by LuAnn McLane
“Laura Lee was saying the same thing earlier.” She took a swig of her drink and tried to explain. “My brothers, Mason and Danny, were always so overprotective of me, so that never helped my situation. I became the kid sister to all the eligible boys near my age.” She shrugged. “I fell into that unwanted role and now I need your help to break out.”
“So I’m going to teach you how to stand out and you’re going to teach me how to fit in. Interesting.”
“That’s a good plan, right?” Mattie laughed. “I’ll show you the finer points of being a redneck.”
“Think I can pull it off?”
“With that accent? And that Keith Urban hair? I’m not sure. It even sounds polite when you curse.”
Garret laughed. “I have to ask. Is redneck a term you embrace?”
“Not always.” Mattie shrugged. “The term redneck originated when farmers would get their necks burnt from toiling in the sun. It can be used as a derogatory term by some, but we let it roll off our backs. To us it means hardworking, down-home folk with good values. Television pokes fun with stupid reality shows and comedy, but I’m proud of where I come from.” She leaned forward and patted her chest. “Who I am.”
Garret took a sip of his beer. “Go on, then.”
“What makes you think I had more to say?”
“I could see it in those expressive eyes of yours.” Garret adjusted the bag of ice when it slid sideways. “Let’s establish right now that we’re friends. What you tell me goes nowhere. And no matter what you might think or have read about me, my word is good.”
“I believe you.” And in truth Mattie really had no concrete reason to trust Garret Ruleman, but she looked at the sincerity on his face and somehow just did. “Okay . . .” She licked her bottom lip and then after another deep breath mustered up the courage to say, “For once in my life I want to walk into a room and turn heads.”
“Darling, you could stop traffic. You just don’t know it.”
“Oh, come on, do you think I could actually do that?”
“Are you kidding me?” Garret looked up at the ceiling and then back at her.
Mattie put one hand over her eyes. “Pretend I never asked you that. Please. God, I am such a dork.”
“A dork? Who even says that?”
“Me?” she asked with a wince. “Proving my own point.”
“Seriously do I need to limp over there and pry your hand from your pretty face again?” Garret lowered his head a notch and gave her a stern stare.
“Maybe,” she said between her fingers, but when he started to push up from the cushions, she shook her head. “No! Don’t you dare put weight on your ankle!” She lowered her hand to point over at him.
“Don’t point that thing at me unless it’s loaded.”
She arched an eyebrow. “It is.”
“All right, then I’d better behave.”
“That’s more like it, Jamule.”
“I rather like that endearment.” When Garret eased back against the cushions, Mattie breathed a sigh of relief. “Maybe I should get it tattooed across my chest. What do you think?”
“No!” Mattie hated the thought of him marring that gorgeous body. “I mean, I don’t think that would be the image you’re going for around here,” she said in a softer tone.
“I was joking.”
“Oh. Well, I was just giving you sound advice.” She looked over at him and said firmly, “You know what?”
He raised his eyebrows. “What?”
“Try this on for size.” Mattie lifted her chin and then lost her nerve.
“I’m waiting.”
“I like you. What do you think about that?”
“Well . . .” Garret looked at her for a moment as if no one had ever said that to him.
“Cat got your tongue?”
“I never did understand that phrase. Do cats really get one’s tongue?”
Mattie laughed. “I hope not, but if they did it would prevent speaking.”
“True enough.”
“I do like you.” Mattie thought about all the crazy stories she’d read about him and wondered how many of them were fabricated or not even remotely true. “Has anybody ever said that to you before?”
“Of course, but in truth I haven’t been all that likable, I’m afraid.”
“Well, you are, so there.”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re pretty?” he countered.
“No,” Mattie said because she thought she could tell this man, this so-called celebrity, anything. “I mean, my parents and granny, but they don’t count.”
“First of all, they do count. But no boy has ever said that to you?”
“Nope.”
“Well, then, they are all . . .” He lifted one hand as if searching for the right word.
“Dumb asses?”
“Yes, as opposed to the very cool Jamule.”
Mattie leaned against the butter-soft leather and looked over at Garret. “So, are we gonna do this?”
“Make each other over?”
Mattie nodded. “You make me into a hot chick and I turn you into an English redneck hybrid that will drive the local girls wild?”
“Yes, a new breed of . . . something never seen before around these parts. I like it.” He gave her a nod. “All right, then. I’m in if you’re in.”
Mattie pushed up from the sofa and went over to shake his hand. “Deal.” She gave him a firm handshake the way her daddy taught her.
“So, when do the joint classes begin?”
“I think the sooner the better, don’t you agree?”
“Absolutely.” Garret nodded. “I think the first thing we need to do is shop. I need boots and you need heels. It’s always best to look the part.”
“Agreed.”
“You have a passport, right?”
“A . . . passport?” Mattie felt her eyes widen. “Um, yes, I went on a cruise to the Bahamas with my parents last year and I had to get a passport. Why?”
“You never know. We might want to pay my mum a visit sometime.” Garret grinned. “As you said she’s a famous fashion model, so we might just want to get her input.”
“You mean . . . go to London, and I don’t mean London, Kentucky? You’re joking, right?”
“There’s a London, Kentucky?”
“Yes, and a Paris too.” While her parents had taken family vacations, they’d visited places like Daytona Beach and Disney World. Other than the cruise to the Bahamas, she’d never been out of the country. She’d dreamed of visiting Europe but never thought it could really happen. In fact, she found the thought exciting but also intimidating.
“I did mean London, England. Don’t look so stunned, love. It was only an offhand suggestion for a possible future excursion. We could Skype or something instead.”
“I guess that hopping on a plane and heading to London is normal for you.” She pointed to her chest. “For me? Not so much. Wait, not at all.”
“Some might say that there’s nothing normal about me.” Garret chuckled but then shrugged. “I haven’t made the effort to visit my mum enough lately,” he said with a bit of a sad tone. “I need to change that.”
“I know what you mean. I miss my parents too.”
“I put my poor mum through hell with worry.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. My brothers were a bit on the wild side too. Trust me, country boys work hard but play harder.”
“It just took me a bit longer than most to grow up.” He pointed to the sofa. “All right, then. Have a seat and let’s put a schedule and game plan together. A week or so from now or whenever you’re ready, we can make our debut somewhere in town.”
“You mean when you’re ready.”
“That too.”
“I’m a note taker. I need a pen and pa
per.” Mattie rubbed her hands together. “Let’s get this party started.”
“I have a desk in my bedroom with a printer. Grab some of that paper and there should be a pen there too.”
Mattie headed back into his bedroom and flipped on the light. She spotted his desk in the corner and hurried over to get the paper and pen, but before leaving his room she took a little nosy quick glance around. The bed was made but done up a little bit crooked as if dressing a bed wasn’t something Garret was used to doing. For some reason the thought made her smile. Just the barest hint of his aftershave lingered in the air. The blue shirt he’d worn earlier was tossed onto the bedspread and she had the odd urge to pick up the shirt and hold it to her nose. “Okay, that would be weird,” she whispered, but almost did it anyway.
Mattie shook her head and backed away. While there was no denying that she found Garret charming and attractive . . . and, okay, downright sexy, he’d just made it abundantly clear that he wanted to be friends.
He’s far too worldly for the likes of me, Mattie thought as she walked over to turn off the light. And besides, Colby Campbell was the man she’d dreamed of and wanted for as long as she could remember. Garret Ruleman was her ticket to getting Colby, nothing more except for friendship, and she’d best remember that fact or she just might chase the man away.
With a smile on her face she walked into the living room and picked up a Rolling Stone magazine from the coffee table. Placing the paper over the glossy cover, she clicked the pen and then looked over at Garret. “Ready?”
“Yeah, baby,” he replied with a grin.
While Mattie knew he’d just used the endearment in a joking Austin Powers accent, she still liked being called baby. Shaking that off, Mattie wrote her name and date at the top of the page and then added categories. With a lift of her chin she mustered up a businesslike tone of voice and said, “Well, then, let the lessons begin.”
“Okay, so, what do you usually wear when you go out?”
“Go out?”
“Yes, like on the town. Happy hour or a concert or whatever.”
“Oh . . .” The question made Mattie realize that she didn’t go out all that much anymore, but she didn’t want him to know that sad little fact. The last concert she’d been to was Reid Greenfield and South Street Riot when they’d opened for Shane McCray last summer. “Um, you know, blue jeans and some sort of top.” Mostly T-shirts, but she was too embarrassed to divulge that boring little detail. “No wonder I’m still single. I need to step up my game.”
“And that’s what we shall do.” Garret scooted up against the pillows. “Now, don’t get me wrong, you wear jeans quite well, but a cute skirt would turn some heads. Show off your shapely legs.”
Mattie wrote cute skirts under the wardrobe category. The thought that he found her short legs shapely made her feel a bit warm. She plucked at the shirt, hoping that he didn’t notice her flushed face. Some girls never seemed to break a sweat. She wasn’t one of them.
“And while cowboy boots are your personal style, you need to get some sandals and show off your pretty feet.”
“My feet? Really?”
“Men find feet quite sexy.” He glanced over at her feet. “And you have these perfect little toes.”
Mattie laughed. “I’ve never given much thought to my toes, although I do keep my toenails painted. Feet, huh?”
“Absolutely.”
Encouraged, she looked at him with her pen poised. “So, other than the obvious, what other body parts are important to pay attention to?”
“Hmm . . .” Garret sucked in his bottom lip for a second and then said, “Ah, I know, shoulders. The gentle slope of exposed shoulders is so very feminine.” He smiled and added, “And the graceful nape of your neck. Think Audrey Hepburn.”
Mattie made a note of it. “I love Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Oh, but I could never be so graceful and elegant like her.”
“Of course you could. You’ve got delicate bone structure.” He angled his head. “You would photograph really well. I would love to take some photos of you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I’ve learned something about photography over the years. Mattie, your ponytail swinging back and forth is really endearing, but try one of those French twists. Simple . . . elegant. And you’ve got great hair. Is the blond natural? Or is that rude to ask?”
“Natural,” Mattie replied, even though most people didn’t believe her when she gave that truthful answer. “I was always a towhead and I spend so much time in the sunshine that my hair lightens on its own.”
“Well, to be naturally that light is rare and gorgeous, so please don’t change a thing.”
Mattie reached up and touched the end of her damp ponytail, thinking that she didn’t give her hair much thought other than how to keep it out of her way when she cooked. Under the category hair she wrote Try a French twist, then underlined do not change the color.
“What kind of jewelry do you wear?”
“Oh.” Mattie looked up with surprise. “I don’t. Since I’m either cooking or working around the marina, I can’t wear jewelry. With my mama being a nurse and sometimes helping out around the dock, she didn’t ever have many rings and stuff, so I never gave much thought to it, I guess.”
“I mean, when you go out.”
“Oh . . . well, I thought about getting my ears pierced, but the idea of poking a hole in my ear scared the bejesus out of me when I was younger, so I never bothered. It’s the needle thing again.”
“Well, since you wear your hair pulled back much of the time, earrings, even simple studs, would add a nice feminine touch.”
Mattie envisioned getting holes poked through her earlobes and winced. “I don’t know.”
“I’ll go with you and make silly faces so you laugh. I’ll even hold your hand if you want me to.”
“I sound like such a wimp. Afraid of silly things like clowns and getting my ears pierced. I just don’t like needles. A tattoo would be completely out of the question.”
Garret shook his head. “Vulnerability is so sweet, Mattie. You don’t have to be tough all the time.”
“I have a feeling you’re gonna mention the noodling thing again.”
“Thought about it.”
Mattie had the strong urge to go over there and give Garret a hug. “You’re nothing like all the stories written about you, are you?”
“So you read the tabloids, do you?”
“You have to do something while waiting in the checkout line at the grocery store. I always wondered if there was a grain of truth to any of it.”
“Sometimes.” Garret glanced away as if troubled, making Mattie wish she hadn’t asked such a question. He just seemed so different than what she’d expected. “I liked the attention. I especially liked getting my father good and mad.”
“It must have been hard that he was gone all the time. I suppose you were acting out. Normal behavior for such an abnormal life.”
“Well, that’s a brilliant way of putting it.”
He smiled, but he seemed rather sad and she felt another urge to give Garret a hug. Mattie felt herself being drawn to him in ways that she didn’t quite understand.
He shoved his fingers through his hair. “Oh, don’t look at me with such sympathy. I caused most of my misery, trust me.”
“Addison must have seen something good in you, Garret. I know she broke off the engagement, but she must have fallen for you in the first place, right?”
He seemed to mull that over for a moment. “Addison was coming out of a breakup when we met. I made her laugh and forget about it.” He paused and then said, “We were wrong for each other, but knowing I’d hurt the feelings of such a wonderful girl made me realize what a wanker I was and needed to change. Addison Monroe was my wake-up call.”
“Wanker?”
“English
slang for douche bag.”
“Well, we all do things we regret. Maybe you’re being too hard on yourself.”
“Or not hard enough. I was a selfish and callous cad, not caring about anything but myself. Someone should have punched me in the face. Oh, wait. I think that happened a few times.” He shook his head. “I was a closet nerd pretending to be a badass. A rather odd combination, don’t you think?”
Mattie understood. “I’m a hopeless romantic and I’m tired of being treated like one of the guys. I totally get you, Garret.”
“Well, that would be a first, Mattie Mayfield. No one has gotten me yet.” He looked at her for a moment and then said, “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”
“That we are. Two peas in an odd pod.”
He chuckled. “Normal is so overrated, don’t you think?”
“I agree.”
They talked about everything from music to baseball with several hours slipping by with ease. Mattie popped popcorn and kept changing his melting ice. They listened to his collection of Beatles albums while she kept adding things to her becoming-a-lady list.
After a while Mattie felt her eyes grow heavy, but she was enjoying his company and each time she started to go he told her another story that had her in stitches. She decided that she’d stay for just a few more minutes and then hightail it home. She started her days with the ass crack of dawn and needed to get home and catch some sleep before her dreaded alarm rang. Maybe she’d just close her eyes for a minute just to rest. . . .
* * *
Mattie yawned and blinked a bit, not ready to open her eyes and fully wake up. She stretched and then wondered why it was getting light, but her alarm didn’t go off, so she had a few more minutes to sleep. Serving breakfast meant she had to be an early riser, and there were mornings when she longed to snuggle back into her pillow. This was one of them. Mattie turned to get a better position in bed and heard a sort of squeaking sound. She opened her eyes a slit. Wait . . .
She was on a sofa. . . .
Mattie opened her eyes wide. Dear God, she was still at Garret’s cabin! She’d fallen asleep! Her slowly thudding heart started to hammer. What the hell time was it? When she looked over at the floor-to-ceiling window and saw rays of sunshine reaching up into the muted darkness, Mattie barely stifled her gasp.