Getting In the Spirit: a Sapphire Falls novella (7 page)

“Yeah, she and Tucker found each other and are having a
great
time.” Phoebe emphasized great while she held her phone up for Joe to see.

“Tucker is wonderful. Having a GREAT time.”

“I got all caps from Levi too,” he said with a chuckle.

“Met Hailey. I OWE YOU
.
”

He turned his phone to show Phoebe.

Phoebe read his screen and frowned. “Hailey who?”

“Hailey Conner.”

Phoebe’s gaze flew to his. “My Hailey Conner?”

“The only Hailey Conner either of us knows.”

“Levi and Hailey met up somewhere?”

“Yes.” Joe frowned at her. “At the Come Again.”

“The Come Again in Sapphire Falls?”

Joe put his phone down. “What are you talking about? You knew this.”

“No, I didn’t.”

Then something occurred to Joe. “Kate is out with Tucker?”

“Yes.”

“Tucker Bennett?”

“Yes. In Sapphire Falls at the Come Again.”

“Did I know about that?”

“Yes.” Then Phoebe bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “I don’t know. Did you?”

“I don’t think so.”

They’d been so crazy getting Kaelyn packed and over to grandma’s house and then packing themselves and getting to the airport that it was possible that they thought they’d mentioned these things and hadn’t actually gotten around to it.

“So Kate and Tucker?” Joe asked.

Phoebe nodded. “Levi and Hailey?”

“Yeah. Levi’s in town for Christmas. Hailey agreed to be his date for the formal.”

“Your idea?”

Joe nodded. “Levi’s decided to try some new things—like not smashing his skull in or ending up dead.”

“Good things to try,” Phoebe said dryly. She loved Joe’s brother, and his accident had shaken her. For a long time, they’d both seen Levi going down a bad path fast. They hoped the accident would be a wakeup call.

“He’s convinced Sapphire Falls can be good for him like it was me. And he wanted to date a local girl. Like you.”

Phoebe grinned at that. “But you set him up with Hailey?”

“She’s a local girl.”

Phoebe laughed. “And that’s the extent of the things Hailey and I have in common.”

It was true that they seemed different. Phoebe was everyone’s friend, Hailey liked to boss people around and didn’t really care what anyone thought of her. Phoebe’s look was more natural and girl-next-door with her red curls and blue jeans, while Hailey always looked like she’d stepped out of a fashion magazine with her sleek blonde hair and designer labels.

But the women both loved Sapphire Falls and wanted the best for their hometown. They’d slowly become friends over the past few years—something that surprised them as much as anyone.

“Well, Hailey won’t let Levi’s charming bullshit sway her away from keeping him out of trouble,” Joe said.

“Ah, you gave her a mission.”

“I did.” And he was counting on the mayor to accomplish all objectives—no jail time, no hangovers, no banged-up fenders or women falling in love with Levi between now and the Christmas formal.

It was only a few days. Surely Levi could stay out of trouble that long. With help.

“So what’s up with Kate and Tucker?” Joe asked.

Phoebe lifted a shoulder. “Kate wanted a wonderful Christmas for a change. No one does Christmas better than Sapphire Falls, and when I was thinking of nice country boys to take her out, Tucker came to mind.”

“He’ll be nice to her,” Joe agreed. “I’m glad they’re having fun.”

Then he thought of something. “Where’s she staying?”

“In our guest…” Phoebe trailed off as she realized what Joe had just realized.

Kate and Levi were both staying at their place in their guest room.

“Uh oh,” Phoebe said.

“Yeah. Well, maybe Kate will stay with Tucker,” Joe suggested. There was no way Levi was talking his way into Hailey’s bed. Hailey was hit on almost constantly. If she wanted casual flings, she could have them all the time. But she didn’t. Hailey was probably the one woman Joe knew that Levi wouldn’t be able to impress. That was exactly why he’d chosen her.

Phoebe frowned. “Hey, they’re having a good time. That doesn’t mean they’ll sleep together. Kate’s a nice girl and she wants a simple Christmas.”

“Nice girls have sex too,” Joe said, giving Phoebe a grin. She was a nice girl and he’d gotten her out of her panties pretty easily.

She swatted him on the arm. But she seemed to be pondering something.

“What are you thinking?” he finally asked.

“I set her up with Tucker.”

“Right.”

“That might mean Kate stays at Tucker’s,” Phoebe admitted.

“Kate might go for a fun Christmas fling? Nothing wrong with that.”

“No, I don’t know that she would, but…it’s Tucker.”

“What’s the mean?” Joe knew exactly what that meant.

According to all women in Sapphire Falls and the surrounding four counties, or more, the Bennett boys were everything any woman would ever want. Even the women who were happily married to city boys who knew next to nothing about corn and cows. Only three of the Bennetts lived in Sapphire Falls. The youngest, Ty, was off being a professional triathlete—whatever that actually meant—in Colorado. And now that Travis Bennett was taken, that left only Tucker and TJ as the epitome of all things manly and sexy. And TJ was a grumpy guy who liked to keep to himself.

Which was all a long way of saying that Tucker Bennett got a lot of female attention.

“It’s
Tucker
,” Phoebe said again, as if emphasizing his name was all the explanation needed.

And it was.

“You realize I’m your husband right? The man you love and want more than any other? The one who has made you blissfully happy?”

Phoebe smiled and patted his cheek. “Of course you are.”

Joe narrowed his eyes and started to grab for her. Not because he was actually worried about Tucker, or any other guy, but because it was so fun making her say
his
name over and over again in that breathless, pleading way she did when he—

Phoebe’s phone rang.

Then his rang.

Damn.

They reached for their phones at the same time.

“Hailey,” he said, reading his display.

“Tucker,” Phoebe said with a frown.

“Hello?” they asked simultaneously.

“Joe, put me on speaker,” Hailey said.

What had Levi done? Joe pressed the button for the speaker phone. “Okay.”

“Tucker is here with me.”

Phoebe pushed her speaker button too and laid her phone on the comforter beside Joe’s. “What’s going on?”

“Well, about this gorgeous blonde in the red dress,” Tucker started.

“Kate said she’s having a great time,” Phoebe broke in quickly.

“Oh, that’s pretty obvious. To the whole town,” Tucker said.

“What do you mean?” Phoebe asked him.

“I’m standing here on the steps to city hall watching her have a good time.”

Phoebe frowned. “What do you mean? Shouldn’t you be
with
her?”

“Yeah, well, I’m not sure her date would appreciate that,” Tucker said, his tone dry.

“Her date?” Phoebe repeated. “
You’re
her date.”

“Uh, no, I believe that would be Levi,” Hailey said. “And from the way she’s kissing him right now, they’re getting along great.”

Kate and Levi were
kissing
?

Joe and Phoebe met each other’s gaze, their eyes wide.

“They’re
kissing
?” Phoebe asked.

“Yes. And Kate looks almost as good in her red dress as I do in mine,” Hailey said.

So Levi had met the wrong gorgeous blonde in a red dress.

“This is okay.”

“This is horrible.”

Joe and Phoebe spoke at the same time.

They frowned at each other.

“Okay?” Phoebe asked.

“Horrible?”

“Yes, horrible,” Phoebe told him.

“Why? Kate’s a nice girl, but she’s more like the girls he normally dates.” She was from the city, she had money, she knew about good wine and tipping doormen and things like that. “Except she’s…nice,” he finished.

“Well, Levi will be terrible for Kate,” Phoebe said. “Because he’s like the guys
she
normally dates.”

“Except that he’s…” Joe prompted.

“Worse.”

“Worse?” Joe asked. “How?” But Joe kind of knew what she meant.

“His relationships are all about
him
. He collects women like…” Phoebe sighed. “Like you used to.”

Joe couldn’t argue with that. But it wasn’t like the women had really ever complained. “And I turned out well because a nice girl from Sapphire Falls finally got a hold of me,” he said. “This could be exactly what Levi needs.”

“Kate isn’t from Sapphire Falls.”

Oh…yeah.

“And she wanted a sweet, traditional, romantic Christmas with a nice guy. That’s why I picked Tucker,” Phoebe said.

“Thanks, Phoeb,” Tucker said. “I even showed up with flowers.”

“And they really are gorgeous,” Hailey said. “Deep-crimson roses with white baby’s breath and evergreen branches.”

Phoebe smiled. “See? That’s so nice. And Tucker will buy her hot chocolate in the town square and they’ll drive around and look at Christmas-light displays. They can decorate his tree and make cookies and maybe ice skate and then go to the formal. Simple, nice stuff.”

“Levi could take her to look at Christmas light displays,” Joe protested.

“Sure,” Phoebe agreed. “In
Paris
. Right after he whisks her off on his private jet to have hot cocoa in Belgium or something.”

Unfortunately, Joe couldn’t deny that those things were
possible
. It was more
his
style—or had been—to overdo the dramatic gestures to impress women, but Levi wasn’t above throwing money around to romance a woman.

“Wow, what a jerk,” Hailey muttered sarcastically.

“So you guys need to go tell them who you are,” Phoebe said to the phones. “Obviously things got mixed up. I told her dark hair, blue eyes and great smile.”

“Thanks again,” Tucker said.

“Levi’s got all of that,” Hailey pointed out. “And Kate’s blonde.”

“And gorgeous,” Tucker added. “And if she wasn’t on Levi’s lap right now in the middle of the square, I might go over and insist we go on
our
date.”

“She’s on his
lap
?” Phoebe said. She looked at the clock. “Already?”

“Spencer charm,” Joe said with a grin. “You know it’s irresistible.”

Phoebe looked grim as she said, “That’s what I’m worried about.”

“Hey.”

Phoebe focused on him. “She can’t get her heart broken this Christmas, Joe. She’s had three bad ones in a row. This was supposed to be different. Better. Special.”

“It will be fine,” Joe insisted. He
really
hoped that was true.

“And meanwhile,” Tucker said. “I’m now without a date to the formal. What do you think, Hails? You and me?”

“No.” Hailey didn’t even hesitate.

“Why not?” Tucker sounded amused.

“I don’t date guys from Sapphire Falls. And don’t call me Hails.”

“Ty calls you Hails,” Tucker pointed out.

“That’s…different,” Hailey said tightly.

“Uh, huh,” Tucker said. “Why don’t I buy you a hot chocolate and you tell me all about that.”

“Yes to the hot chocolate, no to the spilling my guts.”

“So there
is
something to spill,” Tucker said.

There was something going on with Hailey and Tyler Bennett. Everyone suspected it, speculated about it, but no one seemed to know anything for sure.

“Hailey—” Phoebe started.

But Joe grabbed both phones, shaking his head. “Gotta go guys.”

He disconnected both phones and looked at his wife. There was no time to get into anything with Hailey right now. Hailey Conner could talk about herself for hours.

And Joe didn’t want to hear it. He worked with politicians for a living—he had enough drama in his life.

Phoebe was chewing on her bottom lip.

“Should we call or text Levi and Kate?” she asked. “Make sure they’re okay?”

“She’s on his lap, kissing in the square,” Joe said, setting the phones both on his bedside table, out of Phoebe’s reach. “They’re more than okay.”

“Yeah, and they have to have figured out who they are by now right?” Phoebe asked.

“There is no way they still think they are with Tucker and Hailey,” Joe said, certain about at least that one thing.

Phoebe nodded and let him pull her down and flip the comforter over both of them. She was quiet for several seconds, but Joe knew she wasn’t completely done meddling.