Taste the Heat

by Rachel Harris

  If Cane knew Colby was even considering staying in Magnolia Springs, he’d be thrilled. Well, after his reaction the other day, maybe not thrilled about the reason, but ecstatic about not having to hire another chef. Sherry would most likely begin planning their wedding. And Emma…well, it was obvious what that girl wanted. She wanted a family again. And if Colby stayed in town and began a real relationship with Jason that was exactly where they’d be headed.

  But am I ready for that?

  In her experience, fidelity was the stuff of fairy tales. But Jason’s parents had somehow found a way to withstand the trials of marriage. So had her grandparents, and more aunts, uncles, and cousins than she could name. They all seemed to make it work. Maybe staying faithful wasn’t just some mythical concept. Maybe her choosing a cheating boyfriend, after having been born to an unfaithful man, had simply been a case of severe, craptastically bad luck.

  It was hopeful thoughts like these that had her tied in knots all day.

  When Colby thought about the meaning of faithfulness, she thought about loyalty, trustworthiness, dependability, and consistency. Characteristics that Jason Landry not only had, but embodied. More so than any other man she had met.

  Her choice was clear: believe in Jason and trust her heart, or let her past dictate her future.

  She knew what she wanted to do. She just wasn’t sure she had the courage.

  “Fake I.D.” ended and Sherry flounced back to the table, fanning herself with both hands. “Oh my God, that was fun!” She slid onto her chair and exhaled with a big old cheesy grin. “You should’ve come out there with me.”

  “What, and risk breaking an ankle? No thanks.” The waitress set her drinks on the tabletop and Colby smiled her thanks. “Do you not remember what happens when I try to do coordination?”

  Sherry stuck out her tongue then eyed Colby’s drinks. “This one for me?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. Get your own. I’m getting my drink on.” Then she winked to show she was teasing and pushed the second glass toward her sister.

  Sherry watched Colby take a sip of her cold, extremely yummy drink before taking a sip of her own. Smacking her lips at the tartness, she then leaned her chin on her hand. “So tell me, chica. Is this a celebratory get-your-drink-on, or a depressed one?”

  Colby took another sip and shrugged. “I don’t know. A little of both? Not ready to talk about it yet. Still too much swirling around in here.” She twirled her finger over her head. “Distract me. Tell me about your love life. Are things going well with Waiter McHottie?”

  “Ben?” Her voice took on that dreamy quality normally reserved for mint chocolate ice cream or candlelit bubble baths. “Things are better than good.” Biting off a smile, she glanced down at the table. “This is gonna sound crazy, but I think he might be the one.”

  Margarita spewed out of Colby’s mouth. Her sister may as well have declared she was thinking of becoming a nun. “Are you serious?”

  A frown line appeared between her eyes as she peeled a wet napkin from Colby’s second drink. Wiping at the table she said, “I know we’ve only gone out a couple times, but he’s worked at the restaurant for a few months. It’s not that crazy.”

  “No, I know,” Colby said, her mind still reeling. “I—I just didn’t realize things were like that between you.”

  Or that Sherry even believed in settling down. She was the wild child. The girl who had a new guy every week. The one who threw crazy parties on the weekends and loved defying social conventions. Not someone who believed in finding “the one.”

  “Everything is so different with him, Colby. Ben makes me laugh, and he’s wicked smart. He’s back in school to finish his degree, you know. He doesn’t plan on waiting tables forever. And damn, the man is sexy as hell.” She made a lip-smacking yummy noise and Colby laughed. This was the sister she knew. “I get goose pimples just thinking about him. And don’t even get me started on his tongue.”

  When her eyes rolled back in her head, Colby interrupted. “Bordering on TMI, Sher.”

  Sherry giggled. “Prude,” she teased, sitting up in her seat. “For real though, it’s not like we’ve had ‘the talk’ yet or anything, but…yeah. Things are getting pretty serious.”

  Disbelief would be one way to classify her reaction. Shock would be another. They had been dating for like a second. Still, if her sister was happy, then she was happy. “That’s great, Sher. Ben’s a lucky guy.”

  She beamed. “Hey, maybe you and Jason can double with us next weekend. We can go see a movie or something.”

  And there went Colby’s thoughts, straight back to the sexy fire captain. So much for her distraction.

  Nodding, she picked up her drink. “Yeah, maybe.” She took a long, extended sip and shook her head at the sharp punch of tequila. Coughing, she shoved away from the table and grabbed Sherry’s hand. “You know what, though? You’re right, tonight does feel like a dancing night.”

  Surprise lit her sister’s eyes. “Really?”

  “Yep,” she said, popping her lips around the word. “Let’s do this thing.”

  Out on the dance floor, Colby chased her distraction, grinding to the beat of “Country Girl.” Her hands flew over her head. She tossed her hair and spun Sherry in a circle. Skimming her hands over her hips, she shook them like the lyrics directed. To her sister’s delight, Colby broke into the Carlton, the Running Man, even the MC Hammer. She tried getting Sherry to do the Kid ‘n’ Play, but Sherry was too busy cracking up. Colby didn’t mind—she was having fun. The few sips of her drink combined with the music had a warm tingle spreading across her skin and for the life of her, she couldn’t remember why she’d hated dancing so much. The bar didn’t have a mirror on the dance floor, which was a damn shame, but she was positive she looked absolutely fabulous.

  Everywhere Colby looked, couples were dry humping themselves into oblivion. A particularly amorous man to her right had his date bent so far backward she felt voyeuristic sharing the same dance space.

  She wiggled her eyebrows in the direction of the couple and screamed into Sherry’s ear, “Guess we know who she’s shaking it for tonight.”

  Her sister laughed. She moved behind them and made a half-obscene but completely humorous gesture, setting off another round of giggles. Yep, Colby was definitely feeling good.

  The song ended and another began. She exhaled and closed her eyes, wishing Jason were there. If his performance last night was any indication, the man had moves. She could picture him slinging his arm around her waist, drawing her close as he swiveled those delectable hips. She smiled…then lost her balance as someone bumped her from behind. Eyes still closed, Colby threw her arms out in a blind lunge, and latched onto the couple playing tonsil hockey.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said as the man lifted his head, probably as much for air as from her groping him. “Some idiot—” She broke off as the two of them locked eyes. Colby froze, the happy vibes she’d been feeling instantly dissipating.

  Oh, shit.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “How could I be so fucking stupid?”

  Sherry’s pained question came out as an accusation, and it broke Colby’s heart. Handing over a hot bowl of gumbo, their mama’s guaranteed cure for anything, she wanted nothing more than to drive right back to 985, rip the frizzy hair out of the other woman’s head, and use it to string up Ben “the two-timing asshat” by the gonads. It had been years since she’d gone Mama Bear on anyone for hurting her little sister, but her claws were just as sharp as when they were kids. And after listening to Sherry cry for the last hour, she was itching to use them.

  “You weren’t stupid, Sherry. You trusted him. He’s the jerk here.”

  Colby had been saying variations of the same thing ever since they left the club, but her sister still wasn’t listening. She was fixated on the fact that Ben had claimed he had homework to do, and she’d believed him.

  Evidently, homework was a skanky blonde with two-inch roots.

&
nbsp; Sherry blew her nose and dropped another Kleenex in the wastebasket. “I really thought things were different with him, you know? I thought we were getting serious. Either I was lying to myself or I’m an idiot, but either way, I’m pathetic.” She yanked another tissue from the box and lifted her head. Biting her lip she asked, “Do you think she was prettier than I am?”

  “Are you shitting me?” Her sister’s mouth dropped at the profanity. Colby wasn’t big on cursing, especially aloud, but if there was ever a good time for it, this was it. “Sher, you’re freaking gorgeous. You’re sexy and fun and have a heart bigger than Lake Pontchartrain. If Ben can’t appreciate that, then you’re better off. Trust me. That girl he was with tonight ain’t got nothing on you, babe. It’s his loss.”

  Sherry rolled her eyes as she dug her giant spoon into the steaming bowl. Stirring the thick stew until she had the perfect proportion of sausage, okra, rice, and broth, she mumbled, “Well, you’re my sister, so you kinda have to say that.”

  Colby snorted. “No, as your sister I should hightail it to that club and go Lorena Bobbitt on his ass.” She pulled back her sister’s comforter and slid in beside her. “But then I’d be arrested, you’d be alone, and Robicheaux’s would be without a head chef again. So instead, I’ll stay here and just envision going chop happy. Besides, once Cane hears about this, Ben’s gonna wish it’d been me playing fast and loose with a cleaver.”

  The spoon Sherry had lifted stopped in mid-air, her big brown eyes full of sudden panic. “Oh God, Cane’s gonna go caveman on his ass, isn’t he?” Colby nodded with glee, imagining the fierce, dark look she’d only seen a few times on her brother’s face. Most days, he was like a giant teddy bear. A sarcastic, slightly arrogant teddy bear, but a teddy bear. But when it came to the people he loved, the man lived up to his bad boy looks and then some. Sherry shoved another heaping spoonful in her mouth, swallowed, and pushed the bowl back into Colby’s hands. “I can’t eat anymore. Can you save this for me?”

  Colby’s eyebrows furrowed as she set the barely touched bowl on the cluttered nightstand. “Sure, honey.”

  More than the dark smudges beneath her eyes, or the runny trails of mascara on her cheeks, her sister’s unprecedented lack of appetite revealed how truly devastated she was. Colby wished the magic words would appear that could somehow make this right, or at least make it more bearable. But she guessed magic, like fairy tales, didn’t really exist.

  A small voice inside her head whispered, See? You were right.

  Neither of them hungry, they sat together in silence for a long time, each lost in their own set of demons. The drip of Sherry’s leaky faucet filled the quiet. Colby ran her fingers through her sister’s multi-hued hair until eventually her swollen eyelids grew heavy. She waited until the sound of her breaths evened, and then she carefully slid from under the comforter.

  Walking down the hallway to her own bedroom, Colby clutched her hands at her waist. The ruby ring her mother had left her sat heavy on her right hand. She twisted it and closed her eyes. Times like this, she really needed her mom.

  They’d never spoken about her father’s infidelity. Colby doubted she ever found out. The few times she’d come home over the years, her parents had always seemed happy—a lie that often infuriated her. If they were so happy together, then why did he have to cheat? He’d made her mother look like a fool, blindly trusting the man she’d loved.

  Colby couldn’t help but wonder: if her mother were still alive, what words of wisdom would she offer Sherry tonight? And if she knew the truth about her husband, would she honor that same advice?

  Soft light from the bedside lamp spilled over Colby’s cell phone and she picked it up. Sinking onto the mattress, her finger hesitated over Jason’s name. She didn’t know what she wanted to say. She didn’t know what she wanted to hear. She only knew she had to speak with him. Remind herself that Jason wasn’t Ben. That he wasn’t her ex or her father. He was one of the good ones—the few good ones.

  With a deep breath, she tapped his name.

  Ring.

  “Come on, Jason. Answer your phone.”

  Ring.

  Her heart pounded as if her life depended on them speaking. If not her life, her sanity certainly did.

  Ring.

  Then, mercifully, his phone picked up.

  “Oh, thank God. Jason, hey, I—”

  You’ve reached Jason Landry, captain of the Magnolia Springs Fire Department. I’m sorry I missed your call…

  Colby flung the phone across the bed, her eyes suddenly filling with tears. Anxiety rushed her veins. Her stupid stomach churned and clawed at itself. She was acting irrationally, she knew. Jason had done nothing wrong. Yet it was as if time reversed twelve years. Every doubt, every insecurity she’d felt back then had returned, fiercer than ever. She had to speak with him. There was no way in hell she’d get any rest tonight until she did.

  It was only eleven. A perk of being the head chef was expediting orders on the weekends. It was hellish and crazy, ensuring every dish was perfect and run to the tables efficiently, but it meant even on a slammed night she was often out by eight. Any other night she’d have gone home, put up her aching feet, and drank a half-bottle of wine in front of the television. Tonight, however, she’d managed to go clubbing, witness the destruction of her sister’s love life, and watch her cry herself to sleep, all before The Tonight Show even came on.

  Her world had tipped on its axis in a matter of hours. Somehow, that didn’t seem possible. But it was.

  Colby pushed to her feet and began pacing the length of her room. Her skin felt tight, like the ickiness of the night was trying to escape through her pores.

  Where is he?

  After another minute wondering, imagining every possible worst-case scenario, she grabbed her keys. Any trace of alcohol in her system from those few small sips had burned out long ago. Pocketing her phone, she marched back out into the hallway. Staying here would only make her stir-crazy. And wear a hole through the rented carpet. She checked on a still sleeping Sherry, jotted a quick note on the kitchen white board, and bolted to her car.

  The first place she’d check would be the gym. It was closest to the house and she thought that maybe he had a class to teach. If his truck wasn’t there, she’d drive by his house, then his parents’, then the station.

  Yep, she was in full-on stalker mode. She could admit it. But she had to see him.

  Her first easy breath entered her lungs at the corner of Wisteria. Jason’s truck sat parked below the sign for Northshore Combatives. Her hands shook on the wheel as she turned in beside him. Soon, she’d be back in his arms and the knot in her stomach would unfurl. The ghosts of her past would disappear and she’d slam the door again on all her doubts. Hopefully Emma was at a sleepover or at her grandparents’, because right about now the only thought in Colby’s head was dragging that man back to his house, tearing off his clothes, and forgetting this whole night ever happened.

  As she walked purposefully toward the entrance, she was aware there were a few cars still in the parking lot. She wasn’t sure how many, didn’t really care. She was willing to stay as long as it took to close up, as long as she was with him. She yanked open the door, a blast of cold air hitting her in the face, and stopped in the middle of an empty room.

  The front desk where she’d first met Emma was deserted. Colby glanced around, unsure of where to go next. The place was freaking huge. Muffled noises—people talking and the muted beat of music—came from somewhere, but in front of her loomed nothing but a sea of unused cardio equipment. She dug her phone back out, ready to try calling him again, when salvation came in the form of a sweaty man with a towel slung over his shoulders. He rounded the corner of the stairs and stooped to get a drink from the water fountain. Colby attacked.

  “Excuse me,” she called, aware as she marched over that her voice was bordering on frantic. “Do you know where I can find Jason Landry?”

  The guy stood, wiping his mouth as his bri
ght green eyes trailed down her body. “He’s in one of the classes finishing upstairs.” Oh, thank God. The clawing ache of the last half-hour was almost over. Relief flowed through her as he indicated the stairwell behind him with a tilt of his head. “But I’d be happy to offer my services for anything that you need.” He jerked his chin up and winked.

  Ew.

  And grr.

  Couldn’t this dude see she was in a tizzy here? Did he really think now would be the best time to hit on her…and with a cheesy line no less?

  Somehow, she refrained from visually cringing—the man did help her after all. And with eyes already trained on the stairs behind him, she even offered a thin-lipped smile. “Thanks, but I really just need Jason. It’s kind of an emergency.”

  The way her body was starting to shake, that felt about right.

  With a strange flutter in her belly, she dashed toward the stairs.

  …

  A good workout always got Jason’s blood pumping. Two-plus hours of drills and intense groundwork left his body depleted and covered in sweat—but it was a natural high. If he couldn’t spend time with Colby, this was where he wanted to be. Nothing beat the euphoria of leaving it all out on the mat. Pushing his body past its limits. And for another night, knowing he did his part to honor Ashleigh’s memory.

  A soft cough shocked the hell out of him. He’d thought he was alone. Capping his water bottle, he glanced back, surprised to find Angelle. “What’s up?” he asked, grabbing his towel from the floor.

  “I’m still not confident about escaping from the bottom,” she said, bouncing on her toes. She reached up and yanked her ponytail. “Could you maybe, um, show me again?”

  Jason wiped the sweat off his face and arms, considering the question. The woman was an enigma. Vulnerability was practically stamped on her forehead. Half the time she couldn’t finish a sentence around him without stammering. Yet despite being the only woman in the class, she’d handled the drills he’d thrown them remarkably well. Watching her shrimp across the floor tonight, he could almost imagine Ashleigh there doing the same.