“Kyle has his eyes,” Roxie added. “And did you see the way he tilted his head at Adrian when he looked at her? That’s all Kyle, too. It’s adorable.”
“Mmm,” Olivia hummed with a considering gleam in her eyes. “And I bet he’s hung like a—”
“Okay!” Adrian interrupted loudly. “I need another mojito.”
“I second that,” Roxie piped up. “By the way, Liv, where do we sign up for karaoke?”
“Gerald’s got the list,” Olivia replied as she busied herself making another round. “But don’t worry. You’re both already on there.”
“What?” Adrian asked, gaping in horror.
“That’s right, my friend,” Olivia said with a grin. “You’re singing karaoke tonight.”
Suddenly the mojitos began to add up. “Nope,” Adrian said. “Nuh-uh. There’s no way you’re getting me drunk enough to sing.”
* * *
JAMES REVELED IN making Adrian uncomfortable in front of her friends a little too much. Still, it didn’t stop him from enjoying his reintroduction into Fairhope society.
It went over much more smoothly than he’d have wagered. Then again, most of the people he knew in Tavern of the Graces hadn’t been the ones he’d maligned back in the day. He was thankful that the Lewis-Leighton family bar wasn’t the type of scene he could imagine his mother or stepfather showing up at—or any of their friends, for that matter.
After speaking with the Harbucks for a while, James returned to the bar where Adrian was still hunched over her mojito, barely tolerating the ribbing from her three friends. Olivia slapped him on the back. “How good is your singing?” she wondered out loud.
“Terrible,” he admitted.
“Good,” Olivia beamed. “You’re in the lineup for karaoke.”
“Am I?” James looked over at the jukebox where a makeshift stage had been set up. At that moment, an inebriated young man was singing a bad rendition of “Friends in Low Places.” James laughed. “All right, then.”
“That’s the spirit.” Olivia leaned over close and added, “Oh, and you’ll be doing a duet. With Adrian.”
He pursed his lips. “Does she know this?”
“Nope,” she said with a Cheshire-cat grin and a wink as she walked off with a serving tray.
He fought a smile as he took a seat on the vacated stool at Adrian’s right. She peered at him for a moment as he sipped his water, then shook her head and finally asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Having a drink,” he told her, lifting his glass and feigning innocence.
“You just told everyone you’ve been sober for four years,” she reminded him.
He lifted a shoulder. “Maybe I didn’t want to miss karaoke night.”
Adrian rolled her eyes. “Like hell.”
“Did I miss the sign that said this was your turf?” he asked. “I’ve been pretty good about staying away from the cottage and your flower shop for the last few days. I figure this is neutral ground.”
“That won’t stop you from trying to get what you want out of me,” Adrian said.
He raised an interested brow. “That sounds a little dirty.”
“I wasn’t—” She stopped when he cracked a smile. “God. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were in league with Liv to get me shit-faced so I’ll sing karaoke for her and let you run off with Kyle.”
“Is that what you think I want?” he asked. When she lowered her hands to stare at him, expressionless, he frowned and edged toward her. “All right, let’s get one thing straight. I don’t want to take Kyle away from you. You’re an amazing mom.”
“How do you know that?” she blurted.
“Let me finish,” James intervened. “The boy loves you. How could he not? All I want is to know him—and, maybe one day, for him to know me for what and who I am. His father. Then, if you let me, I’d like to be for him what my dad was for me.”
Adrian scanned his face for a long moment. His pulse quickened when he thought that she might be giving his words the consideration he desperately needed. Then she let out a breath and turned away. “No. Not...not yet.”
“Because he’s not ready or you aren’t?”
“I don’t know...” She threw her hands up. “Let’s just...change the subject. Please.”
James opened his mouth to argue, then thought better of it and reached for his water instead. What else did he have to do to convince her to give him a chance? A single chance.
A man appeared on the other side of the bar. Tall, blond, a bit on the reedy side. He smiled easily at Adrian and spoke in an upper-crust British accent. “There you are, Adrian, lass.”
For the first time that night, James saw Adrian smile back and mean it. He felt a tug of envy. “Gerald,” she said. “You look happy with yourself tonight.”
“I am well and truly chuffed,” Gerald admitted. “You have no idea how hard it was to talk Olivia into karaoke night. I think it’s a smashing success so far, don’t you?”
“If you can get me off the performing list, I’ll sing karaoke night’s praises for all to hear.”
Gerald shrugged. “I’ve been threatened by a ravishing and dangerous blonde that if I remove your name, I’ll be cut off from certain indispensable pleasures.”
Adrian sighed. “Well, it was worth a shot, I guess,” she muttered.
“Who’s your friend?” Gerald asked, indicating James.
Before Adrian could deny any friendship with him, James extended a hand. “James Bracken.”
“Gerald Leighton,” the man returned. “You must be the old flame.”
As Adrian frowned at both of them, James cracked a smile. “That’s me.”
Before Gerald could explain himself, Olivia strode up, planted her hands in the back pockets of Gerald’s jeans and hissed, “Don’t let Adrian talk you into taking her off the list.”
“What do you take me for?” Gerald asked, bending down to her level so his lips hovered above hers. “How are you feeling?”
Olivia gave a small pout. “I keep thinking about how long you’ll be away once you leave in two weeks. Why do you have to be gone for two whole months? It seems like a long time for a book tour.”
“Will you miss me, love?” he asked.
“Well...” She reached up and wound his tie around her fingers. “It is two months...”
“You will miss me,” he said, pleased with his findings. He wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her against him. “Don’t worry, Olivia Rose. I’ll be back before you can say Big Easy Sazerac.”
Olivia’s wide eyes softened. “That is the sexiest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“Big Easy Sazerac?” he repeated, smiling as he lowered his mouth to hers and she tugged on his collar, bringing him closer.
“Again,” she demanded when he came up for air moments later.
Gerald’s lips grazed hers, nibbled, smiled. Then nibbled some more...
Adrian was the first to speak up. “Y’all ’bout done?” she ventured. “We could both really use another drink over here.”
“Never.” Gerald groaned, an ardent bar appearing between his brows as he kissed Olivia again. “I’m never bloody done.”
James cleared his throat. “So they’re...”
“Married,” Adrian said with a nod. “Newlyweds, in case you can’t tell.”
“Oh, they make that pretty clear for themselves,” James noted.
Gerald pulled back finally, grinning widely as Olivia hummed her pleasure. Reluctantly he disentangled himself from his wife and turned to Adrian. “All right, Adrian, darling. Let’s get you onstage.”
She fought tooth and nail, but moments later James found himself standing on the makeshift platform on the other side of the room facing a crowd of tavern-goers, Adrian s
tanding stiff and unfriendly beside him. Behind the karaoke machine, Olivia whispered something in Gerald’s ear. He shook his head and smiled as he chose the song for them.
When the intro to Johnny Cash and June Carter’s “Jackson” began to play, the crowd cheered and James turned to see Adrian pale. As the first words appeared on the monitor in front of them, he took pity on her, grabbed the mic and swung an arm around her shoulders for comfort. “It’d be best to just sing and get it over with at this point.”
She took up the other mic in silent agreement and grudgingly began to sing the duet with him. It helped that, as the first chorus got under way, the crowd started clapping, egging them on. At one point, Adrian even aimed a smile at him. It accompanied the lyrics “you big-talking man.” Nonetheless, it was a smile for him and he latched onto it, twining an arm around her waist. They finished the song and took their bows.
“That was great!” Roxie exclaimed as they made it back to their seats at the bar. “You two looked fantastic up there together.”
“You mean we sounded fantastic together,” Adrian corrected.
Roxie smiled slyly into her mojito and lifted an unassuming shoulder. “Potato, potahto.”
“Thanks all the same, Ms. Levy,” James said to her.
“Nice song choice,” Adrian commented as Olivia came back around the bar.
“I thought you might like it,” Olivia said. “It was either that or ‘Son of a Preacher Man.’”
James found himself laughing with the others, minus Adrian who replied with, “Why don’t you get onstage and sing, Olivia? I’m thinking either ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ or ‘Cat’s in the Cradle.’”
Olivia blanched, then glanced around quickly. A glare covered her shock as she turned back to Adrian and stuck out her tongue in retort. Then she gestured to Roxie. “Rox. You’re up.”
“Oh, boy!” Roxie said, hopping up and clapping her hands in anticipation.
“There’s something wrong with her,” Adrian decided.
Olivia glanced from James back to Adrian and said, “I’m beginning to think there’s something wrong with you.”
Briar beamed as she walked up, oblivious to the tension between her cousin and Adrian. “Cole’s popped by for a spell. He looks like he could use a drink. Will you make him a margarita?”
“If he sings for it,” Olivia said stubbornly.
“Margarita first,” the man they were supposedly discussing said as he walked up behind Briar, placing his hands on her arms. “Then karaoke.”
“Deal,” Olivia said and went off to put the blender to use.
“James,” Briar said, “I don’t think you’ve met my husband. This is Cole Savitt. Cole, this is an old friend of the family, James Bracken.”
Cole’s eyes landed on James and stilled. James’s smile of greeting froze on his face. The man wasn’t familiar. He had dark eyes and darker hair, a fixed jawbone that looked hard as nails and a measuring look that was edged with suspicion and intensity despite the tender hands he’d placed on his wife. He might have been wearing plainclothes, with no badge or weapon in sight, but James had run into enough cops to know one on sight.
Briar spoke up, a bit tentatively as Cole’s stare hardened and James grew warier, the muscles on the back of his shoulders tightening. “Is everything all right?”
Cole was the first to recover, smoothing a hand over Briar’s wrist as he noted the thread of distress in her voice. “Fine.” Dipping his head toward James, he said, “Nice to meet you. Bracken, is it?”
“That’s right,” James said and returned Cole’s polite yet taut smile with one of his own.
“Huh.” Cole stared at him with narrowing eyes. “Where’d you say you were from?”
“I didn’t,” James said, lifting his glass to his lips, eyeing the man over the rim.
Adrian frowned at the two of them. “Okay, what’s going on—”
“Margaritas all around,” Olivia announced as she descended on them with a full tray. “I’d like to make a toast.” After Briar passed out the drinks, Olivia waited for everyone to lift theirs—Adrian took longer than anyone else, and Cole hesitated a moment before lifting his, James noticed. Finally, Olivia said, “To James, I’d like to officially say welcome home. We all wish you the best of luck with your new business.”
“Hear, hear,” a few of the others chorused. Ignoring Cole’s penetrating stare, James glanced at Adrian and saw her set her glass on the bar. “You didn’t drink.”
“I’m tipsy enough,” Adrian said, rising from her stool. “Liv, thanks for the drinks and humiliation.”
“Anytime,” Olivia returned.
“I’ll walk you home,” James said, standing.
“No,” she refused as she reached into her purse. “I’m not that tipsy. Neither am I that foolish.”
He placed a twenty dollar bill on the bar before she could retrieve her money. “Drinks are on me, then.” He grinned when she only frowned at him. Reaching up, he brushed at the hair on her brow.
It was enough to make her suck in a breath and dodge the sweep of his fingers. “I don’t want to owe you anything.”
“You don’t,” he told her in an undertone, leaning close so the others wouldn’t be able to hear over the music. Her eyes yawned like chocolate pools under his and he desperately wanted to dive in. Drown. “You don’t owe me a thing. Just...think about what I said before. About Kyle.”
She closed her eyes, a crease appearing briefly between them. Then she opened them, fixing her gaze on his T-shirt. “I’m not making any promises.”
“But you will—think about it?” he asked.
She nodded. “I guess I’ll have to.”
He wanted to hug her for admitting as much. When he edged a bit closer, she stepped back, alarm crossing her face—as if she could read his mind. “He’ll be home by now. I’ve got to go.” And with that, she walked away from him again.
It stung, but he let her go. Tomorrow, he pledged. Even if she didn’t decide anything, he’d likely see her tomorrow. And that was enough. For now.
CHAPTER SEVEN
JAMES THOUGHT IT was about time to mow the yard. Pushing a lawn mower around seemed like a good way to burn through some of his frustration.
Adrian hadn’t said a word to him since that night in the tavern several days ago. She’d promised to think about his plea for time with Kyle. Clearly, if she’d done what she promised, her answer wasn’t the one he’d hoped for.
It took several laps around the yard to cut down the first layer of overgrown grass and weeds. The mower gurgled and protested under the strain, even dying at one point. James cleaned the grass out from under it and yanked on the pulley until the engine gave way and cranked under his none-too-gentle urging. Already sweating, James shed his work shirt.
The chore was taking longer than he’d expected. He paused to guzzle a chilled bottle of water. Sitting on the front porch, he gauged the freshly tended grass. The house was slowly starting to come together. The afternoon before, after returning from the garage, he’d climbed onto the roof to sweep leaves and branches, and clean out the gutters. The day before that, he’d replaced the front screen door and some of the boards on the front steps. Once he’d repainted the shutters and tended the front garden beds, the house would no longer be the eyesore of the neighborhood.
A football sailed into his line of sight. It spiraled perfectly over the fence between his house and Adrian’s cottage and came down with a bounce and a roll on the front walk close to his feet. He glanced from it to the two boys who came into sight—one snaggletoothed and wide-eyed, the other cautious, peering at him from a familiar set of blue eyes as he approached.
“Sorry, mister,” Kyle said.
James stood, heart thumping a little harder than he would have anticipated. Here he was. His son. Crouch
ing down, James forced his eyes elsewhere and picked up the football. “Hell of an arm,” he said for lack of anything better, then frowned over the oath. He probably shouldn’t curse in front of the kid.
Kyle’s face lit up. “Thanks! It keeps getting away from me, though.”
James glanced down at the football, remembering from long ago the wisdom his father had taught him. Shifting his feet, he cleared his throat. “Well...when you pull it back, be sure to lock eyes with your targeted receiver. It’ll help.”
The kid smiled at him. “Are you the new neighbor?”
“Yeah,” James said and handed him the ball. “James Bracken.”
“Kyle,” he returned. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I live in the cottage next door. This is Blaze. He lives in the blue house just down the street.”
“Blaze,” James said, with a dip of his chin to the other boy. He turned to Kyle and smiled. “It’s good to meet you both.”
Blaze nudged his young friend in the back. “C’mon.”
Kyle’s smile melted a bit as he backed away. “See you around, Mr. Bracken.”
“Yeah, see you.” James watched them go and felt what amounted to a dumbbell dragging at his heart. Still, his heart rapped violently against his chest. He swallowed. The wall of his throat felt thick, tight. Gathering a long breath inward, he pushed it out and walked to the garage where he kept his yard equipment.
He kept his eyes out for Kyle and Blaze as the afternoon wore down toward darkness. James knew Adrian would be getting home from the flower shop soon. He did his best to trim the unruly fringes of the yard. He had stopped to replace the trimmer line on the Weed Eater when he heard a large dually clatter to a halt. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the red truck, smelled the choking exhaust fumes as it belched black smoke. But it was the man who rolled down the window and poked his head out at the two boys playing near the street who got James’s attention.
Radley Kennard was hardly recognizable. His face was bloated, his cheeks tinged red. Underneath close-shorn hair a well-worn sneer pulled at his mouth. He leered at the boys like an untrained dog. James dropped the trimmer and walked over, eating the ground up in several long strides as he crossed into Adrian’s yard.
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