Hey Sunshine (26 page)

Even though I knew it was the answer she was expecting, her face still showed a little surprise. “I see.”

“I care about him a lot.”

“I’m sure you do,” she said, rising to refill her coffee. “I hope the feeling is mutual.”

“It is,” I said, hating this conversation more and more as it went on. “For the second time, he’s not J.D.”

“Who’s not J.D.?” my dad asked, surfacing from his article.

“Fox,” I bit out.

“Of course he’s not. Fox is a good man. You’re getting closer with him, chickie?” I nodded, smiling a little at the pleased look on his face.

“That’s fine,” he said, folding up the paper. “Smart boy. That’s just fine.”

My mom leaned against the counter, unconvinced. “I’m not so sure.”

“Rebecca, let the girl alone.”

“I just think Chase is a better–”

I couldn’t take it any more. “You think Chase is a better choice? Chase, who cheated on me and lied to me practically since the day he came home? That Chase?”

“What are you talking about?” she demanded. “What happened?”

“Chase isn’t the guy for me, Mom. Fox is. Get used to it.”

* * *

“It happened,” I told Heather over the phone the next day.

After I had left my parents’ house, Annabelle and I had gone right home and I’d spent the rest of the day cleaning, trying to get out some of my pent-up aggression toward my mother. When Fox came over later that night, I was exhausted, both from not sleeping the night before and my manic episode with the Lysol can.

As a result, I wasn’t getting around to spilling the beans with Heather until more than twenty-four hours later. She was bound to be pissed but I knew she’d lighten up once I gave her the lowdown on Mama Kent’s disapproval.

“IT DID?” she screeched, and I laughed as I held the phone away from my ear. “TELL ME EVERYTHING!”

“It was…” I searched for an adequate word and then gave up trying to sound sophisticated. “Fucking amazing, no pun intended.’

“Yes! I knew it. He’s one of those guys who just looks like–” she broke off. “I mean, not that I was imagining it or anything.”

I snorted. “Of course not.”

“So what now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what’s the plan? Do your parents know it’s serious? It
is
serious, right?” she asked worriedly.

“Yes, Heather, it’s serious.”

“Like,
serious
serious?” she pressed.

“What do you mean?” I asked again, even though I knew. Running Heather around in conversation was one of my very favorite things.

“Like L-O-V-E serious!” she said exasperatedly.

Love. The other night, in Fox’s arms, I’d felt something that seemed a lot like love. Of course, it could’ve been lust, or just a deep, deep appreciation for that rock-hard body that he used so well, but I was pretty sure that it was love. Just like I was pretty sure that the last video he'd made me, the one that had me rushing over to his house and practically disrobing en route, was his way of saying the same.

Love.
I loved Fox and he loved me.
Neat.

“I gotta go, Heather.”

“What? Why?”

“I have to do something,” I said distractedly. Where were my keys? I wasn’t due at the diner until lunch but I knew Fox would be there, cooking on the breakfast shift with Joy.

“You’re really strange, you know that?” Heather laughed.

“Yup.”
And Fox loooves it.
I smiled to myself.

“Wait, Avery, one more thing before you run off and do whatever you’re going to do, which I think I know but I’m not totally sure, so I’ll wait for you to call me later and confirm,” Heather said in a rush.

“What’s up?”

“Chase,” Heather admitted. “He knows about you and Fox.”

“He does?” We hadn’t exactly been keeping it a secret, but we’d gone on most of our dates outside the main streets of Brancher, so I was curious as to how Chase had found out.

“Yes… I guess Kyle’s girlfriend saw you two in Midland last week. I heard about it from my mom when she ran into Derek’s mom at the grocery store. Anyhow, Chase knows, and probably the whole town.”

“Does the whole town know that Chase is a lying cheat?” I asked. “Or isn’t that newsworthy? Whatever, I don’t care. I gotta go, Heather,” I said again. “Thanks for telling me. Love you.” I hung up and grabbed my bag.

I blew through the front door of the diner and barely spared a wave to Joy before heading back to the kitchen. When I walked by the pass-through I could see Fox’s blond hair, tied back in his favorite bandana, and a small thrill went through me. If my heart ever failed to skip a beat in the presence of that man, I’d be disappointed.

When I stepped through the swinging door, Fox looked up from the eggs he was scrambling and gave me a wide smile. On cue, my heart skipped and I smiled back. “Hi.”

“Hey, sunshine,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting you yet. Hungry?”

“No,” I said, coming closer. “I mean, yes. Kind of. What? Not for that, so no, not really. Thanks.” I sighed heavily at my bumbling response.

Fox’s dimple popped as he glanced up from the eggs again. “We’re back to this, are we?”

I came up close to his side. “Fox.”

Quickly, he turned the burner off and slid the pan away from the heat. Turning to me, he really looked at me for the first time since I'd come into the kitchen. I knew my eyes were wide and my cheeks were flushed, and I could practically feel my heartbeat rabbiting out of control in my chest.

“What’s going on?” he asked, his forehead creased with concern.

“I love you,” I blurted. If there was ever a time to be smooth, it was probably now, but that wasn’t my style, especially around Fox. “I love you, and you don’t have to say it back, because maybe it’s too soon and maybe I’m reading into things after the other night, but I don’t think so, because I know how I feel.” I paused, desperately sucking in a breath of much-needed air. “I really love you.”

Fox reached for me, his face more serious than I’d ever seen it. His green eyes burned and his lips parted, offering just a hint of my favorite smile. “I love you, Avery.”

Before I could say anything more, he swept me up and his mouth crashed down on mine hungrily. I wrapped my arms around his neck and fully surrendered to the most passionate kiss of my life. Fox urged my mouth open, stroking his tongue deeply, nipping gently at my lips between kisses. I would’ve let him take off all my clothes and have me on the cutting block but he pulled away after a moment, breathing heavily.

“You have to get out of here,” he said, laughing.

“What?” His words registered but my mind was in a daze.

“Remember when we talked about you being a distraction?” he asked, humor flashing in his eyes.

“Yeah?” That was the beginning of the end, the day that Fox admitted he really saw me. After that, I was a goner.

“Now you’re a liability. Go, before I cut off a finger or start a grease fire.”

“At least you’ll know how to extinguish it,” I pointed out sensibly.

He laughed again and slapped my butt lightly. “I love you. GO.”

“I’m going, I’m going. Want to watch me walk away?” I turned, looking over my shoulder at him slyly. The wry look on his face only made me giggle as I practically skipped out the door. “I love you too.”

Chapter 18

Since we had a day off together again – thanks Joy! – and we needed whatever work-life separation we could get, Fox and I decided to have lunch somewhere other than The Kitchen. In Brancher, that didn’t leave many options, so we eventually settled into a dark booth at Lucky’s. It was mainly a bar, but they had a cheeseburger on the menu that probably wouldn’t kill you and onion rings that would definitely kill you but were worth it anyway. We got double orders of both, because we liked to live on the edge when it came to simple carbohydrates. Or at least, I did. Fox just liked to eat.

Janie managed to stop ogling Fox and keep it professional while she took our order, which was impressive considering how she had behaved the last time she saw him. After we handed over our menus and she walked away, Fox relaxed against the pillowed booth, draping one tanned, muscled arm across the back. I immediately forgave the free weights I'd tripped over last week in the dark of his apartment.

He caught me staring and grinned. His eyes darted over my shoulder and his expression changed so abruptly, I spun around in my seat and saw Chase coming through the door with Derek and Kyle.

I glanced back at Fox. His face was calm, observant, and utterly emotionless. I’d come to realize that was his “ready” look. Ready for whatever happened next, which was good because I certainly wasn’t.

“We can go,” I said quickly.

“Why?” The eyebrow was curious.

“Because… it’s awkward?” I ventured.

He shrugged. “Bound to happen sooner or later. I’m surprised it’s taken this long, actually.” He slid a hand across the table and took one of mine, smoothing his thumb across my knuckles. “You didn’t do anything wrong. And besides, we’re all adults.”

I barely had time to remark that Chase might not, in fact, be an adult, before I heard snickering and a couple of loud coughs coming from the direction of the bar. I turned my head to find all three of them blatantly staring at us, especially Chase, whose gaze seemed to be honed in on my hand intertwined with Fox’s. My first reaction was to blush and feel guilty, but then I realized Fox was right. Brancher was a small town, we were all adults, and I hadn’t done anything wrong. Let them childishly stare away.

Fox shifted slightly, bringing my attention back to him. I still felt like an animal in the zoo, but Janie showed up with our plates and I busied myself piling ketchup onto my burger and rings.

Fox watched me for a moment before he spoke. “Can I have some or should I grab another bottle?” he asked.

“What? Oh, sorry.” I looked down at my food and realized I’d doused almost my entire meal absentmindedly. “I like ketchup?”

“No one likes ketchup that much,” Fox countered.

“I do,” I said confidently, feeling much more relaxed as Fox and I picked up our usual banter. “In fact, it’s my favorite condiment.”

“Good to know,” he grinned, his dimple showing. “I’d peg you for a barbecue sauce girl.”

I handed him the bottle and took a bite of onion ring. “Nope. Sure, it’s tangy but way overrated. Ketchup is complimentary and it doesn’t overpower.” I gestured with my half-eaten ring. “Even in large quantities.”

“I see,” Fox smiled. “You have some complimentary on your face.” He reached over to brush my lip with the tip of his finger.

His skin met mine, and there was a loud crash from the bar, like bottles breaking. I whipped my head around and saw Chase getting to his feet, a mess of broken glass on the floor around him. The few other patrons in the bar turned curious glances his way as he brushed the spilled beer from his clothes and started toward us.

Fox got to his feet instantly, obviously intending to intercept Chase before he reached our booth, and that caused Derek and Kyle to lurch forward also. I dropped my onion ring in defeat.

“Well, well, well… What do we have here? The lovebirds on a little date?” Chase smiled snidely. He looked around Fox to where I still sat in the booth.

“Hello, Chase,” Fox said evenly. “Derek, Kyle.” He acknowledged the other two men with a head nod. They seemed surprised at Fox’s cordial greeting and returned it uneasily.

“Avery? You can’t say anything to me?” Chase was still speaking to me around Fox, and I mentally rolled my eyes before responding.

“How are you, Chase?” My voice was as polite as I could make it.

Chase slapped his knees and started cackling like my inquiry was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Kyle and Derek looked at each other with confusion before joining in hesitantly.

“How am I? How am I? That’s a great question, babe. I’m doing fucking wonderful!” Chase swayed slightly where he stood, causing me to wonder if he’d already been drinking even though it was barely noon.

A muscle in Fox’s jaw started to work when Chase replied, and I could see his body language change. He went from a casual stance to a more guarded one and sidestepped slightly to put himself directly in between me and Chase.

“That’s good, man,” Fox said. “We’re going to get back to our lunch.” He didn’t make a move to return to the table, though, or turn his back to Chase. From behind him, I could see his shoulder muscles tensing, and my palms started to sweat. A beat went by, and then another, with the two of them just standing there staring at each other. Chase looked away first.

“Sure, Fox. You go on ahead,” Chase nodded, backing away with his hands up. “Enjoy my leftovers.”

Most of my favorite 80’s movies used the beloved record-scratch sound effect at one point or another. You know, the one where someone says something so outrageous that the whole scene abruptly screeches to a halt? Chase’s last dig was definitely deserving of such a moment. I watched the aftermath play out in slow motion: Chase’s shitty grin, Fox’s furious face, and Derek and Kyle’s sudden call to attention. We had the focus of the entire bar at this point, and unfortunately I wasn’t sure whose side they’d be on.

“You’d better go, Chase,” Fox said slowly. “Before we do something we’ll both regret.” His voice was too even. He was more scary when he was this calm.

Derek and Kyle stepped up behind Chase, ready to finish whatever he started. I bit my lip nervously, trying not to draw any attention. The last thing I needed was Fox distracted because of me.

“I regret
nothing
,” Chase spit.

Fox’s jaw twitched again but he remained silent.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucky himself lumbering across the room from his office, Janie at his heels.

“Take this shit outside, assholes,” Lucky rasped. He smacked the floor with the old baseball bat he was currently using as a cane. “I don’t care who your daddy is, Dempsey. Nobody gets blood on my bar.”

Chase shrugged. “Whatever, old man. We were just leaving.” He gestured to Derek and Kyle.

Lucky turned his gaze to Fox. “You done too, Backdraft?”

I stifled a nervous giggle at the expression on Fox’s face. It was a cross between incredulous and irritated, but it broke the ice instantly and, before I knew it, Chase and his minions were heading out onto the bright sidewalk and Fox had settled himself across from me in the booth once more.