Wedding Belles
Beth Albright
Seven months pregnant and head over heels in love, Vivi Ann McFadden is busy pulling together the final details for her wedding to Lewis Heart, famous play-by-play announcer for the Crimson Tide.But with two wedding-planners-gone-wild, a psychic giving her advice and the ceremony happening on the same day as the wildly popular Crimson Tide kick-off game, chaos reigns supreme.Luckily, maid of honour Blake O’Hara Heart is on the job. She’ll tackle this wedding if it’s the last thing she does! But not everyone is cheering for the happy couple.News of the upcoming nuptials has brought Lewis’s old flame back to Tuscaloosa—and she’s got a secret that could mean the end of Lewis’s marriage… before it even begins.
The Sassy Belles are back…and this time, wedding bells are ringing!
Seven months pregnant and head over heels in love, Vivi Ann McFadden is busy pulling together the final details for her wedding to Lewis Heart, famous play-by-play announcer for the Crimson Tide. But with two wedding-planners-gone-wild, a psychic giving her advice, and the ceremony happening on the same day as the wildly popular Crimson Tide kickoff game, chaos reigns supreme. Luckily, maid of honor Blake O’Hara Heart is on the job. She’ll tackle this wedding if it’s the last thing she does!
But not everyone is cheering for the happy couple. News of the upcoming nuptials has brought Lewis’s old flame back to Tuscaloosa—and she’s got a secret that could mean the end of Lewis’s marriage…before it even begins.
Sexy Southern fun…with a hint of magnolia!
Wedding Belles
Beth Albright
www.mirabooks.co.uk (http://www.mirabooks.co.uk)
For my beautiful, precious Susan: an angel who walks among us.
You are an inspiration for us all.
For Brooks and Ted, my universe.
Contents
Chapter 1 (#u8c287474-74b0-5581-94c8-a080da3aff19)
Chapter 2 (#uc86a54a9-eb5c-51fb-a9d6-2d2f863f0c40)
Chapter 3 (#uf822d5ca-1890-5398-9d32-a6690bedc6ae)
Chapter 4 (#u4fd8bbf1-37e9-5853-ac41-54fe39450011)
Chapter 5 (#u46019305-38a7-55b5-8855-a7811d4477e3)
Chapter 6 (#u6c7c870a-0a0d-5fb3-8045-63671442b8bf)
Chapter 7 (#udadec442-e7b4-5d7f-b710-c3ba68bb986d)
Chapter 8 (#u1cb753a2-f228-5d61-9d51-a420ccb4334e)
Chapter 9 (#u7813e4c0-989b-5873-8288-5de331b200ba)
Chapter 10 (#u7fda4c55-16a0-5b8e-ba24-8e195b7be365)
Chapter 11 (#ud4d9d6f7-a3a8-5d95-9433-b934c25d1322)
Chapter 12 (#u64c33f19-ac26-5de1-a6a2-77045e786f8b)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 19 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 20 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 21 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 22 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 23 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 24 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 25 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 26 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 27 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 28 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 29 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 30 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 31 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 32 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 33 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 34 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 35 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 36 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 37 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 38 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 39 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 40 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 41 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 42 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 43 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 44 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 45 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 46 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 47 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 48 (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Acknowledgments (#litres_trial_promo)
THE SOUTHERN BELLES SOUTHERN RECIPE SAMPLER (#litres_trial_promo)
Arthur’s Sweet-Spicy BBQ Sauce (#litres_trial_promo)
Arthur’s Savory Ribs (#litres_trial_promo)
Bonita’s Southern Fried Chicken (#litres_trial_promo)
Vivi’s Southern Deviled Eggs (#litres_trial_promo)
Blake’s Fried Green Tomatoes (#litres_trial_promo)
Meridee’s Fried Okra (#litres_trial_promo)
Kitty’s Southern Coleslaw (#litres_trial_promo)
Southern Biscuits (#litres_trial_promo)
Sonny’s Pound Cake (#litres_trial_promo)
Meridee’s Southern Peach Cobbler (#litres_trial_promo)
Alabama Pecan Pie (#litres_trial_promo)
Kitty’s Apple Bundles (#litres_trial_promo)
The Fru Fru’s Strawberry Bride’s Cake (#litres_trial_promo)
The Fru Fru’s Red Velvet Groom’s Cake (#litres_trial_promo)
Bonita’s Golden Punch (#litres_trial_promo)
1
I still can’t believe Myra Jean, the trailer park psychic, was right about everything! We wouldn’t have even talked to the psychic in the first place if Vivi hadn’t insisted on a reading as her wedding present. I mean, really, who asks for a visit with the town clairvoyant as a serious wedding gift from her matron of honor? And matron of honor would be me: Blake O’Hara Heart, attorney and lifelong best friend of the bride.
It all blew up after Vivi hung up from the “sample reading” phone call with Myra Jean. We were sitting in Vivi’s kitchen at the oversized oak table that took up most of the room. She lived on a gorgeous plantation that had been in her family for generations. It was hot as hell in the middle of a Tuscaloosa summer. The air outside felt as if a dog were breathing on your face. Sweltering is too mild a word to describe the Deep South in early August. Still, nothing was hotter than Vivi’s temper at the moment—and with a redhead, that’s usually a dangerous thing.
“What the hell does Myra Jean mean, there’s another woman?” Vivi slammed her hand on the table, fixin’ to pitch a bridal hissy fit, which is actually in a category between hissy fit and conniption fit. Much worse than a plain ol’ hissy, but not all day long like a conniption.
I watched Vivi jump up and start pacing. The sample reading had only been five minutes long, but Miss Myra Jean had given Vivi an earful, and it was enough to get her fuming. She blew a bright red curl from her eyes in frustration. Vivi Ann McFadden has been at war with her mop of red, wiry hair since childhood, always pushing it from her face or fighting with relentless tangles. But it looked striking against her year-round sheet-white skin. And she had sparkling emerald-green eyes, which she consistently paired with the reddest lips. I always thought she was just beautiful. She and I were best friends and true Sassy Belles. We’d made our little club called The Sassy Belles way back in junior high. We even had a motto: Be sassy, classy and a tad smart-assy. We’d done a pretty good job upholding that motto ever since, and considered ourselves Sassy Belle sisters in every way—except in the looks department. I’m taller by an inch—all of five foot four—brunette and busty and tan. My eyes are blue-green just like my grandmother’s. But I love Vivi like she’s my own flesh and blood. And I hated to see her upset like this, especially with her big day on the way.
In less than two months, Vivi was getting married to the love of her life, the Alabama Crimson Tide’s star football announcer and my brother-in-law, Lewis Heart. She was due to have a full, proper psychic reading at her bridal-baby-bash shower later this month—yes, it was a combo shower since the bride would be nearly seven months pregnant at her wedding. She had thought it would be fun for everyone to have a reading as part of the shower festivities, but if this was Vivi’s reaction to the sample, I knew we were in trouble.
Vivi stopped pacing long enough to get two glasses down from the cabinet and slam them on the counter. “I can’t wait till my shower to see what else that woman has to say.”
“Honey,” I said, “she’s all booked up till then.”
“Well, she’s just gonna have to unbook somebody.” Vivi yanked open the refrigerator, whipped some ice into the glasses, then sloshed some tea on top. Some of the tea even made it into the glass. “I won’t sleep a wink till I know what the hell she’s talking about.”
Vivi tore off a couple of mint sprigs from her plant in the kitchen window like she was ripping off Lewis’s limbs. “He wouldn’t do this to me,” she said, slam-dunking the sprigs into our glasses. And I had to agree, after all these two lovebirds had been through, it was hard to imagine Lewis being unfaithful. I hadn’t always been his biggest cheerleader, though. When he and my husband, Harry, had their falling-out years ago, I took Harry’s side immediately. I’d spent years viewing Lewis through Harry’s eyes, but I’d learned recently what a mistake that had been. It took a long time for me to realize just how jaded Harry was, but now that we’d separated, I’d finally begun to think for myself again. And that’s when I began to see what a good man Lewis really was.
“This other woman... Maybe it’s the baby,” I said, trying to throw something out there that would settle Vivi down. “You’ve been saying all along that you just know it’s gonna be a girl. Maybe Miss Myra Jean is talking about that other woman—your baby girl.”
“A woman and a baby are two different things.” Vivi sat at the table and crumpled up a cloth napkin before finally exhaling. “Oh, you’re probably right. It’s gotta be the baby. What other female would my Lewis have in his life besides me...”
Vivi’s voice trailed off and she looked out the huge kitchen window above the sink. She didn’t look completely convinced, and, in my heart, I wasn’t so sure I was right. I was just hoping Vivi could get past this news from the reading. Otherwise, that’s where her mind would be till she got her answer—and right now I needed her mind on better things.
See, in the Deep South, women can wring your neck, hug your neck and bless your heart all in the same day. So I was hopeful we’d be moving away from the whole “wring your neck” mood pretty quickly. At least if she’d just say, “that ol’ Myra Jean—bless her heart,” then I’d know she was moving past this. I tried to change the subject.
“You know these psychics, Vivi,” I said. “They always word things in the most mysterious ways—and most of it’s just a bunch of malarkey anyway. Besides, we’ve got so much else to think about right now. I have a conference with some new clients later this afternoon, but first I’m off to meet up with the Fru Fru Affair boys to plan your shower. It’s gonna be quite the shindig. They’re just full of ideas and are so looking forward to doing your wedding, too.” I was trying to get Vivi’s mind on something other than the psychic, but I’ve known her for twenty-five years and she was not about to let this little bombshell go.
“But, Blake, Miss Myra said there is another woman involved. Is. That means current, like now. I’m going crazy.” Vivi took a sip of tea, then got up to grab the phone. “I’m gonna call Lewis and ask what he thinks. I’m sure he can explain all this.”
Oh, Lord, please don’t let him answer. I crossed my fingers under the table. My prayer was answered. Lewis didn’t pick up. Vivi left a message and sat back down, ready to chew on the subject some more.
“I love you, Vivi, but I have to run. Don’t worry,” I said. I knew that was like telling the Pope not to be Catholic.
I kissed her cheek. “Everything’s gonna be fine. I promise. Lewis loves you like he’s never loved anyone. You know that. I’m sure it’s just the baby. And is would be the word the psychic used ’cause that baby is on the way. She’s alive and kicking. I felt her myself.”
“Don’t forget you’re meetin’ me at the courthouse later to witness us getting our wedding license. Oh, Blake, I’m so excited I can hardly stand it.”
“I’ll be there, sweetie, wouldn’t miss that for the world.” The wedding was only a couple of months away, but it already looked like it might be the longest two months of my life.
I grabbed my purse and headed out the front door to my car, waving to Arthur, the gardener and Vivi’s longtime friend. He waved back with a smile. Arthur had lived with Vivi’s family on the planation since Vivi was a child. They’d always been close, but now that her father had passed away and her mother was living out at Splendor Acres retirement home, Arthur was the closest thing Vivi had to family out at the plantation. Over the summer, Arthur had been building a barbecue business on the side property, getting it ready for the Alabama Crimson Tide kickoff game on the first of September. That would be here before we knew it.
I drove down the gravel drive to the plantation gates and headed to my grandmother Meridee’s house, thinking all the while about Miss Myra Jean’s comments.
Heaven help us, they just couldn’t be true. Sure, Lewis did have a reputation as a ladies’ man. After all, he was tall and masculine, with wavy dark hair and adorable dimples, and his blue eyes were just too gorgeous to belong to a man. Women love his confidence and flirty personality, but it was clear to all of us that he really loved Vivi.
But between managing the wedding planning and an emotionally high-strung pregnant bride, I was beginning to feel like a ringmaster overseeing a three-ring circus gone wild. And now, because of Vivi’s meltdown, I was probably going to be late to meet with the event planning dream team.
Coco and Jean-Pierre, who we’d hired to plan the wedding and shower, were meeting with me at Meridee’s about Vivi’s upcoming bridal-baby-bash. They owned an event planning and catering business called A Fru Fru Affair, and their choice of a company name pretty much summed up their fun flamboyant personalities.
In high school, they were known as Craig and John-Paul, but in the process of launching their business, they decided they needed something with a little more style. Now almost no one called them by their given names except for my grandmother Meridee and my mother, Kitty, who had both known the boys since they were children.
Coco and Jean-Pierre always disagreed about taste and style, but somehow, in the end, they would pull off the most amazing events. Some of their ideas were totally off the wall. Like the time they wanted the groom to skydive into the ceremony...but his aim was a tad off and he ended up in the Warrior River. Another time they threw a Tarzan-themed wedding and the bride was supposed to swing in on a vine. She hit the minister by mistake. Vivi’s dream was much simpler—and a whole lot safer. She only wanted to be a princess, and it was my job to make sure they didn’t have her ride down the aisle bareback.
A pregnant woman should not be on a horse.
Yet even with this meeting to keep me occupied, I had to admit, I couldn’t stop thinking about this other woman the psychic mentioned. I had known Miss Myra Jean most of my life and, strange as it may seem, she was usually right...in her own special way.
Well, I told myself for the hundredth time, Vivi is getting her wedding license in just a few hours and then the other woman, whoever she is, won’t matter. I kept repeating that, but somehow I wasn’t totally convinced.
2
I arrived before Coco and Jean-Pierre, entering the kitchen where Meridee was standing in her apron at the stove, humming “Summertime.” I felt that instant sedative that always kicks in the second I enter Meridee’s house and see her busy making something delicious to eat. Being here always settled my nerves, no matter what was going on.
“Hey, Nanny.” (Hey is the way we greet each other down South. I can’t remember anybody ever saying Hi. And hey is almost always followed by a hug, unless you’re a man.) I leaned in and hugged her hello. She smiled and kissed my cheek just as the Fru Frus rang the doorbell.
“Hey, baby girl,” Coco called, then shot me an air kiss as he stepped inside. He took in my red pencil skirt, sleeveless navy blouse and white pearls. “You are rockin’ the patriotic look big-time today.”
He hugged me, then stepped back. “Are you wearing MAC Red Ruby Woo lipstick?”
Stunned, I nodded my head.
“I knew it. That is the best 1940s red I have ever seen.”
Jean-Pierre walked in right behind Coco. “Oh, precious, that red, white and blue outfit is so summer, so July, so America, so...future senator’s wife.”
Cringing a bit, I hugged Jean-Pierre, too. Harry’s run for senator was exactly the reason we’d kept our separation a secret. Despite our differences, I still wanted to support Harry through this major turning point in his career. And I knew how difficult it would be for him to present himself as Senate material with nasty divorce gossip spreading all over town. We’d decided not to announce anything about our split until after the election. And that meant suffering quietly through awkward moments like this one.
He inhaled deeply. “Miss Dior perfume. Heavenly,” he said all singsongy.
He hugged Meridee next. “Oh, my, and you are wearing Charles of the Ritz. I am inspired by you already.”
They were a sight for sure, both of them tall and skinny and immaculately dressed. Coco had long sandy hair and beautiful ocean-blue eyes. He had an angular jaw and a wide, warm megawatt smile. He was so tan. He loved wearing bright-colored skinny jeans and striped short-sleeved shirts. He usually wore a long knotted scarf around his neck and a beret on his head. He just loved his namesake, Coco Chanel. And French was his style in a nutshell.
Jean-Pierre was a little more understated. He had long spiky dark hair and green eyes. His clothes were usually less flashy, but still fashionable. Today he wore skinny black jeans and a dark dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his arms full of books and planning agendas. He looked more studious in his black thick-rimmed glasses. He was sarcastic and dry, while Coco was more quick and funny and much louder.
Coco scanned the room, looking beyond the doorway, as well. “Is this the venue for the big double event? We can work with this, sugar! So much space.”
“We can even use the big yard outside,” Jean-Pierre said.
My grandmother laughed. “Oh, gosh, honey, not outside unless you want big ol’ mosquito bites all over our momma-bride. That yard is a feeding ground this time of year!”
“She sure would be a sight,” Coco said. “I hear welts are the new black.”
Jean-Pierre smiled. “Very funny. Indoors it is. What are we talking about for space?”
“Mostly the living room, kitchen and dining room,” I said. “Meridee has given us the go-ahead to decorate anything we want. We should talk about the shower theme, though. I want it to be really fun.”
“Honey, there’s no way it won’t be a blast,” Coco reassured me. “I’ve already come up with an invitation idea. Picture this...” He gestured as if reading from a theater marquee. “The Bride We Are Lovin’ Has a Bun in the Oven. Don’t y’all just love that?” Coco was so proud of himself.
Meridee stood in the living room doorway, her eyes bugging out of her head.
“Oh, my, we’ll have to talk about that a bit later,” I said, trying to be nice. “That theme might need a few revisions.”
“Can we run down and see the basement?” Jean-Pierre said. “We wanna party all over this house.”
We all headed downstairs. This had been my playground every rainy day of my childhood, back when the Ouija board was at the height of its popularity. It was a tad musty down there, but it still had the old pool table, TV set and a big octagon-shaped wooden card table. Bookcases lined the wall to the left as you entered the main room. The basement held a lot of memories for me, but I don’t think the boys were too impressed.
“Oh, dear, that smell might be an issue,” Jean-Pierre said, his nose crinkled with distaste.
“Sometimes it gets damp down here,” I explained.
“Well, since the theme isn’t Mildew Madness, I think we need to stay upstairs,” Jean-Pierre said, shaking his head and leading the way back to the main floor.
Meridee directed us into the kitchen. She had fixed coffee and iced tea and put out some mini coffee cakes she’d just pulled out of the oven. “Watch out. These are hot. Have a seat and help yourself. Don’t be shy.”
“Oh, Miss Meridee, you shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble,” Jean-Pierre said, taking a seat next to Coco at the yellow laminate table. “But, honey, I am so glad you did.”
“My word, everything sure does smell delish.” Coco took a bite of the coffee cake. “Mmm, wonderful. Thanks for letting us use your lovely home for this very unique event.”
“My pleasure, y’all. Miss Vivi is like a granddaughter to me. She grew up in this house almost as much as did my Blake. I will do whatever y’all need.” Meridee poured herself a fresh cup of coffee and walked over to the sink to wash the coffee cake pans.
“Okay, down to business,” I said. “I want this event to feel extra special to Vivi, like she is a princess for the day.”
Jean-Pierre grabbed his notebook. “Okay, a princess bride and baby momma combo. Got it. We can have a lot of fun with all the games and activities this way.” He jotted down a few notes, then peered over his glasses. “Anything else you want to throw into the mix?”
Meridee spoke up from the sink. “I thought y’all were goin’ down to see Miss Myra Jean for Vivi’s shower.”
“Oh, Nanny, I haven’t had a chance to tell them about the psychic yet.” I would have used a little more tact, seeing as they were the ones planning the shower.
“A psychic?” Jean-Pierre asked slowly.
I cringed. They were a classy company. They even had swans planned for the wedding. Swans! I wasn’t sure where a psychic would fit in with an affair planned by guys who considered swans and string quartets essential to an event’s success.
“Yes,” Meridee went on. “My dear old friend Myra Jean does readings and talks to spirits. We’re gonna take all the girls down to see her. Isn’t that gonna be fun?”
“Seriously?” Jean-Pierre was already frazzled. He stood up and walked around the table. “Does this visit to the tarot card lady or whatever she is really need to be part of the shower? I just don’t know if it will fit in with—”
“It surely does,” Meridee insisted. “And Myra Jean only uses tarot cards sometimes. Besides, Vivi is the one who decided it would be fun for everyone at her shower to have a reading. She believes in Miss Myra’s gifts.”
Yes, Vivi did believe what Myra said, and I just hoped that her shower day predictions didn’t trigger a homicide attempt on the hubby/daddy-to-be.
Jean-Pierre glanced at me, a bit exasperated. “Can’t you do anything to stop this?”
“Not likely,” I said. “The readings are her wedding gift from me.”
His mouth dropped open in horror, as if I’d shattered his former belief in my exquisite taste.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I protested. “Vivi asked for this and I just want my best friend to be happy. That is my job, after all. I am her matron of honor.”
“Okay, then,” Jean-Pierre said, throwing up his hands. “We’ll put group mystic reading on the list. The day is all about Vivi, after all.”
“Oh, I just love the whole idea!” Coco stood up and began moving around excitedly. “I always wanted to have a reading myself. It sounds like a teetotal hoot and a half.” He leaned over to a grumpy Jean-Pierre and linked one arm with his. “Hand me my ruby slippers, honey, we’re off to see the wizard!”
I smiled at his enthusiasm, relieved to have at least one of them on board with the idea. I was just hoping the “other woman” the psychic spoke of didn’t turn out to be the Wicked Witch of the West.
3
That afternoon I met Vivi at the courthouse, and Lewis was waiting there on the sidewalk with his soon-to-be bride.
“I am so excited I can’t even think,” she said. “Can you believe Lewis and I are going to get our marriage license?” She was exuberant.
“Hey, Blake, thanks for coming and being a witness to history,” Lewis said as he gave me a hug.
“Wouldn’t miss this for the world,” I said, smiling at them.
“Hey, baby,” Vivi said, turning to face Lewis. “Did you know that the psychic this morning said there was another woman in this little domestic portrait we’re painting?” Vivi threw it out there just like that. Completely out of nowhere, without giving either of us a warning. I should’ve expected something like this. She’d been so upset this morning, and she was probably stewing on it all day long while I was with the planners. Looking at her now, I could tell she couldn’t take the worrying anymore. She needed to get this out of the way as soon as possible. Of course, Lewis was stunned.
“What?” he said, confused at the sudden turn in the conversation. “Another woman? Hell, ain’t nobody but you, Red. Nobody for me but you.” He gave her a reassuring smile.
“Aww, sugar.” The relief in Vivi’s face was obvious. “I love you. But that psychic did give me a scare. She’s usually right about the things she sees, but I couldn’t believe it when she suggested you’d been cheatin’. Blake says she’s probably picking up vibes from the baby. She’s the other woman,” Vivi said as she patted her stomach. She gazed up at Lewis and smiled. “I mean, I just know it’s a she.”
“I’m sure that’s it. And besides, I’ve already told you I’ve never trusted those psychics. They just make things up to keep you comin’ back for more.” Lewis helped Vivi up the courthouse steps and into the lobby of the beautiful old building.
“Here I go. Oh, Blake, I can’t stand it, I’m so excited, I’m gonna burst.”
“Honey, let’s hope not.” If this was how she felt picking up the license, we’d likely need to give her medication on her wedding day. We went inside and followed the signs down to the marriage license office.
As we walked through the door, Lewis stopped and held Vivi in front of him. “I love you, Red. Today’s our day,” he said with a grin. “We’re gonna be official. I am so happy, baby.” He leaned down and planted quite a kiss on her.
She blushed right up to her red-haired roots, then smoothed her dress over her five-month baby bump and laughed. “I’m so nervous. I changed clothes six times.”
“Well, you look gorgeous. Let’s do this.” Lewis was just as excited as she was.
We approached the lady at the counter. She looked to be around fifty-five, with straight brown hair cut in a severe bob. She scanned Vivi’s burgeoning belly. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry, you must have the wrong room. This is the office to apply for a wedding license.”
“And what the hell makes you think I’m in the wrong room?” Vivi snapped, but her eyes were smiling. She loved toying with people.
The lady looked down at Vivi’s tummy. “Well, I just, um...”
“Yes, I am pregnant and I am wearin’ white at the wedding, too.” Vivi was loving this. “Now can I apply for my marriage license, please?”
“To each his own. You can work out those details with your minister,” the woman said with disinterest. “Y’all got your information ready to go?”
“It’s all right here.” Vivi handed over her paperwork.
“And how about you, sir?”
Lewis was grinning like I had never seen him before. His face was flushed with joy as he lay down his documents. “Never been more ready than I am today.”
The lady studied the information and typed all the appropriate answers into the computer on the counter. After a few moments of awkward silence, she frowned at the screen and then cleared her throat.
“Well, sir, I’m not so sure about that. I think you may have been a little more ready about thirteen years ago,” the woman said, clicking a few more keys. She looked up at him. “The great state of Alabama frowns on bigamy, and you, sir, are already married. By the way, aren’t you our play-by-play announcer? Roll Tide.” She smiled.
“Wait. Already what? Did you just say my fiancé is already married?” Vivi repeated in shock.
“There is no damn way!” Lewis was livid, his face turning a blotchy red.
“This is a mistake,” Vivi said, her voice rising. “I have known him for every one of those thirteen years and he has never been married!” She was about to pitch a full-out conniption fit right here in the courthouse.
“Ma’am, I have never been engaged, much less married,” Lewis insisted. “A person would know that, I think.”
“Well, sir. This is your birth certificate. This is your social security number. It matches all the information you just gave me, right down to the signature. This wedding certificate belongs to you, alrighty.” She printed out a copy and handed it over to let Vivi and Lewis read it for themselves. “As you can see, Mr. Lewis Heart married Miss Tressa Mae Hartman in April of 1999. I have no record of a dissolution of marriage.”
Vivi turned white as a ghost and leaned into me. I held her up and walked her over to the bench just outside the room. I was fanning her with some pamphlet I had picked up, and she looked about ready to faint.
Lewis followed us, holding the evidence in his hand, his mouth still dropped open. “There is just no way in this world, no way,” he said again. “This can’t be real. I know it can’t.”
“Get me some water, quick,” I said. “Vivi’s gonna pass out.”
“Where’s the water? Where?” Lewis went into panic mode.
Great, I thought. Now they’re both flippin’ out.
“Oh, I see it.” He ran down the little hallway in his slick dress shoes, heading for the watercooler, when he wiped out completely and landed on his back. I could hear the breath leaving his body from twenty feet away.
Vivi was crying and muttering, “No, no, no.” She didn’t even see him fall.
“Lewis, oh, my God, are you okay?” I asked.
“Fine,” he groaned, stumbling to his feet. “I’ll get that water now.” He made his way hurriedly toward the watercooler down the hall, his dress shoes still slipping on the newly waxed vinyl floor of the Tuscaloosa courthouse.
He grabbed some pointy paper cups, filled two of them and ran back to us, sloshing water all over his chest and slip-sliding as he came. He was a mess.
“Here you go, baby.” He gave Vivi one cup. She was still hyperventilating.
“Lewis Heart, please tell me this is a mistake,” she begged.
“I swear, I can explain.”
“Explain? Oh, my good God in heaven!”
Vivi jumped up, turning beet-red, looking like she was ready to wring his neck. She faced him down with her hands on her hips. “You mean to tell me this is true? You’re married for real? Oh, for Christ’s sake, Lewis, why haven’t you ever told me?”
She dropped back down on the bench, then leaned over onto me and began sobbing. “Why, Lewis? Oh, my God, why? We don’t have time for you to get a divorce before our wedding. It’s all over. I won’t have my wedding day, and I’m gonna have to birth this baby as an unwed mother.”
“Oh, honey,” he said, getting down on one knee in front of her. “Let me tell you all about it.”
“Yes,” I said, “I, for one, am interested in the whole sordid story.” I scowled down at him. My mind was racing. All this time I’d truly believed he was devoted to Vivi, but this news had thrown us for a loop. And this was my best friend we were talking about. There was no way I was gonna let this ass get off easy for hurting my Vivi.
Lewis clutched Vivi’s hands. “Okay, here goes. I sorta remember this.”
He had to be kidding. Sorta?
“Lewis, you gotta do better than that,” I said. Vivi’s head still lay on my chest, and my arms were wrapped around her protectively.
“I was, like, twenty-one, and we had this thing at my fraternity,” he began.
“This thing?” Vivi asked, finally sitting up.
“Well, we were all a bit drunk and someone teased somebody else that he was too chickenshit to get married. Things kind of went on from there, until the brothers at the frat decided to perform a fake wedding ceremony with our chaplain. So this dancer chick, Tressa was her name—”
“Yes, we heard,” I interrupted.
“Well, Tressa offered to be the bride and give a lap dance to the lucky groom.”
“Seriously?” Vivi snapped. “You took her up on that?”
“I was a kid! And I was drunk. I’m not saying it’s the best decision I ever made, but you know how I was back then. The wild one, the daredevil. We all had a bet that no one would go through with it, and I finally volunteered.”
“Always some sort of horny man bet. I hate that. We never behaved that way in college.” Vivi folded her arms and huffed. The truth was, we’d gotten in our own sort of trouble back then, but I wasn’t about to remind her now.
“Well,” Lewis went on, “I figured this guy was pretending to be a chaplain and fake-married us, or so I thought. He had us sign some joke certificate they’d drawn up and everyone toasted us. Then, she gave me my...uh...dance, and I left. I never saw her again.” Lewis was up pacing and shaking his head. “I thought it was all a big joke, but I guess the chaplain turned the papers in. He must have been a real preacher—and what he was doing at that party I will never understand. My God, I just can’t believe...” He sank down on the bench next to Vivi and covered his face with his hands.
“But that means... Well, this Tressa probably has no idea y’all are married, either,” I said, putting my lawyer hat on. “I do know one thing, though,” I added, looking at Vivi. “She’s not staying married.”
The two of them sat there in shock, trying to process the mud slide that had just knocked us off our feet.
“We have to find this woman,” I insisted.
“And what are we gonna do when we find her?” Vivi asked. “Show up and tell her, ‘Hey, you’ve been secretly married to the love of my life for thirteen years and, sorry, but we sorta need an annulment today. Just sign on the dotted line. Okay?’ Something tells me that won’t go over very well.”
I cringed, since that was basically my plan. “Look, I’ll see what I can find out about her, and then I’ll get back in touch with y’all. Go on to your meeting, Lewis, and we will call you later.”
“Vivi, you gotta believe me,” begged Lewis. “I love you! I don’t even remember what this girl looks like. It was so long ago, and it was a frat party, and I was twenty-one and stupid. Believe me, Red, I love only you.”
“I know you do, Lewis.” Vivi sighed. “I know it. Blake will help us. Right, Blake?”
Uh, yeah, I thought, nodding and smiling. Just tack it on to the list after “Plan the perfect double shower” and “Tackle the wedding of Vivi’s dreams.” No big deal.
But I knew that Vivi needed me and I wasn’t about to let her down. And I think it’s safe to say that Miss Myra Jean has a gift, for we most certainly had found the other woman.
4
Vivi and I flew back to her house, not even caring about the speed limit. We had a serious appointment with Google on my laptop.
We went inside, and Vivi got the going-to-war food of cookies and iced tea, while I ran up and grabbed my computer. After a couple of hours of snooping, I located one Tressa Mae Hartman in Birmingham, Alabama. Her age matched the woman we were looking for, and when we clicked on images after entering her name, we both nearly fell out of our chairs.
The picture that popped up on my screen was of a woman in her early thirties, brassy reddish-blond hair, frosted lips and a pound of eye shadow in shiny blue. Her pink cheeks made her look like the Little Drummer Boy, and she was wearing a bedazzled string bikini in camouflage...with a beeper from about 1990 attached to her hip. She was pointing at the camera like her finger was a pistol.
Vivi and I were physically unable to close our mouths. For several seconds.
I broke through my shocked stupor first. “Wow, I sure as hell thought Lewis had better taste than that, bless her heart.”
Vivi shook her head. “I’d say she’s had a nip and tuck and then some.”
“I didn’t even know implants came in those sizes,” I mused. “Surely they’re not real. How does she even stay upright?”
“Somehow, I don’t think upright is her favorite position,” Vivi groused.
“Now, Vivi, come on...” I chided, but I couldn’t hold back the fit of giggles that burst out of me. Once we’d managed to get our breaths back, Vivi turned back to the screen.
“It says here she’s a bar singer. And who names her kid after a shampoo, anyway?”
“I do believe there’s a bar singer in Birmingham who’s fixin’ to get the surprise of her life,” I said. “We’re gonna have us a road trip.”
My cell phone rang. It was Sonny Bartholomew, Tuscaloosa’s chief homicide investigator, my old high-school sweetheart and now full-time man of my dreams. As with the news of my separation, I’d been trying my best to keep my deepening relationship with Sonny under wraps while Harry was running for Senate, because, well, news of the candidate’s wife embroiled in a smokin’-hot love affair with the chief of Homicide doesn’t really help the campaign.
But the minute that election was over, my life would begin again.
“Hey, handsome,” I said. “I hope you’re having a better day than we are.”
“Well, it’s a hard day for a cop, too. We’re at the boat, and we’ve turned up some pretty substantial evidence on the Walter Aaron case.”
“Oh, my God, Sonny, I forgot to tell you. I have a meeting with them in just a few minutes!”
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Well, it’s a bit much to go into over the phone. If you’re going to be at the river for a while, I could meet you after the Aarons leave.”
“Okay, beautiful, I’ll be here.” He hung up.
I loved how Sonny treated me. I know he couldn’t go into a lot of detail on an ongoing case, but, as much as it was allowed, he was willing to mix business with pleasure. He was able to work with me on some things, but he never demanded all the credit for something that I discovered. He always let me shine, too. So completely different from Harry.
“Vivi, sweetie, I gotta run out to the river for this case I’m working on. You and Lewis are still okay as far as time to file for the wedding license goes. We will get this girl to sign the annulment papers, and everything will be all right. I promise. We’ll go up to Birmingham as soon as we can. Just hang on tight. I’ll call you later.” It was already late in the day and I still had my real job to get to.
* * *
I arrived at my office and parked in the back, as usual. Heat rose up in shimmering waves from the pavement. I hated to leave the cold air-conditioning of my car even for the few seconds it would take to walk inside.
“Hey, Wanda Jo. I’m here,” I said to our secretary as I entered.
Harry and I own our little practice together. I had always dreamed of having a husband who could be my partner on every level. Harry was that, and more, when we first opened our office. Now, years later, we barely qualified as reluctant roommates who occasionally inhabited the same space.
“Y’all talk to the mystic this mornin’?” Wanda Jo asked as she brought in my Diet Coke.
“The psychic? Yes, and Vivi is beside herself.” I took a swig of my ice-cold drink.
“Oh, no, what did Myra Jean say? Is it bad news?” Wanda Jo stopped in front of my desk and looked at me.
“She said when it comes to Vivi’s marriage, there is another woman involved.”
“Oh, my Lord have mercy.” Wanda Jo sighed and sat herself down in one of my consultation chairs. “You know, I hate to say it, but Lewis was wild in his younger days. He’s changed, though, I thought, and he loves that Vivi so much.”
“I know. I told Vivi maybe she was having a girl and that was what Myra Jean meant.”
“Did she buy it?”
“Of course not. And guess what? We just went to the courthouse to get their wedding license and it turns out that Lewis is still married!”
Wanda Jo jumped from the chair. “Oh, my God, what do you mean still? That boy ain’t never been married far as I know.”
“Well, yeah, as far as he knew, too—until he remembered a college prank where he married a stripper as part of a joke.”
“Oh, Blake, that poor Vivi. What are y’all gonna do now?”
“Well, I’m gonna pay her a little visit as soon as I can.”
“Vivi is so lucky to have you.” Wanda Jo smiled at me.
“We’ll get this fixed and then we’re gonna have us a wedding to beat all weddings,” I said, smiling back at her, hoping I was right.
“Okay, then. I’ll let you know when the Aarons get here, and then I’m gonna put on the police scanner and listen for news of any new dead bodies.”
I looked at her in confusion. “Dead bodies?”
“Well,” Wanda Jo said with a smirk, “if Lewis can’t get this marriage annulled, it really might be him this time.”
5
Wayne and Wynona Aaron arrived right on time. Wanda Jo got everyone drinks and we headed into the conference room. The Aarons’ third sibling, Walter, had been killed in a barge accident two months ago and his body parts had washed up on the banks of the Black Warrior River. My cop, Sonny, always believed Walter was helped off that barge, but the barge company was trying to say he jumped. Sonny and his assistant homicide investigator, Bonita, were on the case like CSI, looking for clues about Walter’s death on the sequestered boat.
“Hey, y’all, so glad you could make it in today,” I said to them as I took my seat at the table across from them.
The older brother, Wayne Aaron, was a skinny man of average height with dark hair. His face was sad and earnest. “Thanks so much for taking our case, Ms. Heart. We tried to fight this on our own, but we got nowhere fast.”
The sister, Wynona, was the middle of the three children. She was quiet and rounder than her brothers. “We’re simple people. Not used to all this fuss, and we only want this settled as quickly as possible.”
I was trying to make sure I did just that, but I had a feeling this case was about to get really messy. “It’s not going to be easy. The barge company will not admit to any negligence, and since Walter had a perfect safety record, it’s become a battle to prove what happened. The insurance company will not pay out in cases of suicide.”
“Ms. Heart,” Wynona said, “there is no way my brother would ever take his own life. Even though we were somewhat estranged, we knew he was the happiest he has ever been. He was in love and talking about getting married.”
And there it was. The detail that could be the end of the Aarons’ case. “Do you know if he ever did get married?”
“Not that we know of. Why?”
“Because, if Walter did marry, and he changed his will, then the bride might be his new beneficiary. If he died before they officially tied the knot, then you two would inherit.”
“Oh, I don’t like the sound of this,” Wynona said. “People might get the wrong idea.”
“That’s true,” I agreed. “The fact that your parents are dead and your uncle recently left Walter a huge inheritance already has the insurance company questioning suicide for his cause of death, though that’s still their preference. The possibility that Walter was pushed is being investigated by the police now. This new information about Walter maybe having a wife will give the insurance company even more reason to stall.”
“They can’t think we were involved,” Wayne protested. “We’ve already been cleared for the night of Walter’s death. Sure, things got a bit complicated between us since our uncle left the money to Walter, but, as we told the police, we haven’t been in touch with him, except by phone, for several months before he died.”
The open-and-shut inheritance case I had envisioned with the Aarons was quickly disappearing into the horizon. “We need to find out about this woman Walter might have married. See if there are pictures. A name. Something we can check into to clarify the situation.”
Wayne sighed. “I don’t remember him saying much about her other than he had only known her a couple of months. If he did marry that girl, it would have been the spur-of-the-moment. A real whirlwind thing.”
“Well, even so, there’s got to be a record somewhere.”
“We haven’t really gone through Walter’s effects,” Wynona chimed in. “Just kind of packed ’em up and shoved ’em in a storeroom. The thought of looking through all that stuff was too upsetting. There might be something in there, though.”
I perked up. “Well, that’s a great place to start. Go and see what you can find.”
“He sounded so in love,” Wynona added wistfully. “Why would his wife want to kill him if they just got married?”
“Money can motivate people to do desperate things,” I said. “Then again, we have absolutely no proof that she’s had anything to do with Walter’s death at all. Do either of you know if Walter had any enemies on the boat?”
“No,” Wayne said, getting upset. “Everyone loved him at work. He had been working that barge for over ten years. Walter did not jump, but I refuse to believe anyone killed him. I swear that barge company overlooked a safety measure and now they just don’t wanna pay. They are looking for every excuse under the sun to get outta settlin’ his insurance policy.”
“I hope you’re right, Wayne, but regardless, we still have a possible new beneficiary floating around out there. That issue has to be resolved,” I said. “For our next meeting, I will need any insurance papers you can find. Information on his death benefits and all the policies he had with the barge company or anyone else. Whatever you can’t find among his personal effects, I will subpoena. We will get to the bottom of this, I promise.”
I stood up and reached out to shake their hands.
“Thank you so much, Ms. Heart,” Wynona said as she shook my hand. “We couldn’t fight those folks on our own anymore, and things look like they’re getting a lot more complicated.”
I agreed. “Let’s meet in a few days. Call me when you have gathered your brother’s paperwork and we will set up a time. Meanwhile, I’ll see if I can find out anything from the police. I have some pretty good connections down there at the station, and they will assuredly want to talk to you about this mysterious woman.”
I walked the Aarons out to the front lobby and said goodbye. I told Wanda Jo I had to get down to the river.
I was sure hoping Sonny didn’t have another body part to show me. I was still recovering from the last one.
6
I made my way down to the dock, perspiration rolling down my chest. Women in the Deep South don’t sweat. We perspire. But let me tell you, we perspire a lot. One hundred and two degrees, with one hundred percent humidity—that’s the Deep South in August.
The cement walkway stopped just short of the barge, leading me onto a rocky path bathed in red dirt. Sonny and Bonita were hunkered down on the deck of the tugboat that was pushing the barge.
“Hey, Blake, glad you could get here. I heard you have some information regarding the Aaron case,” said Bonita, the gorgeous, plus-sized, African-American spitfire Sonny hired last spring. She had a degree in Criminal Justice from Tuskegee Institute where her parents were both professors. She was smart and highly opinionated and I knew from the start I liked her style.
She looked amazing in a cream-colored suit trimmed in black and big, dangly earrings. No one else would dress like this searching for evidence except Bonita. But she’s a former pageant winner herself, and it was just her style. Her makeup was done to perfection, and not melting like mine was, even in this unbearable heat. Note to self: find out how she does it.
“Yes, I just saw the Aarons. They are the sweetest people. They just want to get to the bottom of this.”
I glanced up at Sonny. He was looking at me with a silent grin in his eyes. Hiding our feelings was always more difficult in person.
“Well, the Aarons may have to wait a little longer to settle this case,” Bonita said. “We still have a lot of investigating to do.”
“Can I come aboard? I’ll tell you about the new little wrinkle in this case.”
I joined them on the tugboat, but had to stay well back from the cordoned-off area. Once there, I related the Aarons’ refusal to believe Walter was suicidal. That in fact, he had sounded happy when they spoke to him and was contemplating marrying a girl he’d recently met.
Sonny’s gaze narrowed. “Did they say when they talked to him?”
“Shortly before his death.”
“Well, this certainly complicates things,” Bonita said, hands on her ample hips. “We’re going to have to interview the Aarons again. Do they know anything about the woman?”
“No,” I said, “but we have another meeting coming up and they’re gonna bring whatever they find after going through Walter’s effects.”
“Bonita and I are going to be in on that little search,” Sonny added.
“Why? Did you find something?”
“Can’t go into specifics.”
As we walked toward the front end of the boat, I saw the crime scene tape.
I looked around nervously. A tugboat pushed a barge up the river. That much I knew. Was that where they thought Walter fell off, in between the boat and the barge?
I stopped, staring at the area where the two boats hitched together.
I took in the gouges in the wood and the scrapes and scratches in the paint, which didn’t look to me as though they’d come from the normal tug and push of the equipment. Dark spots dribbled down the side. My heart sank.
“Do you see something?” Sonny asked, already knowing I did, although he hadn’t shown me anything.
“It looks like there was a struggle of some sort in this area,” I said haltingly, noting exactly how far along the front and side of the boat the crime scene tape extended. “A big struggle, like somebody didn’t want to go overboard, but maybe someone else had a different idea.”
Bonita just stared at me, remaining silent.
I turned to Sonny. “The coroner’s report said there was bruising on Walter’s forearms and shoulders.”
Sonny looked grim, but unsurprised. He’d obviously seen that report long before me.
“What do I tell the Aaron family, Sonny?” I asked. “I need to update them so they know why the barge company won’t settle.”
“Sorry, Blake. This investigation is ongoing,” Sonny said. “We’ll need to talk to the Aarons again and go through all of Walter’s effects ourselves. I’ll call his siblings when I leave here and set up a time.”
“Who do you think did this? The new wife?” I asked. “Walter’s been working here for over ten years and was apparently well liked.”
Bonita raised her eyebrows and shot Sonny a meaningful glance. “Looks like we got us a tugboat captain to talk to again. That story doesn’t quite mesh with my notes about Walter’s last day.”
“The poor Aarons,” I said. “They’ll be so upset.”
“Well, the poor Aarons better not leave town,” Bonita added. “I suspect everybody until proven not guilty.”
This time, my eyebrows raised at the investigative team in front of me. “Okay, then.” It was definitely time for a subject change—they were clearly in business mode, and I didn’t want to be defending my clients to either of them right now. “You coming by Vivi’s for dinner tomorrow night after the station’s dedication ceremony, Bonita?”
“Yes, ma’am, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Why don’t you come, too, Sonny? It’s gonna be great. Arthur and Vivi are cooking together.” I smiled at him.
“I’ll walk you back to your car,” Sonny offered. “You can give me the details.”
“I’m gonna stay here and take a few more pictures. I’ll see you up there in the parking lot in a few minutes,” Bonita said, then walked back toward the front of the boat with her camera.
Sonny and I headed back up the hill. Once out of view, he slipped his arm around my waist. “What else is going on, Blake? You said you were having quite a day. Anything I can help you with?”
I told him all about Lewis and the Tressa Mae situation. And how Vivi was just coming undone over the whole thing.
“Well, it shouldn’t be too hard to track her down,” Sonny said. “Sounds like you have a good start.”
“Yes, Vivi and I found someone that matches her name in Birmingham. I’m gonna try to get up there by the end of the week,” I said as we reached my car.
“I’ll help, if you need me,” he said. He bent closer.
I knew he wanted to kiss me, but we were in public, and I was still the senatorial candidate’s wife. I wished I had never agreed to play that role. I hated all this secrecy.
“Will you be at the big ground breaking tomorrow?” I asked. “I’ll be there to support Vivi and Lewis.”
Lewis was holding a media day at the Brooks Mansion, a huge, historic landmark in the center of town where he’d set up his new radio station, and it seemed everyone was going. The restoration of the mansion was starting so the station would be ready for the big Crimson Tide kickoff game the first weekend in September.
“I’ll be there for sure.” Sonny grinned at me. “I’m not gonna pass up a chance to be with you, for no matter how short a time.”
“And of course there’s tonight,” I teased, reminding Sonny of our plans later.
“I wish you could just spend the night every night,” he said.
I gave him a wink. “See you later, Officer.” I opened my car door, then slid in over the warm leather seats. I slipped my legs in, brushing my bare skin against his pants. He inhaled sharply, and I peered up at him and smiled my best bad-girl smile.
He laughed, shook his head and shut my door. I was perspiring again, but the heat I was feeling had nothing to do with the hot summer’s day. The plan to spend the night at Sonny’s excited us both.
I was trying desperately to hang on to whatever tiny part of the good girl that was left in me, but the bad girl was winning the battle, and I was slowly but surely losing all control of her.
7
It was just after 9:00 p.m. when I arrived in front of Sonny’s house. I sat looking at the front door, amber light glowing on the huge front porch, contemplating the changes that were taking place by this one, seemingly innocent act.
I’m just going for dinner, I told myself. But I knew me all too well. It was late, we would have a drink, and his arms would be warm and delicious. I’d been so lonely for so long that my heart ached just at the thought of him holding me.
Today had been hectic and stressful with the shower plans underway, and the Aaron case developing, not to mention the new search for Tressa. I just wanted to relax and make the world go away.
But I had never been inside Sonny’s home. Was I making a mistake even being here? My palms were sweaty and my heart began to race. What am I doing? I’m technically still married, at least until the paperwork is official. Good girls don’t do things like this.
Another errant thought popped in my head: Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go everywhere. Was I a bad girl now?
Sonny appeared on the porch. Oh, my, I thought. I would happily learn to be a bad girl for him.
I smiled helplessly at him, his silhouette big and yummy. He looked like a young Tom Selleck, without the mustache. I was a goner. The sight of him made me want to run to him, melt into his arms where it was safe and satisfying. I got out and shut my car door and walked around to the steps.
He whistled, and a chill ran up my spine. I felt the bad girl coming on. And I liked it.
“Hey, beautiful, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” Sonny reached out and swept me against him, then kissed me passionately.
“Mmm—it’s good to see you, too,” I managed between kisses. “But we are on the porch,” I hinted. “I can’t wait to see the inside of your house.”
He kept kissing me. “Oh, it’s nothing much. I built it myself.” He gripped me around the waist and pulled me even closer. “I like to work with my hands.”
I giggled lightly, caressing his fingertips as they touched me. “You do have amazing hands.”
“Well, sweetheart, I’m even better when I have something beautiful to work with,” he said, brushing his fingers up and down my arm.
I got instantaneous chill bumps. It was after nine o’clock, but I was sure my evening was just getting started. I looked up into his glistening brown eyes.
He was looking right through me with that sexy grin on his face. I sighed. I had never felt loved liked this. With Harry, it wasn’t ever this deep, this real. I needed this feeling like a drug. How could I ever have walked away from him?
Standing on the porch of Sonny’s home, I was reminded of a summer’s night many moons ago when we lay in the back of his old red pickup truck and watched the night sky. It was crystal clear and lightning bugs twinkled over his backyard. We counted shooting stars and gazed at Orion.
Sonny was a lifelong Boy Scout. He was in his element outdoors. I always felt so safe with him. That was the first night he told me he loved me. We were sixteen, but Sonny had a depth to him that made him different from the other boys I knew. I remember being with him on a soggy night on a little dirt road just west of town when we were in our senior year of high school. He saw a baby deer tangled in some old rope in a ditch. The fawn had injured himself trying to wriggle free when Sonny pulled up and got out. He went over to the baby and freed him while I sat in the car and watched. He did this like it was all in a day’s work to him. Like it was nothing. A good scout is never without his pocketknife. He cut the rope and the little deer scampered away.
Now, years later, I stood on the porch scanning his amber-lit home under the pine trees. It looked like something out of a movie.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” he said, leaning over to me. “I hope you will find the accommodations quite cozy.”
“I’m sure I will, Officer,” I said, flirting with him.
He kept up the playfulness. “Please, let me know if I can make your stay any more comfortable. Your satisfaction is my top priority.” He winked at me and lifted that left eyebrow. He was absolutely the sexiest when he did that.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I said softly, batting my long lashes and letting him know to please, please keep looking at me like he could devour me with one bite. He could do anything he wanted to do to me, all night long, if he kept it up. He knew it, too. I bit my bottom lip, then rolled my tongue over my lips.
“Don’t you look at me like that,” he shot back.
I had him. He kissed me softly, then more deeply, his tongue tasting my mouth, then my neck. The chemistry was ridiculous with him. I felt his large hand cup my breast and his mouth slide down inside my silk collar to the flesh of my chest.
“We should go in, don’t you think?” I asked, breathing heavily against his neck. I knew anyone could be lurking out there, and I wanted to make sure we were seen only when and how we wanted to be seen.
“I could take you right here, right now,” he said.
“I know, but I wanna see your place,” I said. “Besides, we’re getting way too, um, relaxed, out here.”
“If you insist,” he said, still kissing my neck.
Sonny opened his front door for me and allowed me in first. Such a prince, I thought. Harry had stopped opening my door the minute we got back from our honeymoon. But this wasn’t a show from Sonny. This was ingrained behavior. He was a Southern gentleman. He had opened doors for me even in high school.
I followed him inside and he shut the door behind me.
Immediately, I was struck by the warmth of his home. Someone’s house says so much about who they are. His home enveloped me just like he did. I knew I was in trouble. Leaving would be very hard for sure.
His living room was awash in the glow of walls the color of milky mocha and trimmed in shiny white, extra-wide baseboards and crown molding. Shelves floor to ceiling flanked the doorways and were crammed with books, both hardback and soft, all mixed in together.
Some soft, vulnerable place inside me twisted, then released. I was really here.
I walked slowly, looking along the shelves, grazing my fingertips across the crowded unorganized collection. I wanted to explore every nook and cranny of his place.
“I’ll be right back,” Sonny said. “Make yourself comfy.” He headed off to the kitchen.
I was fixin’ to have a seat, but my uncontrollable curiosity took over and I headed toward his bedroom, which was just to the left of the kitchen door. I thought I’d only take a peek.
His room was dark with a cream-colored duvet and crimson blankets. His dark red mahogany dresser had a silver-framed picture of his German shepherd, Bryant, named after Bama’s legendary football coach, Bear Bryant. The coach died after retiring in 1982, and most of the town closed up for almost three days. It was one of those unreal events when you stopped in your tracks the minute you heard the news. Everyone in Tuscaloosa knows where they were the afternoon the Bear died. It was just like Sonny to try to keep a good man’s memory alive.
Bookshelves lined these dark cream walls like in the other room. But postcards and old photos of hiking trips and scouting knives littered the cubbies. A bay window seat looking out over the front porch was overflowing with mismatched pillows. In the corner stood his trombone, balancing on its case. I was certain that’s how he developed those talented lips.
An antique tulip sconce light was just outside the bathroom door, beckoning me inside. His closet was just to the right of the door and I found myself touching all of his things, feeling as though I was glimpsing a whole new side of Sonny—the real man underneath the slick detective’s suit. I inhaled deeply, and the scent of him filled me. His work shirts were well pressed from the cleaners, his ties hung around the neck of one hanger.
I paused a minute, then loosened the buttons on one of his shirts, my heart racing at my bravery. Well, he did say to make myself comfy...
I unzipped my skirt and it fell to the wood floor. I took off my blouse and pulled one of his old cop shirts off the hanger and slipped it on, leaving it unbuttoned halfway down. He hadn’t wore one of these uniform shirts since he’d become the chief investigator.
Bare feet and bare legs, I walked back out into the living room just as Sonny appeared in the doorway from the kitchen with two Baileys Irish Creams in highball glasses. He’d untucked his shirt and looked rather relaxed...until he caught a glimpse of me. He set the glasses down on the side table and walked toward me. He was slow and deliberate. He never took his eyes off me, sauntering across the floor.
He fingered the collar of the shirt I had on. “I do believe I prefer this new outfit to the previous one.” He smiled like a cat fixin’ to eat the canary. “It seems a little more, uh—accessible.”
“First, you have to catch me.” I ran from him into his bedroom, and he reached down, grabbing the glasses, and chased me. I jumped on his bed, scooching up the duvet and settling into his mound of down pillows.
He set the glasses on the dresser next to the picture of Bryant, crawled onto the bed and straddled me before taking off his white shirt. He was a big, gorgeous man, with a broad chest and strong muscular arms—every inch the sexy cop fantasy.
He stretched out on top of me. “I do believe I’ve caught you. What’s my prize?”
I laughed, loving the feel of his weight on me. “Accessibility. As much as you want.”
Sonny gave me a wicked grin. “Sugar, that’s an awful lot.” He began kissing me all over my neck and chest, in between the buttons of his old uniform shirt.
“You still have your clothes on.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He slid his pants off.
I heard them drop, belt and all, to the wood floor. I wrapped my bare legs around him and pulled him into me. I loved knowing I was in his bed, even if part of me couldn’t believe I was here and was totally shocked at my brazen behavior. The rest of me just reveled in it.
I was putting a pinky toe outside my predictable box, and amazingly enough, I was feeling like I was home.
8
I stared up at Sonny’s ceiling and let out a satisfied sigh.
It might sound silly, but I like to think of myself as a free spirit. Okay, I know I’m not like Vivi. Few are. But I will take on an adventure here and there. Let’s say I’m a free spirit with a five-year plan. I’m old-fashioned. I’m the girl who loves to have my hand kissed on meeting a new gentleman. And I have always believed I was born in the wrong decade. That was one of the things that first bonded Vivi and me. We loved anything from the turn of the century through the 1940s. When we played dress-up as children in my grandmother Meridee’s basement, we loved to put on her dresses and listen to her old standards, like Cole Porter or Gershwin, before adding several long strings of pearls to our costumes. Then we’d dance. This love of all things vintage is what inspired Vivi’s wedding planning, and the entire reception was set to have a ragtime theme.
Yes, I was old-fashioned, but I now had proof I was also a girl who could live on the fly. I could be unexpected. I was lying in bed, not in my own house...and not even by myself. And I was wearing a policeman’s uniform! Well, I had been wearing it. The shirt’s current whereabouts remained unknown, but it was definitely my new favorite article of clothing.
I lay snuggled up next to Sonny, completely satisfied and utterly mussed, my appetite roaring.
“I’m starved,” I said. “Let’s have dessert.”
“I just had dessert,” Sonny said. “But I think I know just the thing for you, baby. You still love pound cake?” He remembered from our junior-high days.
“You know it,” I said, not knowing what he was planning. It was 2:00 a.m. and I mean, really, was he gonna bake a pound cake right this second?
That would be a yes.
Sonny sauntered into the kitchen, fastening his pants as he walked.
The kitchen was small but well-appointed with marble counters and dark oak cabinets to go with the craftsman style of the rest of the house.
There was a farmhouse apron-front sink in porcelain-white with a sprayer nozzle faucet. The oversized island held an array of cookbooks on the shelves underneath and had an additional sink for vegetables. Was Sonny a chef? Sure looked like it with that setup. I found that really sexy.
Sonny had prepared a dinner for me but we never got around to it. He wrapped up the steaks he had thawed and slid them back into the fridge. Then, he covered the potatoes and green beans and put them next to the steaks.
“I’m so sorry I messed up your dinner plans,” I said.
“Are you kidding? That was the best dinner I’ve had in years. It was delicious,” he said, and winked at me.
Sonny wiped the countertops down, then opened the stainless-steel fridge and pulled out several sticks of butter and a carton of eggs.
“Don’t tell me you can make pound cake from scratch, too, on top of your many other talents.” I sauntered around the kitchen, teasing him now that I was back in his shirt and barefooted.
“I can if you let me concentrate.”
Outside, it was raining a steady drizzle, and the massive kitchen window was streaked with the sudden condensation. Sonny had the cake in the oven in minutes. He had thrown in a can of 7-Up instead of milk. Meridee made it that way, too.
“Okay, Officer,” he said to me, “we got about an hour with nothing to do. Need to make an arrest?”
Sonny put his wrists together and held them in front of me as if to say, Cuff me.
“Yes, sir. I do need to make an arrest. I’ve heard you’ve been a very bad boy.”
He lifted me up onto the cool marble of the island and pressed me against him. “I intend to be a lot worse,” he whispered.
He moved against me as I sat on the countertop, my legs wrapped around him tightly. Heat surged through my body as he kissed me. He slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me up into him, passionately kissing my neck, causing chills to join the heat.
The showers outside grew heavy, hitting the window harder until it sounded like it was coming down in torrents, adding a little music and rhythm to our passion. Sonny carried me to the couch, my legs still wrapped around his waist, and we made love with the sounds of the storm all around us. Afterward, Sonny looked down at me and smiled.
“I do love you, Blake. So much.”
“I love you, too, baby.”
“I think I’m hooked,” he said, kissing my nose.
“I know I am.”
“Let’s go have a drink on the porch.”
I knew he wanted to talk. And I liked that.
We stopped by the hallway closet for blankets and went outside to the porch swing. Sonny wrapped us tightly together in cozy cotton quilts I was sure his grandmother must’ve made. It made the cuddling even better.
“I’ve had fun with you tonight, baby,” Sonny said, snuggling closer. “I enjoy being with you more than I can say. I always have. When I’m with you, I feel like I can come up for air, you know?” He let out a sigh. “You just make me happy, that’s all.”
I was melting in a cool rainstorm. I gazed up at him.
Sonny was being serious and that was a rare occurrence. He was a playful person. He found the fun and funny in almost every situation. But in this moment, his deeper side was coming out. I relaxed into him, feeling the wonder of what was happening between us.
He kissed my forehead and pushed my mussed hair from my face, his fingertips caressing my cheeks. With a gentle touch, he lifted my mouth to his and kissed me softly. His lips were warm in the wet chill of the rainy night.
“Sonny,” I said, pulling away and looking at him, “I want to stay here with you.”
“Of course. I sure didn’t plan on having you home in this,” he said, referring to the downpour.
I bit my lip, hesitating. “No, I mean I want to stay here, like...move in with you.”
He was terrifyingly silent.
I died inside. Oh, good, Blake, here you go, jumping the gun with your incessant planning and thinking ahead. Embarrassed, I tried to get up. I couldn’t believe I’d just blurted that out! Here we were having a beautiful night together, and now I’d ruined it by proposing the next step in our relationship that, by his stunned silence, I was sure Sonny wasn’t ready for.
But before I could make it inside, he grabbed my hand and pulled me back down beside him. He cradled his hands around my face. “Oh, baby, I would love that. I thought you weren’t ready. That’s the only reason I haven’t asked. I don’t want to push you, but I can’t imagine anything more special than finally waking up with you beside me after all these years.” Sonny was genuinely excited at this prospect, and nothing could have made me happier.
At that moment, I knew in my heart I would never go back to live in the house with Harry again. He had moved out the first few nights after the big breakup, but he’d recently moved back for the duration of the campaign. We had separate rooms and avoided all extraneous contact with each other, so the living arrangements were totally for show. Even still, it was a difficult setup. Though our divorce wasn’t final, living with Harry felt sort of like a betrayal of Sonny. Here was this man who was giving me the most honest, true and deepest love I’d ever known, and I was forcing us to keep it a dirty secret while I played house with my soon-to-be ex.
Vivi now had her own full life with Lewis and Arthur at the plantation, so I couldn’t just barge in on her home. But I never wanted to live alone. I wasn’t even sure I could, and everything inside me let me know that living with Sonny was where I wanted to be.
I was so out of my comfort zone, but I knew it was what I wanted. “It will have to be after the campaign because I promised, but being with you feels so right. What do you think?”
“You seriously need to ask?” He was grinning as he pulled me into him. “To be able to go to sleep with you in my bed and wake up every mornin’ with you next to me has been a fantasy of mine for longer than I can remember. I’m here and ready, whenever you are.” He kissed me. “Actually, I’m not so sure about the sleepin’ part, but I know you’ll be in bed with me.”
A damn of emotion broke inside and it was all I could do to hide my tears of joy. I would remember this moment forever. The soaking rain, the night air, the front porch swing and resting in Sonny’s embrace. Nothing had ever felt so right.
9
I woke up at Sonny’s happy and rested. He had already left for the day and in his spot next to me was a note and a magnolia blossom.
Good morning, beautiful. Thank you for making my dreams come true. I finally woke up next to my angel. I love you, S.
I wobbled to the shower with a smile on my face.
It was already a scorcher by ten o’clock, but I wouldn’t have missed this day for anything. Lewis and Vivi would be in full socializing swing as the ground breaking and renovations at the station got underway. The mayor and Kitty and all of the media would be there, including Dallas Dubois—brazen reporter, ruthless attention-seeker and, of course, my ex-stepsister.
I ran over to Vivi’s to pick her up for the event and we rode over to the mansion together, dreading the soaring temperatures outside the air-conditioned car.
The heat was hardly bearable as I set my red sling-backs onto the dirt road near the side of the dilapidated Brooks Mansion. The historic old house had been placed on Alabama’s Places in Peril list for a reason. It needed saving. Lewis was our town’s official knight in shining armor for doing just that.
Too bad he couldn’t do something about the weather. My makeup was already melting and I had only been out of the car for two seconds.
Vivi was so excited as she struggled to get out of the passenger seat, looking anything but graceful in her navy blue sleeveless maternity pantsuit, her baby belly leading the way. She spread her legs in an unladylike squat and just heaved herself out.
I watched her, smiling, and shut my door. Although I wasn’t looking forward to that part of being pregnant, for the first time in my life I started to wonder what it would be like to carry the baby of the man you loved.
Harry had never inspired such thoughts. Probably because my having his baby would have taken the spotlight off him, except if he needed us to make his campaign poster look better. But I wondered what it would be like with Sonny.
Vivi waddled over to my side of the car. “Did you see Lewis standing over there, shaking hands with everybody? He makes anything sexy. I gave him that crimson tie today, and he smiled so big, his dimples were deep enough to swim in.”
“Lewis looks fantastic,” I agreed. “And you, little momma, have never been more beautiful.”
I gave Vivi a hug, careful not to mess her updo, not sure that even Aqua Net was up to today’s soaring temperatures. I squeezed her hand for reassurance, and then we walked toward the gazebo where Lewis was standing with the mayor.
“Lewis surely is in his element today,” I noted.
“He has come such a long way, Blake. I love him so much my heart’s filled to bursting. I’m thrilled to be standing next to him, watching as all his dreams come true.”
“Can I use that?” Dallas appeared right behind us, following us like a snake in the grass. She was a long-legged bottle-blonde, wearing a hot-pink Calvin Klein skirt, sleeveless low-cut blouse and six-inch white stilettos that dug like pointy little daggers into the red dirt.
“Oh, my good God, Dallas, put a sock in it already!” Vivi, being pregnant in August in the Deep South, had even less patience than usual. “I wasn’t talking to you or your microphone, and no, you may not use that.”
The looks Dallas shot Vivi were a lot like pointy little daggers, too. She did not like being put off. The trouble with Dallas was that, even when she meant well, she came off pushy, demanding and downright rude. She had a lot to learn about class and manners, and she often didn’t care who she had to step on to get a good story. The career woman in me respected her obvious dedication and passion, but she needed to learn there were better—and kinder—ways to make your way to the top.
“Vivi isn’t feeling well right now,” I interjected. “Can you give her a minute or two? I’ll let you know when she can give you a blurb for your story.”
“Blake, it’s not a blurb,” Dallas said, taking offense. It was impossible to have a civil conversation with this woman.
“I don’t care what it is,” Vivi snapped. “You’re not getting it now. I am going over to see my Lewis. It’s his day, after all. If and when I am ever ready to talk to you, I will let you know. Thank you for backing off.”
Dallas fumed. “Fine. I’ll be right over there.” She gestured to her photographer, setting up the shot just outside the tents. Local newspaper reporters were also setting up their equipment, along with a couple of other news radio stations.
“Don’t hold your breath,” Vivi muttered as she picked up the pace and walked in a hasty beeline toward her fiancé. I raced after her, my heels spiking into the ground. Why are we all wearing high heels in red dirt?
“That woman gets on my last nerve,” Vivi growled. “She is, without a doubt, the most brazen person I have ever known. She was actually eavesdropping on us while we walked. We could have been sayin’ anything and she would have gotten it on tape. Low, low, low. She is just pure ol’ dee low.”
“I know,” I commiserated. “She is lurking everywhere these days. But that’s all the more reason to stay on her good side.”
I thought of last night, kissing Sonny on the porch, then making love in his big bed, while the stars shone in the window. What would she do with that kind of juicy tidbit? I shuddered. One of the last times I’d seen her, she’d been on my patio, giving my husband, Harry, a taste of her right breast—all in the name of getting information and some high-profile publicity. I had chased her out of my backyard like a homicidal maniac, and though we’d been playing nice, I was afraid she was out for revenge.
She wasn’t the type of woman who was a girlfriend. Even when she’d been my stepsister, years ago, she’d never had any close friends. My mother married her father when Dallas was only fourteen and I was sixteen. We were friends for about a day and then Dallas started her competition with me—for everyone’s attention. She backstabbed me at school and worked double time to steal my clothes and my boyfriends.
Kitty, my mother, and her father divorced about ten years later, but Dallas and I have never given up the battle. I’ve always wanted to see the good in her—and Meridee, for one, has always insisted it’s in there—but we’ve never been able to move past our teenage rivalries no matter how hard I’ve tried. And Vivi, it was clear, had given up trying.
In the crowd, I saw my man standing there with Bonita. My heart skipped. I wanted to run to him, but not with all the cameras around, and definitely not with Miss Dallas Dubois there. As long as I kept my cool, I knew I could talk to him without much attention since he was there with Bonita. Plus, we were now working on a case together. So we could at least have a conversation without Dallas thinking she had a story.
I caught his attention and waved at him and Bonita. They waved back as Vivi and I headed for Lewis and the mayor, Charlie Wynn. He was a former captain in the navy. He looked like Jeff Bridges, always had a cigar in his mouth and threw the best tailgating parties on the quad I had ever seen.
Everyone liked him—especially my mother, who’d started dating him a few weeks ago. So far, it seemed like a good match, though Kitty seemed to think most men matched her well enough. She had been married four times, last I counted, and if she had her way, the mayor would be number five.
Vivi and I made our way over to the men.
“Hey, you two,” I said, reaching out to hug Lewis first, then the mayor. “What an exciting day for you and all of Tuscaloosa.”
Lewis looked radiant. “Blake, so glad you could make it. Yes, it’s gonna be a big ol’ day. A new beginning. Opening my own station has been a dream of mine for a long time. This place is my baby, and today is kinda like a birth, you know?”
Mayor Charlie reached over and hugged Vivi. “Seems like there’s a lotta that goin’ around these days.”
“Speaking of new beginnings,” Vivi said, “with this heat today, I may have my ‘new beginning’ before I’m ready. I’m gonna have one of those iced teas they’re serving for the media before I melt away.”
We all followed Vivi to the media tent. We grabbed a couple of iced teas and then went to check out the grounds, which had been cleaned up considerably since Lewis took over the Brooks Mansion, though there was still a lot to do. Dr. Brooks himself had built the house in 1837 and it sat almost in the geographical center of Tuscaloosa.
The Brooks Mansion was an unusual mix of architecture, Italianate and Greek revival. Most of the property around it had been sold off over the years in an attempt to keep the house intact. The building looked a bit shaky, but the good, solid bones were there.
All that was left outside was the gazebo and the huge oak and magnolia trees shading the side yard. The stone sidewalk was still overgrown with weeds and the front porch was starting to fall in, but the beveled glass around the front door glistened in the hot summer sun, bending the light and creating rainbow prisms streaming down the old steps. The mansion’s magic was still there. It had potential and Lewis saw that. He and the old house were kindred spirits.
The dedication would happen momentarily, and people were drifting toward the seats and claiming spots in the nearly two-hundred-year-old rotunda. The four of us made our way to the front and took our seats.
Lewis slipped his arm around Vivi’s back and pulled her into him. I was filled with such joy for Vivi. They looked good together. Happy. Just genuinely happy. They had found what we all are really looking for—true love—the real thing. Vivi’s belief in Lewis, and her love for him, was all encompassing. She was proud of her man.
I looked at Vivi and she was just covered in Bellerina dust. A little invention from our Sassy Belle club days, Bellerina dust simply means us belles may look like pretty little powder puffs on the outside, but deep down that secret dust transforms us into bulldozers, able to be strong for our friends and families when they need us. Yes, underneath all that lipstick and Aqua Net, in her heart—where it matters, a Sassy Belle can handle anything. And we always have each other’s backs. Always. Today, Vivi was the perfect example of that for sure.
“Goodness, Lewis, this is amazing,” I said. “I am so proud for you.”
He grinned. He knew I meant it.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way things have gone,” he said, squeezing Vivi.
She kissed his cheek. “I always knew my Lewis was somethin’ else.”
“That’s the understatement of the year, Miss Vivi,” Mayor Charlie spoke up. “Lewis has done so much good in such a short amount of time, bringin’ this town’s attention to the importance of preservin’ one of its most beautiful antebellum mansions and makin’ plans for a great sports radio station. I’m fixin’ to see if I can adopt him myself. Ever’body oughtta have a Lewis Heart or two in their family.”
“Thank you, Mayor, I just wanted to do right by the town I love so much and make this woman proud to call me hers,” Lewis said, looking at Vivi.
“Okay, it’s time for the dedication,” Mayor Charlie said. “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” He winked at Lewis and patted Vivi on the arm.
With determined, proud smiles, Lewis and the mayor made their way to the front steps of the Brooks Mansion, where a small entourage of local media had gathered. Dallas was there with her posse, plus some of the Birmingham TV stations and a few radio reporters. This was just the dedication, not the grand opening, but it would still make the evening news.
The mayor approached the crowd of reporters with his trademark swagger. He stepped up on the bottom step and faced the media, grinning.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank y’all so much for comin’ out today as we put to bed, once and for all, the fate of this grand old place. She has been on the Alabama Places in Peril list for so long, I can’t remember her any other way. Many options for her uncertain future have made headlines over the years. Threats to mow her down, rebuild her, replace her and build something else on these hallowed grounds have been the subject of years and years of debate and countless court battles. But I am here today proud to tell you all that this ol’ lady is tough like the stuff she comes from. She’s part of the very roots of this great town of Tuscaloosa, and she ain’t goin’ nowhere. My good friend has saved her from a near certain demise as a future shopping center.” He gestured toward Lewis. “Lewis, may I say from all of us here in Tuscaloosa, you have made us very proud.”
The mayor turned back to the crowd. “I give you the new owner of the Brooks Mansion, the CEO of the new radio station, WCTR, and the voice of your national champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide, Mr. Lewis Heart.”
The crowd erupted. Cheers and shouts of “Roll Tide,” the mantra for the Alabama Crimson Tide, were heard as others whistled. Vivi bounced and clapped, bursting with pride as Lewis approached the mic.
“Good afternoon, y’all. Enjoying this nice cool weather today?” Lewis was his usual charming, sarcastic self. The crowd laughed as Lewis grinned.
“I am happy to see so many of you on this sweltering day. It means the world to me to be able to save this fantastic piece of Tuscaloosa history and to make my dream come true right inside these doors—my own radio station broadcasting Crimson Tide sports twenty-four hours a day. Once we open in three short weeks, everyone is welcome to come inside for a visit. We’ll schedule tours, and maybe even have lunch on the grounds, to fully celebrate this magnificent thread in the fabric of the grand legacy of Tuscaloosa. I couldn’t be happier to give this mansion right back to the city that fought so hard to save her over the years.”
Lewis looked right over to me and winked. He included me in that fight and was proud of my part in the mansion’s preservation. I was overcome by this sweet gesture. I was fully aware, in that second, that he and I would always be on the same page. I was beginning to think Lewis and I had more in common than I had thought. We both loved Vivi and we both loved Tuscaloosa like no place else on earth. Maybe both of us had to get out from under Harry in order to shine.
“Well, my dream has finally come full circle,” Lewis continued. “The restoration of Brooks Mansion will begin at a rapid pace to be ready in time for the kickoff game. In fact, the pace will be unprecedented, with construction going on around the clock, along with a record number of people working on this project.
“Plans for the grand opening in three weeks are underway. The party will be right here and it will be a thing to remember. Look around you now ’cause, as my great-aunt used to say, ‘Y’all ain’t seen nothin’ yet.’ Thanks again for coming, and Roll Tide!”
Everyone was clapping and hollering.
“Isn’t he amazing?” Vivi whispered, joyful tears brimming in her eyes.
Lewis waved to the crowd, then reached his hand toward Vivi. A smile replaced her tears as she walked up toward the mic to be next to him. She waved to the people gathered, too, and everyone cheered. I swear they looked like the new first couple of Tuscaloosa.
I looked around the crowd of supporters and noticed Harry standing off to the side. I was sure he was jealous. I mean, Lewis was once the black sheep of the family, but he was quickly stepping into Harry’s spot on the throne. If I knew my old Harry, he wouldn’t take this turn of the tables for long. But just what he would do to get back in the spotlight, I didn’t know.
10
Harry Heart would not miss a media event for anything, and this dedication of the mansion was certainly no exception. Now that the speeches were over, he made his way over to the crowd of reporters to steal himself some camera time. He couldn’t help himself. The media might have gathered for Lewis today, but Harry couldn’t just let his brother have the spotlight. No, Harry Heart would go to hell and back to get on camera. He and Dallas shared that trait.
Dan “The Man,” Harry’s campaign manager, was right by Harry’s side, talking to reporters and making sure Harry said all the right things. He caught my attention and nodded his head toward Harry, standing in the middle of a small cluster of cameras, signaling that I was failing in my duties as a future senator’s wife. I knew I’d be stuck playing this role for a few more excruciating months, but I’d made a promise and I intended to keep it. I kissed Vivi on the cheek and whispered that I’d be right back. After shooting Sonny a look of apology, I reluctantly made my way over to Harry and Dan and took my requisite spot next to my husband, the candidate.
I had been an actress years ago, so now I acted happy and enthused. I hoped Sonny would understand. I had agreed to this farce, in large part, to protect him. People wouldn’t look kindly on the man who broke up the future senator’s marriage. The truth was, though he wasn’t exactly a model husband, he was exactly right for the role of senator. Our relationship issues aside, I trusted him to take care of the city that I love.
Harry was in full soapbox mode, sermonizing with quick one-liners and forced laughter. Cameras rolled and reporters threw him simple questions. I stood at his side, as obligated, smiling and looking approvingly at him—glancing every so often at Sonny, while inside I felt sick.
“Oh, yes, I am eager and ready for this challenge,” Harry said, wearing his starched white shirtsleeves rolled up to make himself look more like a man of the people. “I look forward to making your voices heard in our nation’s capital.”
He smiled his perfect megawatt smile, and it struck me as bittersweet that we were now so far apart. I had truly loved him once, and I’d been attracted to him from the moment I saw him. Even now, I could feel the shadow of the old familiar tug. He was still preppy gorgeous as he continued to wave and shake hands, but good looks and a few shared interests weren’t enough for me anymore. I wanted the fairy tale. The happily ever after. It’s hard when you’re painfully lonely, especially in the arms of the one you’re supposed to love.
“Fellow constituents,” Harry went on, “I know, with your help, we can make a difference in Washington and enhance the future for all in this great state of Alabama.”
Harry gestured to me. “Please say hello to my wife, attorney Blake O’Hara Heart. She will be an asset for you, as well.”
What? I couldn’t believe he could lie like that, knowing full well I would not be going to Washington with him. It struck me then how very different we were.
He pulled me forward and I waved as Harry continued to speak of our marriage and me. He was in full senator mode, not caring about anyone or anything but winning.
Sonny stood next to Bonita a few yards away, his hands in his pockets as he watched me, listening to Harry’s false laughter and small talk.
I hated this and with what I was feeling now, I was afraid I wouldn’t last in this role all the way to November. Sonny was precious to me. He fed my soul and it drove me crazy to hurt him. He was feeling it, too. I saw it in his eyes, even as he sent me a little grin. November felt like a lifetime away.
I went back to listening to Harry, then froze when I saw Dallas approach.
“So, Harry, tell me,” Dallas said with a slick smile. “If you win the senatorial election, will your devoted wife, Blake, be joining you in Washington?”
My heart just stopped. I did not like that woman. Have I said that already? Well, there, I said it again. Harry smiled nervously at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sonny stiffen, wanting to protect me, yet unable to jump to my rescue. I felt butterflies—no, make that bats—take flight in the pit of my stomach.
Dallas’s smile grew broader as the seconds passed by in awkward silence. “Well, come on, you two. It’s really not a trick question.” She shoved the microphone closer.
Harry seemed exasperated, too. “I am sure when the time comes, my wife will make that decision. I look for her to be by my side, like she always has been.”
Dan gave him a nod of approval. Dallas just smirked.
“Really?” She turned the mic toward me. “Anything you’d like to add to your husband’s comment, Blake? I mean, you have your law practice here and, of course, your family and special friends.” Dallas batted her lashes. “I’m sure they’d be so tough to leave behind.”
Her look said she knew I was spending time with Sonny, and she’d do anything for a juicy scoop. I didn’t know how she’d found out about us, but I did know there’d be no more smooching on the porch. This shark was circling for the kill.
“I will always support Harry,” I said strongly, utilizing every bit of acting talent I could muster. “Thank you for your interest in my welfare.”
She stepped closer. “One more question—”
I shot a quick glance at Dan, and he immediately stepped over to interrupt Dallas.
“Thank you, Miss Dubois, fellow news media and future constituents. That will be all the questions for now as Mr. Heart has another engagement to attend.”
Dallas smirked again and sent me a warning look as if to say, You got away this time, but soon heads will roll.
I shuddered.
Smiling to hide my nerves, I kissed Harry on the cheek for show and walked back toward Bonita and Sonny. My cop never took his eyes off me as I approached. I wanted to cry on his shoulder. I wanted him to fold me in his arms and cuddle me to him. I wanted to grab his hand and run far away from all this madness.
But, of course, I couldn’t do any of those things.
Dallas and half the state of Alabama were watching me.
“Hey, you two,” I greeted both Sonny and Bonita. “Glad y’all could make it.”
I leaned in and hugged Bonita, then Sonny, measuring my every move as I felt Dallas’s eyes searing like lasers into my back.
“Hey, beautiful,” Sonny whispered to me.
Just hearing those words made me relax all over. He wasn’t the least bit upset. Relief allowed me to finally inhale a full breath. Sonny understood what I had to do, and he wasn’t gonna stand in my way.
I smiled gratefully.
Bonita greeted someone passing by, and Sonny bent closer to whisper, “I could eat you alive right this second.”
“Why, sir, if you’re hungry, there are refreshments available with the caterers. I’m rather starving myself.” I smiled and squeezed his hand before quickly letting go.
“I’m ’bout to pure ol’ dee die out here in this heat. I’m headin’ over for some lemonade,” Bonita said, dabbing her neck with a tissue from her purse.
Vivi walked toward us. I saw Kitty and Meridee over her shoulder with the mayor and Lewis. Now that Kitty was openly dating the mayor, she looked as giddy as a fifth-grader with her first crush.
Meridee was congratulating Lewis and looking like a politician herself, talking to the media and laughing. It was her radio station, too, after all, since she’d made such a huge investment in it. But she preferred to be the silent partner and let Lewis have all the spotlight. That was her way.
Meanwhile, Dallas became more persistent to get that quote from Vivi.
“Oh, my Lord, I cannot get that dung fly Dallas off me,” Vivi said. “She is the most paparazzi-fied reporter in history. And have you seen her skirt? My God, you can just about see all the way up to the promised land.”
Sonny reached over and hugged Vivi. “Congrats on the ground breaking. Y’all got quite a future ahead. This is a great day,” Sonny said. “And, Vivi, I don’t think I have ever seen you glowing like you are today.”
“That’s ’cause I’m sweatin’ my ass off, Sonny. Now, if I could just have you put a restrainin’ order on the Mouth of the South, the day would be perfect. Dallas is driving me crazy for a statement.”
“Then give her one,” I said.
“Yes, a good one,” Bonita added as she rejoined the group with her sweet cold lemonade. “A shocker that’ll shut her up.”
Just then we saw Dallas heading our way, tiptoeing on the dirt with her stick-thin stilettos.
“Here we go again,” Vivi said. “While I do love all this attention, something about that woman’s attitude just rubs me wrong. I’d rather talk to a rattlesnake.”
“Vivi,” Dallas snapped, coming up beside us. “Are you ready to make a remark regarding today’s dedication yet? It is hot as hell out here and I have to prepare for my newscast. I can’t wait all day.”
“Why, Dallas,” Vivi cooed, in a falsely sweet voice, “I would be happy to give you a statement. I am just so proud of Lewis Heart and everything he has done for the city of Tuscaloosa that I could strip him naked and ride him like a bull, right this second.” Vivi smiled innocently. “How’s that, sugar? Will that work for you?”
All of us broke out in embarrassed shocked laughter.
“Oh, crap, I didn’t have my mic on,” Dallas said. She thrust the newly powered up mic into Vivi’s face. “Can you say that again?”
“Of course, sweetie. Anything for you. I love my Lewis and I am extremely proud of him.” She stopped and smiled.
“That’s not quite what you said before,” Dallas insisted. “Could we try that again?” She repositioned the mic under Vivi’s nose.
Vivi shook her head. “Sorry. Gotta go see my man now. He’s busy saving the day and I wanna be with him. Bye, y’all.” She winked at me and took off toward Lewis.
11
Later that afternoon, I was sitting in the cool of my office with Wanda Jo. Harry hardly ever came in anymore since the campaign had taken over his life. But I was okay with that. I liked working on things by myself, much more than I ever thought I would. I had several cases going, and I was glad to be so busy. Otherwise, I might find myself hanging over at the police station in a certain investigator’s office, which would simply not do.
I was meeting with Wanda Jo concerning a file when Vivi came flying in, literally running down the hall and straight into my office. “Blake, oh, my God, you’ll never guess what happened after you left the press conference. It is unreal!”
“Sit down, girl. You gonna deliver that baby right here if you don’t,” Wanda Jo said, getting up and giving her a chair, then pulled up one for herself.
“What the hell, Vivi?” I asked her. “What happened?”
“Blake, you are gonna die. In a million years, we never would have seen this comin’.”
“Are you gonna tell me or are we practicing telepathy?”
“After you left, Harry came over to Lewis and asked to talk to him. Lewis looked surprised and nervous. I mean, you know how it is between them. I moved closer to Lewis for support when Harry asked me for privacy. Can you believe it? I am carrying Lewis’s baby, and Harry had the nerve to ask me to give them a minute alone. I was immediately suspicious.”
“You aren’t the only one. What did you do?”
“I walked over to Meridee and Kitty, who were still talkin’ to Mayor Charlie. Harry said something to Lewis and he plopped down on the bottom step in shock. Then Harry sat down next to him.”
“Oh, my Lord,” Wanda Jo said. “It must have been serious for Harry to risk getting his pants dirty. What the heck did he say?” She knew Harry pretty well herself. Well, actually, everyone knew that for Harry to sit on anything other than a proper seat in his perfectly pressed pants was way out of character.
“I’m getting there, I’m getting there! Anyway, I wanted to run over when I saw Lewis sit down, but then I saw them shake hands. A minute later—you won’t even believe this—they hugged. Hugged!”
“No way,” I said. My heart sank. I knew Harry would be up to something with Lewis in the spotlight today. He just couldn’t stand it.
“Yes, way,” answered Vivi. “I almost fainted. With the heat and all, I thought I was seeing a mirage, but Meridee confirmed it. She was watching with me, and you know how she never misses a thing.”
“Vivi, spit it out. What happened? I’m about to die here,” I said.
“Harry walked away, and Lewis sank back down on the steps. I ran over to him and sat beside him. Blake, you aren’t gonna believe this, but Harry wanted to make amends. He actually apologized to Lewis, said he was truly sorry. Harry said he had misjudged Lewis for years and had been wrong about him. Can you freakin’ believe that?”
I sat in silence.
“Blake, you can close your mouth now,” Wanda Jo chimed in. “It’s not like Harry apologizing is a sign of the apocalypse, though it’s pretty damn close, for sure.”
“This is just not the Harry I know,” I said. “What else happened?”
“Harry asked Lewis to forgive him, and said he wanted to make up for lost time. Wanted them to act more like brothers. You know Lewis. He has been so hungry for family since the big fight all those years ago, and Harry not speaking to him ever since. Lewis said he was ready for them to start over, and he asked Harry to be best man at our wedding.”
“Okay,” said Wanda Jo. “It’s officially the apocalypse.”
I couldn’t believe this. Lewis and Harry had gone for over six years without speaking, all because of money and what to do with their mother after their father died. While Harry was the practical, serious one, Lewis was always going for the big dream, like owning his own radio station, though none of his schemes had ever worked out until now. He had lost the majority of the family fortune and went to Meridee behind everyone’s backs to ask for loans. But while the rest of us had spent our time judging Lewis based on his failures, Meridee saw something special in him, as she did in everyone. She helped him get this radio station going and he has been able to fully pay her back. But Harry has never ever apologized to Lewis. Till now.
“I can’t believe Harry came around,” I admitted. Was it real? I wondered. Was he genuinely wanting to make amends? Or did he just want something, now that Lewis was Tuscaloosa’s golden boy.
Vivi seemed happy, but I detected a hint of confusion from her, too. We sat there in shock and silence for a few moments.
Wanda Jo broke in first. “Look, y’all, we can sit here all day long wonderin’ what the hell he’s up to, or we can just be glad this happened. Whatever the motive, Lewis has got his big brother back. Just in time for the wedding, too! I have known those boys since they were knee-high to a grasshopper, and I know their momma would be proud.”
“You’re right, Wanda Jo,” I ventured warily.
“’Course I am. But I can’t just sit here whistlin’ Dixie. I got to get home and watch my VCR. I hope all my stories taped. Y’all just be grateful for good news and have a good evenin’. I know I will. That new widowed preacher’s stoppin’ by for some spaghetti.” Wanda Jo got up and pushed her chair back up against the wall.
Vivi laughed. “Oh, my word, Miss Wanda Jo, I thought you swore off all men of the Lord when you left your last preacher man.”
“Well, at my age, I can’t be too picky. Ever’body deserves a chance, you know. Only problem is he’s a damn Baptist, and you know I still can’t bake a pound cake. What good will I be at a funeral? All those Baptists bake like a son of a gun.” She winked. “Better get my cookbooks out in case somebody kicks the bucket. Wouldn’t wanna disappoint my new man. Now remember,” she added, “you two let these boys alone. It will all work itself out. We don’t need you being like Lucy and Ethel stirrin’ the pot.”
It was true; we did have the reputation of always being up to something. But when Wanda Jo left, Vivi and I sat looking at each other. We both knew Harry, and this turnaround was, at the very least, a tad fishy.
“I swear, Blake, I want Lewis to be happy. I don’t want to say anything to him, you know, just be supportive—but I have one eye cocked over my shoulder. Harry can’t be for real, can he?”
“I don’t know,” I said, “but for now, I guess it’s okay. I mean, how bad could it be?” In truth, I knew it wasn’t real. My prediction was that Harry probably thought it would be good for his campaign since: 1) it fit perfectly into Harry’s family values platform, and 2) Dan likely suggested it and told Harry to smarten up. With Lewis being near royalty as the voice of the Tide, Tuscaloosa really liked him. Lewis was a really likable guy in general. So it was pretty brilliant for Harry to buddy up to him. And the timing was way too perfect, with all those reporters around to capture the moment. I was sure Harry knew exactly what he was doing. Lewis was so happy, he would be receptive to Harry’s gesture. For Harry, being a politician through and through, this reconciliation was likely all in a day’s work. For him, it was a double bonus. He’d get all the votes from the Lewis fans, and he would be standing up as best man in the wedding of the decade for Tuscaloosa.
But also, I knew deep down he was actually proud of Lewis. Probably surprised his brother had finally pulled off one of his grand schemes, but it was an important one, and now Lewis was somewhat of an equal. Someone Harry was not ashamed of anymore. Harry was proud to be the brother of our new town hero and be able to show him off, especially on air. All good stuff for a future senator. And if the end result was that he would stand up for Lewis on the big day, then I guess this charade wouldn’t do any harm.
Vivi sighed. “I just don’t want Lewis hurt. He’s not the type to put up walls, you know? He’s an all or nothin’ type of guy. That’s what I love about him. I feel like I want to warn him, but at this point, I can’t. He was so happy, and, after all the fanfare today, this was just the icing on the cake. It would be so cruel to tell him his brother might be using him. Anyway, I’m goin’ home. Lewis said he was comin’ in a bit, and I gotta help Arthur get the place ready. Miss Bonita’s coming over for dinner, and Lewis says he’s bringin’ me a surprise.”
“What do you think it could be? He already gave you one surprise...” I waggled my eyebrows at her burgeoning belly.
“Ha-ha. Very funny. Lewis wants to commemorate this day in a special way, so we’ll just have to see what that means. You comin’ tonight?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there. I’m sleeping there these days, remember? I really wanna stay with Sonny. We even talked about it last night, but I’m so afraid Tabloid Dallas will be lurking around. I decided it’d be best to wait until the election is over.”
“Hey, why don’t you bring Sonny out? If anyone asks, he could be out there with Bonita, visiting us after work.”
“I already asked him....”
“The more the merrier!” Vivi rose from her chair. “Blake, I know you’re busy and I hate to push, but when do you think we can get up to Birmingham to find Tressa? I am having sleepless nights over this.”
“I know you are, honey. I think we can get up there and back the day after tomorrow. I’ll work it out with Wanda Jo so my meetings are scheduled around it.”
“The Fru Fru guys are coming out that day, first thing, to walk around the property and lay out the plans for the wedding. We can leave right after lunch.”
I walked her to the front office and hugged her goodbye. As I returned to my office to pack up, I was back, as usual, to thinking about Sonny. Instead of being satiated from last night, I felt hungry for more. Harry and I never made love the way Sonny and I did, full of passion and a deep emotional connection. I needed to focus on so many other things right now, but all I wanted was Sonny, shirtless and in my office right that second.
12
I sat down at my desk and dialed Sonny’s cell. He picked up on the first ring. “Officer Bartholomew. Does someone need to be searched?”
“Why, yes, Officer, however did you know?”
“Are you finally alone in your office?” he asked.
“Yes, are you spying on me?”
“Always,” he said.
I could hear the smile in his voice.
“I’ll be right over. My legs are walking right now, and I can’t stop them. Uh-oh, here they go out the door. Here I come. I’m coming now.”
“Well, come in the back door. I’ve already locked up the front.”
Before I knew it, he was walking in the back door, his cell phone still to his ear. “I’m here now, gorgeous.” He hung up and stood in the hallway.
“I see that and I like it, handsome.” I beckoned him closer, wrapped my arms around him and walked him backward to my office. I locked the door behind us, then kissed him all over his face. All my pent-up passion from earlier in the day at the dedication let loose.
“Oh, my, did you miss me or what?” Sonny asked, enjoying the heat of my excitement.
“No, not at all,” I said nonchalantly. “I’m like this all the time.”
I was biting him lightly on the neck, reveling in the powerful surge of my emotions, when something inside me just snapped. Suddenly, I was out of my mind with cravings for him, filled with a lust and passion I’d never felt before with anyone. I grabbed his belt and tugged him against me.
Sonny responded like a force of nature. With one hand, he was trying to take his jacket off, while his other hand wandered down the back of my skirt. We reached my desk, and I raked my arm across the surface of it. Everything fell to the floor.
“I wanna eat you alive right now.” Sonny pushed my skirt to my hips before lifting me up and settling me on the smooth surface. He slipped his fingers under my panties, hooking them in the crook of his finger, then slipped them down my bare legs and right off. He unbelted his pants with one hand, allowing the other to pull me even closer.
This was a different Sonny than I’d seen in the few times we had made love before. He was fierce, wild and white-hot in the moment.
He didn’t take the time to unbutton my sleeveless blouse. He untucked it from my skirt and lifted it over my head, exposing my lacy white demi-bra. In seconds, he’d slipped the straps from my shoulders and pulled the bra down, my breasts now fully out and pressed against him.
Sonny yanked his still-buttoned shirt over his head, followed by his white T-shirt. He devoured me, licking my breasts, his hands all over my bare rear, caressing my inner thighs, then positioning himself between my legs. He was on fire, fast, furious and hungry for me, and I let him have his way.
He picked me up off my desk, my high heels still on and dangling, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he thrust inside me. Then he set me back on the desk, his hands gripping my waist as he found a steady rhythm.
He never stopped consuming me, inhaling me. His touch was genius. He reached over and closed the blinds behind me without breaking his steady movements within me. It was like he had been living for this moment his whole life. It was the hottest lovemaking I had ever known. In fact, I had never known anything like this.
I had never seen Sonny so out of control. I felt like he was the most masculine person in the history of life. He was so big, overpowering me in the best way possible. He was breathing heavily as he worked toward his passionate release.
I was like an animal. He brought out something in me that I had no idea was even there. We reached that moment of bliss together and I found myself yelling out and digging my nails into the flesh of his back.
Sonny groaned, throwing his head back in ecstasy. When he finished, he looked into my eyes, little beads of sweat running down his forehead, his chest heaving up and down. “I love you, Blake—I do. God, you are so beautiful.”
I held him to my naked breasts. It was the most emotionally charged moment I could ever remember. It was a huge release on so many levels. “I love you, too, Sonny. So much. Oh, my God, I have needed everything about you for so long.”
He stood in front of me, and we held the embrace for a minute—until we heard a car pull up in front of the building.
Both of us looked bug-eyed at each other. Then Sonny scurried to put his pants back on, hopping around the room on one foot and grabbing his shirt. He reached back over, kissed me on the lips, and then ran from my office, disappearing out the back door, still half-dressed, like the superhero of passion. I could barely wrap my head around what had just happened. Or what was likely to happen any minute.
I slammed my door shut and pulled my skirt back down, pulled my bra back up and quickly threw my shirt over my head, tucking it in as I heard keys opening the front door of the building.
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