Dogwood Days (11 page)

No way was he giving Uncle Sherman time to question him. He bolted for the stairs and to his closet. He stared for a long moment before running back down to the study.

“I don’t know what to wear. Where do people go on first dates around here? Crap. I asked him, so I should pick, right? Right. Crap. But he’s picking me up, so maybe he’ll choose?”

Uncle Sherman smirked. “Fairwinds is a safe bet. Wear one of your vests with a tie. Did you bring any ties? You can borrow one of mine if you’d like.”

Jefferson whimpered. “I didn’t bring any ties. Do I have to wear a tie?”

“No, but if you do, you’ll be sure to be dressed nicely enough for dinner but not too fancy if you choose somewhere more casual.”

“Dammit. I mean, crap. Where are your ties?”

“I have heard foul language before, you know. I think you’re old enough now to say dammit without being scolded.”

Ha. That lesson had been hard won in his teens. One epic session of cleaning out Mr. Burkey’s meat freezer after he’d dared to drop the f-bomb in Uncle Sherman’s presence had scarred him for life. He still shuddered at the memory of the smell and tried to avoid that area of the market to this day.

“I’m going to go find a tie.”

“You do that. Left hand side of the closet. There’s a nice selection.”

Jefferson dashed back up the stairs and into his uncle’s bedroom. He found a brown-and-navy-striped tie nearly buried under the plaid patterns his uncle generally preferred and ran back into his room. Trent had thrown his light brown herringbone vest in the suitcase, knowing it was Jefferson’s favorite. He also had a pale gray button-down that would work, along with his favorite pair of perfect-fitting jeans.

“Getting in the shower,” Jefferson shouted down the stairs. Why he thought his uncle needed a play-by-play was beyond him. Lord, he’d reverted back to high school mode. What the hell was wrong with him?

He turned the shower on and started to strip, before slipping on the tile and nearly braining himself on the toilet.

“Oh God,” he groaned. The last thing he needed was for Zane to have to come and rescue him from an attack of the killer toilet. He needed to calm down. Breathe. This was not that big of a deal, really. Just dinner. Not some sort of life commitment. A date. He’d been on dozens. Hell, maybe even hundreds.

That thought actually didn’t make him feel any better.

He finished undressing and stepped carefully into the shower. If the killer toilet was bad, what on earth would Zane think if he saw Jefferson naked for the first time after he’d knocked himself unconscious in the shower?

And whoa… why did the idea of Zane seeing him naked appeal to him in so many, many ways? His dick certainly liked the idea a whole heck of a lot. He wished he had time to take care of that issue, but unfortunately he didn’t. Dang Holly Berries and their stupid long meetings of doom.

After quickly washing he leapt out of the shower, slid across the tile on his wet feet, and caught himself against the wall. The medicine cabinet rattled threateningly but didn’t come crashing off the wall to kill him in another almost bloody death. If he made it downstairs in one piece, it would be a miracle.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked very slowly and carefully into his bedroom. His best boxers went on first, then his darkest jeans. He’d managed to button most of the buttons on his shirt when the doorbell rang.

“I’m not ready,” he yelled.

“Come on in,” Uncle Sherman yelled back.

Crap. Crap. Crap
. Okay, he could do this. Not a big deal. Nope. Not at all. He slipped the tie around his neck, and it took his fingers three fumbling tries to get the knot halfway decent. Vest on, and buttoned. Socks and… where the hell had he left his shoes? He found one under the bed and scrambled around the room hunting for the other.

He could hear Zane’s deep voice coming from downstairs and then a laugh from his uncle. He couldn’t hold back his smile. Uncle Sherman clearly liked Zane, and that meant a lot to Jefferson. He found his other shoe in the closet, right where it should be, and finished getting ready. Something about hearing Zane’s voice settled him, although his stomach still flipped a little when he heard Zane’s rumbling chuckle.

When he was finally ready, he went downstairs and found Zane sitting in the study with Uncle Sherman. He’d changed into a white button-down and khaki pants. No tie. He’d known the tie was too much.

Zane stood when he entered the room and gave him a smile that almost sent Jefferson stumbling into the side table next to Uncle Sherman’s bed.

“Hi,” he managed to say once he’d regained his balance.

“You look nice,” Zane said with another smile.

Jefferson’s face heated a little, and he grinned in return. “Thanks. You ready?”

“I am. Sherman, would you like for us to bring you something? Dessert perhaps?”

“Oh crap! Uncle Sherman, what are you going to do for dinner?”

Uncle Sherman smiled and gestured to the rolling table he’d pushed to the side. On it sat a familiar plastic bag with Gracie’s Diner’s logo.

“Zane brought me something.”

And just like that, Jefferson’s admiration for Zane bloomed into something much more. Huh. How the hell did that even happen?

“That was very nice of you,” Jefferson said. He wondered if Zane could see the hearts in his eyes. Hell, for all he knew there was a neon sign flashing above his head that stated how he felt.

Zane merely shrugged and crossed the room to Jefferson’s side. He cupped Jefferson’s elbow and smiled down at him. “Let’s go. I made reservations.”

Jefferson sent his uncle one last look, only to find Uncle Sherman beaming at them. He waved good-bye and allowed Zane to lead him to the door. Outside, Zane’s black sedan sat parked behind Jefferson’s car in the driveway. He opened the passenger door for Jefferson and then went around to the driver’s side. Jefferson buckled up, not wanting to give the sheriff another opportunity to get on him about safety, and waited for Zane to get on the road.

“I hope you like Fairwinds,” Zane said after a moment.

“You know, I’ve never actually been to the restaurant there. We’re more of a cook-at-home family.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’ve eaten at Gracie’s a lot, but Uncle Sherman’s a big fan of family dinners, so we normally eat at his place when I’m here. He loves to cook.”

Zane smiled and reached across the center console to grab Jefferson’s hand.

“But he didn’t pass his cooking talent on to you?”

Jefferson grinned and threaded their fingers together. God, he was so ridiculous.

“Nope.”

“The cookies were good.”

Jefferson snorted out a laugh. “No, they weren’t. But thanks for trying.”

“They led to a date with you, so they’ll always be the best cookies I’ve ever had.”

“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”

Zane sent him a puzzled frown. “What?”

“You’re the kindest, most thoughtful man. And you’re killin’ me.”

Zane grinned and turned his attention back to the road. “Fairwinds is amazing. I love the history of the place, knowing that it’s been there for a hundred years. They have great food in the restaurant too.”

“I like great food.”

Zane gave his hand a squeeze as they made the ten-minute drive to the Fairwinds resort. The restaurant was located in the original part of the hotel, which was designed in the ornate Queen Anne style. The resort had expanded over the years and now included a hotel with over three hundred rooms, but this section remained as true to the original style of the era as time had permitted.

“It’s beautiful here,” Jefferson said as they walked up the path to the restaurant’s entrance.

“Yes, it is.”

Zane had taken his hand again after they got out of the car. Jefferson wasn’t big on public displays of affection, but he liked that Zane didn’t mind announcing that they were together. The hostess smiled brightly at them, and after Zane gave his name, led them to a quiet table along the paneled wall. The room was lit primarily by candlelight, and floral arrangements were artfully placed to give diners privacy.

Moments after they were seated, their server arrived with glasses of water and menus, then discreetly left them alone.

“This is very fancy,” Jefferson murmured.

“I wanted to impress you. How am I doing?”

“You had me at showing up with dinner for my uncle.”

Zane shook his head with a small laugh and opened his menu. “And here I got dressed up and brought you to the fanciest restaurant in town.”

Jefferson shrugged and opened his own menu. “I’m easy to please.”

Zane looked up and gave him an indecipherable look. “I don’t know about that, Jefferson Lee. But I’ll do my best to try. So what looks good to you?”

“I don’t know. Everything. Any suggestions?”

“They make this brie appetizer that I love. It’s not something I can really make at home, so I usually get that to start.”

Jefferson found the item on the menu and nodded his approval. “That sounds really good.”

“Why don’t we find out what the specials are? They do a lot of dishes that are based on locally grown produce.”

“You really are very fancy, you know it?”

Zane shook his head. “No, I’m really not.”

Their waiter returned and gave them the specials. After they placed their orders, Zane gave him another of those devastating smiles.

“So tell me more about yourself, Jefferson Lee. I only know what I’ve heard from your uncle.”

“And knowing my uncle, you’ve heard quite a bit.”

Zane chuckled and shrugged a bit. “I’d like to hear it from you. Your uncle is convinced you walk on water.”

“What do you mean? Of course I can walk on water.” Jefferson winked and wiggled his eyebrows. “I’m a Sagittarius who likes reading, writing, and long walks on the beach. Oh, and apparently hot men in uniform, although that last one is pretty recent.”

“Good to know.”

“And what about you, Sheriff Zane?”

“I’m a Capricorn who also likes reading. I like my town and my job and apparently smart-mouthed reporters, although that last one is pretty recent too.”

Jefferson laughed. “Also good to know. So now that we’ve had our awkward first-date conversation, how about we move on to something else?”

“Yes, please.”

“Tell me what it’s like being the sheriff of Holly Creek.”

“Well, technically I’m the Blue Ridge County Sheriff, not just Holly Creek’s.”

“Huh. I never thought about that. So that means you travel all around the county? You always seem to be in Holly Creek.”

“Most of the time I am. This week, I’ll be spending a few days over in Woodville, but I’ll be back before the Dogwood Festival starts.”

“So what happens if there’s a crime in Woodville? You have to scramble over there?”

Zane shook his head and smiled. “I have a deputy in Woodville and another in Black Springs. Between those two and the two based here in Holly Creek, we can keep the county covered pretty well.”

“Why didn’t I know that?”

“I have no idea. You’re really funny sometimes.”

“Only sometimes? But really, as many times as I read the
Holly Creek Herald
when it was around, I guess I never realized that the sheriff covered so much territory.”

“Why would you?”

“It’s one of those things I would usually know. So what’s the craziest crime you’ve had to deal with as sheriff?”

“Craziest? Well, mostly it’s silly things the tourists get up to. There was a wedding party here at Fairwinds last year, and let me tell you, those groomsmen threw one hell of a party. Trashed the place, then decided to go skinny-dipping in the hot springs. I ended up having to haul a half-dozen drunk and naked men into lockup. Oh, and was the bride pissed. Whew, I’d have hated to be her husband-to-be. She actually sent her dad down to bail them out. It was classic.”

Jefferson cracked up. “Oh, that is just bad. Did they get married after all?”

“Yeah. The bride invited me to the ceremony even. I think it was less about her being nice about me getting the charges dropped after they agreed to pay for all the damage and more about her putting the fear of God into the groomsmen. Needless to say, they were all on their best behavior. How about you? What’s the weirdest thing you’ve reported?”

“That’s easy. Today’s Holly Berry meeting. God, I thought I would die before it was over. Those women can talk, and over the tiniest little details. Hours, Zane. Hours I spent there. I think it’s going to take me a week to recover.”

Zane laughed and shook his head. “I’ve got to admit, I’m really happy I don’t have to attend those. The aldermen meetings are bad enough. Luckily, I was able to get out of tomorrow night’s as I’ve got to be in Woodville.”

“That doesn’t seem fair. I have to go, but you don’t?”

“You can take really good notes for me.”

Jefferson huffed. “I’m not sure I like you anymore.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Yeah,” Jefferson sighed. “I suppose I do.”

JEFFERSON WOKE
up with a beaming smile on his face. He tried to squash it, but the grin returned within half a second. His phone buzzed, and he lifted the display to see a text from Zane.

Breakfast at Gracie’s?

His smile started to make his cheeks hurt.

I can do that.

Pick you up in twenty.

Jefferson hopped out of bed and into the shower. He was tempted to whistle but figured Uncle Sherman would find a way to throw something at him. Once he got dressed, he went downstairs and started a pot of coffee for his uncle, then headed into the study. As expected, Uncle Sherman was sitting up in the hospital bed, tapping away on his laptop.

“This is so unexpected,” Uncle Sherman muttered.

“What?”

“That piece you did on the historical significance of the town square has gotten more hits than any other post this year.”

“Really?”

“Yes, even more than the birdhouses. Fascinating.”

“I’m having breakfast with Zane. You want me to make you something before I go.”