Sweet Obsession (Men of Whiskey Row Book 1) (24 page)

“Baby, I’m gonna give you a pass; because there ain’t a woman alive who hasn’t had the same reaction when they were introduced to Guiles Keetoowah-Marquez, the handsomest son of a bitch in the state. My wife, Noelle,” Jack grudgingly said, his voice laced with irritation. Apparently it was too much to ask that Noelle be immune to his friend’s good looks he supposed. Women had been making fools of their selves over that good-looking bastard since he was born.

Noelle held her hand out, and the other man smiled devastatingly as he reached out to take it; but Jack conveniently chose that moment to direct Noelle towards the table. Gritting his teeth at the knowing chuckle behind him, he pulled out the chair closest to his, and pushed it even closer before gesturing for her to sit. Ignoring her look of irritation at his high-handedness, he gestured towards the plate in front of her. “Are you hungry? I made bacon, eggs, and toast. Let me get you some coffee, too.”

Noelle shook her head in exasperation at Jack as he placed a heaping plate in front of her, before looking at Guiles. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Guiles.”

The other man smiled at her. “My friends call me Guy. Forgive me for starin’, but it’s a pleasure to meet the beautiful woman that finally captured ol’ Serious Sullivan’s heart. I wasn’t aware such a gem was hiding in New York.” The last was said in a lower tone rife with sensual promise that Noelle instinctively knew was meant to irk Jack. Jack walked back over to the table and placed the steaming mug of coffee in front of Noelle, who murmured thank you while cautiously taking a peak at him. He didn’t even notice as his hard eyes were trained on Guy who was staring back at him with amusement as he sat down across from Noelle.

“Do you remember when we were kids and we jumped out of that big tree on Huckleberry Lane? And your britches got caught on a branch? How you were stuck cryin’ and hollerin’ because of that mighty wedgie you were gettin’?” Jack asked pleasantly, watching as Guy’s skin flushed red with embarrassment and his smile disappeared. “Who would believe that your lady-catchin’ voice could have hit a note so high-”

“Rude, Jack! Rude!” Guy shouted as Noelle laughed and dug into her meal. Jack snatched a piece of bacon from her plate only to have it disappear as she snatched it back twice as fast, putting it on the far side of her plate.

“Do not play with me when it comes to bacon,” she said in a serious tone, shaking her head at his gall. Guy laughed at Jack’s puppy dog look, and Noelle took pity on him and scooped up some egg and grits, offering him a bite.

“So tell me about yourself, Noelle,” Guy said in a friendly tone. “Never thought I’d see the day this one here would settle down. Hell, you’re the first girl he’s ever brought home. Congratulations on the wedding by the way; how’d you two meet?”

Noelle blushed, and Guy was enchanted by the heightened color in her cheeks. A sharp pain in his ankle made him wince as he broke his gaze from her and looked over to find his childhood friend giving him a death glare. Silently, Guy vowed retribution as he leaned down to rub his injured ankle.

“Well, I co-own an event planning company with one of my best friends. I’m sure you know Jack’s partner Ian?” At Guy’s nod, she continued, “I’m his goddaughter, and my family are clients of their firm. We met four years ago at my birthday party.”

“Was it love at first sight for you?” Guy asked teasingly, and Noelle shifted uneasily in her chair. Now how exactly was she supposed to answer that? With the truth? Jack would freak and divorce her if he thought she harbored any type of feelings for him. Jack, sensing her discomfort, responded for her.

“What’s with the twenty questions? All you need to know is that she is married, married, and married. Got it?” he said in a hard tone as he held the pot of coffee towards his friend. Guy shrugged and held his cup out to be filled.

“I’m just sayin’. How many southern boys do you know, Noelle? We are a unique breed to experience and savor. You can’t just up and marry the first one you meet and…
owww shit!
” Guy yelped and yanked his leg out from under the table to rub his ankle furiously while glaring at Jack who was innocently eating his breakfast. Noelle hid her grin behind her coffee mug as she took a sip.

“So…how far do you guys think the Grizzlies will get in the playoffs?” Noelle asked.

The conversation quickly turned to the Grizzlies, then football, and finally hockey. Noelle was surprised to find out that Darby played with the Nashville Predators for four years before a knee injury forced him into retirement.

“Wow, I didn’t know that about him, but I guess I could see it,” she said easily picturing the largest brother causing mayhem on the ice and talking shit to opposing teams.

“Oh, you shoulda seen “The Blade”, Noelle. He was quick on his skates. We used to all go down to his games and, there would be rink bunnies wanting to party with us. Man, Jack, remember that one girl …” Guys voice trailed off at Noelle’s raised eyebrow and Jack’s pointed look. “Of course that was waaaay before he met someone of your beauty and caliber. Thank you again for upgrading my friend,” Guy backtracked with a sweet smile at her before turning back to Jack.

“Anyway, it’s good to have you home, Jack. Been way too long. When you get a moment, I’ve got some new wood for you to take a look at, some sand-blasted Manzanita and Tectona Teak that is amazing for furniture making. People are going to go crazy for it,” Guy said confidently as he finished his breakfast. “The pieces you requested are out on the porch, coffee table, end tables, and-”

“Wait a minute. Are you a carpenter? Did you design this table?!” Noelle interrupted him, excitedly tapping the table they were sitting at. Guy looked at Jack in confusion. Jack ignored him and scooped up another forkful of eggs from Noelle’s plate for himself.

“I am a carpenter and designer-” Guy said slowly, but she interrupted him.

“This table is fantastic! You did the coffee table and bookshelf that my Uncle Ian gave me didn’t you?” Noelle asked enthusiastically. “I’d love to see more of your work. We were just talking about decorating last night and I think-”

“Yeah, I am familiar with the pieces,” Guy said, interrupting her as he tried to catch Jack’s eye again; but he was too busy drinking his orange juice. Noelle looked at Jack who smiled pleasantly at her and then back at Guy whose brow was furrowed in concentration as if trying to figure something out.

Abruptly, he stood up. “Well, I’d better get going. Thanks for the breakfast, man. Like I said come, check out that wood. Noelle, it was a pleasure to meet you. See you around.”

Noelle murmured, “Likewise.”

Jack stood up as well. “I’ll walk you out.”

Hmmmm
, t
he people in this town are as weird as they are good-looking,
Noelle thought. She reached for her phone to call the girls. They were coming to visit at the end of the week, and she wanted to reassure them that the people in Whiskey Row weren’t like the hillbilly friends from the Looney Tunes cartoons.

***

Outside of the house, the two men walked in silence until they reached Guy’s red vintage Chevy pick-up. It was a classic that he’d spent many hours restoring and never allowed anyone else to drive.

“Hey, thanks for not saving me back there. You were as useful as a trap door on a canoe. You wanna tell me why your pretty little wife has no idea that you’re the one who made that furniture as well as hers? That you own a quarter of
Americana Traditions
?” Guy asked curiously.

“No, I don’t. Mind your own business, Pippy,” Jack warned. Growing up, they occasionally gave Guy shit and called him Pippy, as in Longstocking, when he wore his long hair in two braids to show pride for his Cherokee ancestry. “I would prefer that it not be disclosed until I’m ready.”

“Well, you better get ready, son. We’ve got orders pouring in, making us busier than a one-eyed cat watching five mouseholes, so we’re gonna need to expand our crew. Holt’s not complaining about the amount of work he’s doing, but we’re only a six-man team. I’ve got some interviews lined up this week; can you do them?” Guy asked. Holt was their other partner and childhood friend. Where Jack was charming and Guy was friendly, Holt was quiet. He only said what was necessary and never spoke more than that. Aside from the three of them, they had one more carpenter that worked for them and two office staff members.

“Yeah, not a problem. Let’s do them in groups at Hooligans,” Jack said.

“Cool; and by the way, we’ve also got a shipment of Blue Mahoe and Golden Spanish Elm coming in from Jamaica. Thinking about making a sample modern furniture collection with it,” Guy said casually.

“Since when do we buy from Jamaica?” Jack asked with a raised brow, not liking Guy’s way too innocent smile.

“Since we can justify it as a buyin’ trip with our accountant and write it off,” he said wiggling his eyebrows.

“What were you doing in Jamaica, bro?” Jack asked curiously. “You don’t even like anything remotely tropical.”

Guy’s face turned serious. “I was chasing a lead that Casey’s detective friend had for me. Supposedly Fern was holed up down there with the kids,” he grimaced. “Unfortunately, the trail ended there. Ran into an acquaintance of hers that said she was runnin’ a little gift shop, but she got spooked and took the kids again.”

Jack’s face was serious as he clasped his friend’s shoulder in support. “Damn, I’m real sorry to hear that. Do you think she’ll ever stop running? She has to know that your brother passed right?”

A flash of pain crossed Guy’s face. “I would think so. I just want her to know that they’re safe, but maybe it’s just too much for her to deal with.”

Jack still couldn’t imagine Miguel, Guy’s easy-going, older brother transforming into the manic depressive, violent man he’d become since coming back from his tour in Iraq and was diagnosed with PTSD.

“Let us know if you need anything, man. We’re family and will do all we can to help. Don’t try to carry all the weight on your shoulders,” Jack offered.

Guy raised a sardonic brow at him. “Hi Pot, I’m Kettle. I remember how it was for you after Ma passed, may she rest in peace, and how you refused to break down. You’ve stayed away from this place because of what happened; but I gotta say, you look really happy right now.” He turned to look back at the house and so did Jack. They could see Noelle on her cell phone talking and laughing as she washed dishes. “This girl is really good for you, brother.”

Jack smiled and hoped he didn’t look as pussy-whipped as his brothers suggested he was. “I’ve got no complaints, but I did want to let you know one more thing. Noelle’s girlfriends are coming down this weekend, so be on your best behavior.”

Guy’s eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Girlfriends? As in plural? Do they look anything like her?”

“Down, boy.”

Chapter Nineteen

The drive to Nashville was a smooth one; albeit longer than Noelle expected, but the gorgeous scenery more than made up for it. They spent the better half of the day shopping at home décor stores such as Remix Furniture, Restoration Hardware, Anthropologie, Williams-Sonoma, and Z Gallerie. For lunch, they went to the Firefly Grille where Noelle had the buttermilk battered shrimp po’boy, and Jack ate the grilled flank steak; they split a plate of sweet potato fries.

Afterwards, Jack took her to the famous Bluebird Café, and Noelle loved the performances of all the up-and-coming singers. She watched in admiration as Jack chatted up a famous, married country singing couple who came in. He was so at ease laughing and joking with them and their daughters. When he introduced her as his wife, they warmly congratulated them, making Noelle beam with pleasure. It was a great day; and by the time they started heading back to Whiskey Row, she was exhausted, falling asleep before they even hit the highway.

The next morning, Noelle was busy making breakfast when Guy showed up with a big, muscular man in tow. The giant, who matched Darby in height, had wavy, golden blonde hair and a matching beard that complimented his deeply-tanned skin. His eyes were a very deep blue like the bottom of the ocean. He nodded at her in a friendly fashion, his lips forming a half-smile. Noelle just shook her head in disbelief; and Guy, knowing what she was thinking, bust out laughing.