CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO #2
“Not too bad. Need any help, darlin’?” Hammer offers.
She serves him up a helping, then passes him a platter of biscuits. “Thanks. You can take these to the table with you.”
“I’d say we’re about eighty percent done,” Brayden answers as he steps forward to receive his bowl.
“Yeah, we really just have the roof repairs and some of the larger debris to move. Should be finished by lunch tomorrow,” I agree.
We all gather around the table with our bowls of food, and Rebecca glances to the window, watching the snow fall. She bites her bottom lip in worry, a frown line creasing her brow. “Will the snow cause any problems?”
“It shoudna, no.” Cajun forks a potato.
“We checked the radar, looks like just a light dusting tonight,” Hammer elaborates.
“Oh, good.” Rebecca leans back in her chair, seeming to relax. “So, tell me something about you boys.”
Everyone immediately goes quiet.
“What, you guys can’t share something about yourself? I don’t really know you all that well,” she pushes.
“If we don’t, does that mean we don’t get pie?” Griz asks.
Rebecca chuckles. “You still get pie. I’m just trying to get to know you guys.”
Griz narrows his eyes, studying her. “How about a game instead?”
“Oh, here we go,” Hammer grumbles, dropping his spoon into his bowl with a clatter.
“Truth or dare,” Griz announces.
“Wha’ are we? L’enfants?” Cajun rolls his eyes.
“No one knows what you’re saying,” Griz pretends not to understand him.
“Okay, I’ll do it.” Rebecca leans forward on her elbows like she just entered a poker game.
“Truth or dare?” Griz asks her.
“Truth.”
“Why the hell are you with this one?” He points his fork at me.
“Careful,” I warn him.
“Well…” She shifts uncomfortably, like she’s nervous, and suddenly I’m all ears for this answer, too.
I turn to face her.
“I think we were always both attracted to each other.” She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “And then I got to see he’s a lot more than what I’d been told. He’s caring and supportive and fun to be around.”
“You are talking about JJ, right?” Hammer snickers.
I flick a piece of potato across the table at him.
“You want to start that?” Hammer loads a large piece of soggy meat onto his fork.
“Absolutely not!” Rebecca uses what can only be described as a teacher voice. “You will not be having a food fight in my house.”
“Sorry. Yes, ma’am.” Hammer sets the fork down but glares at me, putting two fingers to his eyes and then pointing them at me for the universal sign of I’m watching you.
“Your turn,” Brayden reminds Rebecca.
“Hammer, truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
“Hmmm. My dare is really for all of you.” She frowns.
“Okay, we’ll bite. Everyone agrees to the dare?” I ask, and the table of men all nod.
“I dare you to go Christmas caroling in town.”
Brayden about chokes on his sip of beer, and Cajun gives him a good beating on his back to help him out.
“All right, but you drive. I’ve seen how much of my beer is already missing, thanks to these miscreants.” I pull the keys from my pocket and hand them to her.
“Hell, you drank as much as we did,” Griz argues.
“Hence, the keys are now in her hands.” I lean over and kiss her on the cheek and then whisper. “You sure you want to parade these boys through town?”
“To see you all make fools of yourselves? Absolutely.”
“Let’s go then.” I twirl my finger in the air.
“What about the pie?” Griz complains.
“You can have it when we get back.” Hammer pats him on the shoulder as he carries his bowl to the sink.
***
Rebecca—
The guys knock at the first door and immediately belt into Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, which in truth, may be the only song they all know.
The young couple who opens it are so thrilled by the performance that they pour us all some spiked eggnog in red plastic to-go cups.
“All right, you did it, and it was glorious.” I laugh and bow to the men. “Well done.”
“This eggnog is pretty good. Maybe we should just do this street?” Hammer suggests, and his brothers nod in agreement.
By the time they reach the end of the street, they’ve been given Christmas cookies, a shot of spiced rum, and some sugared pecans.
“Damn, this is better than trick-or-treating.” Griz pops another pecan into his mouth.
“It wasn’t even that bad,” Brayden agrees.
“Isn’t da worst we dun, no.” Cajun bites the head off an angle cookie.
“Don’t,” JJ says, sending daggers his brothers’ way.
“What else have you boys done?” Brayden asks the group.
“Do you not understand what the word don’t means?” JJ throws his hands up.
“Well, now I have to know,” I insist, waggling my brows at him.
“One time for a charity, the ol’ ladies got the brilliant idea to have us make a calendar,” Hammer explains.
“A calendar?” I tilt my head. “That doesn’t sound so—oh. Was it one of those calendars? Like the one that firemen used to do for charity?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” JJ admits.
“Oh, I have to see this,” I practically squeal.
“Hey, I think we looked pretty good in it.” Griz strokes his jawline like he’s showing off. “Especially, December. A few of us dressed in Santa hats.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.” I roll my eyes.
“Only Santa hats,” Griz corrects.
“Oh.” I feel my face flushing.
“We had pillows,” JJ practically shouts. “Fur pillows that we used to cover our junk.”
“Where can I buy a copy?” I take his hand and squeeze, practically jumping up and down.
“Unfortunately for you, they sold out.” JJ squeezes my hand back.
“I can get you a copy,” Hammer whispers from my other side and JJ throws him a glare of death, which Hammer just chuckles at.
We head up the street, and Hammer and I end up at the back of the pack.
He throws his arm around me and lifts his chin toward JJ and whispers in my ear, “Don’t give up on this lug, darlin’. You two make a cute couple and I think you’ve had a really good effect on him.”
The two of us fall back a bit from the crowd, and JJ turns.
“Hey, what are you two doin’?”
“Keep walkin’, JJ. I’m tellin’ her what a catch you are,” Hammer shouts.
JJ grins. “Yeah, I bet you are. Don’t believe a word he says, Becca.” But he turns and keeps walking with the rest of his brothers.
Hammer glances at me. “JJ’s not perfect. No one is. He’s impulsive, spontaneous and doesn’t always think things through. But that’s not always a bad thing.”
“No. I suppose not.”
“He says you plan everything. You a list maker?”
“Guilty as charged,” I admit.
“You an overthinker, Rebecca?”
“Yep.”
“You need to knock that shit off, darlin’.”
We shuffle along the street, him with his hands in his pockets, our breath coming out in foggy white clouds.
He looks at me again. “Why did you want to keep the tree farm?”
His question takes me by surprise.
“I’m only askin’,” he continues, “because JJ thought he was gonna make a quick sale, now he seems all in on keepin’ the place.”
“Does he?”
“You don’t think so?”
“Maybe.”
“You didn’t answer my question, honey.”
“It was a fresh start for me after my husband’s death. I never worked during our marriage.” I shrug. “I don’t really have any marketable job skills.”
“From what JJ says and what I’ve observed, you have a lot of skills. Don’t down play your abilities.”
He hits my biggest sore spot, my biggest fear—that I’m not good enough.
I lick my lips and don’t respond.
Hammer takes in my face. “Sounds like your self-worth took a hit in that marriage.”
My mouth drops open.
“Sorry, honey, I call ‘em like I see ‘em.”
“I guess you do.”
He hooks an arm around me. “Don’t get your feelings hurt. Can I tell you a secret?”
“What’s that?”
“I think you and JJ are really good for each other.”
“Why is that?”
“Because you’re opposites. He’s spontaneous and you plan everything. Together you’re a happy medium.”
“I suppose.”
“I get you like to plan, and that’s great, but sometimes the best things in life happen when you don’t plan them. Like tonight. This is something we’ll all remember for years.”
I grin, knowing I’ll always remember this night.
“Hey, Hammer, quit hitting on my woman,” JJ calls out.
Hammer dips his head and whispers in my ear. “Hear that? He called you his woman. I’ve never heard JJ call any chick his woman before.”