Burn For You (Boys of the South) (7 page)

Now, I publically claim Mia as my daughter, and for whatever reason, Paisley’s not fighting me on it. She’s not exactly supporting me either, but I’ll take what I can get.

“Thank you, but what’s done is done, and since I’m pretty sure you’re not going to hire me, I’ll be on my way.” She rises to her feet, smoothing her skirt down, and then holding out her hand. “Thank you for letting me play with Mia. She’s a sweet girl and lucky to have you for a dad.”

For the last time, I take Landry’s hand in mine, softly stroking skin I’ll never touch again.  “If things were different, you’d be my first choice, but... I made a promise to Mia’s mother that I’d stay on the straight and narrow.” Actually, I had found out that I don’t like myself very much when I veer off that path. I tried to be like my dad, like my brothers, and like everyone assumed I was, only to discover that casual hookups left me feeling empty inside.

A little worry line appears on her forehead. “Are the two of you getting back together?”

“In a perfect world, we would have never been apart, but like you said, what’s done is done.” I have no idea why I’m revealing this part of me to her. “Mia is the most important person in my life right now, and I can’t do anything to jeopardize being with her.”

Landry smiles, beautiful and blinding. She squeezes my hand, and her gaze gets all soft. “So very nice to have met you again, and gotten to see this side of you. Most people probably don’t know it even exists.”

She’s so right that it’s scary. I let go of her hand and wink. “I prefer my public persona.”

“That includes bare ass pictures on Google?” This time she winks, and it’s all I can do not to grab her, kiss her, and strip her out of her conservative clothes. The urge to hear her sigh my name, to be the one to make her moan and scream, and claw my back while I sink my dick deep inside her rides me hard. I can almost taste it.

“You can let yourself out.” I know I can’t follow her, because I can’t trust myself. “I’ll give Kimmie a really good reason as to why I can’t hire you, okay?”

She nods before practically running to the front door, her heels clicking on the marble floor.  I breathe in and out, slowly, until I can’t smell Landry’s perfume or shampoo, or whatever she uses to smell so fucking edible.

Thank God, Mrs. Williams won’t be here for another two hours. By then, I should be back to normal, and Mia will be up, distracting me from thinking about what could have been.

It’s for the best
, I tell myself as I grab Mia’s monitor and head to the garage to get the tables I need for tonight’s poker game with my buddies. But a not-so-small part of me wonders if I had a woman like Landry in my life, would I be going through the shit I am now.

Then again, I wouldn’t have Mia. I smile and silently berate myself for whining. My daughter makes everything worth it.

“I
didn’t
get the job.” I stick out my bottom lip and shut the door behind me.

My momma makes a tsking noise and gives me a quick hug. “I’m sorry, honey. I just knew you had it.”

“I thought I did, too, but the other lady who was up for it had more experience.” Not to mention, Beau wouldn’t make her all hot and bothered, or question her sanity and morals.  Or maybe he would...

I plop down in the chair beside my little brother. He’s busy playing Minecraft on his tablet. I wave a hand under his nose. “Earth to Jamie.”

He turns, muttering, “I’m building a house.”

“Don’t forget to check the basement for zombies.”

My dad grunts. “I thought I said no electronics at supper.”

Jamie turns off his game and hands it to our mom. “Yes, sir,” he says meekly, but I’m not fooled. He doesn’t want to be grounded, or he’ll suffer from withdrawal. Bless his little addicted brain.

After blessing the food, I get right down to business. “I’m not letting this setback keep me down. A girl I know from school is cleaning houses down in Myrtle Beach. She said I could stay with her and go half on everything, including what we earn cleaning.”

“Take your time, sweet pea,” my dad says. “Graduation was barely a week ago. There’s no need to rush into anything.”

Still, I feel like a loser. Who wants to come back and live with their parents when they’re a healthy adult and fully capable of working? “Thanks, Dad. But I don’t want to be a burden to you guys, and the grace period for my loans ends in less than six months. The countdown’s already started.” I stab a hunk of lettuce and an olive.

My parents give me twin sympathetic smiles, before they change the subject. Fine by me, since I have no desire to talk about my interview with Beau. Or his cutie pie daughter. Or all the pictures he has of her. Or the way he makes my knees weak or my—

Jamie smacks my arm.

“Ow. What did you do that for?” I snap at him, rubbing my arm.

“Because you’ve been inside your head for the past ten minutes,” my mom laughs. “Stop thinking about that job and enjoy your supper, young lady.”

I smile weakly. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Who was the interview with?” my dad asks. “Colin Cruise or Tom Firth? Maybe that guy who plays Jason Bourne.”

My parents will flip when I tell them, but since I won’t be working there, it’s a safe bet I don’t have to worry about them wanting to drive me to my first day of work.

“Beau Montgomery.”

Two forks clatter to the table, even my brother stops mid-chew, his green eyes round.

“As in Rookie of the Year, Beau Montgomery?”

“Yes.”

“Remington Montgomery’s son?”

“Yes.”

“Chase Montgomery’s brother?”

How many times do I have to say yes? “Er, yes.”

My dad lets out a whistle. “That would have been one hell of a job, Landry. I would have driven you there myself if I’d known—you know, just in case his reputation with the ladies is deserved.”

“What reputation is that?” asks my thirteen-year old brother.

My mother gives my dad a pointed look. He tugs at the collar of his blue shirt. “He’s real nice to them.”

“Then wouldn’t he be nice to Landry?”

My dad’s expression goes from stars in his eyes to the grim reaper is coming. “Yeah, he would have been real nice to my daughter.”

Oh good grief. “He was nothing but professional. I met his daughter, his dad—”

“You met Remington!” My dad throws his napkin on the table and shakes his head. “Can’t win for losing.”

“Don’t mind him,” my mom says, patting my dad’s hand. “He’s still smarting over the time he stood in the rain for two hours to get Remington’s autograph, and it turned out to be a fake sighting.”

“Not fake. It was for Sterling Kyle. No one wants his John Hancock,” my dad mutters. “I misunderstood, is all.”

My mom pats his hand. “Bless your heart.”

I giggle, and Jamie snorts. “I think mom just cursed you out,” my brother says.

“She’s been cursing me out for years,” my dad says teasingly, and my mom blushes.  “But she hasn’t kicked me out yet.”

“It’s not the end of the day. Yet,” she says.

“Miss Sassy Mouth, I do adore you.”

“Y’all go back to eating.” But I don’t miss the pleased smile she gives my dad, nor do I miss the kiss he brushes against her cheek.

I exchange a look with Jamie, but we both know we’re lucky to have parents like we do. In some ways we’re unlucky too, because how often in life do you meet
the one,
and stay with them for the next thirty years?

The house phone rings. My brother jumps up at answer it. He’s at the age when girls are calling at all hours, so naturally, he thinks it’s for him.

“Landry,” he shouts from the living room. “It’s for you.”

“Was that boy raised in a barn?” my dad asks, shaking his head. “Guess we’ll be practicing inside voices while we do dishes.”

I meet Jamie in the hallway, take the phone from him, and head to my room. “Hello?”

“This is Kimmie Farnsworth.”

I sit on my bed, my heart picking up speed even though I already know what she will say. “Hi. How are you?”

“Just fine.” There’s a pause and I almost ask if everything’s okay, but she starts talking again. “You got the job.”

I’m stupefied. “I got the job?”

“Yes.  Can you start next week?”

“But—I thought Mrs. Williams was more qualified?”

Mrs. Farnsworth makes a noise of disgust. “Oh, she was something all right, but never you mind that. Mr. Montgomery is short of time, so you’re it.”

I’m it. I’ve got the job. My heart slams into my chest. I’ll be in close proximity to Beau for as long as he wants me, if I go through with this. Can I go through with this? I need the money, but the temptation of him, the charm of him, and our history, though brief, is enough to make me slightly reconsider.

“I—I...ah...”

“You’re overcome. That’s completely understandable. Stop by my office tomorrow around ten a.m., and we’ll go over the particulars. Congratulations, Landry. It’s not every day that one of my girls gets to go to Monaco.”

“Monaco?” I squeak.

“He didn’t speak with you about that?”

No, he was too busy saying dirty things to me, and I was too busy trying not to get turned on by him. And failing. “I think he wanted to speak with Mrs. Williams first.”

“Oh.” I can hear the frown in her voice. “In any case, we can go over the details tomorrow.”

“See you at ten,” I say before we end our call.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, wondering what in the world did that woman do for Beau to have no choice but to hire me instead.

***  ***  ***

B
eau

“Kidnapping,” I say, throwing a few more pieces of candy into the pot.

Cole bounces Mia on his knee, letting her gnaw on the cards in his hands. I’d tell him to stop, but since she keeps flashing what he’s holding, I’m going to keep quiet until I win.

“Seriously?” he asks, and then turns his attention to my daughter. “Want a piece of candy, baby girl?”

“As a heart attack,” I reply, then smack Cole in the arm. “No candy.”

“Sorry, big daddy.”

Oh Jesus. I roll my eyes and then take another drink. Of water. Yeah, I’m all hardcore these days.

“Why would anyone want to kidnap your kid? You’re not that damn famous,” Parker says flatly, his eyes narrowing at Mia and Cole.

Shaking my head, I rearrange my cards.  I have no idea why Parker dislikes me so much.

Well, that’s not entirely true. When I first lived in Forrestville, the Morgan boys and I were all residents of the same shitty trailer park. Cole and I had run wild in that place, with Parker always trailing after us. Always wanting to be included. Only I didn’t want to include him. I wanted Cole all to myself. So I did everything I could to make sure Parker couldn’t be included.

A dick move to be sure, but I was only nine. By the time I was twelve and Cole was eleven, we were like a gang of brothers, minus the gang. Parker was still on the outs, though I had started to include him more... but then I found my mother’s corpse and social services shipped me off my uncle’s.

“Maybe she wanted to kidnap me, because I’m so damn hot and let’s face it—I’m fucking spectacular in bed,” I say, falling back on what I do best with these guys. I’m the pretty blonde, the one who never takes anything seriously, and the one who came up with Bro Rules.

What they don’t understand is that I live a triple life. Here, with these guys, I’m one version of myself, another version for my racing fans, and yet a third with my family. Maybe Cole would get it, being engaged to Violet Rae and all, but it’s still not the same as actually living it.

“Guys don’t say spectacular,” Parker snaps, on edge more than usual. There’s one more reason he’s so prickly with me right now, and it has nothing to do with how we grew up, and everything to do with what I know about his current job. And I’m not referring to the one here at The Double Deuce, where he bartends.

“Guys who are completely comfortable with their sexuality do.” I set the bottle of water down on the table and tilt my head to one side, shit-eating grin on my face. “You do know what sex is, or is Cole not allowing you to play with girls, yet?”

Parker shoves back from the table, throwing his cards down at the same time. “Fu—” He eyes Mia and takes a deep breath. “I’m done.”

“Giving up before winning is the sign of a sore loser, bro.” I can’t help needling him. It’s how we communicate, and it only gets worse when we have stuff going on in our lives that neither of us are willing to talk about.

Parker’s
aw shucks ma’am
is an act, just like my dumb blonde one. Only, I don’t know all of his secrets while he and Cole know all of mine.

Except for the nanny I’m inconveniently attracted to and have to hire, because the woman I needed to hire is a full-on nutcase who kidnaps children, then helps
find
them, and collects the reward. Her last victim, a reading prodigy at only three years old, had finally told on her.

Thank God.

“Grow the hell up, asshole,” Parker growls.

Suddenly, Cole stands and says, “Take your daughter, Beau.”

I make a face. “Why?”

“Because I’m about to beat my brother’s a-s-s.” It’s slightly amusing to hear such a hulk of a guy actually spell out curse words.

Parker’s expression goes from pissed off to livid. “You’re taking his side?”

With a grunt, Cole stands and hands Mia to me. She snuggles right into the crook of my arm, and I breathe in her baby scent. I swear my heartbeat gets all relaxed around her. She brings me that much joy.

But I can’t let Cole and Parker fall out fighting. For one, Cole would win by default by being one badass motherfucker. Two, whatever is going on with Parker, he needs to let his brother in, not keep pushing him away.

“Hey Parker,” I call out. “Remember that time you, me, and Cole went down to Lake Norman and rode dirt bikes?”

Cole and Parker turn their attention to me, twin expressions of what-the-hell-is-he-talking-about-now on their faces.

A grin breaks out on Parker’s face. “Yeah. I seem to recall that one of us might have repeatedly run into the back of Remington’s new Corvette, until the back end resembled a golf ball.”