Good Wood (23 page)

“So are you.” His husky voice came from right beside me. I bashfully glanced at him, and his solemn expression made me want to take him right then and there on the kitchen floor. Somehow, I thrust the urge aside and finished arranging the flowers.

As we walked hand in hand to his little old man truck, I gasped at the transformation from the day we’d nearly kissed in the back of it.

“It’s so pretty now.” I cooed running my finger along the brilliant turquois paint job.

“Mason.” He stated, as if my brother had given birth to the truck. “I might have helped a little.”

He opened my door for me, and I slid onto the newly upholstered seat. Once he was inside the cab with me, I couldn’t help but tease him.

“You know, you don’t have to open doors for me. It’s really sweet, but I’m not very high maintenance.”

He snorted. “Don’t forget: I’ve slept with you. You may not be high maintenance in the traditional sense…but you could easily put
me
in traction.”

I didn’t even try to suppress a throaty laugh. My response made him smile. Then his face grew serious.

“That stuff has nothing to do with being sweet. It’s about being brought up right.”

I looked out over the hilly landscape and thought about his statement. Draven hadn’t even opened the limo door for me on our wedding day. I’d never thought much about it at the time. I suppose I figured it was cultural, him being a New Yorker. He hurried everywhere he went. In retrospect, he probably just wasn’t all that concerned with me, If Joe knew how little it took to impress me, he’d probably have heaved a gigantic sigh of relief. “It’s just a little jarring. I’m not used to all the southern hospitality.”

“Well, get used to it.” That unflinching green gaze of his made me want to pull over somewhere and drag him into the truck bed with me.

Soon the interstate we were traveling on ended at a stoplight. As we continued out of Austin, I arched an eyebrow at him, and he turned and gave me a quick once over. As I continued to admire his perfect profile, a secretive smile curled on his lips.

“Where the hell are you taking me?” I chuckled, and he simply shook his head.

“Patience, little girl.”

When we finally turned into the vineyard-lined parking lot of The Salt Lick, I gasped and smacked his shoulder.

“You traitor!” The Salt Lick had always been my dad’s major competition. They were far enough out that we had an edge over them on location, but even in Seattle everyone knew they had some of the best barbeque in the country. For as long as I could remember, we’d always ranked number two after them in every survey Austin had.

“Hey…it’s not like Hildebrandt’s is open anymore.” Even while he protested, he looked appropriately admonished. He hopped out of the truck and came around to open the door for me. Unmoving, I continued to fix him with a disapproving glare. He gave me the irresistible puppy dog eyes and I burst out laughing.

“I’m just messing with you, Joe.” I climbed out of the truck and took his hand in mine. “Their pork ribs are
the best
.”

Since the restaurant itself was B.Y.O.B, we wandered over to their conveniently located wine tasting room, The Cellar Door and bought a six pack of Shiner Blonde before heading into the restaurant. Since the past couple of days had been rain-free, we chose to sit outside so we could hear the band. We chose a spot near the heat lamps far enough away from the outdoor stage so that we could carry on a conversation.

Our waitress took our order and I turned to face Joe. He’d chosen not to sit across from me, but next to me on the picnic table style seats. He leaned both of his elbows on the table, and looked at me expectantly.

“So.” I twisted the top of my beer.

“So.” He chimed in, taking a sip of his. “Where do we start?”

“You know, I’ve been thinking about that all day, I’m at a major disadvantage here. You’ve known my family forever, but I know nothing about yours.” I pulled my leg out and straddled the bench so I could give him my full attention head on. He paused thoughtfully, and for a moment I wasn’t sure he’d agree to the discussion.

“The only family I have is my sister Tamryn. She doesn’t live very far from here, as a matter of fact.”

“I remember you talking about her way back when. She’d just started law school, I think. You said she wanted to be in politics or something.” He just laughed at that.

“Oh yeah. That was her flying her rebel flag. A Jensen…running as a
democrat.
” He uttered a mock gasp.

I smiled and raised my bottle to my lips again. “I take it she abandoned that idea.”

“I think she figured out pretty quickly that she didn’t have the diplomatic skills to be a politician.” He shook his head and finished his beer in one long gulp. “Tamz has no poker face whatsoever.”

“I like her already.” My drawl creeped out on the word ‘like’ and I pursed my lips together.

“Liiiihhhhk?” His eyes lit with amusement as he teased me, and his lips twitched in a sexy smirk.

I giggled, elbowing him playfully. “Did she finish law school, though?”

“Yep. She sure did. She went into Criminal Law. She was a hell of a trial lawyer. Robbie-her husband-is an attorney, too. Intellectual Property Law, though he’d rather play rancher.

“What does she do now?”

“Some consulting. Mostly she’s a soccer mom and a Brownie troop leader. I think she misses it. She’s an adrenaline junkie at heart. But I don’t think she’d ever admit it.”

“What about the rest of your family?”

“Tamryn and the girls are my only family.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yep.” Our waitress had impeccable timing, arriving with monstrous platters of decadent meat, potato salad that had an odd orange-ish hue, peppery cole slaw, and buttered rolls. One beer in and Joe switched to Dr. Pepper since he was driving. We spent the next twenty minutes focused on sampling every item and discussing it in relation to Hildebrandt’s bygone menu. Joe had gone against my recommendations again and ordered the brisket. I pressed him to try my pork ribs, knowing he’d love the way they melted off the bone. Naturally, he ended up finishing the ones I couldn’t eat.

“So back to what we were talking about before.” I cracked open another beer and shoved the rest of my plate away. “You didn’t spring fully formed into this world.”

He wiped his mouth and took a drink, focused hard on his potato salad. I put my hand on his knee and leaned in trying a different tact. “I think it’s time we talked about how babies were made. You see, when a boy and a girl
really
like one another…”

That got a bright smile out of him.

“Okay, fine. I have parents. They’re retired and live in Naples.”

“Italy?” My face twisted in surprise.

“Florida.” He corrected. “I know. Very cliché.”

“But a hell of a lot easier for you to visit them.” I waited to see how he’d respond to that opening.

He bit his lip but never broke eye contact. “We haven’t spoken in a long time. My dad and I don’t talk. We haven’t really said more than a few words to each other since I graduated. Mom leaves me an occasional message. She sends cards at the holidays.”

“Sounds like mom’s a rebel, too?” I replied. I was glad I’d finished eating because imagining Joe alone for so long would have spoiled my appetite.

He snorted. “The most rebellious thing Mom ever did was marrying a Gentile.”

I spun at him in surprise. “Your mom’s Jewish?”

“You didn’t know that?” He was caught off guard and graced me with a tight grin, “Yeah. Her parents were pretty hardcore. Why do you think Mac always called me Rabbi Joe?”

I thought this over and squinting, shook my head. “I don’t remember him calling you that. But to be fair, I rarely pay any attention to anything Mac says.”

“Well, now you know. Tamryn still does the whole Santa/Menorah fusion for the holidays. I’m pretty sure it drives Robbie nuts.

“I bet your nieces love it.” His eye lit up at the mention of the kids.

“I know I did.” His hand rested comfortably on my thigh. “What’s not to love about unwrapping tons of presents?”

I slid my hand over the top of his and squeezed it. “I’ve got something you can unwrap later if you like.”

A truly dirty gleam shone in his eyes and he moved like he was coming in for a kiss. His eyes locked onto something beyond me. He stopped mid-motion and looked completely freaked out. I’d never seen a look like that on him and fear gripped me. I turned to see what could have forced such a reaction from him.

Through the large picture windows I saw a family being seated inside in the dining room just on the other side of the glass from us. They were completely overdressed for the restaurant, and a tall, model-thin woman with lots of blonde hair seemed to be the focus of his attention. She happened to look over and meet my eyes curiously. I saw her spot Joe, and an expression of pure hatred overtook her already pinched features.

“Ex-girlfriend of yours?” I turned back to Joe with wide eyes.

“God, no.” He scoffed, but I could tell by the grit in his voice our current situation wasn’t funny.

“Well whoever she is, she doesn’t seem to like you much.” I swigged my beer in order to wash away the rising lump in my airway.

He didn’t acknowledge this, and his jaw muscles practically throbbed with tension. “Ready to go?”

Anxiously tucking my hair behind both ears, I nodded. I unwillingly fed off of his black mood. “Sure, I guess. Just let me run to the ladies room.”

He rose stiffly and nodded. “I’ll go find our waitress.”

I headed to the outdoor entrance to the newer set of restrooms, while Joe walked purposely inside to pay our check. I was only gone for three minutes, but who knew what a difference a few minutes could make. I came out of the exit to find a scene of utter chaos and Joe standing stone-faced at the center of it.

The fashoinista that had been giving Joe the dirty looks was being held barely in check by her glam boy husband-or at least I assumed he was her husband, based on the matching rings they wore. Either that or they were in the same high-end cult. She waved her dragon lady finger nails just out of reach of Joe’s face.

“...probably a good thing she’s dead! She doesn’t have to see what a disappointment you turned out to be. Your low-brow carousing and
questionable
company just gives veracity to everything I ever said about you! She never should have wasted her time with a-“

“Hey!” Without a second thought, I threw myself into the fray. “Pipe the hell down, Lady. What the f—”

“And who is
this
?” She slurred, giving me a condescending once over. I was convinced she was drunk or on something.
Or both
. “What street corner did he find
you
on? Jesus, Joe. Jess’s probably rolling in her grave as we speak!”

My lips and fingers were numb and my heart was beating a million miles a minute. I shook with rage as I pushed up my sleeves. “Alright! That’s about enough out of you. I don’t know who the
hell
you think you are-“

“I’m his maid of honor! Tell her, Joe! I watched my best friend walk down the aisle with that asshole.” She pointed a fake nail at Joe. “And now I get to sit back and watch while he goes all over town disrespecting her memory and calling her a thief.”

“She was a thief.” Joe’s neutral delivery made me turn to him.

I stared at him wide eyed. I hadn’t expected him to sound so cool and collected. All of the information about his wife was news to me.

“Bethany, honey. Let’s just go back inside.” Her husband pleaded, his eyes begging me not to make a bad situation worse. She started to sob uncontrollably, bringing a whole new meaning to the term ‘ugly cry’. I felt a hand grip my shoulder, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of the crazed woman.

“She loved you, you son of a bitch.” She hissed, glaring over my shoulder at Joe. “She wanted to tell you about the money so fucking badly. The last time we talked she was in tears about it.”

“Then why didn’t she? Why couldn’t she just trust me? Did she think I’d turn her in?” He sounded agitated as he took a step closer to her.

“No. In fact, she knew that you wouldn’t. She said choosing to protect her would eat away at you; because, you
always
did the right thing. I told her ‘Goddammit, Jessica. You can’t keep this up forever. He’s your husband. It’ll be alright.’ You know what she said? She said ‘You don’t understand. Joe would never look at me the same way. I can’t disappoint him like that. I can still fix this.’ She was so in love with you. She got herself killed hurrying home so
you
wouldn’t catch her out. God forbid she disappoints Saint Joe!”

An ominous growl came from next to me and I jumped. The glam boy blanched in fear and tried pulling his wife away. Joe swept past me and stopped short, looming over both of them, his body shaking.

“She made her choices, you pill popping skank. She stole from her clients…stole from me. The money was the
least
of what she took from me. I wouldn’t wish what I’ve been through on my worst enemy. So don’t you dare open your mouth and try and tell me how it was. You don’t know what it’s like to have your entire life ripped away. Now get out of my sight.” His voice had dropped, getting lower and quieter until the last part came out barely more than a whisper. Her husband wrenched her away and back inside the restaurant without giving her a chance to speak. Joe stood there for a moment and just as I reached out my hand toward him, he whirled and stalked toward his truck.

Not knowing what else to do, I followed in his wake. He stopped at the truck and laid his hands on the side of the bed. His shoulders rose and fell as he drew in breaths like a man just coming up for air. I ached to take him in my arms but I wasn’t sure if I should touch him. I was afraid to try. There was no telling where his head was at right now.

“Molly?” He said my name in a low, mournful voice as if he expected no reply. Moving up behind him I wrapped my arms around him and he spun around in my grasp to face me. Pulling me close, he just held me for a few minutes, his hand stroking my hair. I breathed in time with him, my thoughts tumbling erratically and knocking into one another. I didn’t understand the scene that had just unfolded. All I understood was that Joe wasn’t just mourning his wife and child, but also the illusion of what he thought his marriage had been. In that, we had some common ground. While this revelation was another missing link to understanding the man I couldn’t seem to resist, it was also one more chink in his armor. Time would tell if the knowledge he’d gained from Bethany would be helpful or hurtful in his journey to getting better.