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MAGNOLIA

With my dadstanding in Rhett’s doorway, I was suddenly very aware that I was only dressed in Rhett’s shirt. I tugged at the hem and asked him, “What are you doing here?”

Rhett cleared his throat. “You’re welcome to come in, Mr. Gibson.”

My dad’s face was pale as he stood frozen in the doorway. “Magnolia, can you get dressed, please?”

I nodded, quickly going to Rhett’s bedroom and pulling on my capris. I went ahead and changed back into my top from the night before and found Rhett and my dad standing awkwardly on the front porch.

Rhett’s skin was paler than normal, and my dad’s jaw was tight.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

They both looked down.

Shit. What had they said to each other?

Dad cleared his throat. “My mechanic can’t get my truck in until next Thursday, and I can’t afford to sit out that long. I knew Rhett was trained in diesel mechanics and wanted to see if he’d do me a favor by fixing my rig.”

I looked from Dad to Rhett. “Can you do that, Rhett?” I asked.

He nodded. “Course I can. But he doesn’t want me to do it anymore.”

I tilted my head at my father. “Dad, of course you can have Rhett work on your truck.”

“I was having trouble asking him before I knew you were in the sack together.” Dad folded his arms over his chest, bringing his chin down and then back up. He scrubbed his hand over his scruff and shook his head. “Shit, Mags, I thought you were smarter than this.”

My stomach sank. “Dad...”

He shook his head. “You might not remember, but I do. You were a little girl, eighteen years, old, lying on my couch for an entire summer, crying your heart out, broken, because of him.” He jabbed his finger toward Rhett.

Rhett’s jaw muscles ticked, but he didn’t say a word.

Shame and anger swirled in my gut. I knew I’d have to talk to my dad about this eventually, but I hadn’t prepared for it to happen today. And now I wasn’t just defending Rhett to him; I was defending myself.

I gritted my teeth, squared my shoulders. “Kid,” I said.

“What?” Dad asked.

“You said I was a little girl, a kid, back then. Well, Rhett was too.”

Rhett glanced over at me, and the gratitude in his hazel eyes nearly made me melt.

Dad just seemed more frustrated. “You may have been out of Cottonwood Falls for over a decade, Maggie, but I haven’t. I’ve heard everything about thiskid, and yes I saykid, because a man doesn’t toy around with women the way he has.”

“The women agreed to what they were doing, Dad.” My voice shook, half from shame, half from worry. I didn’t want to choose between my dad and the man Rhett wanted to prove he could be.

“I don’t want you to be just another notch on his bedpost, because that’s what you are to him,” Dad said. “A means to an end. One he already got by the looks of it.”

My heart split at his words. “That’s over the line, Dad.”

Dad shook his head, turning to walk away. “Forget about the truck.” But then he turned back. “Come over on Sunday, okay, Maggie? We’ll talk this out then.”

I froze, shaking my head. “I’m busy this weekend.”

Dad looked between Rhett and me. “Mags, I expected more from you.”