Cursed (3 page)

“Smart girl.”

They reached the end of the line and stood in front of the cash register. The meat was lined up and displayed on a carving station. She licked her lips and decided on the brisket plate with potato salad and an ice-cold sweet tea. No one produced sweet tea like the south, and she’d missed the sugary substance when they lived up North. It was served in a Mason jar with a healthy wedge of lemon. When they had piles of meaty goodness and sides on their plates, they chose a table toward the back, where it was less crowded.

“We have nicer places here in Baxter, but I figured if I was supposed to be showing you the town, local, home-cooked cuisine would be a better fit.”

“If it tastes half as good as it smells, this place will have a new regular.”

He chuckled, and a lapse in the conversation came as they prepared their food. She went with the hickory brown sugar sauce on her brisket. The meat was tender and moist, and combined with the sauce, it had her closing her eyes and moaning.

The smoky meat’s sweet flavor was downright orgasmic. She could feel the calories piling on top of each other. She opened her eyes and found Colton’s gaze fixed on her. Heat blossomed in her cheeks, and she cleared her throat.

“What?”

“Nothing. I like a woman who can eat.”

She smirked. “I’m southern. I thought enjoying fatty foods was a requirement of girls raised in the south. ”

“You’d be surprised.”

Her head filled with thoughts of waif women who munched on salad and sipped on water with lemon. She suppressed a shudder. That was no way to live. She was a meat and potatoes kind of girl and liked her curves, thank you very much. She was proud of the bodacious Voiles butt and child-bearing hips she’d inherited. Unlike some, she was fortunate to have strong women in her life who taught her to buck tradition and love her form and her being for what it was. Because of all the people in the world, there was only one Avalyn Rae Voiles, and no one could do her better.

The eye roll that accompanied Colton’s statement earned him a few more brownie points. She liked what she saw so far, but she needed to test the waters.

Fifteen minutes later, their plates were clear and she was taking a blind leap.

“So, I heard the local woods here are haunted. Is there any truth to that?” She took a giant gulp of sweet tea to bolster her courage and glanced up. He chuckled and shook his head.

“I’ve never seen anything suspicious there myself, but if you ask me, there are supernatural beings out there living among us.

She arched an eyebrow. “That’s smart thinking.”

“Well, I was top in my class.”

She laughed and relaxed. Well, he was open-minded at least. That was a start.

“Why? Do you have experiences with ghosts you feel like sharing?”

“Maybe?” She glanced up and cast a sly smile in his direction.

“A women of mystery, huh? I can respect that.”

His voice washed over her like liquor. The rich tone danced along her nerves, making her nipples harden and her thighs tingle. He made her want to forget her raising and head home with him for a night of smex. Better than your average lay, smex was a nasty, dirty, no-holds-barred ride to completion. He had bigger than average feet. She knew because she’d looked. It had her mind drifting to thoughts of what those thick, calloused fingers of his would feel like over her flesh. Avalyn shifted in her seat as her mind began to fill with images totally inappropriate for the dinner table. She was a woman in the middle of a draught so long she could barely remember what it felt like to be full of a stiff cock. She licked her lips and tried not to leer as she focused on the conversation once more. A quick romp was something she could’ve had years ago. What she wanted involved rings and vows, or at the least a long term commitment.

“So what brings you to Baxter? It’s not a city people flock to. It’s more of a town you grow up in and never leave.”

“You don’t like it here?”

“No, I love it. This place has spoiled me for living anywhere else. We’re a hidden jewel. I think the hidden part is why we remain unchanged by outside influence.”

“My family is originally from here, but we branched out a few decades back to live a couple states over. My gran and my mom suddenly got the itch to rediscover our roots. The next thing I know, we’re headed back to the original Voiles homestead and buying a space out on Main Street for the store. Not that I minded really. I was tired of life in the city, and smaller towns tend to look on what we do with a kinder eye.”

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Make things from scratch and do our best to heal people. Maybe make this world a better place one person at a time.”

She shrugged, embarrassed by her rant.

“I like that,” he said. A soft smile curved his cupid bow’s pink lips, and she felt herself melt just a little more. “Lord knows the world’s got enough negativity in it.”

“I like you more and more with every word you speak. That’s a rare gift you should share with the rest of your brethren.”

His cheeks reddened, and she swore she saw panic in his widened eyes. “My brethren.”

“Yes, men. They tend to put their feet in their mouths at least seventy-five-percent of the time.”

“Oh, them.” He laughed, but it sounded thin and reedy. It was obviously forced. Avalyn wanted to ask him what he’d thought she meant, but she didn’t want to ruin the wonderful report they had going because of a silly, misunderstanding.

“As much as I’d like to speak for my entire sex, I’m going to have to decline. I can’t even get my younger brothers to listen to me. Forget the entire world.”

She laughed. “How many brothers do you have?”

“Two. Too many.”

“Come on, you don’t mean that, do you?”

“Most of the time, no. Sometimes…” He trailed off and shrugged. “What about you? Do you have any siblings?”

“No. Despite how many times I asked my mother to give me a brother for Christmas, it never happened.”

He sniggered and shook his head.

She glanced down at her watch and sighed. “I’m enjoying this, but I need to head back to the shop soon.”

“I understand how it is when you own your own business. I’ll go settle the bill.”

She opened her mouth only to clamp it shut when he shot her a glare.

“Don’t you dare spout any Yankee nonsense about splitting the cost. I asked you out, and you accepted, so I’m paying.”

“Yes, sir.” She gave a mock salute.

“There’s the spirit.” He stood from the table, and she took advantage of the view to watch his glottis maxims work beneath the denim. In the words of her Aunt Jean, she could sop that man up with a biscuit.

When he returned, they stood and began the trek back to the shop. Just like every other trip, coming back went much faster than the journey there. Her heart sank a little when they reached the door of the shop and he opened it to allow her to enter before him. Always the gentleman. It was charming.

“Thanks for lunch, Colton. I had a good time.”

“Me too. I was thinking maybe we could do it again sometime soon?”

“Yes—”

“Avalyn! Are you back, honey?”

The sound of her gran’s voice was like cold water dumped over her head. Avalyn winced and shrugged as she flashed what she hoped was an apologetic glance at Colton. “My gran,” she mouthed as she turned toward the sound of the voice.

“Yes, ma’am. I just walked in.”

“Oh, good. How was your lunch date?”

She squeezed her eyes tight and mentally counted to ten. “Good, Gran. He’s actually still here.”

“Oh, then I’ll be right out. I want to meet him.”

She glanced over her shoulder once more. “I am so sorry,” she mouthed.

A strangled intake of breath made her whip her head around so fast her neck protested with a loud crack. “Gran, are you okay?”

The petite, older woman was dressed in a simple white dress with sandals and a jaunty multi-colored scarf wrapped around her waist to make the ensemble pop. She had her hand over her heart, and her face was twisted into a mask of horror.

“Gran! Do I need to call 911?” Avalyn rushed forward to grab her grandmother’s arm, when the old lady jumped into action like a reanimated doll.

“I know who you are, boy!” Her voice had gone shrill, and she pointed a slender finger at Colton, who stood behind Avalyn. “I’d recognize that facial structure anywhere! You thought you’d slip in and pull another one over on the Voiles, did you? Well, you picked the wrong women. Unlike Viola, we have common sense enough to stay away from the likes of you.”

Stunned, Avalyn turned to peer at the wide-eyed man with a dropped jaw. He had his hands up, palms facing out in the universal sign of surrender.

“No, it wasn’t like that at all.”

“I’m not going to waste a moment of my time listening to your lies!” Her grandmother glanced down at the broom in her hand and sprung into action. She wielded the handle like a sword, holding it out as she continued her rant. She moved forward, thrusting and parrying like a musketeer.

“You get out of this shop, Edgeworth, and stay away from my granddaughter.”

Each word was punctuated by a swat of the broom to a part of Colton’s delectable body. The jangle of the bell sounded distressed when his back hit the door. Avalyn snapped out of her stupor and ran to grab her grandmother’s arm. Her stomach rolled and pitched like a boat on a stormy sea. All this time he’d just been playing her.
For what? Recon for his family? A
chance to make a fool of Voiles?
A lot of different ideas ran through her mind, but none of them felt right. She was a pretty good judge of character, and Colton had been sincere.

She stilled her gran’s broom-beating with a hand on her arm. “Let him go, Gran.”

“Avalyn, it’s not what it seems like,” Colton said.

“So you didn’t invite me out to lunch under false pretenses?”

“Yes. I mean no. Its’ complicated.”

“Right. Well, let me simplify it. I want you to leave.”

His shoulders slumped, and his facial expression turned to one of despair. “I just wanted a chance to talk to you without all of this between us.” He gestured toward the broom wielding maniac who was Betty Voiles.

“This is all there can ever be between us, Colton. Now you need to go. You’re upsetting my gran.”

If he’d been a cartoon character, his jaw would’ve hit the floor. Since he was human, it simply flopped open like a fish’s.

“Upset her?”

“Yes. She’s a delicate flower who doesn’t need to be unsettled. Now good day, sir.” Her lips twitched with humor as she struggled to keep it together. It was that or burst into tears. Her grandmother had just assaulted a man twice her size, three times her weight, and won! She didn’t blame Colton for the bad blood that existed between them. It wasn’t his fault, but it did complicate things between them, tangling them up until it became a mess that could never be straightened again. He closed his mouth and gave a curt nod of what she hoped was understanding before he turned the knob, opened the door, and walked out.

Sadness filled her heart. Why did she meet someone who appeared to be a perfect fit, just to have it be an impossible situation?

Anger radiated off her gran. Her body was tense, and her right hand still clenched the broom tight.

“He’s gone now. He won’t be back.”

“I bet he will, that swindler!”

“He’s not Joseph.”

“No, but he was already lying.”

I can’t say I blame him.
She didn’t dare voice that thought out loud or
she’d
be on the wrong end of the broom stick.

“That he did, Gran.” She eased the broom from her gran’s hand. “Come and have a seat behind the register. You don’t need to be getting riled up like this.” She wrapped an arm around the older woman’s shoulder and guided her toward the counter.

“I ain’t old, girl. I’ll take on anyone who messes with me and mine. It takes a lot more than some fast-talking slickster to get the best of Betty Anne Voiles”.

“I know, Gran.”

Avalyn hoped she was just like her Gran when she hit her sixties.

***

Colton Edgeworth was shell-shocked. He’d never imagined in a million years that any of her family would recognize him.

It was his fault for forgetting what they were. Surely, witches had some sort of sixth sense about those related to their own spell work. Anger swelled in his gut as he climbed into his black truck and slammed the door behind him to dissipate the nasty feeling he was fast developing for the Voiles matron. He hadn’t had a chance to get a word in edgewise once she started in on him. With each second that had whizzed by, he’d seen his chance for damage control going up in flames. At this point, he wasn’t’ sure if he could approach Avalyn without her hexing him six ways to Sunday.

He’d kept his last name from her, but what was he supposed to do? Go up to her and say, “Welcome to Baxter, I’m the descendent of the family your ancestor cursed, but I’m really a good guy.” It wouldn’t have gone over well. At least this way she’d seen him for who he was and not his family name for a while. He had to believe that. The connection they had was electric and comfortable at the same time. It deserved more exploration. Colton had a long list of things he wanted to do to her sumptuous body, yet it was her spirit that shone through and dazzled him. She was a wealth of positivity, something he and his family could use. Plus, seeing her gran in action made him feel a lot better about his family, especially Grandpa Willie.

She understood what it was like to have a family who was, to put it nicely, off the beaten path.

By the time he reached his dad’s house, his temper had cooled, and the plan on how to win her over had begun to take shape. Baxter was small. She couldn’t avoid him forever, and unless he’d read her eyes wrong, she didn’t blame him for the predicament they were in. Avalyn had looked more resigned than anything when she asked him to leave for the final time. He parked his truck in the driveway, exited the cab, and made his way inside the house. Colton walked into the living room, and conversation came to an abrupt end. They’d all gathered here after work to wait for him to come home and tell them about his date. Each of them had a lot riding on this.