Walking on Sunshine

by LuAnn McLane

  She leaned up slightly and spotted Garret sound asleep on the other end of the sofa. His bare shoulders peeked out from a cover, making Mattie realize that she also had a soft throw draped over her body. She racked her brain to remember when covers had been brought out and came up blank. Garret must have gone for covers after she’d dozed off. But why did he sleep on the sofa instead of going to his big king-sized bed?

  Not knowing what to do in this sort of situation, Mattie decided that the easiest thing would be to simply tiptoe out. After gently tossing back the cover, she silently eased up to her feet.

  Mattie paused before she passed by Garret and gazed down at him for a moment. When he suddenly moved she held her breath and froze, not wanting to be caught staring down at him. The cover slipped and exposed his chest all the way to his navel. She had the urge to pull the cover up so he didn’t get cold, but she feared she’d wake him and they would have one of those awkward moments. He inhaled a breath and murmured something as if having a dream. He looked sleep tousled and sexy, making Mattie wonder what it would feel like to be lying next to him all cozy with her legs over his and . . .

  What? No! Don’t go there!

  Mattie started to tiptoe away but then frowned when she remembered his twisted ankle. She made a mental note to check up on him later, but for now she had biscuits to bake. But when Mattie reached the door, she couldn’t resist a look over her shoulder before easing her way outside.

  And then she put her body into high gear, all but running over to the path winding through the woods to her cabin. Slightly out of breath when she arrived, she hurried into the bathroom, hoping for a lightning-quick shower before she had to go to the shop to begin prepping for breakfast. But Mattie paused when she saw her reflection in the mirror and realized that she still wore Garret’s shirt and pants. She put a hand to her chest, thinking there was something intimate about wearing his clothing. And the vision of Garret lying bare-chested on the sofa slid into her brain, making Mattie suddenly feel warm for reasons other than her quick jaunt through the woods.

  “Silly,” she muttered as she slid the sweatpants down to her ankles and stepped out of them. She tugged the shirt over her head and then put her hand over her mouth when she realized she’d been drying her clothes in his dryer along with her bra and panties! Mattie swallowed hard. While she wasn’t much on fancy clothes and jewelry, she did indulge in silky underwear from Victoria’s Secret. Mattie envisioned Garret holding the little scrap of lace and satin in his hand and had to wonder how he would react.

  “I’m sure he’s seen sexy undies plenty of times,” Mattie said as she leaned over to turn the shower on full blast. She stepped into the spray of water, needing a bracing shower before facing the breakfast crowd. She soaped her body, trying to find humor in the situation but failing.

  After quickly toweling dry she knew she was running late but stopped to take a little time with mascara and lip gloss anyway. She peered at her reflection in the mirror and then twisted her hair into a makeshift French twist. Turing sideways, she looked at her bare shoulders and the line of her neck, remembering what Garret said about Audrey Hepburn. “Graceful,” she whispered, and for the first time since she could remember she thought:

  I’m pretty.

  She looked at her bare earlobes and envisioned delicate little stud diamonds catching the sunlight and made the decision to get her ears pierced as soon as she found the time to go to the mall. It felt good to think about her appearance and to make improvements. She remembered that her debut was going to be at Sully’s and Mattie smiled. “Look out, Cricket Creek, Kentucky. Here I come.”

  7

  Catch My Breath

  LAURA LEE HURRIED INTO RIVER ROW PIZZA AND Pasta for a late lunch, eager to hear what Mattie wanted to talk about with her. When the aroma of garlic and marinara sauce wafted her way, Laura Lee’s stomach rumbled in anticipation. After a week of working for Shane McCray, she’d developed a routine of eating a light lunch after preparing his, but today she’d skipped her salad, knowing she was going to indulge in amazing homemade Italian delights. She read on the chalkboard outside that lasagna was the lunch special and she thought that sounded like a winner. She also planned to buy a slice of Reese Marino’s famous turtle cheesecake and bring it to Shane, who had quite a big sweet tooth. After a quick glance around she spotted Mattie sitting in a booth over by the far wall. She made her way past square tables covered with red-checkered tablecloths. Stubbed candles dripping down empty Chianti bottles gave the dining room an authentic Italian flair that matched the old-world homemade dishes. Fresh flowers added a cheerful friendliness, and subtle piped-in music created a soothing atmosphere.

  “Hey there!” Mattie said when Laura Lee slid across the red vinyl bench seat. “Thanks for comin’ on such short notice.”

  Laura Lee leaned forward and grabbed Mattie’s hand. “Are you kidding? You wouldn’t even give me a hint as to what this is all about. I whizzed through cleaning Shane’s house this morning. So spill, girl.”

  “Let’s order first.”

  “You’re killing me.” She gave Mattie’s hand a squeeze and then took a sip of the water that was already there.

  Mattie pushed a basket of fresh-baked bread and a dish of herbed dipping oil toward Laura Lee. “Tessa brought this over and said it was on the house. I’ve already had two slices of that warm crusty bread, so if I reach for another slap my hand.”

  Laura Lee shook her head. “You know I won’t slap your hand.”

  “Then I’ll slap my own hand.” She reached for another slice and demonstrated with a smack. “Ouch.”

  Laura Lee laughed. “So, how is Tessa? I haven’t seen her in a while.”

  Mattie leaned forward and said in a hushed voice, “She seems really happy now that she and Mike have gotten back together. I heard that they are gonna renew their wedding vows. Can you believe it?”

  Laura Lee shook her head. “I never thought that would happen in a million years, but I’m so happy for her.”

  “You two go way back, don’t you?”

  “Way back to when I was still married to Jack. We met when we were on a coed bowling team together and we became real tight.” She crossed her fingers to demonstrate. “We were as shocked as the rest of Cricket Creek when Mike just up and left one day, leaving Tessa to raise Reese on her own. They seemed like the perfect little family. It just broke my heart to see Tessa so sad.” Laura Lee shook her head. “And when Reese starting getting into trouble, she was at her wit’s end. Good thing Tony took Reese in up in Brooklyn and became a father figure to him.”

  “That must have been a tough decision for a mother to make.”

  “Oh, Tessa cried buckets over it, but it was the right decision.” Laura Lee raised her palms upward. “And now Tony and Reese live in Cricket Creek and own this restaurant together.”

  “Just goes to show that no matter how dismal things look at the time, better days are always ahead,” Mattie said in her typical cheerful manner.

  “I think I’m the poster child for that particular insight.”

  “And that’s why you can’t give up on anything, especially love. You don’t know what’s written in the stars.”

  “True, I suppose.” Laura Lee nodded, but she wasn’t anywhere near convinced that she had the love from a man in her future. Just making ends meet and having a little left over was all she’d been thinking about lately. Love? Romance? She’d just have to live through the characters in her books.

  “Well, if Tessa is an example, there’s hope for anyone.”

  “I have to agree with you there.” While Laura Lee hated to be judgmental, she couldn’t believe it when Mike just up and left his wife and child. Even more shocking was when he suddenly returned to Cricket Creek years later. Mike had evidently gotten into some gambling debt that had threatened the safety of his family, and Tessa had somehow gathered the strength to tr
y again. It had taken Reese much longer to get over the desertion of his father, but Laura Lee was happy to see father and son making the effort to put the past behind them. “I find her forgiveness nothing short of extraordinary.” Being Tessa’s friend, she knew details that others didn’t, but she wouldn’t break her promise to Tessa and divulge any secrets even to Mattie.

  “Well . . .” Mattie took a sip of her water and shrugged. “It just goes to show you that love really can survive against all odds. I don’t know the full story, but it sure does show that Tessa’s love for her husband refused to die and she had faith that he had a good reason for what he did. I know it took Reese longer to forgive his daddy, but they came in for breakfast a couple of weeks ago and Mason took them out bass fishing. Amazing, don’t you think?”

  “Stop giving me that there’s-hope-for-you look, Mattie.”

  “Well, Shane McCray’s super hot. He was in People magazine’s most eligible bachelor issue.” Mattie raised her eyebrows. “And you happen to be available.”

  “Right, like he’d settle down with his housekeeper.”

  “Oh, so, then, you’ve thought about it?”

  “Not on your life.” Laura Lee rolled her eyes and picked up the menu even though she’d already decided on ordering the lasagna. She wasn’t about to let on that Shane made her pulse race every time he entered the room or that they had started eating dinner together on a regular basis. She just provided company for him, nothing more. To hope for anything beyond friendship would be setting herself up for a fall. And she certainly wasn’t going to jeopardize her amazing job for a roll in the hay that would mean everything to her and nothing to the superstar country singer. “I thought we came here because you have something to tell me.”

  “Fair enough.” Mattie nodded and a moment later Tessa hurried over to take their order.

  “Tessa!” Laura Lee stood up and gave her friend a big hug.

  “Holy cow, girl, I heard you’re working for Shane McCray!”

  “News travels fast in Cricket Creek.”

  “So it’s true?” Tessa exclaimed, and when Laura Lee nodded Tessa gave her a little shove. “How cool is that?”

  “Very cool,” Laura Lee admitted. “I still can’t believe my luck.”

  “Is he nice?”

  “Oh yes, he’s super nice.”

  Tessa grinned. “And super hot, I might add.”

  “And single,” Mattie tossed into the conversation like a little time bomb.

  Laura Lee slid back into the booth and shook her head at both of them. “Would y’all just quit? Shane is my employer, nothing more and never will be.”

  “You’ve always told me to never say never.” Mattie wagged a finger at Laura Lee.

  “I’d say that’s sound advice,” Tessa said. “So, have y’all decided?”

  “Tessa, I’ll have a slice of hand-tossed pizza with mushrooms and meatballs. Oh, and add a chef salad with ranch dressing on the side. Hold the tomato.” Mattie wrinkled up her nose.

  “They’re good for you,” Laura Lee said.

  “Oh, all right, leave the tomato. You sound just like Mama wondering how a country girl couldn’t like homegrown tomatoes.”

  Tessa grinned. “I’ll go light on the tomatoes. Laura Lee.”

  “The lasagna sounds good and add a salad to mine too. Italian dressing, please.”

  “Coming right up, ladies. And good to see you two.”

  After Tessa left, Laura Lee turned back to Mattie. “Okay, girl, what did you want to talk about?” she asked, and noted that Mattie’s mood shifted to a rare serious moment.

  “Okay . . . ,” Mattie began, but then looked around as if to see if anyone was within earshot, but because they were after the lunch rush the dining room was basically deserted. She toyed with the straw in her water, making the wedge of lemon swim around like a little yellow boat.

  “Okay, what?” She drummed her fingertips on the table.

  “Well, you know how Garret has been giving me lessons this past week on being more girlie?”

  “And you’re teaching him the finer points of being a redneck? Kinda like a redneck version of My Fair Lady,” Laura Lee said with a grin. “How is that part going?”

  Mattie chuckled. “Not all that well. I need to take him shopping, but we’ve both been sorta busy.”

  “Well, you sure look cute. I rarely see your hair down and I love the slight curl.”

  “Beachy waves. So you like it?” While biting her bottom lip she reached up and touched her hair.

  Laura Lee nodded. “And your makeup. Subtle but enhances your pretty features. Mattie, the green blouse you’re wearing brings out your amazing eyes.” She smiled. “I love that one side is off the shoulder.”

  Mattie started to talk, but Tessa brought over their salads. “Your pizza and lasagna will be out in a few minutes. Enjoy!”

  Mattie stabbed a cherry tomato and gave it a wary look, but Laura Lee shook her head. “Don’t you dare eat. Talk to me, Mattie.”

  “Okay, well, you know that part of the reason for my makeover is to draw the attention of Colby Campbell.”

  “Has it been working?”

  Mattie nodded. “Oh yeah, for sure. I’ve caught him looking at me when he eats breakfast.”

  “So?”

  “There is a complication I wasn’t prepared for.” Mattie gave her a deadpan stare and then caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “You see I, um . . .”

  “Mattie . . . are you trying to say that you’re into Garret?”

  She nodded slowly. “I mean, I still like Colby and all, but, Laura Lee, all I think about is . . . is . . .”

  “Garret.”

  “Yes!” She popped the tomato into her mouth and nodded. She winced a little bit but chewed. “Doesn’t that just suck? I mean, I finally have the attention from the guy I’ve been mooning over for-ever and now that I have it, all I want is Garret.”

  “I don’t see why that sucks.” Laura Lee drizzled her dressing over her tossed salad. “You and Garret are both single.”

  “Are you kidding me? I’ve been suffering with unrequited love for basically all my life, and it’s gonna happen all over again. Why do I keep doing this to myself?”

  “Why do you think that Garret can’t have feelings for you? Maybe he already does.”

  “What?” Mattie sputtered. “The man would never, ever, ever, ev-er fall for a small-town girl like me.”

  “I think you needed one more ever.”

  “Evvvvvv-errrrr.” She tried to stab another cherry tomato, but it kept eluding her until she finally picked it up and tossed it into Laura Lee’s bowl. “Don’t say I never gave you anything.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “Get real, Laura Lee, Garret dates models and famous people.”

  “Hmm . . .” Laura Lee tapped the side of her cheek. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but he’s still single. Maybe he needs someone real like you. Someone who isn’t after anything or has an agenda. I’m sure he’s had that happen to him way too many times.” Shane slid into her brain and she guessed he fell into that same category. But he was her employer and she wasn’t about to cross that line. No, her situation was totally different. And she wasn’t in love with Shane. Okay, she did think about him a lot, but she was his personal assistant, so he was bound to be on her mind. That was her story and she was sticking to it.

  “No.” Mattie shook her head hard. “No. No, no . . . no.” She suddenly seemed to realize she was eating her salad before putting on the dressing and dumped it all on one spot without even looking. “It’s a crush, nothing more because . . . because he’s so different from any guy I’ve ever known. And he’s got that whole accent thing going on to boot.” She flapped her hand around like the tail of a fish. “And you know, that Keith Urban hair.” She twirled her finger above her head in an animated wa
y that made Laura Lee wonder if Mattie knew her denial was way over-the-top. “But no, Colby is the kind of man I want.”

  “Really? Why is that, do you think?”

  “Well . . .” Laura Lee’s question seemed to stump her. “Be . . . because he’s like my daddy and brothers. A, you know, country boy.”

  “Well, now.” Laura Lee gave her head a quick tilt to the side. “Seems that I remember that your favorite romance novel theme is when opposites attract.”

  “That’s fiction. We’re talking real life here. In reality two people who come from the same background and have similar interests and values are more likely to be, you know, well suited for each other.”

  Laura Lee just looked at her while she calmly ate her salad.

  “And what I really need is for Colby to ask me out on my long-awaited date. Once I’m in his arms I’ll forget all about this silly little crush I have on Garret Ruleman.”

  “Then let me ask you this: Why are you attracted to Garret? Apart from the physical things you mentioned.”

  Mattie toyed with a cucumber.

  “Is that such a tough question?”

  “No, I suppose not.”

  “Then why don’t you enlighten me?”

  “Because it’s pretty obvious that my brain has taken a holiday.”

  “Okay, you’re dodging the question.”

  “Well, yeah, because I thought you were going to talk some sense into my fool head. Tell me that Colby is the one to go after and to forget about this silly thing I have for Garret.”

  “Answer the question, please.”

  “Well, he makes me laugh all the time. I mean nonstop. And he treats me like a girl, not an annoying kid sister.” She speared another cucumber but this time put it in Laura Lee’s bowl. “Oh, and he listens to me like what I have to say actually matters.” She looked down at the table and then said softly, “And he pays me compliments. Tells me my feet are cute and my hair is gorgeous. Said that I’m pretty. I mean, I know he’s just being nice in that polite British way of his, but still . . .”