Burn for You

by Marquita Valentine

  “Beau Montgomery.”

  Two forks clatter to the table, even my brother stops mid-chew, his green eyes round.

  “As in Rookie of the Year, Beau Montgomery?”

  “Yes.”

  “Remington Montgomery’s son?”

  “Yes.”

  “Chase Montgomery’s brother?”

  How many times do I have to say yes? “Er, yes.”

  My dad lets out a whistle. “That would have been one hell of a job, Landry. I would have driven you there myself if I’d known—you know, just in case his reputation with the ladies is deserved.”

  “What reputation is that?” asks my thirteen-year old brother.

  My mother gives my dad a pointed look. He tugs at the collar of his blue shirt. “He’s real nice to them.”

  “Then wouldn’t he be nice to Landry?”

  My dad’s expression goes from stars in his eyes to the grim reaper is coming. “Yeah, he would have been real nice to my daughter.”

  Oh good grief. “He was nothing but professional. I met his daughter, his dad—”

  “You met Remington!” My dad throws his napkin on the table and shakes his head. “Can’t win for losing.”

  “Don’t mind him,” my mom says, patting my dad’s hand. “He’s still smarting over the time he stood in the rain for two hours to get Remington’s autograph, and it turned out to be a fake sighting.”

  “Not fake. It was for Sterling Kyle. No one wants his John Hancock,” my dad mutters. “I misunderstood, is all.”

  My mom pats his hand. “Bless your heart.”

  I giggle, and Jamie snorts. “I think mom just cursed you out,” my brother says.

  “She’s been cursing me out for years,” my dad says teasingly, and my mom blushes. “But she hasn’t kicked me out yet.”

  “It’s not the end of the day. Yet,” she says.

  “Miss Sassy Mouth, I do adore you.”

  “Y’all go back to eating.” But I don’t miss the pleased smile she gives my dad, nor do I miss the kiss he brushes against her cheek.

  I exchange a look with Jamie, but we both know we’re lucky to have parents like we do. In some ways we’re unlucky too, because how often in life do you meet the one, and stay with them for the next thirty years?

  The house phone rings. My brother jumps up at answer it. He’s at the age when girls are calling at all hours, so naturally, he thinks it’s for him.

  “Landry,” he shouts from the living room. “It’s for you.”

  “Was that boy raised in a barn?” my dad asks, shaking his head. “Guess we’ll be practicing inside voices while we do dishes.”

  I meet Jamie in the hallway, take the phone from him, and head to my room. “Hello?”

  “This is Kimmie Farnsworth.”

  I sit on my bed, my heart picking up speed even though I already know what she will say. “Hi. How are you?”

  “Just fine.” There’s a pause and I almost ask if everything’s okay, but she starts talking again. “You got the job.”

  I’m stupefied. “I got the job?”

  “Yes. Can you start next week?”

  “But—I thought Mrs. Williams was more qualified?”

  Mrs. Farnsworth makes a noise of disgust. “Oh, she was something all right, but never you mind that. Mr. Montgomery is short of time, so you’re it.”

  I’m it. I’ve got the job. My heart slams into my chest. I’ll be in close proximity to Beau for as long as he wants me, if I go through with this. Can I go through with this? I need the money, but the temptation of him, the charm of him, and our history, though brief, is enough to make me slightly reconsider.

  “I—I...ah...”

  “You’re overcome. That’s completely understandable. Stop by my office tomorrow around ten a.m., and we’ll go over the particulars. Congratulations, Landry. It’s not every day that one of my girls gets to go to Monaco.”

  “Monaco?” I squeak.

  “He didn’t speak with you about that?”

  No, he was too busy saying dirty things to me, and I was too busy trying not to get turned on by him. And failing. “I think he wanted to speak with Mrs. Williams first.”

  “Oh.” I can hear the frown in her voice. “In any case, we can go over the details tomorrow.”

  “See you at ten,” I say before we end our call.

  I stare at my reflection in the mirror, wondering what in the world did that woman do for Beau to have no choice but to hire me instead.

  *** *** ***

  Beau

  “Kidnapping,” I say, throwing a few more pieces of candy into the pot.

  Cole bounces Mia on his knee, letting her gnaw on the cards in his hands. I’d tell him to stop, but since she keeps flashing what he’s holding, I’m going to keep quiet until I win.

  “Seriously?” he asks, and then turns his attention to my daughter. “Want a piece of candy, baby girl?”

  “As a heart attack,” I reply, then smack Cole in the arm. “No candy.”

  “Sorry, big daddy.”

  Oh Jesus. I roll my eyes and then take another drink. Of water. Yeah, I’m all hardcore these days.

  “Why would anyone want to kidnap your kid? You’re not that damn famous,” Parker says flatly, his eyes narrowing at Mia and Cole.

  Shaking my head, I rearrange my cards. I have no idea why Parker dislikes me so much.

  Well, that’s not entirely true. When I first lived in Forrestville, the Morgan boys and I were all residents of the same shitty trailer park. Cole and I had run wild in that place, with Parker always trailing after us. Always wanting to be included. Only I didn’t want to include him. I wanted Cole all to myself. So I did everything I could to make sure Parker couldn’t be included.

  A dick move to be sure, but I was only nine. By the time I was twelve and Cole was eleven, we were like a gang of brothers, minus the gang. Parker was still on the outs, though I had started to include him more... but then I found my mother’s corpse and social services shipped me off my uncle’s.

  “Maybe she wanted to kidnap me, because I’m so damn hot and let’s face it—I’m fucking spectacular in bed,” I say, falling back on what I do best with these guys. I’m the pretty blonde, the one who never takes anything seriously, and the one who came up with Bro Rules.

  What they don’t understand is that I live a triple life. Here, with these guys, I’m one version of myself, another version for my racing fans, and yet a third with my family. Maybe Cole would get it, being engaged to Violet Rae and all, but it’s still not the same as actually living it.

  “Guys don’t say spectacular,” Parker snaps, on edge more than usual. There’s one more reason he’s so prickly with me right now, and it has nothing to do with how we grew up, and everything to do with what I know about his current job. And I’m not referring to the one here at The Double Deuce, where he bartends.

  “Guys who are completely comfortable with their sexuality do.” I set the bottle of water down on the table and tilt my head to one side, shit-eating grin on my face. “You do know what sex is, or is Cole not allowing you to play with girls, yet?”

  Parker shoves back from the table, throwing his cards down at the same time. “Fu—” He eyes Mia and takes a deep breath. “I’m done.”

  “Giving up before winning is the sign of a sore loser, bro.” I can’t help needling him. It’s how we communicate, and it only gets worse when we have stuff going on in our lives that neither of us are willing to talk about.

  Parker’s aw shucks ma’am is an act, just like my dumb blonde one. Only, I don’t know all of his secrets while he and Cole know all of mine.

  Except for the nanny I’m inconveniently attracted to and have to hire, because the woman I needed to hire is a full-on nutcase who kidnaps children, then helps find them, and collects the reward. Her last victim, a reading prodigy at only three years old, had finally told on her.

  Thank God.

  “Grow the hell up, asshole,” Parker growls.

&
nbsp; Suddenly, Cole stands and says, “Take your daughter, Beau.”

  I make a face. “Why?”

  “Because I’m about to beat my brother’s a-s-s.” It’s slightly amusing to hear such a hulk of a guy actually spell out curse words.

  Parker’s expression goes from pissed off to livid. “You’re taking his side?”

  With a grunt, Cole stands and hands Mia to me. She snuggles right into the crook of my arm, and I breathe in her baby scent. I swear my heartbeat gets all relaxed around her. She brings me that much joy.

  But I can’t let Cole and Parker fall out fighting. For one, Cole would win by default by being one badass motherfucker. Two, whatever is going on with Parker, he needs to let his brother in, not keep pushing him away.

  “Hey Parker,” I call out. “Remember that time you, me, and Cole went down to Lake Norman and rode dirt bikes?”

  Cole and Parker turn their attention to me, twin expressions of what-the-hell-is-he-talking-about-now on their faces.

  A grin breaks out on Parker’s face. “Yeah. I seem to recall that one of us might have repeatedly run into the back of Remington’s new Corvette, until the back end resembled a golf ball.”

  “You were barely big enough to hold one up,” Cole says, running a hand through his dark hair. “Beau beat us by a mile when we raced.”

  The brothers sit down again, memories of when we were little easing the tension in the air.

  “Racing’s in my blood,” I say, grimacing.

  “Then why are you going to race in Monaco?” Parker asks, grabbing a handful of Reese’s and offering some to Mia.

  I glare at him. “No candy. What’s with you two wanting to feed my baby girl this junk? She has four teeth; stop trying to rot them out.”

  Parker rolls his eyes and then downs the handful. “It was for you, dude. Or have you forgotten I’m the one who tries to make sure everyone eats healthy?”

  “I wish I could forget it,” Cole mutters, then almost spits out his beer when Parker punches him in the side.

  “I’m going to Monaco because that’s a dream of mine—to race a Formula One car. Remington doesn’t get it. My brothers don’t even get it. They all think it’s a joke. Although that didn’t stop Remington from trying to worm his way into going.”

  “For the women and gambling,” Parker says with a nod.

  “Yeah. He wanted me to leave Mia with Judith.”

  “What about Paisley?” Cole asks.

  “I texted her as soon as I found out.”

  “And?”

  “She doesn’t care.” I exhale. Lately, however, she’s been dropping off Mia and leaving her with me for longer periods of time. It worries me. A lot.

  “That’s good?” Parker ventures.

  I shrug. “Yeah.”

  “How many hot chicks will Mia attract for you?”

  Offended, I make a face. “I’m not using my daughter—”

  Cole laughs. “Shut up, Beau. You don’t have to use your daughter. Women love men with kids. Hell, whenever I go out with Kelly, I swear to God, they flock.”

  Parker nods in agreement. “Totally true. I get the same response.”

  “Good to know, but I have to focus on racing, not women.” Except one woman will constantly be in my thoughts and in my life. She’ll be in my house, on the plane ride over, in the apartment I rented... but not in my bed.

  Or so I tell myself.

  Our game is now forgotten. We’re just three guys, minus one player with Wyatt spending all his extra time with Lacey, drinking and shooting the shit.

  Mia burps. I look at my daughter, and she grins. “That was a manly burp, sweetheart.”

  Cole nods his approval. “Good one.”

  “Takes after her Uncle Parker,” I remark.

  Parker grins and takes Mia from me, settling her against him. “Yeah, she does.”

  A part of me wishes they could come with me to Monaco, but Cole and Parker have responsibilities that cannot be neglected. As I glance at them, I wonder how long this will last. How long will we continue to get together every Tuesday evening—either at my house or theirs— and play Texas Hold ‘Em, before life gets in the way?

  Chapter Eight

  Landry

  I have never known a week to fly by so fast, yet so excruciating slow. I’m equal parts nervous and excited to be around Beau again. He’s flying me halfway around the world, just to watch his daughter while he races. My mind can barely comprehend it all.

  Today, however, I’m sad because it’s my last shift as a baby cuddler at Charlotte Baptist.

  “My dad asked me to get Remington’s autograph,” I tell Meagan. “I don’t have the heart to break it to him that it will never happen. Can you imagine what he would say to me?”

  “Oh yeah. He’d probably hope you’d want him to sign your boobs.” Meagan snorts, and I smack her lightly in the shoulder.

  “Sorry,” she says with an unrepentant grin and then lets it fade away. “You know, as soon as my mother found out about your job from Aunt Kimmie, she was all over me to talk to you about Remington. She actually wanted me to warn you about him.”

  I swallow. “Is he that bad?”

  “Oh, honey, he’s trouble, but not in the dubious-consent category. It’s like he’s a modern-day Don Draper, and he’s passing you the after-sex cigarette before you know what’s happening. Stay away from him. ”

  I frown. “Duly noted.” But what about Beau? Is he just like his dad? He didn’t strike me as exactly that type... and he seemed to be disappointed that things didn’t work out with Mia’s mom. A man who is just a player doesn’t care about things like that, right?

  “His sons are just as bad, except for Chase, but he only started behaving once he married Love,” Meagan goes on to say, making my stomach drop.

  I twist my hands on my lap, focusing on the road as she drives. That’s basically what Beau had said as well. “Oh, so stay away from Beau, too? That’s going to be hard since I’ll be his daughter’s nanny.”

  Meagan parks the car, hangs her staff parking sign on the rearview mirror, and looks at me. I can feel her eyes on me. “Laaaandry,” she sings out, clearly exasperated.

  “What?”

  “Do I have to give you permission to sleep with Beau?”

  I gasp and turn to face her. “No!”

  “You’ll sleep with him without my permission?”

  “Yes. No.” My face flames. “I’m not sleeping with him.”

  Her blue eyes dance. “You’ll use him to end your dry spell, then.”

  Beau Montgomery could so make it rain for me. “I’m responsible for watching his daughter,” I protest. “She’ll be my number one priority.”

  “But who’s responsible for you?” she teases. “You’ll be living in a foreign country, with a hot guy and,” her voice drops, “spending lots of time alone together.”

  “I’m not that kind of girl,” I say primly, and Meagan practically doubles over with laughter.

  “Oh God,” she groans. “You are too much and if I didn’t know you, then I’d think you were the biggest prude on the planet.”

  “I’m picky.”

  We get out of her car and start for the hospital. “You’re pitiful.”

  “Sleeping with a bunch of different guys doesn’t make me a woman of my generation.”

  Meagan stops me with a hand on my arm. “I’m not shaming you for being sexually inexperienced, Landry.”

  I’m not a virgin, but I might as well be. Meagan knows all about my old boyfriend—the one who took my virginity after senior prom, and then broke up with me two weeks after classes started our freshman year and he pledged Sigma Tau.

  Honestly, I was a bit relieved when it happened—we’d been together for so long that I had wondered if we were together because we were too lazy to find someone else. There was no drama and no tears when Todd and I broke up.

  But Meagan had taken me to Goodberry’s for milkshakes anyway.

  “What were you shami
ng her for, then?” a familiar voice asks, and I wish for a hole to open up and swallow me in the parking lot. My new boss just heard my best friend call me sexually inexperienced.

  My best friend’s eyes go wide and she mouths, “I’m so sorry.” Then she raises her voice. “Beau, so nice to see you. Here. At the hospital. For no apparent reason.”

  “I’m here for the usual—donations.”

  He came here to give money? I can’t turn around and face him. Instead, I start walking again, leaving Meagan and Beau behind. “Later, Meagan. Mr. Montgomery.” I smash my lips together, feeling stupid for calling him Mr. Montgomery in front of Meagan. Obviously, they know each other socially, and he’s not that much older than we are.

  “We need to talk, Landry,” Beau calls out, but I keep going.

  Pushing open the door, I toss, “I can’t be late. Text or email me. Kimmie has my contact information,” over my shoulder and speed up my walk. Usually, I take the elevator to the first floor, but with my luck, he would somehow get on it and we’d get stuck together.

  Not the most unpleasant thought, but only if we didn’t know one another. And if he hadn’t overheard Meagan giving me a hard time, I’d totally be on board with it.

  But I do know him. And he did hear.

  I sigh, and then take the stairs.

  Beau

  I watch Landry disappear inside the hospital before turning my attention back to Meagan. I don’t know her all that well. She doesn’t hang out with Paisley’s crowd, and thank God, I’ve never hooked up with her when I was going through my fuck-you-Paisley stage.

  Yeah, I call them Bro Rules, but really, my rules are just codes I live by. Like never hook-up with your current or former hook-up’s best friend—or sister. Which is a shame since my rule would have instantly made Landry off-limits and my life a hell of a lot easier.

  Meagan gazes at me, eyes twinkling and smile knowing. “Beau Montgomery.”

  “Meagan Thomas,” I reply, unable to keep my attention on her. I want to go after Landry, to find out what she’s doing and how long she’ll be. We need to talk, about boundaries and rules, and how I won’t put her in a position she won’t enjoy.