Take It Off

by Cheryl Douglas

  “I know what that’s like, man. No one else has ever done it for me but Keira.”

  He laughed. “You can’t tell me you haven’t had a good time since you and Keira broke up, man.”

  “Honestly?” Because we went way back I felt I could confide in him. “It’s been a hell of a year. Dark. Real dark.”

  “Sorry to hear that,” he said, sounding somber. “I guess we assume people with money and fame have it all.”

  “Yeah, that’s not the case.” I didn’t want to sound like an ungrateful prick, ‘cause I knew I had a hell of a lot more than most people, but rich and famous people had the same battles to fight as the working class. They just had to do it on a big stage sometimes. “It’s true what they say, money can’t buy happiness and it can’t buy peace either.”

  “Hey, boss I was—” Paul stopped short when he saw me.

  He was fair so his blush was obvious. I almost felt bad for the poor bastard. There’d been plenty of times since I moved to Nashville when I got to meet the country music legends I’d grown up listening to and I’d been tongue-tied too. Especially when they told me how much they liked my music.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company.” He took his cowboy hat off and wiped away the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “I can come back later.”

  “It’s okay, Paul,” Johnny said. “There a problem?”

  “One of the tractors broke down out in the west field. I was just wonderin’ if you could take a look at it.” He was careful not to look at me, but I could tell he wanted to.

  “Yeah, I’ll take a look at it.” Johnny stood, shaking my hand. “You got time to hang around ‘til I get this taken care of, Pierce?”

  “I’d like to.” I grinned. “But you know my mama’s gonna kick my ass if she gets back and I’m not there.”

  He laughed, slapping me on the back. “Don’t I know it. Miss May always was one to crack the whip. You tell her I said hi. Trev too. Tell him to get his ass out here to see me before y’all leave town.”

  “I will.” I smiled. “It was good seein’ ya, John.” That was true. I was real glad I’d taken the time to catch up with an old friend, even if I had come with an ulterior motive.

  “Paul,” Johnny said to him. “This is my buddy, Pierce Eason.” He winked at the kid. “But then you knew that already, didn’t ya?”

  There was an awkward silence as Paul watched his boss leave instead of looking me in the eye.

  I didn’t know what I’d been worried about. There was no way Keira would ever go for a kid like this. He was too soft, too shy. She liked men who were strong and weren’t afraid to go after what they wanted.

  “I saw you at Roy’s last night,” I said to him. “You were sittin’ with an old friend of mine. Keira Reynolds.”

  “Yes, sir.” He put his hat back on his head. “Me and her been seein’ each other. I, uh, asked her to introduce us but she said y’all had a fallin’ out.” He looked away as though he wished he could take the words back. “Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”

  I chuckled. “It’s okay. She wasn’t lyin’. We did have a fallin’ out.” I took my backward ball cap off and smoothed my thick hair back. “Maybe what she didn’t tell you was we were engaged at the time.”

  His jaw dropped before he snapped it shut again. “You and Keira were engaged?”

  “Just last year, in fact.” I watched him while he processed that. I could almost read his mind. Poor bastard thought he was playing out of his league with Keira… and he was right.

  He rubbed his jaw. “I, uh, had no idea.”

  “Well, now you know.”

  He nodded, obviously deciding what more he could say.

  “But there’s something you don’t know.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I want her back.”

  He swallowed, looking even more uncomfortable. “Oh.”

  “Yeah.” I let a few seconds pass before I said, “I know things don’t always work out the way we want ‘em too, but I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get her back. Just thought you should know.”

  “I understand,” he said with a sharp nod.

  Keira would probably wanna kick my ass if she heard we’d had this conversation, but I was only doing what I had to do. “I’m sure you’re a decent guy, but me and Keira go way back. We got a lot of history.”

  “I understand,” he repeated, staring straight ahead. “But don’t you think we should let her decide?”

  I smirked, letting him know it wouldn’t be a tough choice for her. “I’m sure you can find yourself a nice girl around here. One who’s available.”

  His eyes drifted to mine before he asked, “Is that all?”

  “That’s all.” I was satisfied I’d made my point.

  As the kid walked away, my phone buzzed. She wasn’t texting, she was calling, and that made my heart beat just a little faster.

  “Hey, baby,” I said, answering the call. “I was beginnin’ to think you forgot all about me.”

  She scoffed. “Like that could ever happen.”

  I liked the sound of that. “So, we still on for tonight?”

  “You know someone got me thinkin’ about the old drive-in,” she said. “I haven’t been out there in ages. What do you say? Might be a good place to talk. Dark, private…”

  Being in an enclosed place with Keira for hours. Hell, yeah. Count me in. I thought she was gonna suggest a quick coffee at the local diner, but this was way better. “Sounds good. What time you want me to pick you up?”

  “You mind if I come to your place instead?”

  I laughed. “Let me guess, you don’t want your mama and daddy to know you’re going out with me, right?” That was probably the same reason she’d chosen the drive-in, where she wouldn’t have to worry about being seen with me.

  “Somethin’ like that. You got a problem with it?”

  “No, no problem.” I knew I had no right to complain. As long as she was agreeing to see me, I was a happy man. “Eightish work?”

  “See you then.”

  Chapter Five

  Pierce

  Uh oh. As soon as I jumped out of my Suburban, Mama was standing in the garage with Trev, hands on her hips, giving me the death glare.

  I threw my hands up in the air, grinning. “I know, I know. I’m in shit, right?”

  She started with the finger wag in my face. “Just because you’re some hot shot now you think you can get outta doin’ your fair share of the work? Look at your poor brother. All sweaty and dirty. Probably hungry too.”

  I rolled my eyes when Trev tugged his damp T-shirt off and used it to wipe his forehead for effect. He’d probably play the sympathy card and manage to wrangle his favorite dinner and dessert out of Mama after this.

  “I’ll take over here,” I said, slapping him on the back. “Pussy,” I whispered as he slipped past.

  “I heard that!” Mama bellowed.

  Never have to worry about her going deaf. The old girl had the hearing of a bat, but when I told her that, she accused me of calling her an old bat and smacked me upside the head, so I learned to keep my mouth shut.

  “You get to sortin’ through those boxes,” she said, pointing at the stack in the corner. “I think most of that stuff is yours anyhow. Old records, trophies, might even find some of your old songs in one of those old binders you used to keep.”

  “Really?” Maybe I’d get a reward for doing this job after all.

  “I heard you been sniffin’ around Keira again. Why can’t you just leave that poor girl alone after what you did to her?” She shook her head. “Ashamed of you, I am. I raised you better than to cheat on a good girl like that.”

  I grabbed a trash bag from the box left on the patio table. “You got it all wrong, Mama. I didn’t cheat on her.”

  She narrowed her eyes, trying to gauge whether I was lying, just like when I was a teenager and she’d ask if I was high. “She wouldn’t have said you did if you
didn’t. It’s not in Keira to lie like that.”

  “She didn’t lie. I did.” That would probably earn me another smack upside the head. Mama didn’t tolerate liars or fools. She said there was too much stupid in the world already and we didn’t need to be addin’ to it.

  “You did?” She folded her arms across her ample midsection, probably trying to resist the urge to smack me ‘til she heard my side of the story. “Why would you lie about somethin’ like that? I know you’re not simple, so—”

  I laughed as I pulled a stack of old vinyl out of the box. It had belonged to my old man, but I’d enjoyed listening to some of the old country tunes growing up. Waylon, Willie, and Hank did a pretty good job of blocking out the sound of Mama and Daddy fighting over his drinking and carousing.

  “You’re too much, Mama.”

  “I asked you a question, boy.” She leaned against the wall, the breeze kicking up to blow up the dust and the silver hair off her face. “Why’d you lie to that sweet girl?”

  Mama credited Keira with saving me, so as far as she was concerned my ex would always have a place at her table. Me? Depended on her mood. I knew she loved me, but she had a low tolerance for bullshit and I’d dropped more than my fair share in her lap over the years.

  “I thought I was doin’ the right thing,” I said, scanning some of the songs on the back of the record jackets. “You remember how much she hated that life. The touring, awards shows, paparazzi. It just wasn’t her thing.” She’d once threatened to castrate a rag reporter who’d snapped a picture of her wearing a bikini on the beach.

  “Can you blame her? She’s a sweet small-town girl. She’s not impressed by all that flash.” She rolled her eyes. “Those fancy gowns some of them girls wear to the awards show. You give that money to the church and we could feed a dozen homeless families for a year.”

  “You’re probably right, but we do our part to help out too.” A lot of folks in the country music community came from humble roots, same as I did, and we were always looking for ways to pay it forward. “Speaking of helpin’ out. I was wonderin’ if you wanted to put together a benefit concert in the park while we’re here. Thought it might be nice to raise some money for a few military families while we’re in town.”

  She gave me that soft smile that let me know without words that she was proud of me. Not gonna lie, I loved that smile.

  “Whaddya say?” I asked. “Think you can pull that off?”

  “Of course!” she said, clapping her hands together. “I’ll get some of the girls from the church to help me.”

  The girls ranged from sixty to eighty, but Mama had been calling them that since they were changing diapers together, so I didn’t bother correcting her. “Cool, we’re here for a few more weeks. So just pick a date and let me know.”

  “You know I will. But I want to hear more about why you lied to Keira.”

  “I’ll tell you all about it. Just not today, okay?” I gestured to the boxes. “I wanna get this taken care of before my date tonight.” I bit my tongue, wishing I could take those words back. Mama probably would have been out on her evening stroll with the next-door neighbor when Keira passed by, so she wouldn’t have had to know about my plans at all.

  “Don’t tell me you’re goin’ out with one those empty headed little pin-ups that are always chasin’ after you? I thought you had better sense than that.”

  “I do.” I rolled my tongue in my cheek, waiting for her reaction. “I’m takin’ Keira out.”

  She gasped, clutching her chest. “She actually agreed to go out with you? What’d you do, bribe her?”

  And people wondered why I was a smartass. I’d learned from the best. “I didn’t have to bribe her.” I shrugged. “I guess she just wanted to spend some time with me. What can I say?” I winked at her. “I’m irresistible, Mama.”

  That did earn me a smack in the back of the head and my reaction time must have been getting slower ‘cause I couldn’t duck in time to avoid contact. “Ow!” I rubbed my head. “What the hell was that for?”

  “For bein’ smart with your mama. Now you listen to me, boy. I don’t know how you got that girl to agree to go out with you, but you best be hittin’ the ground and givin’ your thanks to the Lord tonight.”

  Mama didn’t know this, but I’d talked to the man upstairs more this year than any other time in my life. I wasn’t sure if He listened to guys who’d skirted the edges of morality for as many years as I had, but I wasn’t above asking for help when I needed it.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She gave me the stink eye again, making it tough not to smile.

  “I want to hear all about this date of yours tomorrow.”

  “I promise to give you the G-rated details over breakfast in the mornin’. French toast, if you don’t mind?” That time I saw it coming and ducked in time.

  “Do somethin’ with those old records, you damn fool,” she said, trying to keep a straight face. “This place won’t clean itself.”

  ***

  Keira

  I was nervous as all hell about my date with Pierce. If it could be called that. I’d changed clothes three times before finally deciding on a short denim skirt, a black tank with Jake Owen’s sexy mug on the front, and flip-flops. I decided the more casual I looked the more convinced he’d be that I was wasn’t trying to impress him. I’d even opted for a messy bun to complete the ‘I don’t give a shit about impressing you look’.

  I knocked on his mama’s screen door before waving to a couple of her neighbors who were out walking their dog. The man frequented Roy’s, so I was pretty sure news that I was on Eason’s front porch would be around town in time for church. Just my luck.

  The blessing and curse of life in a small town. Everybody was always up in your business. But when you needed a helping hand, you always had a ready crew to lend it.

  “Hey, gorgeous.”

  Pierce answered the door with a sexy grin that set the butterflies in my tummy loose. The bastard.

  “Hey, your mama home? I’d like to say hi to her.”

  “No one’s home. She went out for a walk and Trev went to catch up with some friends. You want to head out now?” He looked up at the sky. “Looks like it’ll be dark soon.”

  “Sure.” I didn’t want to step foot in that house again anyhow. I’d lost my virginity in that house when I was eighteen and had slept with him a hundred times since in the back bedroom when his mama was working at a clothing store on Main Street.

  He locked up and reached for my hand, almost instinctively it seemed, because he tensed before muttering, “Sorry. I should’ve asked. Is this all right?”

  “If it wasn’t, I’d let you know.” I’d never had a problem speaking my mind with Pierce and he knew it.

  “You look cute,” he said, grinning. “Why don’t you wear a shirt with my face on it though? And don’t tell me you don’t have one ‘cause we both know you do.”

  “How do you know I didn’t burn ‘em all?”

  He laughed. “Then I’ll just have to get you some more, won’t I? Now that you can stand the sight of me again.”

  “The jury’s still out on that one, big guy.”

  He led me to a big black SUV instead of my late model Honda, which was fine since it had more room than my car. It meant that all the neighbors would be buzzing about my car being in his driveway, especially if it wasn’t gone by a decent hour, but I could deal with the gossip if he could.

  He opened the car door for me and whispered, “You need me to boost you up?”

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I muttered.

  “You have no idea how much, babe.”

  I shot him a dirty look when I slid into the seat. “You were checkin’ out my ass, weren’t you?”

  He held his hands up in surrender. “Hey now, can’t you give a guy a little credit for resistin’ the urge to touch?”

  It was too easy for him to make me laugh and that was a bad thing. I felt my resentment slipping away, bu
t I wasn’t ready to let it go yet. I wanted to stay mad at him. I had every right to. Even if he didn’t cheat on me, he’d still screwed everything up and that was reason enough to hate him.

  Except I didn’t hate him, I realized, as I watched him walk around the front of the big SUV. I so didn’t hate him.

  He smiled as he slipped into the driver’s seat and reversed the truck.

  “This yours?” Though I wouldn’t have put it past him to keep a spare vehicle here. It’s not like I’d known him to be reckless with money, but a person could change. Especially over the course of a difficult year. I knew I had.

  “Yeah. We drove out. Didn’t feel like flyin’.” He stuck his sunglasses in a compartment between us, brushing my arm with his.

  It sent shock waves through me, tempting me to reach for his hand. But I couldn’t. We weren’t a couple anymore, and I didn’t want to give him the impression we could just pick up where we left off before he wrecked my world in that hotel room.

  “Couldn’t keep borrowin’ my mama’s truck. Made me feel like I was sixteen again.”

  “Except you bought the truck for her this time.”

  “How’d you know that?” he said, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. “You been keepin’ tabs on me?”

  “You wish.” I reached for my purse on the floor and flipped down the mirror on my visor. I hadn’t bothered with much makeup, so there was nothing to check. I just needed to do something with my hands. “Your mama was tellin’ some of the ladies at church. I happened to overhear, that’s all.”

  “Huh.”

  “It was sweet,” I said, clenching my teeth. I still wasn’t at the point where compliments flowed freely with him. There was too much resentment buried deep for sweet words to come pouring out of my mouth.