Covering the Carolinas (46 page)

“
Hey, y’all,” I say as I make my way to them
and take a seat beside them. “Please, tell me y’all haven’t been
front porch sitting while I’ve been in class all day.”

“
We wish,” Cole says smartly.

“
Boy, you know you don’t
have to work here,” Grandaddy says flatly.
What’s Cole’s deal?

“
I’m just kiddin’, Uncle Dover. I wouldn’t
want to work anywhere else.”

“
Good, ’cause I need ya here bright and early
in the mornin’.” I try to refrain from laughing, but it’s no use.
“Sunshine, why are you laughin’? I gotta have you, too.” I stop
mid-giggle. I’ve never seen him like this, and I look at Cole for
direction.

“
Grandaddy, is everything okay?” I
ask.

He exhales a big puff of air.
“Yeah, it’s all right, or it will
be. It’s just been a
long day, and we’ve got to get this hay baled before Monday. I
can’t have that weighing on my shoulders when I’m
sitting in a doctor’s office with a damn needle
in my arm.”
Oh God, this isn’t good. He
rarely uses four-letter words!

“
No worries, we got this. Right, Cole?” I say
in his direction.

“
Heck, yeah. Y’all want me to see if Emmett
will pitch in tomorrow?” he asks.

In unison, both Grandaddy and I exclaim, “No!”

“
Y’all, he doesn’t know, and we could use an
extra hand,” Cole insinuates. I look at Grandaddy, and he asks what
I want to do.

“
I guess, but I swear, Cole,
if he figures out anything, I’m gonna beat the shit outta ya!” I
cover my mouth from surprise of what just popped out.
Both
Grandaddy and Cole look at me like I’ve
lost it. “Sorry, it just kinda slipped. But, I’ve had to watch
every move I’ve made for the past couple of months, and if he finds
out now, what’s been the point in keeping it a secret?” I say
bluntly.

“
Sunshine
, it’s not
Emmett I’m worried about. It’s everyone else in this damn
town.”

“
Well, you told me not to tell, and I haven’t.
I’ve lied to everyone I care about, and I plan on keeping it that
way until this is just water under the bridge.”

After my rant on the front porch,
I make my way inside to try to calm down. As I pace the floor, I
hear footsteps approaching. Ignoring whomever it might be, I walk
to the fridge and pour myself a glass of cold sweet tea.
Maybe it will help.
I
turn and see Cole standing there with his arms crossed. He’s
definitely pissed.

“
Rae, what the hell?” he asks.

“
Whatcha mean? I
just
told y’all what I was thinkin’. That’s
all.”

“
If that’s what you wanna tell yourself.
Listen, you do know that if you told Emmett, he would
understand.”

“
Understand? He might, but I’m not
gonna.”

“
Damn, stubborn ass. Get over it. Whatever
you’re thinkin’, get over it!” he yells, and I stomp past him and
up to my room to throw a hissy fit and a pity party
all-in-one.

After an hour or so, there’s a
light knock on my door. “Sunshine.” I hear Grandaddy say just above
a whisper
. “Can I come in?”

“
Yeah,” I answer as I wipe my eyes and attempt
to ignore the fact I just acted like a preschooler.

When he opens the door, I can see
the concern in his eyes. He takes a few steps, reaches my bed, and
takes
a seat beside me.

“
Sunshine, I never should have asked you to
keep this secret, but we all know that with one lie comes another.
As hard as it is for me to say this, I thought this was going to be
a simple fix, but it’s turning out to be the complete opposite. If
you want to tell Emmett and the rest of this Podunk town, I’m with
ya. I love you too much to watch it eat you alive.”

“
Grandaddy, I don’t want to tell. I don’t want
their pity. Let’s just see what happens,” I say.

“
Are you sure?” he asks
once
more.

“
I’m positive.”

He pats my leg before he stands,
tells me he loves me, and then asks about my plans for tonight. I
tell him I had planned on hanging out with him, and he tells me
it’s crazy to wanna spend time with an old man. He insists I pick
up my phone and call Emmett to take me out on the
town
. I smile while shaking my head.
I don’t think I can love anyone more than I love
him right now.

When he leaves, I call Emmett to see what he’s up
to.

“
Hey, Beautiful,” he answers.

“
Hey, whatcha up to?” I ask.

“
Not much, I just got finished talkin’ to
Cole. It looks like I’ll be at your beck an’ call tomorrow, but you
know what?”

“
What?”

“
I might actually like it.”

“
Ohmygosh! Really? I have to say; I get the
better end of that deal. You all hot and sweaty minus a shirt.
Yeah, I’ll take it.”

“
You ain’t right. So, really, what’s up?”
Silence.

“
Ummm, I was gonna just hang
out with Grandaddy, but he’s told me that was a negative tonight.
You think he’s gotta woman friend he’s tryin’ to
hide?”
Where did that come
from?

Emmett bursts out laughing. “I doubt that, but if he
did, who would it be?”

“
Ohmygosh, I can’t believe we’re even talkin’
’bout this.”

“
No, really, if you could see him with anyone,
who would it be?”

Never in my life have I thought about him with
anyone other than Mawmaw. “I don’t know… it’s weird to think like
that.”

“
What about Pearl Allen?”

“
No! She’s too prim and proper. He’d need
someone like Agnes Berrier. She’s like Southern Belle meets
redneck. Ya know, classy when needed and red any other
time.”

“
Now that you put it that way, I totally see
it.”

“
Anyway! So, the reason I
called was
to see what you had planned
tonight.”

“
Raegan Lowery, are you askin’ me out on a
date?” he asks with a fake gasp in his tone.

“
Why, yes, Mr. Bridges, I am.”

“
Are you payin’?” he
asks
with a laugh.

“
Whatever
works for
me,” I say, and he quickly informs me that he will be paying and
picking me up at seven.
Crap! It’s already
after five!

I let Grandaddy know I’m going out with Emmett, and
he smiles. I hurry upstairs to get ready. I crank up a little Luke
Bryan on my iPod and get ready as fast as possible.

At ten until seven, I see Emmett
making his way up the driveway. Grandaddy tells me to be careful,
and I walk outside to meet Emmett. I’m not giving him a moment’s
time with Grandaddy. I’ll wait until tomorrow
to wait
on the classy yet redneck jokes to start.

Emmett hops out of the truck as he sees me making my
way toward the truck. He’s standing there in a pair of Rock ’n Roll
jeans and a fitted tee. Every muscle in his body is evident, and I
just want to reach out and touch him. This becomes a reality when
he meets me on the passenger side.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, he pulls me in
closely and lightly kisses my lips. “He’s watchin’, ya know,”
Emmett says as his eyes point toward the house.

“
Yeah, I know,” I reply as I
kiss his nose and pull away to get into the truck. He just shakes
his head. As he makes his way around, I observe that fine specimen
of a guy in front of me.
How’d I
get so lucky?
When he slides inside the
truck, I cut a glance toward him, and he smiles and places his hand
around my neck, giving me the kind of kiss I’ve been waiting
for.

Chapter 27

Raegan

“
So, where are we goin’?” I ask
him.

He looks at me like he’s clueless. “You asked me
out, remember?” He then laughs when I’m speechless.

“
How ’bout let’s go to the city for a nice
meal and then see where the night leads?” he suggests.

I quickly begin to rethink my attire, but realize
he’s in jeans, so there’s no need to worry about a five-star, top
of the tower meal. “Sounds good to me. Whatcha thinkin’?” I
ask.

“
Maybe Cheddar’s?” he asks.

“
Sounds perfect!” We make our way out of
Pleasant Hill and toward “the city” as we call it, but it’s not
like a big metropolis. It’s more like a bigger redneck town with
lots of
shopping, restaurants, and a place
to cruise on Saturday nights.

After we pull into the parking
lot, I wait for Emmett to open my door. I slide out of the truck,
and he laces his fingers in mine as we enter
.

Walking into Cheddar’s is like going on vacation.
The décor makes you feel as if you just walked out of a hotel room
and into an exotic location. There are waterfalls, beautiful copper
fixtures, and intricate rock details. After a short wait, we make
our way to a table near the aquarium and glance at the menu as the
waiter takes our drink order.

Our meal is filled with flirting, fun, laughter, and
pushing limits. When we both can’t eat another bite, the waiter
brings the check. After Emmett pays, we walk outside. The night air
is damp and cool, and I can feel my hair starting to frizz.

“
Em, I got an idea. You wanna hear?” He looks
at me with question in his eyes.

“
Of course.”

“
Let’s go out to the train
tracks behind the Thompsons’ place. Maybe we can catch one coming
by
.”

“
Sounds like a plan to me,” he says with a
half-grin.

During the half-hour ride back to
Pleasant Hill, I try to get as close
to him as I
can.
Damn this console!
Emmett looks my way and smirks, and if I didn’t know any
better, I’d think he was thinking the exact same thing.

As we approach the Thompson property, Emmett finds a
place to park the truck off the road and hidden from any cars that
might drive by. We don’t want the 5-0 called on us. Once he’s
satisfied with the spot, he grabs a flashlight, and we make our way
through the field toward the pond. We are greeted by the sound of
bullfrogs, gnats, and a few horses.

As I swat away the
gnats
, Emmett laughs.

“
What’s so funny, Em?” I ask.

“
I never thought I’d have to keep away gnats.
I always thought it would just be Jace.”

“
You are too funny, and there’s no need to
swat away Jace. I think he’s finally taken the hint,” I say as we
begin to walk around the pond and toward the tracks on the
hill.

As we reach the tracks, I motion for Emmett to come
on. With the flashlight lighting the way, I use the track as a
balance beam while he follows me.

“
Em, do you wanna play Truth or Dare?” I ask
as I continue to walk.

“
Sure, you can go first,” he says.

“
Em. Truth or dare?”

“
Dare,” he says confidently.

“
I dare you to do a toe touch.”

“
Are you serious?” He stops on the tracks.
“Hold this,” he says as he hands me the light. “Now, if I rip these
jeans, you’re gonna owe me.” He rubs his hands together like he’s
making a wish, and then he looks at me and jumps. It’s not anywhere
close to a toe touch, but it makes me laugh. “My turn,” he declares
as he takes the light from me. “Rae, truth or dare?”

“
Dare,” I say assertively.

“
I dare you to sing to me.”

Taking a step toward him, I inhale
deeply and sing
“Are You Gonna Kiss Me or
Not?”

“
Keep goin’,” is all he says as he takes a
step closer to me. As I finish the song, he moves my hair behind my
ear.

“
Em, truth or dare?” I ask, inches separating
us.

“
Dare.”

“
I
dare
you to kiss me.” He
smiles and pulls me into him, and our lips do the talking. As our
kisses deepen, the faint sound of a train whistle looms in the
distance. I open my eyes and see Emmett has heard it as
well.

“
Rae, truth or dare?” he asks.

“
Dare.”

“
I dare you a round of chicken on the
tracks.”

“
You’re on.”

Emmett

I know the moment I make that dare, I’m gonna lose,
but this game of chicken is going to be a little different. As soon
as she agrees, I pull her lips back onto mine and wait for the
sound of the train.

As the train approaches, Raegan
acts as if it is invisible.
She’s so damn
stubborn, and that makes her so freakin’ hot.
She continues to press her lips to mine while her hands roam
my body, making concentrating on the approaching train more
difficult.

“
Not thinkin’ ’bout chickening out, are ya?”
she whispers into my ear.