chapter Thirteen
Twenty minutes later, Jake had driven by his house, grabbed a six pack of beer and a bag of chocolate chip cookies—comfort food—and headed down the road to the creek. He had to think, and the only place he could think in peace and quiet without Kel’s issues or his mother’s fixation with the Hot Nuts, or Averie wanting to relive their relationship, was his private hideaway.
He passed Sugar and Paris walking down the road, looking like she might be heading into town. “Don’t do this,” he told himself and backed up his truck.
“Hey,” he said, and she smiled at him.
“Hi.”
Just her smile made his muscles relax. He hadn’t realized how tense he was until he breathed out at the sight of her. “Where are you two ladies off to?”
“We’re heading into town. We’re going to get a new dog bowl and a bag of dog treats.”
He looked at Paris, the world’s most spoiled dog now, and her beautiful red-haired mother. Paris had on an autumn-leaf-themed kerchief around her neck. Sugar wore capri jeans and a green top that showed just a bit of her waist, and he wanted to sit and stare at her all afternoon.
“Where are you going?” Sugar asked.
“Just going to head off for a bit.”
“Oh.” Sugar smiled. “Have fun.” She started walking again, and he watched her fanny move from side to side in the tight jeans, and groaned.
She was dynamite in his world, capable of blowing his heart to bits. He knew that now, but he wasn’t entirely sure it mattered.
He pulled his truck up beside her, and she and Paris stopped again. Sugar looked at him, a question in her eyes.
“I’m going to take the canoe out.”
She nodded. “Good.”
“You know, I—”
“Jake. I get it. You don’t have to explain anything to me. This is one of those times where you need to get away. You have your ways, just like Lassiter.”
He looked at her. “I guess so. Never thought about it that way before, but—”
“Anyway, you don’t have to tell me every time you breathe, Jake.” Sugar smiled at him, and his heart dropped. “I’ve got to go. I promised Paris treats, and I keep my word.”
He nodded, and she went on down the road.
He let the truck idle, a feeling of discontentment stirring inside him. The problem was, he shouldn’t have told her—anyone—he was going to his private hangout. It sort of ruined the effect of going off to work things out.
What had really ruined it was Sugar saying she understood that he had his ways. He hadn’t known he had “a way” until she’d said that.
He wasn’t really like Lassiter. He didn’t do private benders. Just a six pack alone with his thoughts.
He didn’t really want to be alone with his thoughts. He wanted to be alone with her.
“Hey,” he said, pulling up alongside Sugar again, “would Paris consider a trip to the creek a treat?”
Sugar looked at him but didn’t stop walking, forcing him to slowly edge the truck forward to keep up with her. “She probably would. But she has to decline your invitation. She has social calls in town to make.”
“The invitation was for both of you.”
Sugar smiled. “Thank you. But we have other engagements.” She peeked over the window at his stash. “Is that your picnic?”
“Yeah. Beer and chocolate chip cookies.”
“Ew.” Sugar resumed walking. “Whatever floats your boat.”
“Cute.”
Sugar rewarded him with a smile.
“Get in,” he said, “both of you.”
“No,” she said, “I’m not the kind of girl to intrude on a man’s cave time. And Paris definitely isn’t. Well, she is, she’s an attention drain, but I’m bribing her with treats so she says maybe another time, thanks.”
He grinned listening to her create a story for Paris. Sugar could not be the horrible person his mother’s investigator seemed to think she was. He knew it wasn’t possible, because until he’d met Sugar, he hadn’t known how happy he could be with a woman.
Jake got out of the truck and stood in the road. Sugar turned around. “What are you doing?”
“Either you go with me, or I’m going with you.”
“But what about your ways?”
He walked up to her, kissing her until she rose up on her toes and put her arms around his neck. “I’m trying to find a new way,” Jake said against her lips. “You coming?”
“I have to take Paris back home.”
“Why can’t she come?”
“In your canoe?”
She looked adorably concerned. “Yeah,” Jake said. “And we’ll stop in town first to get her treat, because if there’s one thing I can’t bear, it’s doggie disappointment. We’ll also pick up something for you to toss in the cooler that goes better with beer.”
“If you’re sure.”
He led her to the truck. Paris got in the middle with a big doggie grin, and Sugar laughed, making him smile.
He’d never been more sure of anything in his life.
“So the purpose of the secret hangout,” Sugar said, “is for you to have time to sort things out. Anything you want to share?” She flicked some water at him as they floated in the creek. Jake had brought a couple of rafts and so they floated side by side while Paris lay on the bank, chewing a bone Jake had commandeered from somewhere.
“Yeah,” Jake said. “It occurs to me that I’ve shared two of my secret hangouts with you, while you’ve been keeping yours remarkably quiet.”
“I don’t have a hangout.”
“Well, you should. I don’t even get invited inside your house, though.”
“That’s true. Not likely to change.”
He jiggled her raft a little just to shake her up. “You could at least invite me over for a movie night like you have with Paris.”
“That would involve you getting into my bed.”
“Oh. Something wrong with the DVD player in the den? I put that in not four years ago.”
Sugar smiled. “Haven’t used it once. The one in the bedroom gets all the playtime.”
“I like it,” Jake said. “I envy Paris like I’ve never envied a dog before.”
“The vet says she’s coming along nicely. Gained weight, her coat looks better, and she’s even acting more secure.” Sugar smiled. “Don’t envy her. She deserves all the good times she’s getting in Pecan Creek.”
“I know.” He sighed. “Pecan Creek is good times.”
She looked at him. “How’s Kel?”
“Terrible. Miserable.” Jake took her fingers in his, lacing them together as they floated. “He’s a dimwit, but I hate to see him suffer like this.”
“I told Lucy.”
“I’m sure she was just thrilled to find out someone’s wife blames her for the breakup of her marriage.”
“Lucy’s pretty emotionally well defended.” Sugar looked up at the sky. “I tried to talk her into going back to college.”
“Did she bite?”
“No. She says she’s learning too much in Pecan Creek.”
“Uh-oh,” Jake said. “That’s a knife that cuts both ways.”
Sugar laughed. “Why are you always so guarded about this darling little town?”
“Because Peyton Place was minor league compared to Pecan Creek.” He looked at her. “Promise me you’ll tell me if you ever hear a rumor that upsets you.”
She raised a brow. “A rumor like you’re getting back together with Averie?”
He frowned. “Who told you that?”
“No one.” She studied his face, noting the suddenly tight frown line and drawn mouth. He was so handsome, even when he was annoyed, like right now. It made her want to kiss the annoyance away—and yet, she had to keep her distance. “Would you tell me?”
“I can honestly tell you that there is no way that will happen. But, Sugar, it won’t surprise me if people try to tell you things to make you change your mind about being in Pecan Creek.”
She studied his face. “You were coming here to peace out, and now you sound so serious. What is going on?”
He sighed. “Can’t I tell you after I make love to you?”
“Wow. It must be bad.” Sugar tugged his raft closer to hers and flicked water at him again. The droplets looked good lying against his deep brown skin and strong muscles. She could barely take her gaze from his body—which was a trap, because she couldn’t be blinded by the amazing packaging. “Are you saying you think we won’t be friends if I know whatever’s on your mind?”
“I’m pretty sure I won’t be getting into bed in the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas room with you.” He winked at her. “Process of elimination. I know Lucy got the Belle Watling room. I figure Maggie didn’t want the American Gigolo room, because she’s more the type to go for J.R. Ewing. I knew that after she wrapped Lassiter around her finger.”
“Good guess, Sherlock,” Sugar said. “Quit stalling.”
He sighed. “Okay. If I tell you, you have to promise me you won’t jump in my canoe and paddle off.”
“I never make promises I can’t keep.”
“Figures. Are you sure you won’t let me make love to you before I tell you?” Jake looked hopeful. “Believe me, you’d be surprised how good raft sex can be. In fact, canoe sex doesn’t exactly suck, though it requires a little more balance.”
“You know this from first-hand experience?”
“No.” He laughed. “A guy has fantasies.”
“So does a woman,” Sugar said. “How do you know that I won’t reward you for your secrets by tearing off your clothes?”
“You might tear off my clothes, but it will only be to leave me here stranded.” His tone was morose.
She got off her raft and slipped onto his, straddling him. “Start talking, or I take off my top. And you will not be allowed to touch. I’m not exactly bragging, but my top hides some things you’ll probably like.”
“I heard.” Jake sighed. “Believe me, I’m a man who lives in daily hell.”
“What are you talking about?” Sugar bounced on his midsection, making him ooph.
“Oh God. Here ends the best month of my life,” Jake said. “Kel was up on the roof one day and saw you ladies enjoying quiet time in the backyard.”
Sugar stared down into his face. “Quiet time? You mean, he saw us without our tops on?”
He nodded.
“That sneaky piece,” Sugar said. “And he told you?”
“He was in some kind of supernatural ecstasy when he gasped the story out. The problem is, I think he told a lot of people.”
Sugar shook her head. “The next time I see him, I’m going to jerk out that ponytail he’s so proud of.” She looked at Jake. “You tell him to stay the hell off our roof, and that goes double for you.”
“Me?” Jake looked indignant. “I don’t want to see them from far away. I’m waiting to be invited for the up-close-and-personal view.”
Sugar wasn’t amused. “Is there more?”
“Yeah.”
She respected the fact he didn’t even put his hands around her backside or try to make a move. He kept one hand behind his head and the other in the water, holding her raft, though it was tied to a line and wouldn’t go anywhere. “So?”
“Vivian had a background check on your family.”
Sugar blinked. “The only person necessary for a background check might have been me, since it’s my name on the lease. She wouldn’t have needed one for Maggie and Lucy.”
“This was more than your average background check.”
Sugar gasped. “She hired a PI to snoop into our lives?”
“And there goes my chance at realizing my sexual fantasies,” Jake said softly. “Yes, she did. I’m sorry, Sugar. I didn’t know. She just told me, and I blessed her out about it.”
“What exactly was Vivian looking for?” Sugar asked, her tone freezing.
“Dirt. She wants you to leave Pecan Creek.”
“What is her problem?”
“Well,” Jake said, “she has several, but I think Maggie’s a problem because she’s cool, and now she’s grabbed Lassiter, whom Mom’s had a thing for for years. Lucy’s trouble because she’s Lucy, and frankly, Mom’s a little stuck in Victorian times. Lucy’s bellybutton ring, short skirts and tat offend Mom’s sense of propriety for Pecan Creek.”
“That is dumb,” Sugar said. “Tell her to mind her own business. We’re not going to dress to impress her, and tough titty if Mom and Lassiter have a thing. Vivian could get a man if she wasn’t a dried-up old stick who judges everyone.”
Jake sighed. “There are some reasons for that, but I agree.”
“So what’s her problem with me?”
“Well, apparently the fact that I like you.” He ran a hand down her arm. “You’re divorced. Mom thinks I’d get back together with Averie if I wasn’t blinded by you. I told her to butt out, but then she sprung the PI bit on me. It was not our best family moment.”
“What about me?”
Jake winced. “Sugar, I want you to know that I don’t care about any of this. It was none of my business. It doesn’t change the fact that I think you’re a helluva woman.”
“Jake,” Sugar said, “what about me?”
“You’re divorced, and your ex is still crazy about you,” Jake said, surrendering. He was too far in to work himself free now. “He wants your business to fail so you’ll come home with your tail between your legs and get back with him, apparently.”
Sugar’s eyebrows drew together in a frown. “That’s not going to happen. I will never return to Ramon, or Florida. If this doesn’t work out, we’re on our way to live near family in Oklahoma.”
That was the last thing Jake wanted to happen. He wanted Sugar right here, in his world. “There’s some theory that you ran off your stepfather. Or that something happened to him.”
Sugar’s eyes narrowed. Jake’s chest tightened as Sugar didn’t deny it.
“And that your sister was dishonestly discharged from the military,” Jake finished on a rush of misery. “Something about a problem with an officer. That’s the whole graveyard the PI dug up.”
Sugar looked at him for a long moment.
Then she got off him, slipped into the water and splashed up on the bank.
“Sugar!”
She whistled for Paris, who jumped up with her bone and dove into the canoe. Sugar shoved off hard—she was a lot stronger than he’d given her credit for—and before he could get himself off the raft and up the bank, she was paddling smoothly through the water.
Jake shook his head. “I saw that coming,” he muttered. “I can’t say the odds on that weren’t greatly stacked against me.”
He pulled the rafts in, then sank onto his chair and opened a beer.
Wish I’d brought a case. I need divine intervention from the goddess of hops.
Sugar tore into the house, startling Lucy, who was eating popcorn on the sofa and looking at a magazine, dreaming of the day when she could afford a new pair of sandals and maybe a crossbody bag. “Sugar!” Lucy exclaimed. “You scared me half to death!”
“We’ve got to leave here,” Sugar said. “Start packing up your stuff. Find Maggie.”
“What in the world happened?” Lucy stared at her sister. “Sit down for a minute and get a grip.”
“I don’t want to get a grip.” Sugar looked wild, and Lucy’s heart dropped into her stomach. “My grip is gone.”
Lucy blinked. “Did Vivian get to you too?”
Sugar whirled to face her. “What do you mean, too?”
Lucy shrugged. “She gets to everyone. I just pretty much figured out a way around her. Or at least my friends did. Get a glass of wine and sit down, and we’ll burn an effigy of her together. Or I bet I can whip up a really good voodoo doll that will have her jumping around.”
Sugar looked frantic. “Lucy, we can’t stay. This is not the warm and inviting town I hoped it might be. It’s not. We’re going to have to find a new place to live.”
“I don’t know. I feel pretty welcome here.” Lucy got up to get her sister a generous glass of wine and a big gulp of the grape for herself. “Whatever it is, we’ll work it out.”
“Oh yeah?” Sugar took a slug of the wine. Some of the color returned to her cheeks, and Lucy waved her sister to the sofa. “You too, Paris. Dogs are supposed to lower our blood pressure. Don’t share any fleas, though.”
“She has no fleas,” Sugar said absently. “The vet says she’s clean as a whistle now. No fleas, no—do not try to change the subject.”
“I won’t. What happened?”
“Vivian put a PI on us to dig up our dirty laundry.”
“Wow, she is a determined old biddy, isn’t she?” Lucy patted Paris and made kissy noises at the dog. “We don’t care what she found, do we, Paris?”
Sugar looked at her. “Lucy, Vivian knows about your dishonorable discharge. And if you think she’s going to keep that quiet, you’re not being realistic.”
“Personally, I don’t give a shit. No one knows why, do they?”
“He called it a problem with an officer. So no, it’s not known that you practically took the guy out who tried to—”
“Anyway, I don’t care if the whole world knows,” Lucy said. “I shouldn’t have been cowed at the time the thing blew up. I should have screamed from the rooftops what really happened.” She shrugged. “I know I embarrassed you, Sugar, but the fact is, I can’t worry about that. I didn’t like that creep, and I sure wasn’t looking for him to try to force himself on me, off base or not.”
Sugar took a deep breath. “I wanted a fresh start for us. This is not it.”
“What’d the old bat dig up on Maggie?”
“Nothing. Her problem with Maggie seems to be jealousy.”
“Like we didn’t know that from day one.” Lucy laughed. “Who would you rather be, happy-go-lucky Maggie or unhappy Vivian?”
Sugar shook her head. “I want more for Maggie than a vicious woman who’s gunning for her.”
Lucy shrugged. “Let Maggie decide. Frankly, I don’t think she’s going to give a damn. She’s got Lassiter, and to be real direct, I think she’s moved in with him. Which is kind of funny, if you think about it, because Maggie was always real hard on us about not living in sin, giving away the milk for free, not letting a man—”
“Just about everything Maggie ever told me was helpful,” Sugar said. “If she wants to make a new life with that big rancher cowboy grandfather, I vote yes.”
“Okay, then,” Lucy said, trying to soothe her sister. “So what do we care about old Viv? The worst has come out. So we’ll never make the social register of Pecan Creek. Do we really give a flip?”
Sugar shook her head. Drank some wine. Shook her head again.
“What else was there?”
“Nothing,” Sugar said. “That was about it.”
Lucy felt pretty certain her sister was holding back on her. It was typical of Sugar to try to protect her. “Sugar, when Vivian talked to me, she did everything but threaten to feed Maggie to the wolves. She threatened my job, told me she was going to take Maggie’s mayorship.” Lucy shook her head. “Which is stupid, because Maggie will be a wonderful mayor. Sometimes Vivian hurts Pecan Creek more than she helps it, in my opinion.”
Sugar nodded. “Jake is nothing like her.”
Lucy leaned back and picked her magazine back up. “See? Everything is fine. Even Paris is happy here, aren’t you, girl? The vet says you’re a princess now.” She kissed the dog on the nose, and Paris put an adoring paw on her leg. “Spoiled rotten. You can be one of the Shady Ladies of Pecan Creek with us. But if Vivian thinks I’m going to wear a hair shirt, she’s going to find out that hair shirts are not my fashion aesthetic. You wear the fur, and I’ll wear the short skirts, Paris. I say if we’ve got it, we ought to flaunt the hell out of it.”
Sugar got up and walked around the room, staring at the artifacts Vivian had staged the house with. Lucy watched her sister, troubled. “Sugar, why did Jake tell you all this, anyway?”
“I think he didn’t want me to be broadsided by his mother. There were other little details, like the fact that Kel saw us sunbathing topless when he was on our roof one day, and—”
Lucy shook her head. “Had to have been a shock to his tiny-brained system. Where’s Jake now?”
“I couldn’t tell you.”
Lucy nodded. There were lots of things her sister didn’t talk about—and Jake was going to have to learn that if he really wanted Sugar, he was going to have to muzzle his busybody mother.
She looked at the cute, spiky red shoes and red patent crossbody bag she’d love for Christmas. Vivian would probably pee her bunched-up drawers if Lucy walked into church wearing those.
Lucy smiled, then put the magazine down.
It was time to go to work.