Rumor Has It (Friendship, Texas Book 2)

by Magan Vernon

  “When you headed back there?” he asked, taking a sip before sliding the drink back to me.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. When are you going back?”

  He shook his head, the ghost of a smile crossing his lips. “No idea. You aren’t going back to that boyfriend?”

  “If you could even call him that. It’s a long story, and I guess we’ll both be stuck in Friendship for a while,” I muttered, taking a long gulp from the flask.

  “I always thought of it that way—that we were stuck in this small town Texas hell—until I left. There’s something to be said for the simple life surrounded by cows and silence as you sit on your back porch.”

  “Yeah, it can also be boring as hell.”

  He bumped his shoulder with mine. “I don’t know. You and I had some pretty good times. Remember when we thought we could go cow tipping and the bulls shit on my new boots instead of falling over?”

  I laughed slightly. “Yeah. Those were good times, but that was before you left.” The last part came out like word vomit. I never intended to actually say that part.

  He sighed. “Yeah. I should have stayed in touch with you. There were so many times I wanted to pick up the phone and call, and I just didn’t.”

  “It’s not your fault. I didn’t call either.”

  He turned toward me, his eyes glowing in the moonlight. “Yeah, but you weren’t the one who left. You skipped English to drive me to that audition. You sat with me here that night ten years ago when I was nervous as hell about leaving. I even gave you my lucky guitar pick.”

  Slowly, I reached into the pocket of my jeans and pulled out the white guitar pick. “You mean this one?”

  His eyes widened. “You seriously kept that? After all these years?”

  I thumbed the pick as I had done so many times before. “You said it was lucky, right? I thought it might bring me something. So far, I’ve just had shit jobs, a boyfriend who’s been more like a roommate, a lackluster writing career, and a death in the family. It may be broken.”

  He put his hand out. “Then I guess you can give it back to me. Lord knows I need the luck.”

  I smiled, putting the pick back in my pocket. “Nope. You gave it to me, and it’s here to stay.”

  “Maybe I should have just given you a ring instead of that. Maybe if I would have listened to my parents and just married you, then I wouldn’t have had to deal with that shit with my ex,” he muttered, taking a long sip from the flask.

  “You and I married? Yeah, our parents joked about it, but that’s a pretty crazy idea, even for you.” I laughed but didn’t find any humor in it. Ever since we were little kids, my parents always said I was going to “marry the boy next door.” I didn’t know his parents thought the same thing, though both of us knew that would never happen.

  “And like I would have married you. Ew,” I said, shoving his shoulder.

  He laughed slightly, shaking his head and taking another drink. “Yeah. It was a stupid thing to say. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “Maybe you were thinking that both of our love lives would have turned out better,” I muttered, grabbing the flask from him and downing the rest of it.

  He turned toward me, raising an eyebrow. “I didn’t even know you were with someone until you said something today.”

  Shaking my head, I set the flask down on the branch beside us. “I don’t even know what we are. I never really saw it going anywhere. He was kind of someone just to pass the time. Well, pass the last eight years. Kind of like your song, you know the one about the guy who is just with the girl because she’s there but he gave his heart to someone years ago?”

  Eddie smiled. “Yeah. I know all about that song. She means nothing to me. She’s just passing the time.” He sang the last part to his famous song that earned him his first Grammy, not that I was following his career or anything.

  “That song stem from real-life experiences?” I asked. Wow, drinking whiskey was giving me some balls. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d actually had hard liquor, and the stuff in the flask was making me braver.

  Eddie’s face grew serious as his eyes met mine. “I think you know who it’s about, Brooke.”

  “Pfffft.” I shook my head.

  Eddie leaned forward, putting one hand on his knee. “Like you haven’t figured out by now that half my songs are about you? Hell, I even had a girl with glasses and brown hair in the music video for ‘When I’m with You.’”

  I stared blankly out at the water, the lyrics of the song drifting through my head as I thought about the video. The song was about a guy who had a stressful job but forgot all his cares when he was sitting on the back porch, watching the moonlight with his girl.

  Holy. Shit.

  Finally, I turned back to Eddie, who was still staring at me with the ghost of a smile on his face. “It’s always been you, Brooke.”

  Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the fact that I was staring at who most magazines deemed “Country’s Sexiest Man,” but I took the chance, and I leaned in, putting my hand on his cheek.

  Wrapping my arms around his neck, I leaned closer to press into him. This was it. I was going to finally give in and kiss the guy I’d had a crush on all of my life. But instead of pressing my lips to his, I heard a loud crackling sound. By the time I heard the sound, it was already too late, and the old branch split apart, knocking Eddie onto his back with me tumbling down on top of him.

  I rolled over, laughing and shaking my head. Eddie did the same, his arm still wrapped around my waist. My skin searing from his mere touch. But maybe the tree branch breaking was a sign. It never even budged all those years when we were just friends, and as soon as I tried for something more, it was over before it even began.

  “I guess we’re a little too big to be sitting on branches,” Eddie said.

  “Yeah,” I said, looking at the sky instead of meeting his gaze.

  “So what happens after you and your best friend break a tree?” Eddie asked, breaking up the silence.

  I shrugged.

  “Well, I think we have two choices. I can either take you home … or …” His free hand grabbed mine and interlaced our fingers. “We stay here and catch up on the last ten years until the sun rises.”

  I looked over, meeting his gaze. “I think the second choice is the better option.”

  He grinned. “Me too.”

  Chapter 4

  I was dealing with an epic sleep hangover, but it was definitely worth it.

  Staying up with Eddie to talk about everything from music to our failed relationships and then watch the sunrise was one of the biggest highlights of my entire life. Which made me think I really needed to get a life.

  The house was empty when I finally rolled out of bed around noon. I figured Mom and Vi were at school, and Clay, even though he complained about it, was back at work.

  Now that I was alone, I had no idea what to do with myself. I could have gone to the bakery to write, but part of me hoped that maybe Eddie would show up again.

  Or maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he thought talking to me was just a drunken mistake, even though we only had a flask, and he wouldn’t talk to me again for another ten years. Maybe saying all of the songs were about me was just a rouse to get in my pants, and once he figured out I had a pseudo-boyfriend, he stopped. I should have just kissed him. Sent a “Dear John” text to Drake right there and then gave in to all the feelings I had for Eddie.

  Maybe then, I would stop pining over the one who got away and really start living my life. Maybe he would be a horrible lay, and I would laugh it off. But somehow, I didn’t think that would be the case.

  When I turned off FM6 to go to Main Street, every parking spot was full, and people were lining the sidewalks. More people than I’d ever seen in our little town—even for the annual Boo Fest before Halloween, but that had already happened.

  I ended up having to park two streets over near the water department, and when I finally got to the end of Mai
n Street, I heard rumblings that superstar Eddie Justice had been spotted.

  My heart thumped hard in my chest with a mix of excitement and nervousness. Where was he? Should I be pissed that he didn’t come see me before heading downtown?

  I sighed, giving myself an inner pep talk. We weren’t dating or anything. Hell, that was the first time we’d spoken in ten years, and now, we were breaking tree limbs and almost kissing. He didn’t owe me anything.

  I made my way through the crowd until I was at the Forever Sweet Bakery where two police officers were standing in front. I didn’t recognize them as the local guys from Friendship, but guys they brought in from Dallas. There were also hordes of reporters with cameras and other people trying to get a glimpse inside.

  “Hey! Is this place closed or can I get my coffee?” I asked, adjusting my glasses.

  “It’s open for patrons only. Five-minute limit inside,” the officer said gruffly.

  I rolled my eyes and adjusted my bag over my shoulder before I pushed open the glass door. Carla was the only one behind the counter with a line of fifteen girls waiting. But they weren’t looking at the delicious cupcakes or cookies; all their eyes were locked on the crooner at the corner table. MY corner table.

  “Brooke! I was wondering when the hell you were going to show up!” Eddie stood up from the table.

  While I had barely brushed my hair before putting it up in a ponytail and throwing on an old Baylor shirt and jeans, Eddie looked fresh off the stage. He was clean-shaven and wore a pair of distressed boot-cut jeans and a black V-neck shirt that fit him just right. Damn, where was this put-together guy when we were in high school? Maybe I would have made more of an effort then. But as much as I liked the clean-cut country star, I also had a soft spot for the good old country boy in his naturally worn jeans and plaid shirt.

  The heat of everyone’s eyes was on me as Eddie closed the distance between us and stopped when we were toe to toe, putting his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty, wondering when you’d show up.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been waiting for me?”

  He smiled, which made his dimples pop out, and I swore that every girl in line sighed. “Well, yeah, I didn’t know where else my best friend would go … but I think it’s a bit crowded now.”

  Best friend? Did he still consider me that? What the hell did everyone else in the bakery think of me?

  I just stared at Eddie wide-eyed for a moment before he spoke again. “How about we get coffees to go and head back to the ranch?”

  “Uh, sure, that sounds good.”

  ***

  What the hell was I doing? Why were my hands shaking on the steering wheel as I followed Eddie down the dirt road to the TL ranch?

  I’d done this a hundred times before, but that was before I almost kissed Eddie. I was a grown woman; I could totally kiss him if I wanted to. And I guess I was technically a single woman. Maybe being alone at his house would give me another chance to work out all of my pent-up feelings—if dozens of news media vans weren’t lining the outer fence of the property and pending on his parents actually working.

  I followed Eddie through the iron gate and down the path lined with crepe myrtles until we came to the circular drive in front of the ranch. The old one-story brick house hadn’t changed a bit with the white wraparound porch and metal barns on either side that always had some kind of animal milling about. I could barely see our house in the distance and make out the edge of the pond. Texas was pretty flat, so if you were up high enough, it wasn’t hard to see for miles.

  I got out of the car, and Eddie followed suit. Slowly, I strolled up to his driver’s side where he handed me a cup of coffee. “You working on another book?”

  I nodded, following him up the driveway toward the front door. “Yeah, trying to.”

  “I downloaded To Britain with Love last night. I can’t say it’s my type of book, but I always wondered what it was like for a girl to have a stepbrother who’s a member of the royal family and then screw him on the throne.” Eddie laughed.

  I shoved his shoulder. “Shut up! It’s fiction, okay? Not like all of your song lyrics are perfect, Mr. Tailgate Love.”

  “Hey! That was a beautiful song,” he said, opening up the front door of the house.

  My boots clicked on the hardwood floor, and I inhaled the familiar scent of his mom’s vanilla candles and straw that never seemed to leave.

  “Yeah, because talking about remembering the high school cheerleader and scoring a touchdown in the back of a pickup is romantic. How did you even come up with that?” I asked, setting my bag down on one of the leather sofas.

  Even the décor of the place hadn’t changed with all of the deer heads and other animals mounted on the wall around the big screen TV. I thought Lydia, Eddie’s mom, would always put the kibosh on that, but I think she liked that her Lebanese-born husband embraced the Texas ranch lifestyle.

  “I didn’t write that one. One of my producers did. And it got me a People’s Choice award, so it can’t be all that bad,” Eddie said.

  “So … are we just going to hang out here in your living room like we used to do as kids? Maybe you can put on MTV and hope your mom doesn’t catch us watching Undressed?” I asked, trying to think of what to say. I usually wasn’t at a loss for words and could come up with a witty response, but I couldn’t say much besides that I wanted to get my former best friend naked and quickly. I should have brought a drink if I knew I was going to spend the afternoon at his house.

  Eddie laughed, shaking his head. “I don’t know what we’re supposed to do now. I planned to show up to the bakery and maybe get a coffee with you or something, then convince you to let me take you to lunch, but since that didn’t happen, I’m out of ideas.”

  My stomach grumbled, at probably the worst time, echoing through the room. Eddie rubbed the back of his head. “Shit, I guess I should have asked if you were hungry before we left. I can call Conti’s and order a pizza or something if you want. Are you still on your vegetarian thing?”

  “My vegetarian thing?” I asked.

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped on the screen. “Yeah. You know when you decided you wanted to help the animals, but then Dad would grill steaks, and I’d catch you nibbling a few bites off Clay’s plate when he wasn’t looking?”

  I scoffed. “I did not do that!”

  “You so did!”

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Okay, your dad makes a good steak, but it’s hard to eat any meat when you find yourself naming all of the cows. I can’t think about eating Rainbow Star or Mr. Darcy.”

  “You seriously named one of the cows Mr. Darcy?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I could have come up with way worse names.”

  Eddie smiled, putting the phone up to his ear, and rattled off an order for a large pizza alla Norma, Caprese salad, and breadsticks.

  “Whoa. It’s just the two of us, isn’t it?” I asked as Eddie hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.

  “Yeah, but I haven’t had Conti’s since I’ve been back, and I’m craving some pizza with eggplant.”

  “Oh … cool … yeah …” I looked around the room, trying to figure out what to say.

  Eddie sighed, sitting down on the couch. “You know this doesn’t have to be awkward. We’ve been best friends forever. Just because some time has passed doesn’t mean things have to be any different—even though it seems like everything is. We’re both sort of single, and you have a little sister that I didn’t even know about until I saw her at the funeral.”

  I finally plopped down on the couch next to him. “At least you didn’t ask if Violet was my daughter.”

  He laughed. “Actually, I did ask my mom who she was when I saw her running around the yard. I had this whole wild scenario in my head that you married Nick Conti when I left and had a little kid that your mom was raising while you stayed home and worked nights at the restaurant.”

  A small smile cros
sed my lips as I shook my head. “I’m the writer, yet you’re the one with the overactive imagination.”

  Eddie’s arm went to the back of the sofa as he turned slightly toward me. “A million scenarios have run through my mind about you. You have no idea how many times I wanted to pick up the phone and call you, but I didn’t know what to say.”

  “You could have started with something like ‘hey, I’m a big star now, but how’s it going since you’re stuck in Friendship’.”

  He winced. “Yeah, that probably wasn’t the best way to start the conversation, which is why I never got that far.”

  “I guess we can’t live in the past forever. We just have to move on from it,” I said, letting out a deep breath.

  Eddie’s hand went to my cheek, his fingers under my chin, forcing my eyes to meet his. “Look, Brooke, I never expected to go this long without talking to you. When I met Mary at an awards show, I figured she would be someone to pass the time. I regret that things had to end so badly, that she’d cheat on me and put it online for the world to see, but I don’t regret that it brought me home. Whatever is going on with your boy in Austin, I don’t want to screw that up, but I want you to know that I don’t want whatever this is with us to be something to just pass the time. You’re the realest girl I’ve ever known, and I want to keep this real between us.”

  I bit my bottom lip thinking of the right words to say. I’d wanted Eddie to tell me all of these things for so long, and now, it was really real. Even though he was just getting out of a relationship and I didn’t even know where I stood. It was as if we’d had ten years of foreplay and it was time to go into this full force or not at all. If we were going to do this relationship thing, as he was alluding, then it was time to go for it.

  “I hope this all doesn’t just go down in flames. I don’t want to lose one of the best friends I’ve ever had if it goes wrong,” I said in a small voice.

  He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “I don’t want that, either, Brooke, but I also can’t go on without us seeing where this road is going to take us. Now that it’s out there, we at least have to try.”