Page 36 of Perfectly Matched: Harbor Falls Romance Collection

The next week on Thursday, Mary Lou stepped into Sugar High on Main, found her usual spot in the corner, turned on her laptop, and then made her way to the counter to order coffee and a scone. She wondered what Sydney had on the menu today.

Falling in line behind a young couple, she read the chalkboard over the cash register and made her decision. Mocha today, she thought, and a vanilla-caramel scone with brown sugar glaze sprinkled with cashew dust. Wow, Sydney was really cranking the new recipes, working toward that contest.

The couple retrieved their pastries and stepped away, waiting for their beverages. Mary Lou moved to the counter. Shelley Hart, Suzie’s sister, was working today.

“What can I get for you, Mary Lou?”

She rattled off her order.

“Do you want the mocha hot or cold?”

Mary Lou thought about that. Usually she did hot. “Cold,”

she told her.

“I think I’ll try something new.”

Shelley smiled and punched in her order.

“Seven-ninety-three,”

she said. Mary handed her the money.

“Wait here, I’ll get your scone.”

Mary Lou watched her write her name on a cup and hand it down the counter to a young woman she didn’t know. Probably in training. Shelley went to the pastry case, grabbed some waxed paper and the preferred scone, and placed it in a paper bag.

She handed it to Mary Lou.

“Oh shoot, you probably wanted that on a plate, didn’t you? Since you’re staying.”

Mary Lou waved her off.

“It’s okay. Just grab me a little plate and I’ll be fine.”

She did, saying.

“Sorry about that. I’m just helping out. Usually I work up at the lodge, but Sydney and Suzie have a big catering event today, so they’re stuck in the kitchen back there.”

She pointed her thumb behind her.

Mary Lou swallowed hard.

“Suzie is here?”

“Oh yes. Do you need to talk to her?”

Shaking her head, she said.

“No, no. I’ll take the scone to my table and wait until the new girl calls my name for my mocha.”

Suddenly she wanted to be out of sight, not believing she was dodging Suzie.

“Okay. Have a good morning, Mary Lou.”

She skedaddled off to her table, rearranging things to where she was sitting in the shadowed corner of the bakery, her laptop up in front of her face. Hunching over her computer, she opened a file, hoping to get lost in the book she was editing. Hoping also that Suzie would be too busy to step out of the kitchen and see her.

“Mocha for Mary?”

She looked up. Suzie stood there holding her coffee drink. Dammit.

“Oh, hi Suzie!”

She tried to act enthusiastic and reached for the cup.

Suzie set it on the table, a little out of reach, and then sat across from her.

“You haven’t returned my calls this week.”

Sighing, Mary Lou returned.

“Well, it’s been a busy week and I’ve not quite felt myself so I’m a little backlogged with the social calendar.”

Suzie scowled. She held the mocha in front of her.

“Here’s your coffee.”

Mary Lou reached out with her right hand to take it. Suzie moved it further to Mary Lou’s left. “Suzie?”

“I’m sorry. Did I move that? It’s over here.”

Puzzled, Mary Lou studied her. “Why?”

“Reach for the coffee, Mary,”

Suzie ordered.

Without thinking, she did. Suzie grabbed her left hand in the process and looked down at the diamond ring on the third finger of her hand.

“Ha! I knew it. You decided to go ahead and marry that boring carpenter, didn’t you?”

Mary Lou was stunned. “I, uh…”

Sydney joined them then, taking the seat to Mary Lou’s left.

“I’d heard the rumors. Tell me it isn’t true.”

Mary Lou blew out a long breath, pushed her laptop to the side, and face-planted her forehead right on the table.

“Please don’t hassle me about this, ladies,”

she mumbled into the table.

“He’s a good man.”

“Well of course he’s a good man but he’s not the right man for you.”

They were silent for a moment but unmoving. Mary Lou raised her head, her hair flying, and looked at them.

“He begged. He said I needed to repair his reputation as a man scorned. He said I owed it to him. He forgave me for my indiscretions.”

Suzie clucked and rolled her eyes.

“All excellent reasons to marry the man.”

“I do care for him.”

“You don’t love him.”

Mary shrugged.

“What is love anyway? He’s dependable. Makes a good living. Owns his own home. He’s…practical.”

“And you’re durable,”

Suzie pointed out.

“Ouch.”

That stung more than she wanted to admit, so she changed the subject.

“But he’s local. He’s Harbor Falls.”

Sydney leaned in.

“And your little world would go uninterrupted and your life would remain the same. Safe.”

“Nothing wrong with safe, Sydney!”

“No. There is nothing wrong with that. But do it for the right reasons.”

What the hell are the right reasons? She wasn’t sure she knew anymore.

“The wedding is Sunday. I didn’t send out invitations, I am just telling people word of mouth. I hope you come. There is no reception. We’re heading out straightaway to New York for our honeymoon.”

Sydney slapped the table.

“Good Lord, don’t tell me he is taking you to Niagara Falls.”

“Well…”

“Boring! Perfect, just perfect,”

Suzie stood, fists perched on her hips.

“A boring start to your boring marriage. Mary Lou Picketts, I’ve come to know you well the past week or so, and I know that the look you get in your eyes for Barry Phillips is nothing like the look you get in your eyes for Nash Rhodes. I’m just saying it. That man could be your happily-ever-after. He asked you to wait for him. What in the hell are you doing screwing up your life?”

Mary blew out a breath, grabbed her laptop, and shoved it into her bag. She was glad her scone was in a little white paper bag too and popped it her larger bag next to the computer. She stood and reached for her coffee, then looked Suzie in the eyes.

“Nash Rhodes is going through a difficult time right now. I don’t want to complicate his life. Leave it alone, Suzie.”

She sidestepped the women and headed for the door.

“Nash Rhodes loves you. He wrote a damn song for you, Mary. He asked you to wait for him. What more do you want?”

Turning, she thought about that, staring at the floor.

“I want him to be happy without me. I want him to be happy with music.”

She glanced off for a second, then back to the women.

“I had a nice day with Nash. It’s one I will always cherish. But my world and his don’t mesh. He’ll find someone else.”

She turned away and then quickly back again.

“Look, I’ve thought a lot about this. I didn’t make this decision lightly. It’s the best thing for me to marry Barry. I hope you two will understand and come to the wedding.”

Then she left the bakery before her words fully sank in, and before tears stabbed the backs of her eyelids.

****

He slept for sixteen hours straight. After a long talk with his mama and brother, and a home cooked meal that about busted his gut, he’d fallen into his childhood bed—feet hanging over the edges and everything—and slept like he hadn’t for nearly a year. He’d heard his mama and brother stirring about in the kitchen downstairs, and had smelled the coffee, but lingered in his bed reminiscing a bit as his gaze traveled over baseball trophies, a couple of his older guitars in the corner, and school pictures.

When had life grown so complicated?

He heard her footfall on the steps and closed his eyes. Juliet Rhodes wasn’t about to let her son get away with this sleeping late nonsense for long. He guessed she figured sixteen hours was long enough.

“Up and at ‘em, cowboy,”

she said, jerking back the curtains in his old bedroom. Dust motes danced in the air and he blinked.

“We have plans for today.”

Nash pushed up on an elbow, watched her tie back the curtains, and crack a window.

“Good Lord it’s stuffy in here,”

she continued.

“I need to open up this room more often, or you need to come visit more.”

Nash grinned.

“Good morning to you too, Mama.”

She turned and smiled. That broad happy smiled warmed his heart. He had missed it like crazy.

“It’s good to see you in that bed, son,” she said.

Stretching, he threw his legs over the side.

“Funny I don’t remember it being this small.”

She laughed and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

“Kaulin and I made some plans for today. We want you to come with us.”

“Like?”

Sighing, she said.

“Well, we’re cleaning up Dylan and your daddy’s graves and getting them ready for spring. Then we’re heading out to the ranch to check on the horses. We’ll stop by the nursing home to see your grandpa on the way home. Been a while since you’ve been here so I figure you need to do both.”

Nash agreed and swiped his hands over his face. It has been months since he’d seen his grandpa and even longer since he’d been to the older man’s ranch. Nash had a couple of horses out there still that needed riding—he paid Kaulin to take care of them while he was gone—but he didn’t know if he’d have time to tend to them much today. Luckily, he had a couple of weeks.

“Sounds like a full day. Coffee ready?”

“Probably cold by now but we can make fresh.”

She reached in and cupped his face with her hands.

“Boy, it sure is glad to have you home. I’ve missed you.”

She bear-hugged him then and he about pulled her down into the bed alongside him. She giggled and he hugged her back.

“I needed to be home, Mama. Thanks for letting me crash.”

Pulling back, she looked into his eyes.

“Home is where you come when you need to crash, but that doesn’t get you out of work. Get your ass up and let’s get going.”

Smiling, he did as he was told.

A few hours later, the three of them sat on the tailgate of Kaulin’s Chevy pickup truck and looked out over the cemetery where Nash’s little brother and daddy were laid to rest. He thought about how in a few short minutes their family of five reduced to three. How three brothers were suddenly two. Nash was the oldest, Kaulin the middle child, and Dylan the youngest brother of the family. He missed him and his dad like crazy, every day.

They had picked up sticks, pulled weeds, trimmed around the headstones, and gotten rid of the remnants of the fall flowers previously placed there. Nash hadn’t made it to the graves last fall, so he hadn’t seen what his mother and brother had done then—only now did he see the dried up, dead, and broken stalks of the arrangement.

“I can’t believe it’s been ten months,”

he said, staring off into space.

“Where the hell does the time go?”

Juliet leaned into him, her head on his shoulder.

“Goes faster the older you get, son. I hate to tell you. I sure as hell do miss them,”

she whispered.

Nash snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close.

“I’ve missed them, and the two of you. I promise I’m going to get more control over my schedule so I can get home more often.”

His mama pulled back and held his face in her hands.

“You know we understand, right? So, don’t let that weigh on you. You’re making a career and a name. Your daddy always said you would. We know that’s priority right now.”

Nash heard the words, but his heart had difficulty reconciling the logic. He pushed out a breath, glanced to Kaulin, then back to his mama.

“I know. I’m not letting that weigh on me, Mama. I promise I won’t. But priorities sometimes get screwed up and I’m feeling like my life is heading that way.”

“It’s too short man,”

Kaulin said.

“I mean, just think about Dylan. Football scholarship to ‘Bama, top of his class in academics, his path was all laid out. Then wham.”

Juliet shifted.

“Until that damn drunken bastard took them both from us.”

Nash closed his eyes at the remembrance. His mother calling, crying hysterically in the phone. Kaulin shouting. The crowd in the arena out front chanting his name. Rick pushing him toward the stage.

He wasn’t sure how he sang that night. The only thing he regretted was that he hadn’t dropped everything and flown home that very minute to be with his family. Maybe part of what he’d been feeling lately was guilt, like he’d told Mary.

Shit. Mary. His heart ached thinking of her. What had she said about feeling guilty? Tell people and talk about it? Perhaps she was right.

“I’m sorry, Mama.”

His head hung.

“I wasn’t here for you then. I should have been.”

Juliet reached for his hand.

“You got here as soon as you could.”

She angled her gaze at him.

“Damn boy, you’ve got some melancholy going on today, what’s eating you?”

His gaze landed on the graves.

“I’ve been thinking about Dylan a lot lately. Just like you said, Kaulin. He deserved to have the best life possible. He worked hard in school, practiced hard, was such a damn good kid.”

He looked to his mom.

“A much better kid than I was growing up.”

Juliet laughed.

“You were a great kid, Nash. Just a little stubborn and ornery. And you’re a great man.”

He smiled, then dropped his gaze again and grew somber.

“Dylan was a lot like Dad. They lived life to the fullest every day. He was good to people. People loved him.”

He paused, thinking.

“I don’t think he passed up a single opportunity in his life. He grabbed onto everything. I wish I was more like him.”

Nash sensed his mother staring. She reached out and threaded her fingers with his, leaving their clasped hands on his thigh.

“Tell me what’s going on, Nash.”

He stared at the ground for a moment, then took a big breath, exhaled, and tried to put it all into words.

“This past year… I’ve made every goal I set out to achieve with my music. As much as I’ve gained, I’ve lost. I lost Dylan and Dad, and I lost Alicia. I work hard and the days fly by in a blur. And…”

He paused.

“I just don’t know what I want anymore.”

The three sat in silence for a moment.

Then Kaulin said.

“I smell a woman somewhere in this scenario.”

Nash looked up.

“Why in the hell would you think that?”

“Shit, man, you always get confused about life when there is a woman involved.”

His mama agreed.

“It’s because when you focus on something, you only focus on one thing. It’s difficult for you to separate yourself two ways. Always has been like that with you. If it was baseball, it was baseball. Nothing else. If it was music, it was music. If it was a girl, then all bets were off. You were obsessed.”

Juliet squeezed his hand.

“So okay. Tell us about her.”

Nash studied her.

“Was I really that laser-focused?”

She nodde.

“Always. You just need to learn how to balance.”

A lightbulb went off in his head.

“Hell. I had no clue.”

“So now you do. Figure out how to do it, son. What’s her name?”

He paused, thinking about Mary. Picturing her in his mind and smiled.

“Her name’s Mary. I barely know her, but I can’t get her out of my head. We had a day. It felt like forever.”

Nash blew out a breath.

“Do you think this is just me being obsessed?”

His mama shook her head.

“No. This is you trying to figure out the balance.”

“I think she could help me do that.”

“Then why are you here?”

Juliet asked.

“Good question.”

Nash stared off into the distance.

“I asked her to wait for me. If I could see her after Australia. She told me she couldn’t.”

Kaulin asked, “Why?”

“She’s engaged. Getting married in two weeks.”

“Ouch. Shit.”

His brother punctuated the sentence by spitting a wad of tobacco on the ground. “Married?

“Yeah. I think. To tell you the truth, I’m not really sure. I talked with a friend of hers late last night who told me she gave the ring back. That she called it off. But Mary hasn’t contacted me, so I don’t know.”

“Well, shit, bro. That ain’t good news.”

“Probably for the best. I can’t give her much of me right now. I’m on the road too much. I asked her to wait but—”

Juliet squeezed his hand again.

“That’s a lot of pressure to put on a woman who’s engaged or was engaged. Lots of soul-searching and decision-making. Maybe she’s working through stuff too.”

Shrugging, Nash said.

“I wrote a song for her. Asked her to wait until I got off the tour. Asked her not to get married.”

“How could you do that?”

His brother challenged.

Nash stared.

“How could I not?”

A phone ringing broke the atmosphere between them. Nash stood and reached into his back pocket. “Shit,”

he hissed, glancing from his brother to his mama, then pushed the button to accept the call.

“What is it Rick?”

He could feel their stares on his face while he listened to Rick jabber on. Finally, when the man took a breath, Nash said.

“I’ve only been home one day.”

He paced, listening.

“The label wants this, Nash,”

Rick said.

“It’s one night. They heard about your generous donation to the Harbor Falls hospital and they want you to play this gig in Jackson for a similar cause—only they are making the donation this time. Hell, it’s driving distance, and everyone will be fully paid. They think the publicity will be good before the music awards.”

“Hell, Rick, when?”

He strode back and forth in front of the tailgate.

“Saturday night.”

“This Saturday night?”

He looked to his mama and studied her questioning face. She reached out and grasped his hand, mouthing the words, It’s all right.

“Yes. Get there, do the show, then go back home for another week before we leave for Australia. Quick and easy and you’ll score points with the label, the press, and your fans.”

“Hell. I don’t know.”

He sucked in a deep breath and let it out.

“Nash. You don’t understand. You have no choice. The only thing that is going to get you out of this is if you break your contract.”

He squeezed his eyes shut and felt his chest grow taut. What would Mary want him to do?

Go do music Nash. Go be the star you were meant to be.

“All right,”

he said.

“Text me the damn details.”