Just Want Somebody to Love (Bella Warren Book 1) (9 page)

“Whitney!” She turned to the source and found her mom in front of Wade and Kara’s house, waving at her. “I’m over here if you’re looking for me.”

At Kara’s? Oh right. Because if Whitney hadn’t been stood up, she’d still be gone. She set the basket just inside her front door, then ran across the yard to get to her mom. “You got here early!”

“I woke up early and couldn’t sleep. I came on in.” She wrapped her in a hug and patted her back. “Kara didn’t think you’d be back for a while.”

Yeah, well, neither did Whitney. “Change of plans.”

Mom’s brows worried in a way that was almost a frown, but not sad. “She said you were meeting a guy. Did it go bad?”

“Didn’t go at all.” Oh, the more she thought about it, the more it burned her up. “He didn’t show up.”

Mom’s hands fell away from her shoulders and landed on her hips. “He stood you up?”

“Yep.” Whitney nodded.

Her eyes narrowed and the corners of her mouth tightened. “Oh, let me get my hands on that boy and that won’t happen again.”

Whitney chuckled. “Get in line. Not that it’s going to happen again, because I won’t be planning to meet him again.”

“Well”—her mom patted her back as they walked in the front—“we’re trying out some new brownies and were just looking for a taste tester. I know it’s not a date with a hot guy, but—”

“I’m in.” Okay. Yep. Day on the way up now. Whitney had a sweet-tooth bigger than these two could ever fill. And yeah, cue the oncoming five pounds too. She’d lose those once planting season started. All in all, it wasn’t such a bad deal. Things could be worse.

She kicked her shoes off by the door and another win for the yoga pants. She wouldn’t have to unbutton them when she got too full. “Before it gets too late, I need to get you a room ready.” She laughed. “It feels a little weird with Chester House being mine now. I’ll be in your bedroom and you’ll be in mine.”

Her mom flipped her wrist at her. “Don’t worry about that. I decided to stay with Wade and Kara this time.”

Whitney paused. “Oh.”

“Since I’ll be helping Kara with the cooking and her kitchen is bigger, we’ll be out of bed and working before your alarm even goes off.”

“Oh right.” Well crap. There went that distraction plan. They’d just have all their late evenings over here. And Whitney would have to get up and start her own coffee. No warm breakfast to find in her pajamas.

“Unless you wanted me to stay with you.” Her mom turned her head and watched her. “I don’t mind. I was just trying not to wake you.”

“No, that’s fine. I wasn’t even thinking that y’all would work in Kara’s kitchen. Hers is bigger, and she has an extra refrigerator.” She pasted on a smile. “You two aren’t going to know how to act.”

Kara laughed and lifted a notebook that had handwriting all over it. Her mom and Kara’s. Pencil and pen. By the way it was scratched everywhere, they’d added notes about this and that. They shared a knowing look and a laugh that Whitney never understood. “We’re deciding about ideas to cook now, since we have more space.”

So Mom staying with Kara. Maybe that wasn’t too much of a bad idea after all. They were geniuses in the kitchen and would no doubt be testing ideas on recipes until planting season started. She wasn’t sure that was worth giving up her mom in the evening time for, but at least she’d have plenty of snacks to keep her company while she watched TV alone at night. Speaking of snacks. “Mom promised me brownies.”

Whitney slowed at the curve along Bella Road and, like clockwork, Kent’s police car sat in the front. Right. She flicked her blinker on. Not so much for the risk of a ticket, but the ribbing and judgmental stare that may or may not be teasing. She found a spot in front of the old faded red and white building, flipped through the white boxes on her passenger floorboard, found the one marked with his name, and then headed inside.

There was little weight to this box, and a quick shake revealed it had to be cookies. She brought the box to her nose as she pulled open the front door. Vanilla strong goodness. Sugar cookies. Frosted maybe?

That’s all she got and the deep fried and cheeseburger smells of The Curve took over. Even with a belly full of a-bacon-covered-god made by the very best cook in the state, her stomach rumbled again. The single and only upside to planting season was eating whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted and she’d still lose weight because of the work. Even all the sympathy snacks that were still coming over being stood up three weeks ago wasn’t keeping her booty filled out in her jeans.

Those reasons almost made planting season worth it. Almost. She’d take some squishiness on her hips if it meant sleeping in, to be honest about it.

Kent sat at a booth along a window. There was no missing the precision straight haircut at his neck over his tan shirt collar. Just enough length it touched the material, but never more than that. That perfection was Kent all over. She smiled as she approached in her mud-stained boots with her big and baggy pants slipping on her waist. One pant leg was tucked in, the other out. They weren’t baggy due to weight loss. They’d been through the wash about eight hundred times, and she wasn’t sure, but odds were high they belonged to Wade to start with.

She had Kent’s box out, ready to hand it over, but a blast from her not-so-distant past stood in the middle of the room looking better than she wanted to remember. He stopped at seeing her. His brown eyes that still haunted her dreams went over the front of her, and she was never more aware of her clothes.

Because yes, of course. See a man like him, it was ideal to be dressed to the nines, not whatever she was dressed like. She didn’t even know what number to apply to herself. Yesterday’s white trash summed it up.

Bringing Sexy Back. Not so damn much. Not today of all days.

“Whitney.” Her name rolled off his tongue in a near whisper and skittered through her skin. So much like before.

Then again, everything was different. The humiliation and anger of the day he was supposed to meet her in this very room, but never showed up, burned too hot to fall for him. At least she wouldn’t fall very fast.

Get your shit together, Whitney
. Not falling for him at all. Ever.

She turned about the room, being as dramatic as she could manage. “Did I just…?” She looked over her shoulder, pointed to the door, back to herself, and then at him. “Oh my God, I’ve somehow invented time travel or walked through a portal to the past.”

“Forgive me?”

Where was Melody when she could use her? She hoped to God she was close enough to hear that. Whitney laughed and started past, but paused on her way by. “And here I thought you knew about women.”

He caught her by the arm and damn it, she wasn’t supposed to go melty and gooey by a simple touch. His fingers wrapped around her arm and all her nerves shuddered. He leaned in a little closer. His breath fanned her neck. “Something unexpected happen.”

Sounded serious. Maybe she jumped the gun in frying him over the hottest coals she could find. “Did someone die?”

He frowned. “No.”

“Seriously injured?”

His gaze slid away as he shook his head.

That didn’t look promising. “Did you get sick and go to the hospital?”

He still shook his head.

“I’m running out of reasons for it to be acceptable that you left without a word. Someone cut off their arm? Or a toe? Paper cut?” She tipped her head to the side. “Did you save the world and I missed that in the news? I’ve been busy and haven’t kept up.”

“No. Brandon and I had a disagreement, and I needed to get back home to straighten it out.”

She turned her ear closer, because she was hearing things. His excuse was a lame disagreement? Take back everything she said about wishing Melody close enough to hear. “So, you got in an argument with your brother and sometime after that you couldn’t pick up the phone?”

He rubbed a hand over his face. “I thought about it later, but figured you’d have left by then.”

“How much later? I can tell you if I was still waiting.”

He turned his head away and pushed his hands in his pockets. “Little after lunch the next day.”

Ugh. She shook her head. “Four words to sum me up about this whole situation: Grudge. Dictionary. My. Picture.”

There were a handful of people she’d given up her grudges for. Her brothers. That tended to happen often, but they were family, so she wasn’t sure that counted. Kara was the other. She’d had several years with Kara to get over it too. It wasn’t like she showed up some twenty something days later. And Kara was like her sister, so family.

And yeah. That was it. Life was too short to run back to people who let you down unless you really cared about them. A Mr. Justin Rawlings here? Well, she needed to care for him a helluva lot more. Sex once, twice? She paused. No, no, three times. Four? Either way, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t enough.

He just smiled at her, though. Like he thought she was cute or something. Yeah, she’d show him cute. If her family performed curses, it would be on.

“That determined?”

“I have a lot of work to do.” She made her way around him and continued on with her to-do list for the day. There. As much as she wanted to look over her shoulder to see if he started at her, she resisted. Besides, another two or three steps, then the window would flash everyone’s reflection.

Kent Spears rubbed his hands off on his napkin. “Hey, Whitney.”

She gave the box a little shake. “I have a present for you.”

His eyes rounded and he adjusted in his seat. “Is that from Kara?”

“It is.” She placed it on the table and focused on what she was supposed to do instead of staring at the reflection of the man behind her. “Thank you for helping over the weekend. You know we couldn’t be the place we are without people like you.”

Kent flipped the lid back and she’d guessed right. Sugar cookies. Not frosted, but they had a layer of crystallized crunchy stuff sprinkled over the top. He pushed the box across the table. “Want one?”

With Justin here, she wanted to bury her face in the box. Not the adult thing to do, though, so she managed to resist. Barely. And because Kara would skin her. “I’ve already gotten in trouble for that, so Kara started making me extra.”

A wave of red moved in the window reflection. Not that she needed to see him to know he eased closer. The refreshing scent of his cologne washed away the fried air as he neared. It was a smell that had been on her sheets for days until she’d decided to quit acting like an idiot and wash the things.

Kent’s chuckle cracked through her wandering thoughts. “I’m not surprised to hear that.” He pushed the box to Justin. “Justin, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Good to see you back in town. You want one?”

Good for who?
Me!
Her anxious vagina jumped up and down, waving her arms wildly. If her vagina had arms and legs, that’s what it would be doing right now. She stepped aside so there’d be room for him next to her rather than hovering behind. He’d been behind her before and, yeah. She cleared her throat. Not going there.

“Those look great.” Justin’s fingers roamed over the cookies like they’d once roamed over her body, teasing her nerves at where they’d land.

That was her cue to go. No wait, take that back. The moment to leave was when she’d walked in and he licked her head to toe with his eyes. Obviously this was all too raw on her skin. Which was stupid. She’d had great nights before. It was just because he stood her up. That’s all. Not because they were amazing together. Probably. Time to go. “I’ll see you later, Kent.”

“Bye, Whitney. Thanks.”

She turned away and found herself facing Justin. Should have just backed her way out of the room. She bit back what she wanted to say before airing out her dirt, and smacked a smile on her face instead. “Justin.”

“Leaving all ready?”

“I have work to do.” Yes. Work. Deliveries and dirt rows that could be planted. Not to mention her spreadsheets. Alternating, color-filled rows of numbers in blue font like his dreamy eyes. Nope. “Later ‘gator.”

Oh my God. Someone shoot her. Shoot her now.

“Wait up.”

She didn’t, not that it mattered. Stupid short legs, she’d have to run to get out of here. Even then, he’d be able to catch her with a jog. The idea of having the awesome rumor of “he was running trying to catch her, and Whitney didn’t give him the time of day” floating through the gossip chain was appealing. He was at her side before she even reached the door.

He grabbed the narrow handle and pushed it open. “After you.”

She eyed him as she stepped outside. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t crossing my fingers and hoping I’d go through a portal that didn’t include you on the other side.”

“I have missed your sense of humor.” Still with that dimple grin like he knew everything in the world. Uh-huh. Did he know her fist was close to meeting his eye?

“I don’t know how. Can’t see that you were around long enough to find it.”

“Oh I found it.”

Yeah. Just as well, since she’d found his. Now if she could just forget it, life would be peachy again. She stopped by her car. “I’m afraid to ask how long you’re in town for.”

“Why afraid?”

“Because it’s polite, but I don’t want to know, since it’ll make this conversation last longer.” Lies, all lies. She sat her hands on her hips and kept her guard up. Best to get out of here. Now. “I have things to do. Is there something you need?”

The corner of his lips twitched. “Not really.”

Several things she wanted to say came to mind, but she couldn’t figure out the words to spit them out. Damn him. She shook her head and got in her car.

She didn’t make it far. He tapped the glass. When she looked at him, he just grinned and tapped the glass again. Fine. She hit the button and rolled it down. “Think of something?”

He chuckled. “No. I just like this expression on your face.”

“Irritated?”

“Beautiful.”

She might have rolled her eyes. “I don’t think that’s an expression.”

“It should be.”

She gripped the steering wheel and left the parking lot. No one left her speechless. She headed for Tasha’s. Kara would be busy handling supper, not to mention Mom in the middle of it with her.