Count on Me (Petal, Georgia) (2 page)

Polly’s smile fell away. “Oh, dear. I’m sorry, I didn’t even think.”

Caroline shook her head. “You have every right to be happy about things like that. They’re good things.”

“I knew your parents. I liked them both a great deal, and I have never believed that your daddy could have done it.”

Relief washed through Caroline at Polly’s words.

“He looked at her like the sun rose and set with her. And she looked at him right back that way. It just never made sense to me the way the whole thing was handled. I just want you to know that. It’s going to be difficult here in town sometimes. People judge you based on what they’ve heard, not always what they know. But you hold your head up.”

Caroline blinked back tears. “Thank you for that. Truly.”

Their food came, and Melissa tipped her chin to indicate the heaping plate of french fries she’d also delivered. “Fries because why not? They were hot and crispy.” She winked at Caroline.

Caroline popped one in her mouth, wincing at the heat, but they were so good. “So awesome. Thank you. I’ll call you tonight. I need to go grocery shopping first because I have peanut butter and a box of stuffing. I did maybe eat pie for breakfast.”

The Proffits, the people who’d owned and run the Honey Bear for near thirty years, wanted to retire. Their son was an architect and didn’t want the business. Melissa and her fiancé had owned and run a cooking school. Something bad had happened, and Melissa, who was Maryellen Proffit’s niece, had moved to Petal seven months before to take over and run the Honey Bear and seemed to be happy she had.

“Okay. We close up at five thirty so any time after six or so.” Melissa hustled off to help some customers while Caroline and Polly chatted an hour more or so before Caroline needed to get going or she’d never get her grocery shopping done.

On the sidewalk, after Polly had bussed her cheek and click-clacked away in her heels, Caroline could only smile and shake her head at what a total force of nature Polly Chase was. Edward was a really lucky man.

Chapter Three

Caroline stared up the box she needed.

On the top shelf.

Naturally.

Sighing, she looked through her cart to for something to use to tip it down. Nothing that would work.

Muttering a curse, she stretched and just barely missed it. She’d totally climb the shelves if she had to but the last time she’d tried it, she’d ended up knocking a bunch of jars down and they broke and it was pretty embarrassing. Heaven knew she had enough to work against as it was without an incident on aisle ten with cereal.

“Lemme get that for you.”

She looked to the side at the very tall cowboy who’d sidled up to use all his height to retrieve her box of cereal.

“This here?” He pointed at the natural cereal she liked.

“Yes, thanks.”

He grabbed it.

“Can you please get two? I figure I may as well just have a backup now, you know in case you aren’t around the next time I’m here.”

He pulled one more down and turned to drop them in her cart. That’s when she realized it was Royal Watson. All grown up.

He faced her and all her parts stood up and cheered. Like a full-stadium wave.

“Hey, it’s Caroline Mendoza.”

Oh. That accent. All Southern charm. Sexy and slow, like he tasted every word, savoring it before he let it go. She did love a Southern drawl coming from a man who used words like ma’am when they opened doors and retrieved things from high shelves. She knew it was pretty old school of her, but damn she didn’t even care.

“Hey, it’s Royal Watson. Thanks again for the assist.”

His grin made her want to moan.

Back in high school, he’d been two grades ahead. He’d been that super cute older boy who probably never noticed her existence. And of course by the time she’d grown into her body, he’d grown into his
everything
and she’d left town.

He had great hands. She tore her gaze away from them and her brain from imagining them on her because
hello
, grocery store, in front of people and all.

As if he knew what she was thinking, he got just a smidge closer. “It’s good to see you. You’re in town. For a visit or?”

She laughed, putting a hand at her hip. “Come on now. Are we pretending you haven’t already heard I moved back to Petal? I may have forgotten my share of things about living in small towns, but your business is everyone’s business.” And her past had so much meat for the gossip table, she knew tongues had been wagging ever since she signed the lease on her apartment three weeks before.

“All right. Well, my Aunt Denver is famous for two things. First, she makes the best coconut cake in a hundred-mile radius. Maybe even the whole state of Georgia, but there’s some serious old-lady cake competition out there so I can’t be totally sure. Second, she’s got a nose for gossip that is, as my uncle says, unparalleled. I was just being neighborly and was gonna let you divulge all the details to me yourself.”

She pushed her cart and he followed. “Yes, I’m back for good.”

He loped along at her side. “I may as well come with you. You’re what they call size challenged. In case you need something else from the top shelf, I’ll come in handy.”

“Oh you’re not going to use the S word? Go on then. Short. I’m short.”

“Why, Ms. Mendoza, I do believe you’re yanking my chain. I think you’re more fun sized than short.”

She blushed. “I don’t know why they have to have shelves that are so high to start with. How do all the little old ladies get their cereal anyway?”

“Darlin’, they eat Cheerios and mother’s oats. All that fancy organic stuff is on the high shelf ’cause it’s just you city girls who eat it. I’d check the sell-by date on it, just in case it went bad in 2010 or something.”

“There’s not a darned thing wrong with wanting healthy options.”

He grinned again. “I’m teasing. Well, I’m telling the truth, but also teasing. Heck, we converted the farm into an organic operation three years ago. I’m always happy when people want the healthier option.”

“You did? That’s awesome.”

Before she could ask more questions, they had to skirt around a gaggle of women who gave him the once-over twice.

“I see it’d be impossible to take you anywhere.” Caroline gave him a raised brow.

He held his hands out all innocent-like. “You, sweet thing, can take me anywhere you like. In any case, I can’t be blamed for being so handsome and charming.”

She laughed. Good Lord he was adorable.

“So you’re working with Edward Chase then?”

“I bet the gossip already knows what color my sheets are too. Yes. My first day is Monday.”

“Makes sense you’re a lawyer now. You did love to argue back in school.”

As if he’d ever noticed her! Had he?

She managed to pretend she was cool and not giddy. Probably worked. “My uncle says it’s a wonderful thing when you can make a living off your most annoying trait.”

She paused to put some soup in her cart. “Can you?” She pointed toward the chicken broth.

“There’s cans of it right there,” he said as he pulled the carton down.

“I have to buy three of the cans to make one of those cartons. And I can use the carton more than once. It has a screw-on top.”

“Ah.”

Back toward the front of the store he paused, turning to her so she was caged in by the buggy and his body.

Her heart sped as he seemed to block out everything but him.

He lowered his voice, getting just a little closer. “You grew up gorgeous, Caroline.”

She licked her lips, his gaze locked on her mouth. A blush crept up her neck, and she tightened her hold on the buggy before she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him close for a kiss.

So close she could see the gold flecks in his green eyes. The shadow of the dent in his chin even through the scruff of his beard. His skin was sun kissed, his body one of a man who worked outside a lot.

The heat of his body washed over her as the scent of him—of the cold air outside, the detergent from his shirt—reached her nose. It turned out to be pretty difficult not to lean in and sniff him. She bet he smelled really good where his neck met his shoulder.

“Whatever can you be thinking? I hope it’s really dirty.”

He was without a doubt ridiculously sexy. There was chemistry between them, for damn sure.

It was…sweaty palms, dry mouth, slow-dance-in-a-high-school-gym chemistry. He made her giddy and silly even as he made her tingly and super hot for him. All in the freezer section of the local grocery store in Petal. That took some major testosterone.

“I’m pretty sure the frozen peas don’t need to hear my dirty thoughts. As for your compliment? Uh, my genes thank you. Except the ones that made me short. Though I sort of think fun sized is a good descriptor.”

“I bet the peas would be as excited to hear you talk dirty as I am. You should give me your phone number so I can call you and ask you out.”

Lord he made her smile. “I should?”

“Oh yeah. I give really good date. How long’s it been since you’ve been dancing, Caroline?”

“Too long apparently.” She cocked her head and looked up at him. “Well, Royal, I’ll make you a deal.”

“Oh yeah? Let me hear it then. I’m sort of easy for big brown eyes.”

It had been years since she’d flirted like this. It felt really good.

“You find me in town, and the next time I see you, I might just give you my number. Until then thank you for your assistance with the high shelves.”

She winked and moved past him. “It was very nice to see you again. And for the record? You grew up awful sexy.”

Royal watched her go, a grin on his face. Caroline Mendoza was fucking beautiful. Oh sure, she’d been pretty enough all those years ago when she’d been a younger girl. But the grown-up Caroline, damn did he want a taste of that.

He went back to get the stuff on his own shopping list, and when he went through the checkout, that damned Melanie Deeds was working the register. The woman was like the clap. She kept showing up no matter how hard you wished she’d just go away.

“Hey, Royal.”

He nodded. “Melanie.” He didn’t want to engage, but he wasn’t raised to be rude either. He busied himself getting his wallet out and swiping his card to pay for the groceries, hoping she’d get the hint.

“I saw you talking with Caroline Mendoza.”

So the answer to that getting-the-hint thing was clearly a no.

He nodded, not wanting to say anything to encourage her. Not that it made one bit of difference.

“You know her daddy done kilt her momma. Trash. Her brother and sister, they’re okay. They stayed back here to live with the Lassiters, but
she
went on out to Los Angeles.” Melanie wrinkled her nose. “With
his
people. Look at her back here like she never up and left Petal in the first place.”

He knew it would do no good at all to go down this road with her. And if he took the bait it would be all over town in ten minutes. Better to give her as little ammunition as possible.

Still, he wasn’t just going to remain silent. “Lucky for her she looks darned good doing it.” He looked to the register and repeated his earlier question. “That the total?”

“You don’t want to go and tar yourself with that brush, Royal. You got free of them Murphys at long last, why do you go and get involved with trash like a Mendoza? Everyone knows what she is.”

He narrowed his gaze. “
Them Murphys?
You mean my best friends? And Caroline isn’t trash, though certainly there are
some
who’d say so. Guess I can’t blame ’em, seeing how beautiful and accomplished she is and all. Now,
is that my total
, because I’d like to pay for my groceries and get away from you as soon as I can.”

Charlie Perkins was behind Royal in line and snorted a laugh he tried to cover up with a cough.

“I’m just trying to warn you. Folks around here—the decent ones—aren’t going to associate with a person like that. A murderer.”

“I’ll let you know when I’m speaking to a decent one.” He pulled some twenties from his wallet, tossed them down, cancelled his card and put it away before grabbing his grocery bags. “You ought to try being decent, Melanie. It does your heart good.” He strolled out, annoyed.

He’d gone out with Anne Murphy for several years so he was more than familiar with the stupidity of those in Petal like Melanie. It wasn’t that he didn’t know Caroline would be judged by some. Her mother’s murder had been a horrible event in Petal history, and the trial and subsequent conviction of her father had the town splitting up into camps.

Royal had been young, a senior in high school when the whole thing had gone down. He wasn’t sure what to think other than to know Caroline was not to blame for what her father did or didn’t do.

He loaded the bags into his truck and headed home. He’d had some major tingles for Caroline Mendoza. She made him laugh. Called him sexy.

It had been eighteen months since he and Anne had broken up for good. He’d wanted something permanent, and she never would accept it so he finally had to walk away.