Hotter than Texas (Pecan Creek) (17 page)

She could believe that. “I hope things work out for you.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jake studying them closely. He didn’t work his way over to the table, so she wondered if he’d known Kel wanted to talk to her about his problem.

“It’s because of Lucy.”

Sugar blinked. “Lucy, my sister?”

“Yeah. Debbie thinks I have a thing for Lucy.”

She swallowed. “Do you?”

“I mean, no different from any other guy in this town, maybe,” Kel said, clearly embarrassed. “She’s hot.”

“Yeah, but—” Sugar wasn’t certain what to say. Lucy had never mentioned Kel in a romantic way. She knew Lucy too well; she would never date a married man with children. “That’s the reason your wife wants a divorce?”

“Pretty much,” Kel said, “without going into more detail.”

“Oh.” Sugar stirred her tea. “I don’t know what to say, Kel.”

“Yeah, I know. Jake didn’t, either. Well, he said a lot, but he’s not a woman. He doesn’t know anything about getting a wife back.”

“I’m not a good person to talk to about that. I’m divorced myself.”
And there was not one thing Ramon could have done to get me back.

Kel drummed the table. “I’d rather Lucy didn’t know. She may hear it from somebody eventually, and I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable around me.”

“I understand.” Sugar pondered Kel’s dilemma. She knew her sister too well, and if Debbie ever decided to take her grievance to Lucy, there could be a major bitch-slap involved. Lucy would not take kindly to anyone accusing her of luring their husband. “Maybe you need to tell Debbie that you do not and never did have a thing for Lucy.”

“She won’t believe me,” he said, miserable.

Sugar shook her head, disbelieving. Small-town life could be tangled. “I’m going to have to tell Lucy, Kel. It’s not fair for her not to know that your wife suspects her of ruining her marriage.”

“Okay.” He looked completely destroyed. “I’m sorry, Sugar. I’ve been having some problems, and—”

“It’s all right.” Sugar sighed. “There’s got to be a way to work this out. We all have to live in Pecan Creek together, so it would be good if everyone understood that nobody is having an affair around here.”

He nodded. “I know. Thanks, Sugar.”

“I didn’t help much, but you’re welcome.”

He left, and Jake made himself over to the table, taking Kel’s seat. “Hey, gorgeous.”

She gave him a disgusted face. “Did you know Kel was going to tell me about his thing for Lucy? And when were you going to warn me that an upset woman in this town thinks my sister destroyed her marriage?”

He winced. “I really didn’t want to reveal that, Sugar. Call me a selfish bastard. I’m pretty focused on trying to keep things smooth between me and you, and I definitely don’t want to think about Kel’s problem. I didn’t know Kel was going to make a confession to you about it.”

She wasn’t soothed. “It’s horrible, Jake! You could have warned me.”

“What could I say? I think my buddy’s got the hots for your sister?” Jake shook his head. “No way. I just wanted the whole damn thing to go away.”

She wasn’t pleased with him. “It didn’t. It’s still here.”

“I get that. I need a beer.” He glanced around the patio. “Join me downstairs for a sneak beer. I can’t bring booze on the patio.”

She shook her head. “It’s dumb. I’m not going down to your secret lair to drink a beer like a teenager. Besides, I’ve got Paris here. She doesn’t like being left alone. One of us has to be in her sights all the time, or she thinks she’s getting abandoned again.”

“Bring her downstairs with us.” Jake looked completely worn out. “I’ve got chilled vodka in a secret stash, if that would make you feel less like a teenager sneaking the parents’ Coors.”

She looked at him. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea. I think you may have an honesty problem.”

“I don’t,” Jake said. “I have a Kel-is-not-my-problem problem. I seriously want it all to go away.”

“Letting Lucy get broadsided by some man’s wife is not a good idea, Jake. I assure you it would be an uncomfortable conversation for all.”

He nodded. “I know. I’m sorry as hell. I really am. For everyone.”

She softened at his heartfelt admission. “Okay, lead me to the dungeon.”

“Come on.” He walked off the patio, whistled to Paris, who jumped up immediately and followed him, her blonde plume tail wagging with joy.

“Traitor dog.” Sugar followed Jake too, and they went in a side door. “Everyone in your restaurant just watched you and me leave together.”

“Yep. The grapevine will go nuts.” He shut the door behind them. “Not as nuts as I am for you, though.” He backed her against the wall kissing her thoroughly, his mouth hard against hers, his tongue sweeping her mouth deliciously.

Then he pulled away, and Sugar breathed sanity again. “Wow.”

“That’s what I think every time I see you.” He looked at her blue sundress. “Just knowing that you’ll go off a tire swing without worrying about your hair and makeup and all kinds of girly stuff makes me go
wow
. Then you walk in my restaurant in that short, blue dress, and it hits me all over again. Wow.”

She smiled. “That’s sweet.”

“Yeah, I’m a sweet guy.” He went over to a cabinet, pulled out some glasses, then opened the fridge, pulling a bottle out. “Hiding behind the catsup and mustard for safety.”

Sugar slid onto a stool. Paris lay at her feet, curling into her tail with contentment. Jake handed her a glass with a vodka shot in it.

“I can get fancy and girly with that if you’d like. I have grape juice and lime juice.”

She shook her head. “A cucumber would be good.”

He blinked. “I don’t have a cucumber. A pickle, but if you’re drinking your vodka Swedish or Russian-style, we’ll have to make a run to the produce department.”

She smiled at him. “This is fine.”

He raised his glass. “Cheers.”

“Cheers.” They sipped their vodka. It flowed over Sugar’s tongue sharp and cool, so different from Jake’s kisses. He reached out a warm hand, running his palm from her ankle slowly up her leg, stopping just under her skirt. Sugar’s skin tingled. “What are you going to do about poor Kel?”

He sighed. “I haven’t figured it out yet. Right now he’s staying with me.”

She nodded. “Sounds reasonable. To be honest, I have a little issue of my own I’d like to run past you.”

“You and Kel in one day. I’m going to hang out a shingle for PC Shrink.”

She didn’t think he really minded because his hand slid just a little farther up her leg, just cresting the top of her knee, warming her but not intruding. “Maggie didn’t come home last night.”

He looked at her. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “In fact, ever since you took me to that honky-tonk, she’s been staying out all night.”

“Honky-tonk?” He frowned, thinking, then laughed. “Oh. Pecan Fanny’s? That wasn’t a honky-tonk. You want to see a real live Texas honky-tonk, I’ll take you to one of those.”

“Maggie, Jake. Focus.”

“Okay.” He looked at her. “Are you trying to say that your mother has a thing for Lassiter? And they apparently aren’t suffering from Kel’s problem?”

She nodded. “My guess is that’s where she is.”

Jake laughed. “That Lassiter is an irresistible fellow.” He saw her face was serious and wiped the smile away. “Lassiter’s all right, Sugar.”

“All right?”

“Yeah. I mean, he’s everything you’d want for Maggie. He’s got more money than Zeus, he’s kind, he’s upright. Don’t get me wrong, he’s got his ways. But we all do.”

“His ways?” She narrowed her eyes.

“I like this protective side of you. It speaks well when a daughter—”

“Jake. Pay attention. I don’t want Maggie getting her heart broken by a man who has ‘ways’.”

“Oh. You’re asking if he’s a womanizer. No, I can definitely tell you he’s not. The ladies try. When I say ways,” Jake said, his face earnest, “I just mean that occasionally he goes off. That’s all.”

“Goes off?”

“By himself. For alone time. It only lasts a day or so. Sometimes three.”

“Why?” Sugar asked.

Jake shrugged. “He’s still grieving for his wife. She died fifteen years ago, but they’d gotten married in their teens. So he goes off and has a few days of sitting in his cabin with a bottle. No big deal.”

“That’s so sad.” Sugar blinked. “How do you know all this?”

“He tells me. We have a bit of a bromance going on.”

Sugar waited. “Go on.”

“Our properties are side by side. Almost every night, we spend a little time sipping and looking over the fence. Just staring at nothing, really, except the goodness of God. The wideness of nothing.”

“You have a deep side?”

“Hell, no,” Jake said. “I just like to drink and listen to the old man. Now I know why he hasn’t shown up for the past week.”

“Yeah.” Sugar spun herself away from Jake’s hand, rotating the stool to face the bar. She drank her vodka in one shot, thinking. “Lucy doesn’t come home till late, Jake. Then she leaves early.”

“I know where she is too,” Jake said. “However, I think I’m not telling. But all this aloneness you’re suffering makes me realize you’re sleeping alone. Which bedroom is yours? I’m betting you took the Scarlet O’Hara nemesis room.”

She frowned at him. “I am not discussing my sleeping arrangements with you.”

“Too soon?” Jake smiled. “You do realize the old folks skipped all the dating steps? Maybe it makes things less uncomfortable to just get to the good stuff.”

“I don’t want to talk about Lassiter and Maggie.” Sugar got up. “I’ve got to go.”

“Wait,” Jake said. “Your leg and I were just getting to be good friends.”

“Come on, Paris.”

The dog jumped up to follow her. “Sugar, wait.” Jake looked at her, took her hand to pull her a bit closer to him. “Did I say something wrong? I can tell you where Lucy is, but I really think it’s something she’d rather I didn’t know. I just happen to know almost everything in PC.”

She pulled away even though she missed the comfort. The whole idea of Maggie and Lassiter made her nervous, brought back old memories. She was happy for Maggie, just like she’d told Lucy she would be if their mother found romance with someone. But she couldn’t help remembering that she’d run off her mother’s second husband, and the memory of that night was dark and painful, bringing home painfully why she’d grabbed that baseball bat.

“Just tell me that Lucy’s not doing anything bad,” Sugar said. “That she’s with good people.”

“The best,” Jake said. “I promise you she’s with the very best people in this town. Don’t get me wrong, they have their ways too, but I think you’d find them acceptable, despite their ways.” He kissed her forehead, pressed his hands down into her hands, clasping her fingers between his. “Hey, if you stay a little longer, maybe I can find a cucumber to go with another snort of vodka, even if I have to send out for one. Trust me, if I ask Kel to go get a cucumber, he’ll tear up someone’s garden and won’t even ask why. You want a cucumber, lady, it can be done.”

She shook her head. “No, thanks. I’ll see you later.”

“Now that I know you’re sleeping alone in that big house, can I bring Paris a midnight snack? Apparently, I’m free at night these days. No more bromance.”

“Sorry. I’m not sleeping alone.” She pointed to her dog. “Paris and I are going to stay up late, watch old movies and eat popcorn in bed. Girl talk.”

“That’s a shame. Now I’m odd-man-out.”

She smiled. “Not really. You have Kel.”

He looked woeful. “Life is unfair.”

Sugar laughed. “That’s what they say. Bye, Jake.”

She turned and walked away, realizing he hadn’t said anything. She turned around, and Paris was sitting by him, and he had one finger in Paris’s collar, keeping her beside him, and Sugar laughed, her heart melting just a little.

“No dirty pool, Jake Bentley. Let go of my dog.”

“All right. Good-bye, Paris. Next time you come to see me, I’ll have a bone with your name on it. Just bring your mama around and you get whatever you want.”

He turned Paris loose, and the dog licked his hand and hurried after Sugar. She walked out into the bright sunshine, still tasting Jake’s lips on hers.

“Dude, what are you doing?”

Kel stared at him as Jake walked back into the kitchen. Warmed up by the vodka and flirting with Sugar, Jake’s mind was anywhere but on his buddy. Evert and Bobby stood next to Kel, glaring solemnly. “What?” Jake said. “What’s going on?”

“You took Sugar down there again, man,” Kel said.

“Yeah? So?” Jake looked at the three of them. They’d been working hard on the grill. It was a busy afternoon in the Bait and Burgers, a hot Friday with lots of customers. “I couldn’t talk to her up here. She had some personal stuff to discuss.”

“Okay,” Bobby said, “we get that. Only everybody in the restaurant was craning when the two of you walked out together. So it’s not as private as you think it was.”