Sweet Southern Nights (Home In Magnolia Bend Book 3) Read online

  If he wanted to go in that direction.

  His personal life had felt desolate lately, as if he’d reached a plateau and didn’t know what direction to walk in. Up until early summer he’d dated a lethally sexy librarian. Kate had a smoking body beneath her pencil skirts, and she even wore those nerdy black-rimmed glasses and pinned her hair up. But the woman was flippin’ wild in the sack. She’d worn him slap out, but eventually it had been sex, sex and more sex, and contrary to what most men said, eventually you have to talk to each other.

  Kate tanked when it came to conversation. She couldn’t name a single National League team, thought NASCAR was stupid and ate weird food like goji berries and flaxseed. Eventually they stopped calling each other for hookups.

  But dating Jenny could get complicated. She and Eva had become good friends. He didn’t need the obstacle of having to watch everything he said to Eva or having her run to tell Jenny if he’d flirted with a woman at the grocery store. So maybe he’d forgo laying that groundwork.

  “You want to dance?” Jenny asked, leaning toward him, her blue eyes soliciting an invitation.

  “Sure,” he said, sliding his chair back. “Let’s work up a thirst.”

  Clint’s gaze moved over the two of them as they escaped to the dance floor. Jake usually didn’t dance when he was with Clint because it felt too shitty to do something his friend could not, but for some reason, he had to get away for a moment. To think.

  And to hold an armful of something sweet and warm.

  Jenny looped her arms around his neck. “You look good tonight, Jake. I like your shirt.”

  “This old thing?” He plucked at the fabric with his thumb and forefinger. It was a gingham plaid shirt from some preppy catalog his mother favored. The blue matched his eyes and set off the tan he’d picked up fishing with his brother all summer. His jeans were tight and his boots well-worn. He skipped wearing a cowboy hat, unlike most of the guys in the bar, because he didn’t actually ride bulls or drive tractors. “Thank you, darlin’,” he said.

  And then he proceeded to pull Jenny tight against him and whirl her around the dance floor to a Luke Bryan song that made him long for another day on the lake and a cold beer.

  For a few minutes he lost himself in the song, enjoying Jenny snug against him. Felt good to forget about the job, the fact he needed to repaint his garage apartment and the birthday party he had to attend for his cousin Hilda on Sunday. Let go and feel.

  But the song ended too soon, and he found himself leading Jenny back toward the table. Clint and Vicky sat there, silently nursing their drinks. Eva was gone.

  Jake picked up his beer and took a swig. “Where’s Eva?”

  “Outside. Someone called and she said she had to go out for a sec,” Clint said.

  Jake crooked an eyebrow. “Who was it?”

  “How would we know? But she looked kind of surprised,” Vicky said.

  He sank back into his chair, glancing toward the swinging glass door that Raylan had covered with inky tint. The name Ray-Ray’s was scrawled across the front, and the parking lot light looked like the glowing tip of a cigarette through the darkened glass. “Huh.”

  Wasn’t his business, but still something rose on the back of his neck. Eva going off to meet someone wasn’t his concern. She was a big girl who could handle any man, a roaring fire and a passel of second graders wanting to scale the fire truck. Nevertheless, he was her friend. Hell, he was almost her family.

  “I’m gonna check on her,” he said, standing.

  “I’m sure she’s fine,” Vicky said with a wave of her long-tipped fingernails. “Eva could handle anyone.”

  “Let me just take her the beer,” he said, grabbing the frosty longneck and a napkin.

  As he got up and left he heard Jenny say, “I love a man who looks out for a gal, but Eva hates nosy people.”

  Jake passed his brother’s group, giving Matt a brusque “hey, dude,” as he continued toward the door. He pushed out into the dying day, twilight settling around him as he crunched through the gravel, looking for Eva. Cigarette butts and bottle caps littered the long concrete pad in front of the cinder-block bar. No one was in the front lot so he headed to the right, skirting the empty ice machine and weathered benches set out for the smokers. He heard raised voices as he rounded the corner.

  Eva stood, arms on her hips, facing off against a pretty massive dude whose back was to Jake.

  “Eva?” he called.

  She leaned around the dude, her ponytail swinging out. “Oh, hey, Jake. I’ll be in in a minute.”

  The guy turned and took in Jake. He had massive biceps, both tatted, and a tight T-shirt that stretched across the continent of his chest. He had a shaved head and wore motorcycle boots. Sons of Anarchy had nothing on this dude.

  “You sure, Eva?”

  The dude sneered. “You hard of hearing or something?”

  “No. Got a clean bill of health from the doctor last month. Hearing’s perfect.”

  “Then get your ass outta here,” the giant growled.

  “Did someone piss in your cereal this morning or something?” Jake responded, moving toward Eva and King Kong. He shifted the beer bottles so he held them in one hand.

  “It’s okay, Jake. Chris is about to leave. No big deal.” Eva gave him a determined smile and a look that said “please don’t do this.”

  Jake didn’t know what to do. He could tell Eva was upset, but he didn’t want to make things worse for her. He also didn’t want to back down like a pussy. Jake wasn’t chopped liver, but the guy had a good four inches and forty pounds on him—he would likely grind Jake into hamburger meat. But at least his attention on Jake would give Eva a chance to get help.

  “I’ll just stay here,” Jake said, leaning up against the steel siding replete with rust marks.

  The giant’s thunderous expression told Jake his declaration wasn’t appreciated, but the man stayed where he was.

  “Chris.” Eva placed a hand on the man’s arm. “Let’s just talk about this later, okay? Nothing has to be decided today.”

  Chris grunted. “Things have to be settled by Monday. That’s the court date. And I leave next Wednesday.” With that remark, he picked up the motorcycle helmet sitting on the hood of Eva’s Jeep and tucked it under his arm before turning toward Jake. “This guy need his ass whipped before I go?”

  Eva managed a smile. “Nah, that’s just Jake.”

  “If he bothers you, let me know. I could use some fertilizer for my roses.”

  Jake had no idea what was going on, but he was tired of the subterfuge. Looking at Eva, he said, “Who is this asshole?”

  Chris growled and took a menacing step toward Jake.

  Eva jumped in front of Chris, punching the beast on his arm. “This is Chris, my older half brother.”

  “This is Chris?”

  Eva nodded. Chris bared his teeth. Jake started laughing.

  “This is the guy who developed the prize-winning hybrid teacup roses? The horticulture guy?” Jake asked, relaxing a little.

  Chris crossed his arms. “You know, I get tired of this shit. What did you expect? Some skinny dude slumped over in a lab coat, looking at you through Coke-bottle glasses. What? A botanist can’t have tats?”

  “No, you just surprised me. The way Eva talks about you, I just expected—”

  “A pansy?” Chris said, a slight twinkle in his eye even though he still looked annoyed.

  Jake pulled himself from the wall and walked toward Chris. He handed Eva her beer and extended his hand. “I’m Jake Beauchamp. I stand shoulder to shoulder with Eva every day.”

  “Not really,” Eva said, her tone slightly peevish, but Jake knew what she meant. It was rare the captain sent Eva into an assault first. It was a hard thing, being a female firefighter. Most of the men in their unit had been brought up with the notion of carrying packages or opening doors for the fairer sex. Times were a-changing, but the very nature of the men in Magnolia Bend had a lot of catching up to
do. Most still said yes, ma’am, and some thought a woman’s place was either in the home or in traditional female-dominated jobs like being a teacher or nurse.

  “But we do work together.”

  Chris took his hand and delivered a bone-crushing handshake. “I’d say it was good to meet you, but you’ve already pissed me off.”

  “Oh, come on.” Eva punched him in the biceps again. “Be a sport. No one expects a guy like you to dote on dahlias.”

  Chris managed a grin that nearly cracked his face. Like the Tin Man, he probably needed some oil. “Dahlias are my weakness. Okay, what the hell. Bygones and all that.”

  Jake pulled his hand back and tried not to wince at the throbbing pain that the man’s handshake had induced. “I’m glad to finally meet you.”

  Chris jerked his head toward the bike. “Gotta run. Guys are waiting.”

  “I’ll talk to you later, okay?” Eva said, lifting on her tiptoes. Chris bent down so she could buss his granite jaw with a kiss.

  Then with a slap on her ass, Chris straddled his hog and fired it up. “Later.”

  Both Jake and Eva turned and watched him roll out.

  “What was that all about?” Jake asked, turning toward his friend.

  “Just stuff,” Eva said with a shrug of her shoulders, shoving her hands into the back pockets of her shorts. She used her fake happy voice. Something was wrong, but she wasn’t the type to lay her cards on the table. He’d find out…eventually.

  “Worried me for a moment. Looked intense.”

  Eva made a face. “Jeez, Jake, you think you have to save the world, don’t you? I’m not some weak female who needs the tough Jake Beauchamp rescuing her.”

  “I know. And I don’t treat you that way. You know that. But you’d do the same for me.”

  She tilted her head and it made her look cute. Like a teenager. He liked when she did that. “I don’t interfere with you and what you do in a parking lot anymore. Remember?”

  Jake laughed. “It was a bucket list thing.”

  “Twins?”

  He wasn’t going to admit they’d just been goofing off and not really having a three-way. He’d become legendary after Eva and Monk Lewis had caught him with the Bertrand twins messing around in the back of his pickup truck. Okay, so the twins had stripped down to their underwear and they’d all been a little drunk. The whole thing had ended there, and he’d never even scored with either one of them that night…but Eva didn’t know that. “It’s every guy’s fantasy.”

  “You’re sick, you know that?”

  “But you love me anyway,” he said, slinging an arm around her neck and tugging her into a noogie.

  “Stop, Jake, you’re messing up my hair,” she shrieked, elbowing him in the ribs, trying to keep hold of her beer.

  He let her go, grinning at her. Her slick-backed hair stuck up in big mounds. “Looks better.”

  She tugged the rubber band from her hair, and thick brown locks tumbled around her shoulders. “Now look what you did. I don’t have a brush with me.”

  Her hair had honey highlights that caught in the parking lot lights. She looked pretty with her hair down, softer and more like a woman. “I like it like that. You should wear it down more often.”

  Eva’s lips turned down. “Gets in the way.”

  “But it makes you look pretty. Keep it down. You’ll have a better chance of getting lucky tonight.” Even as he said the words, he wanted to reach out and snatch them back. Eva was his friend, but even so, he didn’t like the idea of her with another guy. Which was stupid.

  She snorted. “With who? Do you ever look past the bimbos in Ray-Ray’s? It ain’t exactly brimming with available guys…who have all their teeth.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  Eva started toward the entrance. “Because I’m tired of watching reruns. Nothing on TV and Jenny wanted to get out. She’s on the rebound. The banker broke up with her.”

  Jake rubbed his hands together. “Perfect.”

  Eva turned around and pressed a hand into his chest. “Don’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you can be a nice guy, right? Dance with her. Buy her drinks. But don’t prey on her, Jake.”

  Something in her tone punched him in the solar plexus. “That’s what you think of me? Jesus, Eva, I don’t screw everything in a skirt.”

  “No, you screw everything in a skirt, pants and shorts. I’ve been around you for a few years. I know you.” That tone again. Eva thought he was nothing more than a gigolo, spreading himself around town. But he wasn’t. Well, not really. He’d never sleep with someone who couldn’t go toe-to-toe with him.

  For the first time in forever, he felt embarrassed about the way he lived his life. At the hands of Eva. She never made him feel lacking. Eva was always on his side.

  Her censure surprised him.

  “Maybe you don’t really know me,” he said, his words soft as the night descending around them. Eva’s face glowed in the light cast from above them. She looked so different with her hair down that he wanted to touch her.

  Which freaked him the hell out.

  This was Eva, his best bud. The person who complained about him using all the toothpaste and eating all the yogurt. The woman who left a nest of hair in the drain and beat him at Scrabble every single time they played at the station. This was the one woman he’d never let himself have the slightest attraction for.

  So, yeah, freaked out.

  Eva bit her bottom lip, and Jake found himself really looking at her lips for the first time. They were perfectly proportioned—not too big, but not thin. Pretty lips covered in a creamy lipstick the color of plums.

  Weird.

  “I’m not trying to be mean, Jake. You know I love ya, dude, but just give Jenny some space. She’d go home with you tonight, but she doesn’t need that right now. You know?”

  “I wasn’t planning on taking her home. I was joking when I rubbed my hands together. You know what a joke is, right?” He sounded petulant. Like a kid who’d asked for dessert and got a big fat no.

  Eva smiled then. A strained smile but a smile. “Sure, Jake. I’m acquainted with jokes. Just last week there was that snake in my bed. Ha-ha.”

  “That snake was cute. Admit it,” he said.

  “Only you would think a snake was cute.” She opened the door and slid inside Ray-Ray’s, leaving him outside contemplating the odd dynamics that had just occurred between them. Or maybe it wasn’t between them. Maybe it was him.

  Something he couldn’t explain had ricocheted out of nowhere and popped him right in the face.

  And he didn’t like it.

  He wanted a take-back because he didn’t want to see Eva as anything other than what he’d always seen her as—his bud. Sure, he knew she was attractive. He hadn’t missed that. Pretty obvious. But from day one, he had shifted her into a sort of “family” slot.

  But something had happened just a minute ago.

  No. It was just a trick of the light or something—it had to be. Nothing had changed. Eva was Eva. And he was the same as he’d always been.

  Mostly.

  So he felt itchy in his skin and maybe dissatisfied with his life. That wasn’t new. He went through periods of melancholy…of dwelling on what if.

  What if he’d gone to law school?

  What if he hadn’t tried to avoid that deer?

  What if Clint hadn’t ended up in a wheelchair?

  What if Angela hadn’t died?

  What if he didn’t live in this godforsaken town anymore?

  Yeah, his life was a pile of what-ifs.

  CHAPTER THREE

  EVA HANDED THE stack of trendy jeans to Fancy Beauchamp. “Here, Mrs. Beauchamp. These go on that table up front.”

  Frances “Fancy” Beauchamp was the chairman of the Ladies Auxiliary Annual Rummage Sale to benefit the local women’s shelter. She had hair the color of rhubarb, a smile as wide as her son Jake’s and plenty of pluck to temper her image as the perfect pastor�
��s wife. “Thank you, darlin’,” she said, taking the jeans. “And if you keep calling me Mrs. Beauchamp, I’m going to go lookin’ for my motherin-law. We don’t need that battle-ax around today.”

  Eva reached deeper into the last black garbage bag councilwoman Hilda Brunet had dropped off at the church and pulled out a pair of heels she was certain cost the same as her new flat-screen TV. “Don’t let Jake hear you call his MeeMaw a battle-ax.”

  “Ooooh,” Fancy said, forgetting about MeeMaw Mollie and snatching the shoes from Eva’s hand. She snuck a peek inside the shoe. “Manolo. I might buy these myself.”

  “They look like they’d hurt your feet.”

  Fancy laughed. “Well, honey, sometimes we must suffer to look a little taller and thinner. I’m willing to make that sacrifice.”

  “You’re a preacher’s wife. Aren’t you supposed to be above lust?”

  “I’m pretty sure Paul didn’t know the relationship between women and shoes when he talked about the sins of the flesh,” Fancy joked. Then she twisted her lips. “I’m teasing, you know. I don’t have to have Manolo shoes. I’m content with what I have. But they would look great with my black skirt and the sequined sweater I bought on sale at Chico’s.”

  “Well, if they match, you should go for it. It is, after all, for charity.”

  “Right!” Fancy snapped her fingers before giggling. “I knew you’d validate me, Eva.”

  Eva smiled at Jake’s mom. Like her son, she kept things light and fun. Always joking, cajoling, fattening people up with her “special” recipes, which was code for “a lot of butter.” Fancy was the mother Eva never had.

  “That’s me. Validator.”

  Fancy motioned toward her daughter, Abigail. “Hey, Abi. Eva wants to be called Eva the Validator.”

  Abigail pushed back dark hair with the cool swoosh of silver. Eva always thought Abigail looked dramatic…and a little like Cruella de Vil. “Why? Is she in charge of validating parking or something? I thought it was free.”

  Fancy giggled at her joke. “No, she just validated my purchase of your cousin’s shoes. Look.”