Not So New in Town

by Michele Summers

Lucy slid off her stool and moved between his knees. “What about your mom’s brother?”

  He nodded, slipping his arm around her hip and pulling her close. “He was rarely around. And when you’re a frightened kid, logic doesn’t usually reign supreme. I always felt the urge to be protective, so I slept with this bat under my bed, you know…to protect us.” He shrugged his big shoulders, placing the bat on top of the counter. “Been doing it ever since. Old habit.”

  “Oh, Brogan.” She sighed, crying on the inside for the frightened little boy he’d been. Lucy rained kisses on his lips, nose, and eyelids. “Childhood sucks.”

  His eyes blazed with heated desire and something more…need…love. “Come here.” He claimed her mouth and soul-kissed her silly. Much too soon, he unlatched his lips from hers with a satisfied pop. “Damn, woman. You’re dangerous.” He patted her bottom. “Gather your things, and I’ll take you home before the hard-ass fires you.” He sent her a lusty wink.

  She gathered her lake clothes and shoved everything in her beach bag while he pulled on a T-shirt and shoved his feet in some old tan Top-Siders. He picked up her bag and his car keys, and she scooped up her coffee and half-eaten muffin, following him to the car.

  “Brogan, is your uncle still living?” Lucy asked once settled inside the car.

  “Yeah, but now he’s my aunt.”

  “What?”

  He grinned. “It’s true. He decided to become a woman.”

  Lucy said under her breath, “Sheesh. And I thought my family was complicated.”

  * * *

  Lucy fanned herself underneath the food tent at the tennis academy where fans gathered to watch the Pro-Am tournament. She’d been selling healthy boxed lunches from BetterBites and Margo’s special desserts, along with Brogan’s healthy granola. Bailey and another girl from the store showed up with more turkey wraps and sandwiches in time to relieve her for an hour.

  Brogan had dropped her home that morning, leaving her dazed from his thorough kiss good-bye, and left to run a marathon or climb Mount Everest backward or something. Lucy still hadn’t heard anything from Wanda and was beginning to worry. If Wanda didn’t return her calls today, Lucy was not above breaking and entering her house to check for dead bodies…mainly Russell’s.

  Fortunately, she wouldn’t have to break the law. She watched Bertie and Wanda strolling toward her booth. Bertie wore stylish white walking shorts and a halter-top twisted from an orange-and-yellow silk scarf. Very classy. Wanda…oh, Lord. Lucy had to blink to take it all in. Wanda flaunted her cleavage in a fuchsia ruffled top with plunging neckline. She wore very skinny navy-blue capris and navy-and-white striped pumps with five-inch neon-yellow heels…not exactly tennis tournament-approved apparel. They both had on floppy straw hats and Jackie O sunglasses.

  “Hey, Luce, you ready to take a break?” asked Bertie.

  Lucy ignored Bertie and glared at Wanda. “Where the hoot have you been? I’ve been worried sick.”

  “Sick? I highly doubt it, since you were spotted leaving Beefcake Brogan’s house two mornings in a row and locking lips with him by your front door.” Wanda flashed a shrewd smile. Lucy glanced over her shoulder, afraid the paparazzi were present, or worse, Miss Sue Percy. How did this keep happening? God, she prayed no one had witnessed the X-rated sex down by the lake.

  “Who told you that?” she whispered as she moved away from the booth. “What are you, a slimy reporter for the National Enquirer?”

  “Let’s get to the box before I melt in this broiling heat,” Bertie interjected, herding both Lucy and Wanda to one of the sponsor’s luxurious boxes. They all helped themselves to the free beer, and Lucy snagged a cup of M&M’s. Bertie excused herself to check on Keith, and as soon as she exited, Lucy blasted Wanda with both barrels.

  “What’s going on with you? You don’t call, email, or text. What did you do to Russell? Did you hit him over the head with an iron skillet and barbecue him like in Fried Green Tomatoes? Don’t tell me he’s swimming with the fishes at the bottom of the lake.”

  Wanda waved her hand. “Calm down, CSI. Russell lives. Although it was touch and go there.” Wanda flopped down on the white leather love seat. Her smile faded as she played with the cocktail napkin shaped like a yellow tennis ball.

  “You okay? Anything I can do to help?” Lucy inched closer to Wanda, not liking her subdued personality. “You know you can tell me anything.”

  “Have a seat, Luce. There is something you should know.”

  Lucy’s knees wobbled. She really didn’t like this serious side of Wanda. Sitting down hard on the edge of the Carrera marble coffee table, she said, “Tell me. Is it Fiona?”

  “Fiona’s fine, enjoying some of Brogan’s healthy scraps.” Wanda drank her beer and gave Lucy a steady stare. “What do you know about Julia’s baby daddies?”

  Thrown for a loop, Lucy stammered, “W-what? What do you mean?”

  “Do you know who they are?”

  “I know for a fact it’s not Brogan, if that’s what you’re getting at. Please don’t believe all that baloney gossip.” Lucy didn’t feel free to reveal the identity of Parker’s dad. That was Julia’s announcement. But for a town that seemed to know how many times Lucy blinked a day, she couldn’t figure how Julia’s secret was never leaked. Julia had talent for sure.

  Wanda continued in a low voice. “Well, that may be true.” She removed her hat and fluffed her brown curls. “Believe it or not, I know who this baby’s father is.” Lucy’s jaw dropped open. “You have to give me your solemn promise you won’t breathe a word until I say it’s okay. You swear? Not. One. Word.”

  Lucy gulped and nodded. “I swear,” she whispered, crossing her heart with her finger.

  Wanda’s gaze darted around the interior of the sponsor box, checking for nosy Harmony residents. Her dark brown eyes landed back on Lucy, frying her to the spot.

  “It’s Russell.”

  Stunned, it took a moment for her brain to register. “Did you say Russell? As in your Russell?”

  “That’s right. Russell, the good ole love muscle.” Wanda eased back and struck a casual pose and proceeded to tell Lucy a fascinating tale about how Julia would call Russell regarding construction work on her sale properties. All normal, until Julia started calling him to see about personal repairs on her house. And one weekend, when Parker was out of town visiting his grandmother, Julia invited Russell over for some grilled burgers. And asked him to check out her plumbing…but not the pipes under her sink.

  That panicky feeling started to creep its way up from Lucy’s gut, curling its clammy claws around her heart and squeezing. “I just can’t believe it. What were they thinking? Hello? Can we say birth control?” Snap! Lucy’s mouth closed on those last two words. Who was she to preach? She and Brogan had been just as careless, caught in their own uncontrollable, smoggy-headed lust. Maybe lust was too harsh. More like unbridled, uncontained, bursting with love. Yeah, yeah, yeah, she loved, but Brogan…not so sure.

  “The condom broke.” Lucy refocused on Wanda’s story. “I’ve been trying to tell you for years…Russell’s love muscle is a mighty powerful thing.” Humor lit the back of Wanda’s eyes before they quickly sobered.

  “Aw, Wanda, what are you going to do?” Lucy slid next to her on the love seat, draping her arm around her best friend’s shoulder. “Did you give Russell the final heave-ho?” Lucy couldn’t remember a time when Wanda and Russell weren’t either jumping each other’s bones or arguing like two flea-bitten alley cats.

  Wanda absently smoothed Lucy’s white-and-coral cotton skirt and gave her knee a reassuring pat. “No. Actually, Russell and I are going to give it another shot.” Lucy’s head reared back. “Yeah…I’ve forgiven him.” Wanda cocked one brow. “It’s not like I’ve been a lily-white saint, you know.”

  “What about the b-baby? What’s Russell going to do?”

  “Be p
art of his or her life. We both are. I’m not letting Julia take that away from Russell. She’s not going to keep this a mystery for fifteen years and have Russell’s baby grow up without a father. With my guidance, he’ll make a super dad,” Wanda added smugly.

  “Good for you. You’ll both be great. What does that make you? My ex-sister-in-law? Parker’s stepaunt? My evil stepsister? Oh, sorry, that’s Julia.” Lucy snickered.

  “None of the above. We’ll be Russell, the baby’s daddy, and Wanda, his kick-ass lady wife!”

  Lucy jumped in excitement. “You mean it? You and Russell are getting married again?”

  “Yep. After I pin Julia like a squirming insect under a microscope. She’s gonna come clean if she doesn’t want Wanda Wonderbust making her life miserable.”

  If anyone could scare the truth out of Julia, it would be Wanda.

  Lucy threw her arms around Wanda’s neck. “I’m so happy for you. You will make the best parents. The best.”

  “I agree.” Wanda returned Lucy’s hug. “Now I want to hear about you and Brogan,” she said, rolling her R. “I need all the dirty, naughty, sexy details. I’m looking for size and style techniques.”

  Buttered popcorn balls! Lucy didn’t have a choice but to spill like an undercover spy being grilled by the KGB because Wanda’s wonderbust was locked and loaded and had Lucy in its sights.

  * * *

  The next two weeks passed in a love-filled, hot-air-balloon-floating, fairy-tale kind of blur for Lucy. Parker managed to make friends on the football team, and his hero worship mounted as Brogan continued to watch his practices and give him man-to-man advice. And Lucy’s heart soared over the newfound love she had for Brogan. And he demonstrated the same…okay, not with words, but action. Because whenever she came within two feet of him, he’d reach out and touch her or kiss her or drag her behind his office door, causing her face to bloom hot pink when she’d emerge, straightening her clothes and smoothing her sex-tangled hair. Yep. Life tasted better than a batter-drenched, deep-fried Snickers bar.

  One night Brogan surprised her with tickets to the Trace Adkins concert, and even bought a pair for Parker and a friend. In her excitement, Lucy jumped him and almost knocked him on his butt in a bucket full of wet paint.

  The only stumbling block keeping her from complete euphoria was Julia. The disapproving looks, snarky comments, and extra load of useless errands flashed like a warning sign. Seemed Julia had lost everyone’s undivided attention and didn’t like it. Things would only get worse when Wanda got around to confronting her. Lucy hoped like hell she’d be running one of Julia’s stupid errands when the poop hit the turbo fan. The only other niggling worry—more like an epic worry—had to be that Lucy’s period hadn’t come. Yet. She still remained positive and kept reassuring Brogan.

  Lucy dusted her hands and read the recipe next to her on the kitchen counter for the third time. Tonight, she was surprising Brogan with a homemade, healthy, organic dinner, personally delivered to his house in celebration of their two-week anniversary. Lucy even swallowed her mortification (along with a few M&M’s) and shopped at Wanda’s favorite store, Scanty Panties, on the outskirts of town. She purchased a sexy red lace thong and matching push-up bra, and planned to wear it under her zippered, black lace dress. Brogan had no idea of her surprise, but she’d instructed him to be home by seven, with an appetite.

  Parker would be spending the night out for one last summer fling before school started on Monday.

  With a glass of water in hand, Lucy pushed the door to the bedroom with her shoulder, and Julia, wearing a frilly pink robe and a pinched expression, looked up from reading a fashion magazine.

  “Here you go. Freshly minted water. I’m making a really healthy meal for dinner: beef stir-fry with avocado salad.”

  Julia reached for the glass. “Interesting how you’ve decided to learn to cook all of a sudden. It wouldn’t have anything to do with all the sex you’re having with Brogan, hmmm?”

  These days, Julia didn’t hesitate to lash out with her razor-sharp tongue. Lucy bit the inside of her cheek to keep from responding.

  “It’s all everyone is gossiping about. Miss Sue practically ran a front-page article in the Harmony Herald. You might as well acknowledge the relationship.”

  “Why? You never did. I’m just taking a page from your book.”

  Julia visibly bristled. “Well, take this page while you’re at it…he’s going to break your heart like he did mine, and he’s going to leave Harmony and return to his real life in New York. The same way he did all those years ago. He’s not interested in Harmony, marriage, or kids. Remember that.”

  Lucy flinched as if Julia had thrown sand in her face. “You broke his heart, not the other way around. I don’t plan to do the same thing.” Lucy flashed a smug expression, trying to cover the fear coursing through her veins. Unconsciously, she pressed her hand to her belly, knowing Julia’s scenario was dead-on if Lucy turned up pregnant. Sweet caramel apples on a stick. No! There was no pregnancy, because Lucy willed it to be so. Shaking the ugly thoughts from her head, she marched back to the kitchen to cook a delicious meal for her Bro-man.

  Julia was wrong. Dead wrong.

  * * *

  Brogan strolled through the back door of BetterBites, whistling a nameless tune. He stopped at the counter where Margo worked and grabbed a handful of granola.

  “What’s got you dancing in your loafers? Forget it. I already know. Where is your Lucy-love?” Pushing through some dough with a French rolling pin, she smirked at him.

  “Gave her the day off. She’s been working too hard.”

  “Yeah, keeping you happy in bed.”

  Brogan flashed a cocky grin. “I think the happiness is spread all around. Haven’t heard any complaints.”

  “Probably because you’re howling like a coyote.”

  Brogan laughed hard. “That’s for sure.”

  “Don’t you have to be in New York in three weeks? What’s going to happen to Lucy?” Margo scowled at him as if he were a bottom-feeder drug dealer with no scruples. The New York deadline loomed over his head, but he’d been toying with the idea of convincing Lucy to meet him there after Julia had her baby. She could jump on board with some marketing ideas. Shit. Who was he fooling…he wanted her with him, by his side. Everything about Lucy seeped between his ribs and lodged in his chest, taking up permanent residence. In the past, his relationships lasted only a few weeks. He didn’t want that anymore. And he’d already survived a bad marriage. He sure as hell didn’t want that. But he did want Lucy. A really good friend. Someone he more than cared about.

  Brogan snatched another handful of granola and tossed it in his mouth. He grabbed water from the cooler and flipped through the orders on a clipboard hanging on the wall. He struggled to focus on the notes as his mind wandered to the past week. Grinning, he remembered Lucy’s excitement when he’d presented her with the Trace Adkins tickets. You would’ve thought he’d handed her the crown jewels. After jumping him and appropriately thanking him by rocking his world, she’d rushed home to get ready. At the concert, Brogan had enjoyed watching Lucy sing more than Trace. In typical Lucy fashion, she’d danced in the aisle and sung at the top of her lungs, croaking like a bullfrog in heat, not caring that she embarrassed Parker and his friend, sitting one row in front of them. At the end of the concert, her gray eyes had burned bright, her cheeks had glowed a pretty pink, and she’d said, “That was awesome. Thank you so much. I’ll never forget this night.” Pleasure filled his chest. He’d never known a woman like Lucy…full of life, sass, courage, and a heart of pure gold. His friend.

  “Mr. Reese? You have someone who wants to see you in the front.” Bailey stood inside the swinging door that separated the back of the store from the front and interrupted his happy Lucy memories.

  “Thank you, Bailey. Do you know who it is?” She shrugged her shoulders, popping her
gum. “Okay. I’ll be right there.” He took another swig of water and brushed off his hands.

  As he crossed the store, he’d reached the bins that held the packaged granola when he stopped cold. A wave of shock, followed by panic and confusion, blasted him like a stick of dynamite to the chest. Brogan stared at a man’s profile. He was standing near the front window, examining the assortment of green teas.

  His father.

  How many years since that long, nerve-wracking drive from Georgetown to Gaffney? At least fifteen. He’d never seen or spoken to his dad since. Oh, he’d tried. But every time he’d called, his dad hadn’t answered. A few times his dad’s wife would pick up, but she’d acted pissy and brushed him off with some lame excuse. After several years, he stopped trying.

  Brogan didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. But somehow his father sensed his presence and looked up. A slow smile curled his weathered lips.

  “Hello, Son.” His dad dropped the tea bags on the table with a shaky hand. Brogan knew his dad was close to seventy-five in age, but his complexion was drawn, and his color didn’t look good. What little was left of his tawny-colored hair had grayed. And his short-sleeved shirt hung loose from his now-skinny frame. He looked closer to ninety-five.

  “Do you have a minute to talk?” Don Reese asked in a raspy voice.

  Brogan snapped out of his stupor. “Sure. Would you like to step in my office?” He was surprised by how normal his voice sounded.

  “That’d be fine. Real fine.” Don shuffled, stopped, wheezed, and then started to shuffle again. Brogan hesitated, unsure whether to help him or leave him to his own devices. He chose the latter and led the way to his office in the back. Margo looked up from shoving pans of bread in the oven; concern etched her scowling face.

  “Please make sure I’m not disturbed,” Brogan said in her direction as he held the office door for Don. Closing the door, he watched his father hover over the guest chair, holding the back as if he might fall.

  “Have a seat, Don. What can I do for you?” Brogan asked as he sat behind the desk and clasped his hands together to hide his nerves. Sweat, cold and sickly, trickled from his hairline down his spine.