by A. B. Medley
Lucy? That’s kind of out of the blue. I know her, just not that well. And I have her dad pegged as a person of interest in the case, although I know Ivie doesn’t think Lucy has any knowledge about that. I hate to think like a cop where Ivie’s best friend is concerned, but this could be a chance to observe her myself. And if nothing else, I can get to know my girl’s best friend a little better. My girl.
Me: Yeah, of course, that sounds good.
I can’t believe Ivie Davis is finally my girl. Tate looks up at me, dusting his hands off on his pants. We’ve been pulling a calf. “You done daydreaming?” He tosses me a bottle of water from the cooler on the four-wheeler. I catch it and laugh as we hear the cows in the field around us. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.”
“Oh, I plan to. I love seeing you whipped. Never thought I’d see the day.” He snickers while shaking his head.
“You just wait. When you fall in love, I’m going to give you hell. And when I do, I hope you remember this moment right now. By the way, do you have a hot date or something tonight?”
He lifts an eyebrow. “I don’t date. You know that. I have one-night stands. Which also means I won’t be falling in love, buddy. I have too much to do around here, since my partner likes to play cops and robbers for a living.” The look he shoots me is directly from our childhood—both playfully teasing and a direct challenge. The kind of look I got right before he tried to put me on my face in the dirt. He truly is my brother, last name or no.
“Is that right? Well, consider yourself busy tonight, unless you have plans. Ivie is coming over and bringing her best friend, so it looks like you have a date after all.” He looks at me, surprised, and I use his brief pause to pounce on him, quickly getting him in a choke hold before he has time to react. He tries to strike at me, but I have him thoroughly pinned.
“You dick! Let me go! I wasn’t ready for that.” I laugh and twist the knife a little deeper. “Why don’t you go ahead and tap out, brother? I got you, on this and the fact that you have a date tonight. Double date, actually.”
He lets out a breath and slaps a reluctant hand down. I let him up and we both dust ourselves off, me grinning and him glaring.
“One day you’ll learn you can’t best me, prepared or not. And one day that’s how love is going to hit you. It’s going to knock you on your ass before you know what has happened.” He grunts and mumbles under his breath.
“What was that, Tate? I couldn’t hear you,” I taunt, turning my head to the side and cupping my ear.
“Whatever, you jerk.” He shakes his head and laughs. “I’ll go tonight, but only for you and Ivie. I know you’re finally making a go of it, and if I have to suffer through a date or two to help, I guess I’ll take one for the team.”
“I don’t think you will be suffering when you see her. She looks so much like Ivie, they could be sisters. And have you seen Ivie?” I ask, instantly regretting the question as I see a big smile creep across his face.
“Why, yes, I have seen her.” He has the nerve to waggle his eyebrows.
I shoot him a glare but can’t help but smile. “Keep your eyes off my girl, asshole.” He cackles as we pack up our stuff on the four-wheeler and head back toward the barn.
I had just finished putting on my shoes when I hear gravel crunching in the driveway. Tate is at the bar in the kitchen, perched on a stool. Ever the cowboy, he’s wearing a pair of Wranglers, well-worn boots, and a light blue button down with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
“Sounds like they’re here. I figure we’ll go to High Road Bar. Even if we don’t start there, I’m sure we will end up there.” I grin at Tate, knowing that the one-night stands he has frequently come from High Road.
Tate groans and rolls his eyes. “That’s not exactly date destination, Sterling.”
“Why does that matter to you? You don’t date, remember?” I pop back.
Tate almost growls at me, and I laugh all the way to the door. Ivie comes in first, wearing a knee- length red dress with a denim jacket and cowboy boots that have never seen a barn floor. Her dark hair flows down her back and shoulders in soft waves. I take her in my arms and kiss her immediately, all the blood flowing to my groin. When I pull back, her lips are swollen from my kiss. “Hey, baby girl. You look gorgeous.”
She grins at me. Her smile is contagious, because I smile right back. I love this woman. “Thank you, love. You look gorgeous yourself.” She winks at me and steps aside to let Lucy in.
“Sterling, you remember my best friend, Lucy.” She’s wearing a tight black skirt that is pretty short, a green, long-sleeved flowing top, and booties. Her hair is half up, half down, partially twisted into a bun.
“Nice to see you again,” I say to Lucy. I turn to wave Tate over, but he has already started walking this way, eyes searching Lucy up and down. I roll my eyes at him. He can never resist a pretty face.
“Lucy this is Tate Marks. He’s the brother I never knew I wanted, but I’m glad I have.” I laugh as he reaches us.
He reaches out to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you, Lucy,” he drawls, country accent on full display.
She smiles at him and takes his hand. “Likewise.”
I clap my hands together to break the awkward silence that follows the introductions. “So, where are we going, ladies? I thought we could go to the Silver Note, off the square, and then maybe to the High Road Bar after? Or we can just go to High Road, they have good food too.”
“Silver Note sounds good to me, and then High Road. Right, Lucy?” She looks to her for confirmation. Lucy looks a little shy. She certainly never was in high school.
“That sounds good to me. Silver Note has a good menu. I’ve never had anything I didn’t like. And it would be fun to go dancing and have a few drinks at High Road.” Lucy smiles at Ivie and then looks at me. “But you have to promise me a few dances with my girl.” She hooks her arm around Ivie’s, and they start for the door.
I glance at Tate, who is staring after them, a look of intrigue on his face. “Put your tongue back in your mouth, Tate.” I slap him on the back as I move to follow the girls.
He glares at me and starts to look flustered. “Man, shut the hell up and let’s go. I’m just doing this for you. I probably won’t even see her again after tonight. I don’t get serious. You know that.” He marches past me onto the porch.
I bark out a laugh. “So, it’s changed from I don’t date to I don’t get serious, huh?”
He stops in his tracks without turning around and flips me off over his shoulder. I chuckle as I shut and lock the front door.
We all climb in my black Dodge truck. The girls hop in the back and let Tate ride up front with me. Country music fills the cab when I turn the key, and I catch Ivie’s eye in the rearview mirror. She grins at me as I wink at her.
When we arrive at Silver Note, we are seated almost immediately, since we’re a little past the dinner rush. The ambience is quiet and intimate. Lights down low, dark walls, with candles on the white tablecloths. I take a seat beside Ivie, and Tate sits beside Lucy.
Dinner is mostly small talk and stories about funny things we did in high school. We order a twenty-eight-ounce tomahawk steak and split it between all four of us, plus creamed spinach and Gouda mashed potatoes to share. It was delicious.
It’s a little after nine when we get to High Road Bar. There’s a good crowd already since it’s Friday night. We walk to a table in the back of the room, and the girls sit down while Tate and I go to the bar to order drinks. We both get beer, but the girls want a mixed drink called a Jamaican Cowboy.
Once back at the table, Ivie and Lucy take their drinks and clink their glasses together. “You only need one, maybe two of these bad boys,” Ivie snickers. “You got that right, honey,” Lucy says as she sips her drink through her straw.
After we finish the first round, I get up and hold my hand out for Ivie. She takes it, and I wink at Lucy. “I get the first dance of the night.”
Out on the dance floor, I pull her in close as we
sway to the music. “I have really enjoyed being with you like this tonight. You are amazing.” She blushes a little under my compliment.
“Thank you. I’m having a really good time. And thank you for letting Lucy tag along. I’ve had a good day with her, and I just figured, if you are going to be with me now, you need to get to know Lucy better. She’s my best friend, and she’s very important to me.” She looks from my eyes to my lips then lifts up on her toes to kiss me.
“I’d do anything for you, baby girl. If someone is important to you, then they are important to me.” The song ends, and we make our way back to the table, where Tate and Lucy are still sitting. They’re smiling, so it looks like I made a good call bringing him along.
Lucy and I have been nursing what’s left of our first drinks while the lovebirds stare into each other’s eyes on the dance floor. Sterling is right, this girl is a beauty. She looks a hell of a lot like Ivie, which is weird. Not gonna lie—this girl has me enamored. I find myself wanting to know more. But who am I kidding? Like I told Sterling, I don’t do relationships. They never last. I’m here for Sterling and Ivie.
“Why didn’t y’all come out on the dance floor?” Sterling asks. Ivie smiles at me with a twinkle in her eyes, looking between me and Lucy. Lucy looks up and flashes a small smile.
“I think you held it down pretty good without us.”
Some pop song comes through the speakers, and Ivie grabs Lucy and drags her onto the dance floor. Sterling watches them, eyes trained on Ivie. He’s taking in every detail of her. I’m so happy for him. He deserves this kind of love. I, on the other hand, have no use for it.
I’m watching too, but my eyes are on Lucy. The girls are moving together and laughing, eyes twinkling with mischief, like they haven’t let loose in a long time. Suddenly Lucy’s gaze lands on me, and I feel like I just got lit up by a spotlight. I hold her stare for a second before she looks back to Ivie.
I take my eyes away and see other guys in the bar honing in on the girls. I nudge Sterling’s arm and he catches my drift. “Let’s go.” He walks to where the girls are still dancing just as the song tapers off. A new song replaces it. It’s still some kind of pop song, but a little slower this time. And it sounds sort of erotic. I keep hearing the word fantasy. I’m having some fantasies myself right about now.
Sterling grabs Ivie and pulls her to him. They start moving together, him holding her possessively, like they are the only two in the bar. I tilt my lips up a bit, looking at the way they are dancing. I’m seeing a side of Sterling I never knew he had. He’s so whipped.
I look back at Lucy and she’s watching them with a similar smile to mine. I slide a little closer to her and hold out my hand. “Want to dance?” She takes my hand and nods with a smile, showing off perfect white teeth. I pull her close, until her body is flush with mine. I hear her breath catch at the close contact before she relaxes into me and we start moving. My heart is beating faster than it should be, but her body feels so good moving against mine. We look each other in the eyes as we dance. No smiles, no talking, just searching. I’m not sure what we are searching for, but I feel the pull.
Suddenly there’s a guy standing beside us. We stop moving, and Lucy steps back a little, but I have her in my arms still.
“Taylor,” she says, and I’m instantly on alert at the polite yet very frosty tone.
“Hey, Lucy. What are you doing here? I thought you were busy.” She steps all the way back now.
“I am busy. I’m here with friends,” she says, clearly annoyed.
“I asked you out tonight, and you ditched me. Now you’re here with this asshole?” Her eyes widen, and I see fire snap behind those green eyes.
“I don’t belong to you, Taylor. I can go out with whoever I want to.”
He starts to grab her arm but I stand in front of her, cutting him off. He comes toe to toe with me, and I tilt my chin up a little, waiting for him to throw a punch—daring him to.
“I think she said she was busy,” I tell him through clenched teeth. He must see Sterling coming toward us because his gaze flicks beside me.
“Is there a problem?” Sterling asks.
“Nah, no problem.” He smiles a malicious grin Lucy’s way before tipping his invisible hat and stepping back. “I’ll be talking to you later, Lucy.” I want to follow him and knock that cocky grin off his face.
I turn to see Lucy watching him leave, a worried expression on her beautiful face. A slow country song I know comes on. “Come on,” I tell her, pulling her to my side as I take her further onto the dance floor.
She looks at me, unsure. I smirk. “Just go with it, Firecracker.”
Her eyes widen with surprise. “Firecracker?” She lifts a brow quizzically.
“Yeah. Firecracker. You give me the impression you’re full of fire, the way you were looking at him. Who was that, anyway?” I ask as we sway to the music.
“He’s…a long story. One I don’t want to talk about. With anyone. Especially someone I just met. No offense.” I could burn under that stare.
My lips twitch up again. “None taken.” Who is this girl, and why am I letting myself get drawn in?
It’s almost midnight when we head to Sterling’s house. We finished a second round of drinks and had some nachos to soak up any leftover alcohol. I’m glad we all went out tonight. I had more fun than I have in a long time. I don’t remember feeling that carefree since I was a teenager, really.
I ride up front with Sterling this time. He holds my hand all the way back to his place. I sneak glances at Lucy and Tate when I’m able. I saw a spark between them, especially on the dance floor. But right now, they’re sitting far apart, as if they’re afraid to touch. I’ll have to ask her about that later.
We pull up at the ranch and I start to get out, but Sterling beats me to the door. He helps me down out of his tall truck. He winks at me with his sexy half-grin, making heat rush between my legs. I squeeze my thighs together. As if he knows what he did, he smiles and looks down to my legs.
Lucy was getting out and slipped just as Tate made it around and caught her before she face-planted. “Lucy, damn babe, you okay?” I ask her.
She looks up at me. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just didn’t have good footing on the foot rail.” She laughs but I can tell she has something on her mind. Tate’s still holding her. She finally looks at him. “I’m fine Tate, really. Thanks for not letting my break my face.”
She has heat simmering in her eyes as she looks at him. He takes his hands off her, unsure. “Okay,” he says before stepping away. “I’m going to call it a night. I’m a rancher, unlike some men in this party, which means getting up early, even on Saturday. It was fun. Good night.” He tips his chin at Lucy, but she just stares after him.
We’re so going to talk about this whether she wants to or not. I turn to Sterling. “Hey, love, I’m going to go home. Lucy rode with me. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He groans a little, slipping his arms around my waist, pulling me to him.
“You know I want you to stay, baby girl. But I understand. You better be ready for me tomorrow, though.” He grins teasingly and places a long, deep kiss on my lips and runs his hand up the back of my neck and into my hair as he kisses me. He squeezes my ass with the other hand, pulling a moan from me.
“You’re killing me, Brigg,” I let out breathlessly. He smiles again and kisses my lips then my nose. “Go before I throw you over my shoulder and make you stay.” I turn and he smacks my ass again as I start to walk away.
“I love you,” I tell him. I mean it with every part of my soul.
“I love you, baby girl. Let me know when y’all make it home, okay?”
“I will.” I pull my keys out and hook Lucy by the arm. She had turned toward the barn to give us privacy. “Let’s go, babe.” She walks with me to the Jeep. I fire it up and look at her.
“What?” She rolls her eyes.
“We’re so talking about this. Maybe not tonight, but tomorrow for sure.”
“Yo
u’re insufferable.”
“You love me,” I snap back.
“Yeah, you’re lucky I do.”
We changed into T-shirts and shorts and laid across my bed. I pick up my phone and send Sterling a quick text.
Me: Hey handsome. We made it home. I’ll dream of you.
My phone instantly dings.
Sterling: Baby girl, I always dream of you. I love you. Talk tomorrow. I smile and send back one more.
Me: I love you too. Xoxo.
“Lucy, it looks like you had a good time tonight. Did you like Tate?” I grin puckishly.
She sighs. “Ivie, my life is complicated. He’s very nice, very good looking, and very wrong for me.”
“How so? It seems like you hit it off. I’ve been around him plenty of times since I’ve been back home and with Sterling. Let me tell you, I haven’t seen him look or act like that.”
A lone tear drizzles down her face, and she angrily swipes at it. “Oh Lucy. I wish you’d talk to me. You aren’t alone. I’ve got your back. Always. I love you. You know you’re more than my best friend. You’re my family, my sister.”
Lucy covers her face and little sobs shake her body. I slide to her side and take one of her hands in mine, just being with her while she cries.
She finally calms down. Staring at the ceiling, she gives my hand a squeeze and leans on my shoulder. “I know, Ivie. Right now, though, I have to do this on my own.”
“Okay, babe. You know where I am when you’re ready.” My heart squeezes for my best friend. I don’t know what’s wrong, or why she feels like she has to do it alone. I just hope she’ll open up to me soon so I can be there for her like she’s always been there for me.
We both drift off to sleep. I wake up a few hours later, and my phone is buzzing. I roll over and check it. It’s two o’clock in the morning. The light from my phone is so bright, I squint to see. I have a text from an unknown number again.
Wish you knew what your best friend was hiding? I know. Trust me, it’s a doozy. Are you sure you want to know?