Finding Focus (26 page)

“Well, now, don’t get me started on the Voodoo around these parts,” I joke.

Dani spots her luggage and I quickly grab it before she can. The sound of my brother’s voice booming through the building cuts her protest short.

“Is that Sheridan Reed I see?” Deacon yells, causing everyone around us to stop and watch as he lengthens his stride to reach us. He wraps Dani in his arms and twirls her around in greeting. “Bro, you didn’t tell me you were bringin’ Dani home. I would’ve brought the whole family with me!”

“We’re goin’ straight home so we’ll surprise them when we get there. We were just gettin’ ready to go over and see about renting a car. I didn’t know you were comin’.”

“No worries. I’ll just follow you home. I spent the night at the apartment last night after a late shift at Grinders, so I thought I’d stop by to see if you needed a lift. But first, let’s get down to business. Where’s my surprise?”

“What the hell are you talkin’ about?” I ask, knowing exactly where this is going.

“My surprise . . . souvenir . . . present . . . whatever you want to call it, I want it. Hand it over.” Deacon’s face is a wall of stone and he quirks an eyebrow at me. Dani shifts nervously beside me and the look of panic on her face makes me want to laugh, but I don’t.

I play dumb for as long as I can before putting Deacon out of his misery and handing him the cheesy, but traditional, “I heart NY” shirt I bought him at the airport. He loves it, of course, and is too busy gushing over it to see me mouth the words “pay up” to Dani.

She rolls her eyes and mumbles, “Fuck,” as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a ten-dollar bill.

I’m happily stuffing the money into my own pocket when Deacon notices and starts wagging his meaty finger at us. “What’s this? What’s goin’ on here?”

“Ms. Reed here didn’t believe an almost thirty-year-old would throw a tantrum like a toddler if I didn’t bring him back a gift, so we made a little wager.”

“Micah, you’re supposed to bring back souvenirs whenever you travel. It’s common knowledge. I’m just keeping up the tradition,” Deacon claims.

“Bullshit. You wouldn’t talk to me for a week if I came home empty-handed. Damn, maybe I should’ve kept the shirt for myself.”

“Don’t listen to him, Deke. I love giving people gifts, which is why I got you this Statue of Liberty snow globe!” She pulls the globe out from behind her back and holds it up like it’s made of gold or something. Deacon’s eyes glisten at the sight.

“You’re the best, Dani! Thank you.”

Watching Dani step on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek makes me jealous in ways I can’t even explain, and probably have no business feeling, but I can’t help wishing it was my skin her lips were touching.

Deacon waited around while Dani rented a car, just to make sure we didn’t have any problems, and is now following behind us as we drive home. I, of course, opted to ride with Dani, as if it were even up for discussion. When the three of us were standing at the counter, waiting for the car rental place to get the keys, Deacon shot me a knowing wink over the top of Dani’s head. I tried to hide my smile, but it was futile. Just her being here with me right now, in Louisiana, makes me feel like a kid on Christmas.

When we pull up to the house forty-five minutes later, Dani parks in front and Deacon pulls up right beside her.

“You’re gonna be in so much trouble for not telling Mama about this,” Deacon says, jumping out of the car.

“Nah, she’s gonna love me even more than she already does. This,” I say, pointing to Dani, “is my insurance policy for maintainin’ my favorite child status.”

Dani rolls her eyes and Deacon punches my shoulder.

The front door swings open and my mom walks out with her hands on her hips, staring us down.

“Micah Paul Landry.”

“Ha!” Deacon says, running up the steps and picking Mama up to swing her around. “I’m not the one who just got full-named.” He grins and places Mama back on her feet.

“Sheridan,” my mama gushes, double-timing it down the steps. “Sweetie, I’m so happy to see you!”

“I’m sorry your son decided to keep me being here a secret,” Dani says, falling into my mom’s embrace. “I told him he should call and let you know, but he’s a stubborn ass.”

“Oh, honey. You’re preachin’ to the choir. No apologies necessary. Besides, you don’t even need to call. All you gotta do is show up.” The smile my mom gives Dani is pure love. She and I have had several conversations about the beautiful redhead wrapped in her arms, and if Dani was of adoption age, I’m pretty sure my mama would be first in line.

“I think we need to have a cookout today.”

After staying up late last night playing cards with my family and Dani, I decided I was too tired to go to my own house, so I slept in a guest room. Truth is, I wasn’t ready to leave Dani yet. Even though we were in separate rooms, unlike our two nights in New York, I was at peace just knowing we were under the same roof.

I’m in the kitchen starting a pot of coffee when my mama walks in and declares we need to be social.

“A cookout? Okay. Who are we invitin’, and more importantly, what are we cookin’?”

“You and Deacon can decide what to cook and who to invite, for all I care. I just want to show Dani a good time, especially since she’s had a rough week. That girl needs a hefty dose of southern hospitality.”

I couldn’t agree more.

After Dani wakes up and we’ve all had breakfast, she and I make a trip to the grocery store for cookout supplies. Grocery stores in this part of Louisiana are different than other parts of the country. They have the usual foods found everywhere, but you can also find seafood, hard liquor, and delicacies such as cow tongue, alligator, and pickled pig’s feet. I’m having so much fun watching Dani’s reactions to all the things she finds, I almost forget what we’re supposed to buy for this afternoon.

Deciding to keep the party low key, we only invited a few close friends over for boiled shrimp and crab. I’m excited for Dani to share today with us, just hanging out and having fun, and I know she’s looking forward to it too, especially since Piper will be here. They’d already made plans to see each other before Dani’s next assignment, so it only made sense for Piper to join us. I’ll admit, I’m curious about her. She seems like she’ll fit right in, and I can’t wait to finally meet her in person.

As we turn down the last aisle to grab a few cases of beer, I stop short before nearly running over a lady picking up a case of wine coolers.

“Oh, hey, Micah! What are you up to today?”

Ah, Trisha Bradley. Sophomore year in college. She liked it when I pulled her hair.

“Hey, Trish. Not much, you?”

“Oh, I’m in town for a girls’ weekend and my parents are watching my kids. Wanna meet up later?”

She licks her lips as her eyes travel up and down my body. I don’t like it. And I really don’t like that Dani is witnessing it. I glance her way and watch as she cocks an eyebrow. Her nose scrunches slightly when Trish touches my arm, and I’m not sure whether she’s grossed out by Trisha or me, but I hate seeing that look on her pretty face, especially knowing I may have caused it.

“Yeah, I don’t think so, but thanks for asking. Tell Jimmy I said hey.”

When we’re out of earshot, Dani leans toward me and whispers, “Who’s Jimmy?”

“He’s her husband. I guess she forgot she was married.”

“How convenient. I have a feeling you make a lot of women forget they’re married, Micah Landry.” She nudges me with her shoulder before leading our buggy into the checkout lane, right up to Becky. The Hummer.

Damn it to hell
.

Thankfully, Becky only says “hi” and “have a nice day”, but I swear, nothing gets past Dani.

“Is she one of your girls, too?” she asks in the parking lot. Her clipped tone doesn’t escape me.

I finish loading the groceries in the back of my mom’s SUV before answering.

“You ask that like I have a harem or something.”

“Well, if the condom fits . . .” She pauses. “You
do
wear condoms, right?”

Ouch.

I pull my baseball cap off and run my fingers through my hair before putting it back on. We’re still standing in the parking lot and the Louisiana sun is heating up the blacktop, causing sweat to run down my back.

My social life is obviously bothering her, and I’m not liking how she’s judging me.

“Yes, Dani, I’ve been with a lot of women, and yes, Becky was one of them, but it’s not like I have a group of girls waiting on stand-by for me. I like to have fun. I always have. I’m always honest with the girls I’m with, and for your information, I
always
wear a condom.”

She sighs and drops her hands from her hips down to her sides. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. And I didn’t mean to imply you mistreat the women you’re with, either.”

I open the door for her and make sure she’s buckled in before getting behind the steering wheel and turning the air conditioner on full-blast. The cold air cools my skin and nerves. When I turn to face Dani, she looks guilty and a little sad.

“Look, I don’t have a sob story . . . no built up walls around my heart or anything like that. I’ve had a great life and things have always come easily for me. I’m not overcompensating for anything. I just like to have fun. It’s never my intention to hurt anyone or lead a girl on, but I know it sometimes happens, and I’m not proud of that. The truth is, I’ve never been with a girl I’ve wanted
more
with.”

“I get it, Micah. You don’t owe me an explanation.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong, because I do—or, at least, I want to give you one.” I take a deep breath and decide now’s as good a time as any to lay it all out there for her. Shit or get off the pot, right? “I’ve wanted more with you from the moment you called me out on my shit on the way back to your motel room,” I say, laughing at the memory of a tipsy Dani in my truck. I look over, trying to judge her reaction, but I’m having trouble reading her expression. She looks over her shoulder at me, biting her lip like she does when she’s either trying not to cry or thinking about something really hard, so I keep going. “I know I don’t deserve you, Dani, but I
want
to. I need you to be patient with me, though. I’m trying to do things right. But this,” I say, motioning between us so she knows I mean
us
, “it’s all new to me.”

“Well, you know my story,” she says, turning in her seat to face me. “I’ve been in a committed relationship for four years.” She releases a deep breath, her shoulders sagging as she looks out the windshield. “I’m sure most people would say the last thing I need right now is to jump into a relationship with anyone. Or into bed.” She laughs. “Unless you’re Piper. She would suggest revenge sex.” She rolls her eyes, turning her gaze back to me. “I can’t deny the pull I feel toward you, but I don’t want you to be a rebound or revenge sex. I really like you, Micah Landry. And I know you have a past. And I’m okay with that . . . in theory.” Her smile is contagious, and knowing she
likes
me makes my head spin.

“So, we’ll take things slow,” I tell her, reaching my hand across the seat, wanting to touch her.

“Yeah. I mean, that’s normally how
y’all
do things down here, right?” She winks, and it’s adorable. I repeat
slow
over and over in my mind to keep from climbing over the console and kissing her stupid.

I want to taste her lips so bad it hurts, but not here. Not now.
Slow
.

We both sit there for a second, staring at each other before turning to look out the window. I know there’s a lot more that needs to be said between us, but that was a start, and I’m hoping we’ll have plenty of time to figure this out while taking our time to do it right.

Rolling up to the two-lane highway that leads back home, I see there aren’t any cars coming in either direction. When I give the truck a little extra gas, the back tires spin and squeal causing Dani to do the same.

“Stop showing off.”

“I’m just naturally this cool.”

Her laugh fills the truck and it’s a sound I want to hear every day.

Just a little before six o’clock, a knock on the front door interrupts our loud banter in the kitchen as we prepare the food for the boil.