“No, I don’t got this,” Lottie whined.
Hailey stood to stop Beau from pressuring her daughter into doing something she wasn’t comfortable doing. “She doesn’t—”
He held his hand up to Hailey to ward her off. “Yes, you do.”
Like hell. She slid her phone in her pocket and headed to the monkey bars.
“You promise?” Lottie asked.
“I promise. I wouldn’t ask you to do it if I didn’t think you could. On the count of three. One. Two. Three.”
Hailey’s heart did a skip, stall, skip thing when Lottie threaded her legs through the hole between the bars and flipped off the piece of equipment. The stunned look on the kid’s face when she landed on her feet was priceless.
The little acrobat whooped and jumped up and down. “I did it! I did it! I did it!”
Beau held his hand up, and she slapped it. “I never doubted you.”
“Mom, did you see? I did it!”
“I did see. Awesome job.”
The proud girl continued to bounce around, making Walter bark and hop with her. It was a weird sort of dance. Then she threw her arms around Beau’s waist. “Thank you, Beau.”
“No problem, Lil’ Bit.”
Lottie grabbed Walter’s ball off the ground. “Come on Walter, let’s throw the ball.” The dog woofed and the two ran off to the open area next to the playground.
Hailey sat on the closest bench, still a little awestruck at what Beau had gotten her child to do.
The hero of the hour sat down next to her. “Go ahead.”
“And what?”
“Yell at me for making her do something dangerous.” He grabbed the bill of his ball cap, removed it, and wiped his forehead with the back of his forearm.
“I wasn’t—”
“It’s just that she told me how the kids at school made fun of her for being too scared to flip off the bars.” He shrugged and replaced his cap. “I figured it was safe with me standing there.”
“Kids are making fun of her?” She turned to see his profile as he watched the game of fetch. “She hasn’t said anything to me about that.”
He glanced down at her. “Maybe she didn’t want to worry you. It didn’t sound like she was too upset about it, mostly mad.”
Lottie’s squeals of glee drew their attention, and they both laughed as Walter ran from her with the ball in his mouth.
Beau stretched his long legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankle. His arms extended along the back of the bench. “That Piper kid is the ringleader, according to Lottie.”
Hailey pulled her legs onto the bench and crisscrossed them. “Yeah, she’s a real piece of work, and as I’ve said, Derek and Ariel are no help.” The cord that squeezed her chest every time she thought about Derek, Ariel, and Piper yanked tighter. “Short of moving away, I’m not sure what I can do other than teach her to deal with it.”
“No offense, but after what I saw today, I’m not sure you’re the best person to teach her how to handle bullying.”
The words he carelessly threw out wrenched her gaze toward him. “I do take offense. You don’t know me well enough to make that kind of judgment.” And he didn’t. He hadn’t lived the last almost ten years in her shoes. The effort it took to try and get back into the good graces of the town was exhausting. And she wasn’t doing it for her. It was for Lottie.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just that I saw you turn into someone I didn’t know right before my eyes.”
Her arms went across her chest to try and protect her heart from the truth he spoke. “If I have to swallow my pride a little to make sure my kid doesn’t go through what I went through, then I’ll do it all day and twice on Sundays.” She kicked her legs out and stood. “We should go.”
He took her hand, and fire-hot shivers shot up her arm. “Wait.” His other hand joined the first, and for a moment he concentrated on the spot where they touched. When he raised his eyes to hers, there was heat there, but also anger. “I was out of line, but I know people haven’t and don’t treat you well. It pisses me off that anyone would be mean to you or Lottie.”
She extracted her hand from his. “I’d go through it a hundred times if it meant I get Lottie.” She shrugged and watched the little girl who was her heart running around. “It’s a small price to pay.” When he didn’t say anything, she glanced down at him. He studied her like her life’s story was written on the skin that covered her bones. “What?”
“You’re a great mom. As a product of a couple of people who couldn’t be bothered to put their son first, you’re kind of my hero.”
Against her will and better judgment, her heart soaked in his praise and mended some of the long-cracked pieces. She knew Charlie, Hank, Scarlett, and Luanne supported her, but somehow his validation seemed different from theirs. Too close. Too intimate. Too dangerous. “Thank you.” She turned her back on his probing gaze.
Those emerald depths held nothing but heartache. She should know—she’d lived a lifetime of heartache in the last ten years.
Chapter 13
Beau entered Honey Child Records through the front door. A bouquet of perfume hit him before his eyes adapted to the dimness of the lobby. What was going on? When his pupils adjusted, he noticed the waiting area was full of women. He tipped his ball cap. “Ladies.”
“Jack told me to send you straight back when you got here,” the receptionist, Randi, told him.
“Thanks.” He tilted his head toward the group of females sitting across the room from them and raised his brows in question.
The woman’s lips pursed like she was stifling a smile.
“You’re cagey, Randi.”
“Go find Jack, Luanne, and Gavin.”
The three were in Jack’s office along with a scruffy older guy with a barrel chest who looked like he used to play defensive tackle for somebody. Beau took the empty chair across from Jack’s desk, in between Luanne and Gavin. “It looks like the green room for The Bachelor out there.”
The men chuckled.
Luanne shook her head. “Not even close.”
“Those are the vocalists we’re auditioning to be your backup singer today.” Jack straightened a stack of folders.
“It might be too soon, guys. I’m still tryin’ to get over what happened last weekend.” He may act nonchalant about the events that busted his band apart, but Dawn’s escapades wouldn’t soon be forgotten.
Luanne gave him one of her looks. The kind that told him to shut the hell up. “I refuse to let you lose momentum. Also, if you’re going to play at Boon’s, then you need a female backup singer.”
“She’s right.” Gavin adjusted the leather bracelets on his wrist. “So dial it down, stud.”
Beau laughed and held his arms out to the side. “There’s no dialing this down, dude.”
Gavin kicked Beau’s chair. “Asshole.” The word had heat behind it, but Gavin was grinning like a proud papa.
“If you two are done, we should get this started. But first, Beau, I want to introduce you to Rusty Jones. Rusty, this arrogant asshole is Beau Callen.”
Beau stood and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Rusty.”
“You too, Beau. I hear good things about you.”
“Then somebody’s been lying to you.”
The older man laughed and resumed his spot against the wall.
“Beau, Rusty is your new road manager. He’ll also be handling sound until we can find someone else for that job.”
Uh-oh, this was his new keeper. Fine. He reminded himself what he wanted and why, and figured Rusty was as good a babysitter as any. “Glad to have you as part of the team, Rusty.” He cut a glance at Gavin, who only nodded his head.
“Alright, now that we have that out of the way…” Jack hit the intercom button on the phone on his desk. “Randi, will you send back the first applicant?”
Beau stood, but the other three remained seated. “Aren’t we going over to the recording booth?”
He glanced around. “We’re going to do this in here? Should I get my guitar?”
Gavin leaned back in his chair, enjoying all this a little too much judging by the look on his face. “This part of the audition is to see if they can be in the same room with you without coming on to you, and to see if you can resist flirting like it was your damn job.”
Beau splayed his fingers over his hips. “Y’all are kidding, right?”
“Nope.” Jack steepled his fingers in front of his mouth. “We’re serious as a heart attack.”
Luanne put her hand on his arm. “Beau, you need to trust us.”
He threw his hands up in the air. “Fine, but seeing if I can resist flirting is a waste of time. I’m a grown-ass man, and I can control myself.”
There was a knock on the door, and a leggy blonde moved into the room. A smile that communicated she wanted to eat him up with a spoon adorned her beautiful face.
Gavin chuckled. “We’ll see.”
Jack groaned.
Luanne sighed.
And Beau prepared to have his first piece of humble pie.
It wouldn’t be his last.
Hailey’s hand ached from cutting all those damn snowflakes. Her kitchen table was full of patterns still left to do, and she knew she’d have arthritis by the time she completed her latest volunteer project.
Her front door opened and closed. “Yoohoo,” May called from the front room.
“In here.”
May floated into the kitchen, her knitting bag and purse hung over one arm and a bag of groceries in her other hand. Hailey jumped up. “Here, let me help you with that.”
“I’ve got it. Just take my purse and knitting.” The older woman held her arm out to Hailey. Once Hailey removed the two bags, her babysitter and friend put the grocery sack on the counter. “Woo, that was a workout.”
Hailey resumed her place at the kitchen table where scraps of white paper littered the floor. “I told you I had leftovers in the fridge, and you didn’t have to make anything.”
“And I told you that I promised Lottie that if she made a hundred on her spelling test, I’d teach her to make my mama’s chicken and dumplings.” May unloaded the items she needed for dinner from the bag. “And I keep my promises.”
Hailey grinned at her. “Yes, you do.”
May surveyed Hailey’s workspace. “Tell me you didn’t take on another one of those horrible projects.”
Scissors in one hand and a snowflake in the other, Hailey sighed. “Wish I could.”
May put the kettle on, then set out two cups and draped two tea bags over the side. One hand on the counter, her fist went to her hip. “Why do you keep doing these crappy jobs?” She held her hand up. “Wait, don’t tell me. I know.”
Hailey’s shoulders hitched up in a quick shrug. “There’s a price for forgiveness.” She raised the scissors and snipped the air twice. “This week it cost me some snowflakes.”
Rational or not, she believed that if she just did enough, volunteered enough, took on one more shitty job, then the town would eventually forgive her.
When it all went down ten years ago, it’d been horrible. But as time passed she naively believed that it would all blow over. Boy, had she been wrong. Especially with Derek using her as his scapegoat and blaming it all on her.
Admit it. You enjoyed seeing him fail.
And that was the part that no one knew, not even May. It’d taken her a long time to admit the truth to herself. There had been some sick satisfaction in knowing Derek’s life had been ruined just like hers. She could’ve waited until after the state game to tell him, but then he might’ve gotten a scholarship that would’ve taken him away from Zachsville…away from her. It was ugly, and she wasn’t proud of it, but it was the truth. A truth she’d take to her grave.
“The school always needs volunteers.” She picked up another pattern and began cutting. “In no time at all, you too could be cutting out a million snowflakes.”
May laughed. “Thanks for thinking of me, but…no.” The kettle whistled, and May removed it from the stove and poured boiling water over the tea bags.
When she set Hailey’s cup in front of her, Hailey took her free hand. “You know you’ve saved my life with Lottie, but if there ever comes a time when you want to move on and enjoy your retirement, you know I’ll understand.”
May disentangled their hands and ran hers over Hailey’s hair. “I appreciate it, but I’m very happy here taking care of you and Lottie.”
Hailey knew better than to argue with the woman. May was just as stubborn as she was. The steam from the tea rose. She blew it away and took a sip. “Oh, I need to tell you something.”
“Yes?” May sat and sipped her tea.
“Do you know Beau Callen?”
“The Heartbreaker? Zachsville’s newest celebrity? The hottie most likely to make your panties wet?” May grinned over the rim of her cup. “No, I don’t believe I do.”
Hailey laughed. May was a no-bullshit kind of woman and totally unapologetic for it. “Well, he’s now living in the slut hut.”
The surprise was all over May’s face. “Do tell.”
“It’s a long story, and one I don’t have time to tell because I need to pick up Lottie from school.” The thought of what Beau had witnessed the day before twisted her stomach. “I’ll drop her off on my way to the bar.”
“No problem.”
Hailey gathered up her mess and threw it in the garbage. Then she grabbed her keys and her purse and headed for the door.
May waggled a finger at her. “You owe me a story about how The Heartbreaker came to live here.”
“You got it.” She shut the door behind her and scurried down the steps to her car. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about Beau Callen.
A man she was definitely not interested in or attracted to.
Chapter 14
Beau pulled into Hailey’s driveway and cut the engine. He rested his elbow on the steering wheel and pinched his nose. What a long-ass day. His bones ached. All he wanted was to walk Walter, eat, and veg out on the sofa in his new apartment. He didn’t want to see or talk to another female for the next twelve hours.
Who knew trying to control his propensity for flirtation would’ve been so draining. It was demoralizing to know that everything Jack, Luanne, Gavin, and Hailey said about him was true.
And the women… Some of them had all but thrown themselves at him. He’d found himself wishing for Hailey during the day. She and Luanne seemed to be the only women who weren’t impressed with him. He hadn’t realized how much he needed that until he spent the day in the company of women who kept undressing him with their eyes. Now he understood the shitty feeling women talked about when men did that to them.
But the worst were the ones who were so nervous they couldn’t string two words together. It was like the more awkward they were, the flirtier he’d become.
He opened the door of his truck and made his way to Hailey’s back door. A beautiful middle-aged woman with intelligent eyes opened the door. She held it with one hand and placed her other hand on her hip. “As I live and breathe, it’s the Beau Callen.”
An automatic smile went to his lips. “You must be the lovely May Martin.”
A huge dimple formed on each cheek. “I am.”
He immediately liked this lady. “I do love a confident woman.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “Boy, you are bad. Hailey said I needed to watch out for you.”
His fingers went into his front pockets, and he dipped his head. “She did? Did she?”
May stepped out of the way. “Come in. What can I do for you?”
“I was hoping Lottie could play with my dog, Walter. I have to run an errand, and I hate to leave him alone for much longer.”
The amusement on the woman’s face confused him. She didn’t say anything, just crooked her finger and turned to walk down the hall. He heard Lottie and the
music before they got to the girl’s room. It was his song.
May stopped just outside the princess room. “You mean that Walter?” she whispered.
His dog lay on the ground, head on his paws while Lottie used him as a pillow. She was facing away from the door, one leg crossed over the other and her little foot swinging back and forth. She was battling a bunch of ladybugs on the tablet screen propped against a kid-sized guitar resting on her stomach. She sang along with the music, and she was good. Really good.
Walter raised his head when he saw Beau.
“What is it, Walter? You want to listen to it again? Okay, fine.” Lottie never looked their way. She slid her finger across the tablet screen and started the song again.
The dog huffed out a huge breath as if to say, what can you do, and put his head on his paws.
Beau might’ve fallen in love with the kid right then. He and May made their way back to the kitchen.
May slipped her hands into the pockets of the blue sweater she wore. “I’m sorry, she heard him barking, and said she had to rescue him, said you wouldn’t mind.”
He grabbed the front of his hair and pulled it out of his face. “Naw. I don’t mind at all. I guess it’s good that I left the door unlocked.”
May laughed. “Oh, she took the spare key. She was prepared to spring the dog from his lonely cell.” She went to the oven and checked the contents. Something that smelled like heaven filled the room. “They played for about an hour, then they came inside, and Lottie and I made dinner. They’ve been listening to that song over and over for the last thirty minutes. He’s a very patient animal.”
“He is. I hate to break up the party.”
“Oh, don’t take him home. He’s fine here.”
“If he gets to be too much trouble, put him back in the apartment. If not, I’ll be home in a couple of hours.” He held his hand up between them. “You’re sure you don’t mind?”
“No, sugar, I don’t mind. Besides, he’s good for Lottie.” She wiped her hands on a dish towel and opened the door for him. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but you have a fan in our girl.”
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