Lost in You: Petal, Georgia, Book 2 (13 page)

She rolled her eyes. “It won’t kill you, you know. To share your burden a little. I know something is up.”

“I’m relaxed and sex tired. I don’t want to talk about any of that now. I should be going, actually. I’ve got to be up at six.”

She paused, as if to argue, but didn’t press.

But he tossed and turned so much Buck got off the bed and slept on the couch. He could have shared with her. He just didn’t know if he had it in him to say it all out loud.

It was Buck’s little dance and his happy barks that clued Joe in to Beth’s presence. She stood at the counter in the office area, and when he caught her eye, she held up a large bag.

He cleaned his hands and headed in. As usual, she looked pretty in jeans and a light sweater that hugged those spectacular tits just right. Made a man’s mouth water just looking at her.

“I brought you some lunch.”

Warmth coursed through him at the gesture. Being taken care of eased him, released that tangle of knots in his gut a little. “You didn’t have to do that. Thank you.”

She smiled, looking him over carefully. “By the looks of you this week, Joe Harris, I most assuredly do. Have you been eating at all?”

They’d put his father on a course of medication and everyone walked on eggshells hoping it would work. Hoping for some relief.

“I’ve been working a lot.” He wanted to sit and eat with her. To take an hour. Hell, even half an hour and just listen to her voice. Let her presence work itself into his system to ease his jangled nerves.

But he was afraid of letting it go and falling apart when everyone needed him to keep it together.

“I wish I had the time to sit with you and eat. But I have a whole day’s worth of work in there and not nearly enough hours to finish.”

She reached up, caressing his cheek for a brief moment, and he allowed himself the weakness to lean in and take the comfort.

“That’s all right. Just be sure you eat it. There’s a C-O-O-K-I-E in there for your canine roommate. It’s clearly marked so you don’t go eating it.” She looked down at Buck, who surely realized that spelling things out either meant a treat or a trip to the vet. Beth was usually the bearer of treats, so he thumped his tail hopefully.

“You wanna give it to him? He’ll love you forever. Piglet that he is.”

Grinning, she dug in and pulled out a cute little bag with Scottie dogs stamped all over it. She knelt and Buck put a paw on her knee. “I brought you a treat.”

He barked, and she gave him one that he sucked down so fast Joe hoped he could remember doggie CPR. She laughed. “Careful there, Buck-o. Use your teeth. These will keep them all shiny too. In case you meet a cute girl dog. You want to have nice breath.”

Joe looked at her, filled with emotions he warned himself not to develop where she was concerned. And he felt them anyway. She was a damned good woman.

She scratched Buck’s ears and put the bag up on the counter. “For later if he’s very good.” She tiptoed up and kissed Joe quickly. “If you’re good, I’ll give you an even better treat. For now? Eat every last bit. Fried chicken and potato salad. Cornbread and some cobbler. I’d tell you I made it, but I only lie about my weight for my driver’s license. Tate made it all so you know it’s good. Plus it’s filled with Tate love. Win/win.”

He paused, bending to kiss her more thoroughly before standing straight once more. “Thank you again. For the food, for the dog treats and for thinking about me.”

“Someone needs to. By the state of those circles under your eyes, you sure aren’t. Why don’t you come to dinner this week? Bring your parents. I
can
cook you know. Just not as awesomely as Tate. But I make a mean pan of enchiladas.”

God, he could only imagine what his father might get up to at dinner at her house. He held back a barely repressed shudder.

“Busy week.”

“You said that the last time I asked you to bring them to dinner. How about we all go to the Sands?”

“I’ll let you know.” He held up the bag. “Gonna scarf this before I get back to work on that oil pan.”

Her face fell. Just a little, but he saw it. He saw it and turned anyway, waving over his shoulder. “Talk to you soon. Thank Tate for the food too.”

“See you later.”

Beth grumped around the shop, peering through the racks. It had been over a week since that night when Clancy had taken Joe aside and he’d avoided talking with her about it. He’d been distracted. Dark circles under his eyes. She’d taken to showing up at the garage with lunch just so she knew he was eating.

But though it was clear he’d been touched by it, he kept distance there and it was getting to her. She couldn’t even really enjoy shopping for bridesmaid dresses with Lily because of it.

Boys
.

“I keep trying to act like I’m cool with it. I
should
be. I’m trying really hard to back off and let him deal with his stuff. But…”

Lily nodded. “You want him to share. Because he cares about you. Because he knows just telling you will help.”

Yes. It was one thing for her to tell him it was safe to share. But his not doing it made her feel like he didn’t believe it.

“It feels like he’s walling me out. Which is so mean of me. Selfish. I
know
so well what it means to have family shit you just can’t bear to say out loud.”

“But you were a kid and whatever you dealt with, you were hostage to it. You had no escape. On the other hand, Joe is a grown man.”

“It’s not just that he won’t talk to me about whatever is going on with his dad. He’s so stressed. I know he’s not getting enough rest. I invited him and his family over for dinner, and he says he’s busy. Not the first time I’ve asked. Not the first time he’s made excuses. It’s beginning to feel like it’s not about them, but about me. I don’t like that feeling.”

“If I make people wear that they’ll never forgive me.” Lily indicated a bridesmaid’s dress Beth had in her hand.

“I was trying to get to the one behind it.” She pulled the other out. “This one.”

“About you how? That blue would look so gorgeous on you guys.”

“Maybe I’m not meet-the-parents material. Maybe they hear the name Murphy and they can only think about my parents. God, what if they think I’m like that?”

“Whatever his hesitation is, I don’t think it’s that he’s ashamed of you. Plus, look, Petal is a small town, but chances are, his parents either don’t know who you are, or if they know about your parents, they’re not stupid enough to think you’d be that way. But, if that’s the case we will kick him in the face and give him dirty looks until the end of time and he will most definitely not be eating cake at my wedding. After you dump him and move on with someone way hotter, that is.”

All of that was probably true. Probably. “Well it’s weird and I’m getting a complex.”

“Maybe you need to break it off with him. Why be with someone who makes you feel bad?” Lily indicated the dress. “Try it on.”

“I don’t know why I have to be the guinea pig and do this before everyone else has to.”

“Because I said so. Because it’s your job as the maid of honor and my best friend and because you have a fabulous sense of style. Plus it gives me a reason to look at clothes.”

Lily would most likely end up making all the damned dresses for her bridesmaids anyway. “Crafty bitch.”

Lily swatted her butt. “Go on. I’ll be waiting.”

She got into the dress in the changing room. “I don’t want to break up with him. I want him to trust me enough to talk to me. Maybe I’m doing this all wrong.”

Beth came out, waving a hand at the neckline. “Way too much boobage here. Tate will put someone’s eye out.”

Lily’s laugh made her feel better. “Yeah, but yours look pretty spectacular in it. Still, we really can’t have your boobs upstaging mine.
Hello
, bride here.” She winked. “Maybe you can wear it to the rehearsal dinner.”

“I have to wear something like this to the rehearsal dinner? It’s going to be fancy? You know it’s going to be wall-to-wall Murphys. We’re not really fancy people.”

Lily laughed and handed her several more dresses, shoving her toward the changing room again.

“My father is hosting it. He just informed me of this fact today. I haven’t decided if I’m going to accept. I haven’t told Nathan yet either.”

Beth sighed and went back to try on the dresses. “Why shouldn’t you accept? It doesn’t have to mean anything. You guys are paying for this on your own. Unless you don’t want any involvement with him at all.” She clucked her tongue. “This one has a corset type thing at the back.”

Beth went out and Lily tightened the dress’s bodice. “Wow. This is definitely a contender. Since Tate is Nathan’s best woman, she’s going to need a different dress anyway. This one is so pretty.”

“When do we get to try on your dress?”

Lily smiled. “I’m going to make it. With your help of course. It was either me making all your dresses or me making mine. I don’t have the time to do both. Do you hate me?”

Beth turned, taking her friend’s hands. “Why on Earth would I hate you? I can swing this dress. Tate can swing her dress. Of course I’ll help in whatever way I can. You sure you want the stress? Of making it, I mean?”

“I saw this pattern at a garage sale of all places.” Lily moved back to her purse and pulled it out, handing it Beth’s way.

Beth looked it over, knowing immediately that the style would suit her friend beautifully. “Vintage. Perfect.”

“Tea length. But it’s a daytime wedding anyway. I think instead of all this lace for the sleeves I might do cashmere, as a removable bolero jacket. If the weather holds up and we have the ceremony outside, it’ll be cold.”

“And it’ll be so soft against your skin and so pretty. Like a snow princess.”

Lily nodded. “I know. Thank God you like it. It’ll take some time. The skirt is pretty full, lots of pleating. But I can do it. I want to do it. It’ll mean more to me. To pick out the fabric and everything.”

“I’m in. Just tell me what you need and I’ll do it.”

“Thank you. It means more than I can say.”

“I’m your best friend. You don’t have to say.” Beth smiled, kissing Lily’s cheek.

“You’re not doing it wrong. The thing with Joe I mean.” Lily looked Beth up and down. “This dress is the one. The color is perfect. What do you think?”

“You don’t think so? I don’t know. I mean, I did game him at the beginning. I simply pushed myself into his life but I knew he dug me. But I don’t want to play games. I want him to trust me. I’m…I’m falling in love with him.”

Lily sucked in a breath. “Games are dumb anyway. And they never, ever work. So if you don’t want to break things off, you have to give him some space and time and then figure out what you’re going to do if he won’t share. However,” Lily continued as Beth went back into the changing room, “I think we need to strategize on how to avoid that. We’re super smart, you and me. He doesn’t stand a chance.”

“I don’t feel super smart.” Beth tried on two more dresses just to be sure. “Yeah, this is the one.” She got her street clothes back on and came out.

“Now, about this thing with your dad paying for the rehearsal dinner.”

They waited at the register while Beth paid.

“He’s…my dad. I don’t want to be fighting with him. And I don’t want Chris to have more negative perceptions of him. God knows there’s enough damage done. He’s about to be a father again. Maybe he’s trying.”

They headed out, down toward the fabric store a few blocks away.

“I get that. And I support you, no matter what you decide. Either way though, there’s no rule saying it has to be something fancy if you don’t want it. If you do, go for it. I’ll wear a fancy dress and cute shoes and eat fancy food.” She laughed, linking her arm through Lily’s. “This is your day. Yours and Nathan’s, and he’s not going to give one tiny little fuck if the rehearsal dinner is swanky or not as long as you’re happy.”

“I’m lucky with him.”

Beth laughed. “You are. He loves you. And that’s really his chief motivation.”

“Thanks for listening. About this whole thing. And with Joe? I have to believe this will work out. I’ve seen how he is with you. He is into you in a major way. We need to be smart. And hello, that’s already taken care of.”

Chapter Ten

He allowed himself to get talked into going to the Tonk with William and a group of their friends. But he called Beth first.

“What are you up to tonight?”

“I’d planned on a movie with Lily and Anne. Why?”

Joe knew he sounded disappointed. But he didn’t care. He hadn’t really seen her in two weeks and he missed her.

“Oh. I agreed to go to the Tonk for a drink or two with William, Royal and Nathan. I thought it’d be nice if you were there too.”

“Can I take that to be that you miss me?”

He liked the flirty tone in her voice. “Yeah. Like crazy. Either way, I’d like to see you tonight. Or tomorrow after I close the shop.”

“Go have a drink or two. I’m meeting Lily and Anne at the theater in half an hour. I’ll stop in after. You can buy me a drink and some hot wings. I might let you touch my butt while we dance. If you’re lucky.”