not that she had a damn thing ready to cook, she'd stopped cooking six months ago. Hauling herself off the couch, she padded through the house to the kitchen and snatched the pale blue handset off the wall where it had hung since before she'd been born. “Hello? Parker residence.” She knew she sounded like something the cat dragged in and she didn't really care anymore.
“Hey! Can I speak to Zoe?” A feminine voice chirped over the line.
“Amy, it is Zoe,” she sighed. Amy was her other best friend; they'd known each other since they were taking ballet in the third grade. Amy had gone on to be the willowy dancer, working in New York, and Zoe was the chunky chick that got laid off from damn Quickie Burger. Life really wasn't fucking fair sometimes.
“Zoe, you sound like hell, Honey. Are you okay?” Concern tinged her voice.
“Yeah,” she breathed, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. “I'm actually great for the first time in a long time. Derek and I are finally over.”
“Yay!” Amy squealed happily. “It is SO about time. This is great, because I’ve got just the news that will cheer you up. Guess what? I'm coming home for the weekend! There is this beach party that Layla Hall is throwing tomorrow night, and you should totally come! Her brother is coming home for a while, from the military. This is fantastic! Now, you can mingle with all the hotties and have fun!”
“Amy, what hotties? Most of the men here are married... and the rest are on meth.” Her heart sped up at the thought of seeing Calvin Hall again. He'd been the guy she fantasized about all through high school, the guy that was completely forbidden. Her ex best friend Callie had been the one dating him at the time. She took a breath and tried to focus on the conversation; memories of Calvin distracting her from her friend’s continued chatter.
Amy giggled. “Hey, you never know. Can I stay at your house? You know how it is at Mom's, since Trish had the baby there is no room.”
“Of course, we'd love to have you.” They solidified plans, which included Zoe picking Amy up from the airport in Mobile tomorrow. They talked for a few more minutes and hung up. Just what I need, some Amy to cheer me up. She thought with a smile. Slipping her shoes on at the door and grabbing her keys, she took some money out of the jar by the stove. They'd need some real food in the house with company coming over. Something other than Ramen noodles.
She simply closed the door behind her. There was no need for locks, locks were for honest folks, and it's not like they had break ins like big cities. She trotted down the stairs of the porch and walked out to her Jeep. It had been a present from Mama and Daddy when she turned sixteen. She'd put a lot of miles on the old girl, but she still ran like a champ. She threw the door open and climbed into the seat, grimacing at the hot leather on her thighs. She rolled the windows down and turned the key in the ignition. Glancing at the old house she'd grown up in, she smiled sadly and put the Jeep in drive and set off down the dirt road toward the main highway.
There was one main road in Major, Alabama; the road that led to the beach. Everything had been built around it. Quickie Burger, the Post Office, Ernie's Drug Store, Piggly Wiggly, and the school were the main attractions on the little road. A small business district and the courthouse were off the main drag. The whole town looked like it was stuck in the 50s, and in reality, it was. Major had been a huge hub once upon a time, now it was just sad; like an abandoned dog that lived on the side of the street and was thrown a pity bone every few weeks. It wouldn't be but another generation, maybe two before the whole economy just quit here. There wasn't enough money to fix the town up or bring in tourists anymore. They were all just surviving, and barely at that.
She pulled into the grocery store parking lot and shut the Jeep off before leaning back in her seat and taking a slow breath of the salty summer air. She reached into the cup holder and found a scrunchie. She pulled her dark hair into a sloppy bun on top of her head and wiped the sweat off the back of her neck before rubbing it off on her denim cut offs and climbing out of the car.
Piggly Wiggly had come in the seventies, pushing out a small general store that had been there forever. It was stuck in the same orange and brown that her house was, with a huge pink pig sitting on the roof. The poor pig was faded out and some kids had gotten up there and put the word 'Oink This!' on the side in black spray paint. Yet another big fuck you to the tiny town. No one gave a shit anymore. Inside, the gold and orange tile was reminiscent of a better time. She grabbed a slightly rusty cart with a squeaky wheel and began perusing the sparse aisles. They just didn't stock a lot of options anymore, especially with perishable stuff. It just wasn't profitable. She found a few things, including a pint of ice cream and went to the register. There was only one register open, and it was run by the same girl who stocked the shelves. She was thirty, had five kids at home, and wore her hair like she always had. She was stuck in the 80s with at least a full can of aqua net holding her hair into this incredible teased sculpture. Her name was Donna and she was one of the nicest people you could ever meet. She waddled up to the register, her hot pink leggings clashing with her red Piggly Wiggly top. “Hey, darlin! I'm so sorry to hear about you and Derek. You know, that boy was goin' places, baby. You shoulda held onto him.”
Zoe sighed. “He was a prick.”
Donna nodded as she rang up the groceries. “He was that, baby, but he coulda given you a good life.”
She shook her head and handed her a twenty dollar bill to cover the $17 order. “No, he couldn't. You know that. He would have made me miserable. I like my life the way it is.”
Donna handed her back the change. “True, baby. Something good is gonna happen to you, I just feel it.” Donna claimed to be partially psychic. She was uncannily good at predicting stuff and for once Zoe's ears perked up.
“Thanks, Donna.” She smiled as she took her bag and headed out to the cracked parking lot. “God knows I need something good,” she murmured to herself.
She drove back home, the sultry air making her sweat in places that weren't the nicest places to sweat. She pulled up in the driveway and parked the car before climbing up the stairs and stopping abruptly. Another bouquet of flowers were leaned against the door with a pink envelope. She tossed the bouquet over her head like throwing flowers at a wedding and cracked the seal on the envelope. The card was sickeningly sweet and smelled like it had been stuck in a drawer with mothballs. She flipped it open and smirked as she saw
it was a used card, he'd simply put white out over the words that had once been inside then scrawled, 'I'm sorry,' over the whole mess.
She tore it into a million tiny pieces and stomped on it with her foot before flinging the screen door open and turning the handle on the old green door to let herself inside. She angrily dropped the bag of groceries on the old yellow Formica counter and reached in to find her ice cream was melted. With a grumble, she threw it into the freezer and put the other basics away before cleaning up the kitchen. She slapped a ham and cheese sandwich together on the slightly stale bread from the fridge and added lots of pickles from the Vlasic jar on the shelf. She plopped it on a paper plate and snagged a strawberry daiquiri wine cooler from the back of the fridge before moving to the old couch in the living room.
Time for some good old TV, she mused. Five hours later she woke up to drool running down her face and the eleven o'clock news on. She turned the TV off in disgust. She took her trash to the kitchen and threw it away. She moved the yellowed lace curtain from the window to see if Daddy was home yet. He wasn't, of course. She left the porch light on, just in case and walked down the wood paneled hallway to her childhood bedroom. She still had the old twin bed with a canopy she got when she was five. The canopy was worn clean through by this point. It was dusty and tattered, the pale pink long faded to white. She had no money to replace it, so it stayed. Her room was the epitome of Major, Alabama. Worn out and tired. She pulled the cream colored sheets back on her bed and grabbed some thin cotton pajamas out of her baby pink dresser. She went across the hall to the bathroom, the robin's egg blue making her smile.
They'd used the same paint on the old swing. She could still remember Mama painting, drips all over the floor. They'd just replaced the laminate on the floor to cover her mistakes. She'd been so damn happy when the place was finished. It was her sanctuary, the old claw foot tub with the new shower head, the blue and green shower curtain that went all the way around and the new lace curtains at the window.
September Tango Page 1