Page 30 of Perfectly Matched: Harbor Falls Romance Collection

The voices above roused her.

Suzie’s. Brad’s.

Mary Lou waited while she was coming to, to see if she could distinguish anyone else’s voice. Like Nash’s. She was humiliated enough, as it was, without waking to see him peering over her body sprawled out on the floor.

No, wait. It didn’t feel like she was on the floor. In a bed?

“Poor thing. I think the excitement was too much for her,”

Suzie mused.

“Brad Matthews, why in the hell didn’t you give me some kind of warning?”

“It was one of those things, Suzette. It sort of fell into place and I thought I was doing a good thing. The bus was bigger than I thought and was taking up half of the parking lot. That limited the parking for the concert. And I just thought it would be out of the way here and he could have some peace and quiet.”

Mary Lou heard Suzie sigh.

“Well, of course. I know. I could have used a few more minutes. A text, a quick call, something.”

She paused.

“Well, at least we didn’t run Nash off.”

Is he here? Mary Lou wanted to open her eyes.

“Naw. He’s fine. Was a bit worried about her though. Said she was like dead weight in his arms when he carried her up the stairs.”

Mary Lou flashed open her eyes.

“He carried me?”

Suzie sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand.

“Yes, sweetie. Oh my goodness, are you okay? I was so worried.”

She sat up. Oh, woozy still.

“He carried me?”

“Yes, but it’s okay. He was concerned.”

Mary Lou’s heart beat faster.

“Just my luck. I’m in Nash Rhodes’ arms and I’m unconscious and have absolutely no recollection of it. Dammit!”

Suzie looked at her and held her gaze for a long moment. Then she turned to her husband and said.

“Brad, I know you have things to do this afternoon at the lodge, right?”

“Well, I thought I’d hang around the house and play with Petey this afternoon. Or maybe hang with Nash on the deck. Damn, it’s warm for January, you know?”

“Petey loves to go to the lodge. It’s a beautiful day. He can ride his trike on the deck while you have things to do there. Right?”

Glancing between husband and wife, Mary Lou knew there was more to this conversation than what was on the surface.

Suzie dipped her head to stare Brad in the eyes.

“Oh, of course. Yes. I have things to do at the lodge.”

He left and Mary Lou had to wonder just what kind of control Suzie had over that husband of hers.

Suzie watched her husband leave, then turned back to look at Mary Lou. “Sex.”

“What?”

“I can see the question on your face. How do I get him to do what I want?”

Suzie shrugged.

“It’s sex. Sex is power.”

She smiled a big grin then.

“And he loves me and will do anything for me.”

“For sex?”

Mary Lou thought she was starting to get it.

A giggle bubbled up in Suzie’s throat. She nodded. “For sex.”

“Oh.”

Then she thought of Barry and frowned. Could she wield the power of sex over him? Did she even want to? Was there anything that she ever wanted him to do for her that she would offer up sex as a reward? The notion was unsettling and turned her stomach a little.

“Mary Lou…”

With a finger to her chin, Suzie turned Mary Lou’s face her way.

“Now, you listen to me, Mary Lou Picketts, because I’m only going to ask this once more. Do you really want to marry Barry Phillips? Because with the look on your face right now, and earlier, well… Well, I just think you are settling because you think there is no one else. Is that right?”

“Well, I—”

Suzie interrupted.

“Or do you want to live on the edge a little bit and see if I can hook you up with Nash Rhodes, even if it’s only for an evening. It really wouldn’t be cheating, it’s just dinner. Your decision. But remember, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime shot and I make no guarantees.”

Mary Lou swallowed. What did she want? When would this chance ever come along again? It wouldn’t.

“It wouldn’t be cheating?”

“It’s just dinner, Mary Lou.”

“Oh.”

Suzie crossed her arms and stared.

“Unless you want it to be more. Of course, Nash would have to agree and I’m not going there with either of you. That’s your business.”

Suddenly, her lips and mouth were incredibly dry.

“Suzie, I—”

But Suzie interrupted again.

“Before you answer, think about this. Is it about Barry or is it about you? What do you want, deep in your heart? Durability? Or a chance at something more? A chance. That’s what I want to give you, Mary Lou. A chance at more.”

She nodded.

“I understand.”

“And if you do want more, then this afternoon, we have our work cut out for us. But we’ll give it our best shot, all right? And it will be fun.”

Suzie stopped talking then and smiled at her. Mary Lou realized, sitting there on a bed in one of Suzie’s guest bedrooms, that her chest was tight from holding her breath. She sighed, letting it go in one big whoosh. Her heart answered with a wild tattoo beat of anticipation.

“I don’t want to be durable,” she said.

Suzie grinned.

“What do you want to be?”

“Sexy.”

Fear lanced Mary Lou’s mid-section.

“Can I pull it off? Is that too much to expect? I mean, I’m just a plain-Jane girl and—”

Suzie stopped her from saying more by putting a finger to her lips.

“We can pull it off. You can pull it off,”

Suzie said.

“But here is your first task and it might be a difficult one. You have to do it though. Get on your phone, Mary Lou, and call Mr. Barry Phillips and tell him that I need you to stay the weekend at the inn. Plead the deadline and tell him I’m paying you and if you must, tell him it is money you’ll save for the honeymoon. If you have plans, cancel them, because I want you free for the entire weekend. You hear? If he needs to tend to Miss Priscilla, then so be it, but let it go. The cat will be fine.”

Mary Lou liked the sound of all of that but bit her lip. It wasn’t that she couldn’t call Barry, it was just that.

“But we have tickets for the concert Saturday night.”

Rolling her eyes, Suzie reached out and shook her.

“Honey, you are going to have a front row seat and a backstage pass! Tell him to take his mother. Tell him I need your help and I’m hiring you. Now call.”

She hesitated. Should she? Could she turn herself over to Suzie for the entire weekend?

In a split second, she decided. Yes.

Standing, she reached into her pocket for her cell phone.

“All right. I’m all yours.”

Suzie squeezed her hand.

“Nope, by the end of this weekend, Mary Lou, I’m hoping you’ll be all his. Meaning Nash, of course. I would bet the inn on it. I saw the way he looked down at you while he was carrying you up those stairs.”

The thought of that made Mary Lou’s stomach twist into a knot. He’d looked down at her? Watched her face? What had he thought of her?

Could she, Mary Lou Picketts, belong to someone like Nash Rhodes?

No. Impossible. Or is it?

She took another deep breath and decided she better call Barry before she threw up. Glancing down to her left hand, she looked at the small diamond engagement ring Barry gave her a few weeks ago. Without much thought, she slipped the ring off her finger and placed it in a tray on Suzie’s nightstand.

Suzie watched her and smiled.

****

“Why in hell you agreed to do this, I will never know.”

Nash straightened his Resistol and looked at Rick’s face on his cell phone. He wished he’d just called rather than dialed up video chat. He wasn’t in the mood for Rick’s facial exaggerations.

“Just call it a favor. This town has been nothing but nice.”

“Yes, and you gave them a chunk of money for the hospital, so they are going to be nice.”

“Has nothing to do with that.”

“What about the fact that you needed some space? Alone time? What happened to that?”

Nash felt like hanging up. He was tired of getting the third degree from Rick. Lately that’s all it seemed to be.

“Look. I just need a breather. I have a night off. The guys are getting a great dinner. You all are settled there at the lodge. I’m not coming back up there. The offer of the suite was nice but I’m staying with the bus here at the Matthews.”

“And you decided this when?”

“About fifteen minutes ago. I called in the deck and beer offer from Brad.”

“Is there a woman involved?”

Nash sneered.

“Why the hell would you ask that?”

“Because you haven’t been with a woman since Alicia and I figure you’re starting to get restless. That’s the only reason I can think of that you might crack out of your shell tonight. It’s a woman, right?”

Nash cleared his throat.

“She’s a fan and a friend of the Matthews. I haven’t even met her. Least I can do.”

“Bullshit. You have millions of fans. There is barely a return on investment by paying special attention to one fan. Most times, it’s trouble. You should be resting up tonight.”

Rick was right, but he was damn tired of the long hauls lately and was eager to experience some good home cooking and down-home company. North Carolina wasn’t Louisiana but the folks here were good people and it was almost like home. He liked the Matthews and the looks of the inn they lived in, and well, if they had invited a fan of his to eat with them, so be it.

“I’m having dinner with the Matthews. It’s business. Brad is on the board of the hospital and I want to talk with him more about their needs. So, it’s more than meeting fans.”

Rick paced.

“This is crazy. You can’t take this risk.”

“What risk?”

Nash’s voice raised. He was getting a little tired of Rick thinking he could run his life. His business, maybe. His life, no.

“There’s more risk of running into wayward fans at the lodge, than here.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Look,”

Nash added.

“after dinner, why don’t you guys take off and head into Asheville or somewhere for some night life. Have a round or two on me. I need some space.”

He started again for the door of the bus, hoping that message was blunt enough.

“I’m signing off now.”

Rick piped up.

“Don’t do anything stupid, man.”

Nash stopped and stared down at the phone.

“I think the better statement is this—don’t you do anything stupid and stay off my back. Got it?”

Nash watched Rick start to speak, then clamp his mouth shut. The look on his face told Nash that he understood. They’d all been testy the past week. Forty cities in fifty days had taken its toll. He needed a break. They all did.

Nash ended the call and shoved his phone into his back pocket.

Was it a woman? Had Rick pegged him?

Twisting the knob on the bus door, he had to wonder. Female companionship for a few hours would be nice. And if the fan at dinner this evening happened to be the same hometown girl he’d carried upstairs earlier in the day and carefully laid on the guest bed, he wouldn’t argue.

When her eyes had fluttered briefly during the ascent up the stairs, he’d gotten a flash of sea-blue that sent his gut into a downward spiral.

If so, he hoped he would get to stare into those eyes much longer this evening.

****

Her stomach in knots, Mary Lou looked in the mirror and nearly didn’t recognize herself. Suzie peered over her shoulder and smiled.

“I do good projects,”

she exclaimed.

“So now I’m a project.”

“Of sorts.”

Suzie smiled.

“I meant it in a good way. You look beautiful, Mary.”

In the mirror, she watched one corner of her mouth twitch upward into a half-grin.

“Better than durable?”

Suzie squeezed her shoulders.

“Oh sweetie, much better than durable.”

Looking to her feet, sporting a pair of Suzie’s red cowboy boots, Mary said.

“It’s really a shame no one can see that I am rocking a matching blaze red pedicure under these awesome boots,”

she whispered.

“Unless you take those boots off later—or Nash does.”

Suzie winked. A wicked grin flashed over her face.

“Oh hell. Don’t make me think of that, Suzie. I may just make another stupid grand entrance by falling into a heap at Nash’s feet.”

“No, you won’t. We’ve practiced. The boots are easy to walk in and they fit perfectly. Just keep your chin up and your shoulders back. You’re lovely, Mary. All will be fine.”

She stepped back and admired her protege.

“Now, I’m tending to the rest of dinner. Don’t come down until I give you the signal. I want you to make a grand entrance.”

She moved toward the door.

“And oh yeah, remember, it’s Mary instead of Mary Lou, okay? Sounds a bit more grown-up.”

“Sure.”

Suzie left and she continued to stare at herself. Mary. She was going to start referring to herself that way, too, even after tonight. Why she’d not thought of it before was beyond her, but she did feel more mature leaving off the Lou.

She studied herself again in the mirror. Buffed and spit-shined, she didn’t look half-bad in a borrowed dress, jewelry, and boots. A new hair color and cut. And makeup. No, damn if she didn’t look beautiful.

“Just get through dinner,”

she whispered, staring at her reflection. The coaching, the makeover, she loved the magic Suzie had worked this afternoon.

If only she could pull off the rest of the evening. It was up to her now.

Her phone binged on the nightstand. Butterflies erupted under her diaphragm.

Hesitantly, she walked to it and picked up the phone. A text message from Suzie. The signal. It was time.

With one last look in the mirror, Mary took a deep breath and exhaled.

“Nash Rhodes, I sure as hell hope you are ready for me.”

She hoped she was ready for him.