Something New (Brides of Cedar Bend Book 2)

by Lena Hart

  Her words came out high and a bit too animated. Damian shook his head. Maybe she had gotten over their heated exchange earlier, but he intended to do what he had set out with this call.

  “Look, Savvy. I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I know you were just trying to do something nice for my dad.”

  There was a lengthy silence over the line and for a moment, he thought he lost her.

  “Hello?”

  “You don’t have to apologize, Damian. You were right to be upset. As you said, he’s not well and we shouldn’t have worried you like that.”

  “Yes, I was worried, but I was out of line. My dad likes you, and I meant what I said that you’re welcome here anytime. It’s just—”

  “I’m not his family. I get it.”

  Damian winced, remembering his rash words. “I didn’t mean anything by that.”

  “It’s okay, Damian. Really. Sometimes I overstep, and I have to work on that.”

  “Savvy—”

  “Listen, I have to go. But I appreciate the call.”

  Damian gritted his teeth at the overly polite tone that was once again in her voice. “So we’re good?”

  “We’re great. Good night.”

  Before he could say anything else, she hung up the phone. Damian stared down it for a moment before tossing it on the counter.

  Women.

  He would never understand them.

  At least, he would never understand this one.

  Six

  By the time Friday came, Savvy had come to a decision.

  She wouldn’t be going out with Damian Carson.

  Not that she still held a grudge about him yelling at her the other night, though she still felt the sting of his harsh words. But things were complicated enough in her life without starting something with her friend’s best man that couldn’t possibly go anywhere. Right now, she needed to focus on why she was here in the first place.

  Quinn’s wedding.

  “You know, I’m pretty sure we could have paid to have these done and shipped here.” Savvy glanced up from the bottle she was painting to find Quinn staring blankly at nothing. “Earth to Quinn.”

  Her cousin glanced over at her and blinked. “Sorry. What did you ask?”

  Savvy shook her head. “Nothing. It’s not as important as what’s going on in your head. Obviously.”

  Quinn sighed. “Sorry. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “No, not really.”

  “Let me guess. You’re thinking about the wedding and realizing it’s next week, and we still have another forty of these to paint.” Savvy glanced around the table at the jars they had been coating with silver and teal glitter paint. “Or is it another fifty?”

  Quinn followed her gaze and groaned. “Why don’t we call it a night?”

  Savvy placed the container and can of spray down. “Oh, thank god.” She got up from the table and stretched. They had been at this for hours and she only just realized how hungry and sore she was.

  “What do you want to do tonight?”

  Quinn shrugged. Savvy sighed. She could understand that her cousin was experiencing wedding bell blues or jitters—or whatever they were called—but she needed to experience a little joy soon or she was going to scream.

  “Didn’t you have plans tonight?”

  “They were canceled.”

  Savvy tried not to think about the awkward text exchange with Damian earlier when she had canceled their “date.” She knew it had been a tacky move, but didn’t think she could fake another casual conversation with him. It had practically killed her to do it when he had called to apologize, but she refused to let him know how much he had hurt her feelings.

  “Why don’t we go out?”

  Savvy instantly read the refusal on Quinn’s face, and she held up a hand. “No, hear me out. I know you and Eric wanted to skip the whole bachelor-bachelorette thing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go out with your cousin and celebrate the end of your singlehood.”

  “If you mean driving into the city and getting other people’s sweat on me, then count me out. But you should go with Lori. She’s a lot of fun.”

  “That is true,” Lori said, sauntering into the room in her workout clothes and looking beautiful, despite her blonde hair pulled into a messy ponytail and her fair skin flushed from her run. “But where am I going?”

  “I was telling Savvy you two should go out tonight. Have a Girls Night out around town.”

  Lori’s neatly arched brows pulled together. It was those kinds of nuanced expressions that made Savvy see the direct resemblance between Eric and his twin sister.

  “And leave the bride-to-be home alone? I don’t think so.”

  “Thanks, Lori. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her.”

  Quinn narrowed her eyes and Savvy smirked. There was no way she was going to let her cousin pawn her off to her soon-to-be sister-in-law just so she could continue her pity party of one.

  “So!” Savvy said, clasping her hands together excitedly. “Where should we go?”

  Lori grinned. “I know just the place.”

  “I thought you had plans tonight, son.”

  “They were canceled.”

  Damian tried to mask the bitterness in his voice, but damn if he wasn’t annoyed. He rather she just come right out and say she was still angry with him than play these games.

  “Well, my cousin Eddie and his wife are stopping by later,” Pops said.

  Damian glanced up from the mail and bills he was sorting. His father sat in his recliner, his gaze fixed on the television.

  “You decide to mention this now?”

  “I found out this morning.”

  “Pop, we’re not really prepared to entertain guests. And I don’t think they’ll take kindly to being fed leftovers.”

  Damian also didn’t know how he felt about leaving his father with people who weren’t familiar with his condition. Maybe it was a good thing his plans were canceled tonight.

  “Eddie isn’t fussy. Besides, they’re having dinner with Maggie’s family before they stop by here.”

  “Do they know?” Damian asked. “About your condition?”

  “They do. You know Joyce can’t keep anything to herself. I figured once I told her, everyone in the family would know by now.”

  His father didn’t seem bothered by that, though it had only been a few short months ago since he had received the official diagnosis that his dementia had progressed to Alzheimer’s.

  The news had devastated them both, yet he and his father still had not made the time to discuss what it would mean in the months to come. In truth, Damian preferred not to think about the future at all.

  One day at a time…

  “I’m going to freshen up,” he said, pushing up to his feet. “Then I’ll get dinner warmed up for us.”

  Damian took a quick shower, then made his way into his closet. He immediately noticed a few things were off, and he knew his father had been in here again. It wouldn’t be the first time Pops had gone looking through his things. The last time he had done that, his mother’s wedding ring had gone missing. And it still was.

  Though Damian didn’t notice anything taken, he made a mental note to speak to his father again about riffling through his things.

  After dressing in simple jeans and a button down shirt, he went downstairs and got dinner on the table for them. They were barely finished with their meal before the doorbell rang.

  Pops sprang to his feet. “That’s them. Warm up some of that peach cobbler Joyce made the other day.”

  “Pop, that was—”

  But his father left the kitchen before he could finish his sentence.

  “—last week,” Damian muttered.

  He dropped their dishes into the sink and made his way into the living room where his father and cousin greeted each other. They were boisterous in their reunion.

  Damian recognized the o
lder man and his wife from previous family functions, but he didn’t recognize the younger woman who stood quietly off to the side.

  “Is that you, Junior?” Eddie said, his dark eyes wide with wonder. “My, you get taller every time I see you.” He pulled him into a quick embrace before he drew back and turned to the women. “You remember my wife, Margaret. And this is my baby girl, Harriette.”

  “It’s good to see you again, Maggie,” Damian said as he gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. “And it’s nice to meet you, Harriette.”

  She gave him a small wave and smile.

  “Don’t be shy girl. That’s your cousin.” Eddie turned to them, a wide grin on his round, jovial face. “Harriette just graduated from Howard and will be starting medical school in the fall.”

  “Congratulations,” Damian said to her.

  “Thank you,” Harriette said, looking a bit flustered from all the attention.

  “We’re so proud,” Maggie gushed. “She’ll be heading off soon, so we wanted to bring her around to see the family and to see where we grew up.”

  “That’s good,” Pops said. “It’s important to remember where your family comes from.” He gestured to the sofa behind them. “Have a seat. Get comfortable. Junior was just about to get us some of Joyce’s peach cobbler.”

  “Actually, we’re all out. But I can see what else we have.”

  “What do you mean we’re out? She brought it the other day.”

  “That was last week, Pop.”

  An uncomfortable silence followed and Damian hated the embarrassment he saw on his father’s face.

  “Right.” Pops cleared his throat. “My mistake. You know my memory ain’t what it used to be,” he explained to his cousin.

  Eddie nodded. “No need to trouble yourself, Junior. We already ate and couldn’t put nothing else away.”

  “That’s right,” Maggie added.

  “Well, let me at least get you all something to drink,” Damian said to fill the uncomfortable silence.

  “I can help,” Harriette said, rising to her feet.

  “You two don’t need to be waiting on us old folks,” Pops said. “Junior, why don’t you take your cousin out around the town while I catch up with these two?”

  Damian looked over at his father. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to be a bad host.” But his father knew what he was really asking.

  Will you be okay?

  Pops gave a curt nod then waved him away. “These are my people. I think I can entertain them. You take Harriette to see our town. Better yet, take her to Iggy’s. They got good music and cheap drinks.”

  “Do they still do Karaoke Fridays?” Eddie asked.

  Pops nodded. “They sure do.”

  “Oh, our Harriette sings beautifully,” Maggie said. “And she loves Karaoke. Don’t you, Harriette?”

  “Mama…” Harriette groaned.

  “Now don’t be modest,” Eddie said. “Our baby girl is multitalented.”

  Harriette shrugged. “I’m all right.”

  Damian glanced around the group, noting how thrilled his father looked for the familiar company. All week, he had also been looking forward to one particular woman’s company.

  Well, her loss.

  Just because tonight didn’t go exactly how he’d wanted, it didn’t mean he couldn’t go out and still enjoy himself.

  Damian grinned down at Harriette, then held out his arm to her. “A doctor who can sing? We can’t let that kind of talent go to waste, now can we?”

  Seven

  Savvy didn’t know whether to laugh or groan.

  She opted for both.

  “Is Iggy’s the only hot spot in this town?”

  “It’s the only spot open after nine,” Lori said with a small laugh.

  “I think we came a bit overdressed,” Quinn said, glancing around the dark and noisy sports bar. They were probably the only ones not wearing jeans.

  “We’re perfectly dressed,” Lori said, taking a sip of her gin and soda. “And more importantly, we look hot.”

  “I’ll drink to that.”

  Savvy raised her glass, and the other women clinked their glasses against hers before taking a drink. She shook her head as she stared at Quinn’s glass of cranberry, lime, and soda.

  “I can’t believe you’re not drinking,” she said, taking another sip of her beer.

  “Hey, someone has to drive us home,” Quinn said. “Besides, I have to make sure I can still fit in my dress, remember?”

  Savvy rolled her eyes, knowing that was only an excuse. A bad one at that since Quinn was one of those people who could eat what they wanted and still stay annoyingly a size six.

  “Speaking of dresses,” Lori began, “I heard you’re getting yours specially ordered from A Touch of Glam.”

  “Yes, Mya was able to help me find something fabulous to wear to the future mayor’s wedding,” Savvy teased.

  Lori arched a brow. “Mya’s running the boutique now?”

  “She must be. She’s the only one I’ve been in contact with.”

  Suddenly, Savvy remembered what Quinn had told her about Lori dating the sheriff back in high school. She wondered if the other woman was still in love with him.

  Would it be rude to ask?

  Savvy shook her head at herself.

  If you have to ask, then yes it is.

  Suddenly, loud applause burst from the front of the restaurant, disrupting the conversation she was having with herself. They turned to look for the cause of the commotion and found Mya walking hand in hand with a tall, attractive man.

  “What’s going on?”

  “This must be their first appearance as husband and wife,” Lori muttered. “They are Cedar Bend’s favorite couple.”

  They certainly looked adorable together, Savvy thought as she watched them smile to the crowd and make their way to the opposite end of the restaurant.

  “It’s funny how much more attractive a guy looks when he’s unavailable.” Lori abruptly downed her drink then slid out of her seat. “I think I should go congratulate them.”

  “Uh, oh…” Savvy muttered, following Lori with her eyes. “Should we go get her?”

  “Nope, don’t bother. I’ve seen Guy with Mya and those two are in love. Lori won’t get far. Not with him, anyway.”

  “We should at least stop her from embarrassing herself.” Savvy returned her gaze to her cousin. “Right?”

  Quinn shrugged. “I say she deserves the embarrassment if she even thinks about trying anything.”

  “Touché.”

  Savvy took another sip of her beer, her gaze wandering around the bar. They were setting up the stage for the Karaoke event and it seem as if the place was filling fast. She scanned crowd of newcomers and nearly choked on her beer when she recognized the man walking toward the bar.

  And he wasn’t alone.

  “Savvy, what is it?” Quinn followed her line of vision. “Oh, it’s Damian. Should we wave him over?”

  “No!”

  Quinn shot her a strange look.

  “It’s obvious he’s on a date,” Savvy quickly rushed out. “We shouldn’t intrude.”

  But Savvy couldn’t help follow them as Damian and his date continued to the bar. She also couldn’t seem to loosen her grip around her glass either.

  How dare he take someone else out on our date?

  Savvy drew in steady breath and gave herself a mental shake. The last thing she wanted to do was humiliate herself, like Lori, and march over to them. Besides, she was the one who had canceled their date only to show up at the very same spot. She had no right to feel betrayed.

  Pull yourself together, Savannah.

  Savvy sat back in her seat and groaned inwardly. She was falling victim to the whole “unavailable” man thing.

  The funny thing was, it wasn’t very funny.

  “Hey, I think I’m ready to call it a night.”

  Quinn’s eyes widened. “What? Why? I thought we weren’t going to leave here until we a
ll sang a song.”

  “Look, that was Lori’s thing. I just wanted to come out and have a drink.” Savvy grabbed her glass and swallowed the rest of her beer. She slammed the glass down and waited for the cold beer to settle. “Done.”

  “This doesn’t have anything to do with Damian being here, does it?” Quinn squinted her eyes then suddenly gasped. “Oh, my god. It does!”

  “What? No!” Her denial was adamant and Quinn arched a brow further. “It has nothing to do with him. Why would it?”

  “Maybe because you had that surprised then really depressed look in your eyes when he walked in with that other woman.”

  Savvy rolled her eyes, though she silently cursed their expressiveness and scrambled to think of something that would make any sense for her reaction. She drew a big, fat blank.

  “I don’t care about that, Quinn. Believe me. In fact, it’s nice to see him out and having some fun. He could use it.”

  Quinn studied her closely, and Savvy forced nonchalance in her expression. She didn’t know when she had ever lied to her cousin about a guy she was attracted to, but this lie was especially stupid. Damian was a sexy chocolate tree she wouldn’t mind climbing. Only that could never happen. He was a small town mechanic, too handsome for his own good, and she…

  She was afraid of heights.

  “Hmm, all right,” Quinn muttered. “I guess that means you wouldn’t mind if he stopped by our table then?”

  Savvy’s stomach clenched, but she smiled as she lied, “Not at all.”

  “Good, because here he comes.”

  Savvy whipped around to find Lori’s arm looped around Damian’s as she pulled him along toward their table. He had a polite smile on his face, but there was no mistaken the anger that simmered behind those smoldering dark eyes of his. She had seen him angry, but this was different.

  Savvy held his gaze as he approached. Then she remembered the woman he’d walked in with. The woman held on to his other arm as they cut through the crowd. Seeing as he wasn’t hurting for female attention, Savvy pushed her guilt aside and returned his glare with one of indifference.

  “Ladies, look who I found.”

  Quinn rose from her seat and gave him a quick hug. “Damian, this is a nice surprise. I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”