Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
Thursday at Dawn’s Radiance was a little too slow for Olive’s liking. There were fewer customers than usual, and the ones who did come in were efficient, in and out, giving her nothing to complain about.
Rearranging clothing and doodads only took so much time and effort, so she did a little shopping of her own. Wear something sexy . She should be perverse and dress in her Christmas gnome T-shirt, sweats, and tennis shoes for their date, but the idea of dressing up for Tuck was appealing. She set aside a slinky red dress and tried on a couple pairs of shoes before settling on the black heels. They’d go with pretty much anything, she reasoned. She plucked a pair of dangly earrings from a rack by the checkout counter, and then placed a very pretty, sparkly evening bag behind the counter.
Why was she going to so much trouble for a friend ? Kiss or not, that’s all Tuck was, all he could ever be. Still, there was nothing wrong with putting in a little extra effort to look spectacular for the first date she’d been on in… years. Holy cow, had it been that long?
She carried her purchases in an oversized shopping bag, as she walked home. On the way she passed a couple of women she recognized from the boutique. They’d been so familiar with the store, so comfortable in the space, they had to be regular customers. They smiled and waved and she did the same as best she could with her hands full. Small-town living was a new experience for her. She didn’t want to like it so much, but she did.
Her leftover shrimp and grits made for a great supper, but to be honest they’d been much better with Tuck sitting on the other side of the table. There was just something about that man. The way he smiled, the twinkle in his eyes. Maybe he was a player, maybe he made every woman feel as if she were the only one in the room, in the world …
The truth was, reheated shrimp and grits tasted just as good as they had right out of Maggie’s kitchen, but she missed the company.
Tuck’s gray truck wasn’t parked in the driveway. She checked more than once from the side window, the one behind her little Christmas tree. He did have a life, she conceded. A business. Other friends. She shouldn’t care, shouldn’t even bother to peer out the window. As she’d told him plainly, she wasn’t looking for a relationship.
Olive went to bed disappointed that Tuck wasn’t at home, in his own bed, next door where he belonged. She slept deeply; she dreamed and woke a little late to the tail end of a dream she couldn’t quite remember, even though she wanted to. She was pretty sure she’d dreamed about her neighbor.
She should’ve enjoyed her slow Thursday instead of complaining, because on Friday she arrived to a couple of customers, friends judging by the way they talked, waiting for her to open. It wasn’t yet ten but she let them in to browse while she got set up. Dawn called just after opening time to ask her to stop by that evening and to bring the books. Olive made a note to make sure the accounting ledger was up-to-date. Who didn’t use computer software for this kind of thing? Her sister, that’s who.
The day was a blur of happy and/or stressed customers. There were less than two weeks until Christmas. Shoppers were running out of time. Olive was happy to help them find just the right gift. It kept her mind off Tuck, sexy dresses, and unexpected kisses.
She hadn’t been involved with a man for years. Romance was too messy, and yes, she was still wary of all men after her experience with Stefan. Friends had set her up a time or two, or tried to, but those awkward meetings for coffee or maybe the occasional actual date never went anywhere. How could they, when she started off every relationship wondering how and when these men would disappoint her?
Whatever this was with Tuck didn’t have to go anywhere, either. How could it? He had a life here; she had a life in Birmingham. Just because they’d hit it off didn’t mean whatever this was had to be serious. She could enjoy his company for a couple of weeks, date, maybe even…
Yes, maybe even . It had been a long time.
Anna stopped by after lunch. Olive wouldn’t drive any customer away, but… why was Anna here? The few times she’d seen Colt’s fiancée, Anna had been casually dressed. Jeans, T-shirts, tennis shoes. She looked great in them, but other than the jeans that hung on a rack in the back, nothing here was Anna’s style.
Maybe Colt had asked her to wear something sexy .
“Can I help you find anything?” Olive asked as Anna looked through a rack of silky blouses that were not her style and were also not sexy.
“I’m doing a little Christmas shopping. My mother loves this boutique, so it’s a great place to start. ”
Olive smiled. That made sense. She couldn’t see Anna wearing any of those frou-frou blouses.
Why did so many people wait until December to do their shopping? She’d bought and wrapped gifts for her parents, Dawn and Mike, and the girls in September.
Should she get something for Tuck? That thought came and went. No. He was a friendly neighbor and a good kisser, nothing more. Just because he managed to take her mind off her worries, old and new, that didn’t mean she had to buy him a Christmas present. They didn’t have that kind of relationship. Shoot, they didn’t have a relationship at all!
Anna chose a colorful blouse, then went back for another. As she placed them on the counter, she sighed. “Mom doesn’t need another thing, but believe it or not she’s dating one of my aunt’s neighbors, and she sure thinks she needs new clothes. She’ll be here for Christmas, just for a few days. Her boyfriend is driving her.” Anna cut her eyes up. “They’re staying at a B and B up the road. I’m sure she’d come by and spend a small fortune, but I think y’all will be closed while she’s here.”
Olive smiled. “I’ll open up for her, if I’m still around while she’s in town. Sounds like she’s a good customer.”
“She used to be, that’s for sure.”
Anna took a deep breath and looked Olive in the eye. There was an uncertainty in that expression, a reluctance, before she said, “I hear you’re dating Tuck.”
A warm flush heated Olive’s cheeks. Small towns! They had their charm, and their disadvantages. “I wouldn’t say dating , exactly.” Not yet, anyway. “We’re just friendly neighbors.” For now.
“Oh. I thought maybe…” Anna shrugged her shoulders.
“Wait a minute,” Olive said. “Did you come here to warn me about something to do with Tuck? Is there anything I need to know? ”
Anna smiled. “No. He’s a great guy who could, frankly, use a good woman in his life. Colt’s been trying to get up with him, and he isn’t returning calls or answering texts.”
That didn’t sound like Tuck, not to her. “I think he’s been busy with his business. I haven’t seen him around for a couple of days.”
Anna took her shopping bag, smiled, wished Olive a Merry Christmas, and left.
Thank goodness the rest of the day stayed busy. It didn’t give Olive much time to wonder what the hell was going on with her next-door neighbor.
But in those quiet moments while she was alone in the boutique, she did wonder…
It was easy enough to lose himself in work. There was always something to be done at The Magnolia. In the past two days he’d reorganized the back room and taken care of some touch-up painting in the main area. He’d reconfigured his spreadsheets and then put them back into the original format again, which had been a complete waste of time. He needed to waste time to keep himself from thinking too much.
Colt had called several times, or tried to. He’d left a couple of messages Tuck had opted not to respond to. The texts had been deleted unread. Colt’s number was now silenced. Couldn’t the man understand that Tuck needed time to think?
On a Friday night, The Magnolia was packed. The music hadn’t started yet, but the band, a popular local group, was setting up on the stage. Music brought in the customers and he had to admit, he could get lost in the right songs himself. A good Friday-night crowd meant he could help Ginny at the bar, which was another way to lose himself in something besides family secrets and grandmothers. This was a job he could do with his eyes closed. No deep thoughts required.
He served a beer to a regular customer, turned around, and there she was, walking through his door.
Olive looked woefully out of place in The Magnolia, as if she’d wandered in from another world. She truly was from another world, or might as well be. She came from a decent family who loved each other. She’d grown up with and still had Christmases and birthday celebrations, the constant of family. Parents, a sister, nieces… grandmothers. She was not like him.
Damn, she was sexy as hell, and she didn’t seem to know it. Several pairs of eyes followed her progress through the room, to the bar where he waited for her. What was that feeling that welled up in him? Couldn’t be jealousy. Couldn’t be possessiveness.
So why was he so sure, as she sat on a stool before him, that she was his?
Ridiculous. He barely knew her; she was just a way to escape from reality for a while. Any beautiful woman who kissed like Olive would elicit the same feelings, the same sense of connection. He didn’t have time for this, didn’t want to lean on her or anyone else.
“I heard that someone here makes a mean burger,” she said.
“Slumming it?” he asked, more harshly than he’d intended.
She looked surprised, maybe a little hurt, but she quickly let it go. “I need to get my car out and drive it now and then. And I’m hungry. Dawn said I could eat at her house, but it was just too much. The girls. The dogs. Her in-laws.”
“It’s a lot,” Tuck said. He’d been at Mike’s house before, several times, and had the same thought. Too much .
“After a week of retail I could use a glass of wine with my burger. I’ve earned it.”
“Red or white? ”
“Red. Do you have…”
“I have this.” He reached beneath the bar and grabbed a can.
Olive’s eyes widened; not in a good way. “Your wine comes in a can ?”
“I’ll put it in a glass for you, princess.” He grabbed a wine glass, put it on the bar, opened the can, and poured.
She might’ve taken offense at the term princess, but all she did was wrinkle her nose in his direction before taking a sip of her red wine. He wasn’t sure if the drink met with her approval or not, but after that first sip she didn’t push the glass back toward him.
He went to the kitchen to put in her order, then placed himself before her again.
What was she doing here? How had she slipped her way into his life? Olive was tempting, he had to admit. Tempting enough to take his mind off the news Colt had shared, as well as the busy holiday season that seemed to be exploding around him. She was his neighbor, for a while. A friend, or getting there. More than a friend?
Maybe.
She spun on her stool and looked around the place. “So, this is the infamous Magnolia.”
“It is. Not as infamous as it was when my uncle ran it, but…” He shrugged his shoulders. “Probably not the best place for a woman like you to come on her own.”
“A woman like me?”
“A nice girl.” Not just nice, naive. Gullible. Why on earth had he ever thought… wished… dreamed… that she might end up in his bed?
“It doesn’t seem that bad,” she said.
“It’s still early,” he countered. “Give it a little time.”
She didn’t let it go. Did she ever let anything go? “If it’s such a terrible place, why are you here? ”
He’d asked himself that same question, more than once. The answer was always the same. “Imperfect as it is, this is my place in the world.” His world, not hers. He needed to remember that.
“Your place can be wherever you want it to be,” she said.
She was definitely naive. Clueless? No, he wouldn’t go that far.
Olive’s meal came out of the kitchen in a basket, loaded with fries and an oversized burger. She glanced down at it and laughed. “I can’t eat all this!” She looked up, with those deep, dark brown eyes of hers. “Have you eaten? Want half?”
“You keep feeding me.”
“You fed me. Seems only fair.”
“I can get you a to-go box for the leftovers.”
“Leftover fries and burgers are never good.” She took the plastic knife that was tucked into her basket and cut the burger in half. Without asking she grabbed a napkin, placed it before him, and carefully deposited the half burger.
“I can’t eat while I’m back here,” he argued.
She slid the napkin and burger to the side and patted the stool beside her.
Damn, she was persistent.
Tuck rounded the bar and took the stool next to Olive’s. He gestured for Ginny to grab another can of wine and bring him a beer. His bartender seemed amused by the situation. She got a glare for her trouble, but didn’t seem to mind.
“It is a good burger,” Olive said as she slid the basket closer to him. “Eat some of the fries. They’re great, but there’s no way I can eat this much.”
He grabbed a fry and popped it into his mouth. As the salt hit his tongue, he realized that he hadn’t eaten since a sandwich last night. His mind had been on everything but food.
“Tell me about this uncle of yours,” she said.
“Why? ”
“You’re here, keeping his legacy alive. He must’ve been important to you.”
Might as well let her know what she was getting into… “Houston Tucker was an enormous shithead.”
Olive looked down at her fries and muttered, “Oh.”
“Don’t get me wrong. He did take me in after Mom died. I was thirteen, and soon after I moved in with him I was headed for all kinds of trouble. Yes, he was a shithead, but he was the only family I had and I was the same for him.”
“You’ve been here since the age of thirteen?”
Was that a touch of horror in her voice? Maybe he imagined that reaction. Why would she care?
Tuck shook his head. “Yep. I joined the Army at eighteen, as soon as I could. I couldn’t wait to get out of town, away from Uncle Houston, on to something else. Anything else.”
“I don’t get military vibes from you, not at all,” Olive said.
“Yeah, I’m not a fan of taking orders. I knew early on that I wouldn’t make a career of it, but I did my time as best I could, learned a lot, made a handful of lifelong friends. When I was done with that, I headed to Florida.”
“You were Florida Man.” She sent a wide, charming smile in his direction.
He had to grin at that. “For a while. I got a job as a bouncer in a bar in the Keys. I liked it, the place and the job.” He still thought about that time in his life, now and then. More than once he’d considered leaving all this behind and going back to a simpler life.
“If you liked it so much, why did you leave?”
Ah, the truth. Might as well tell all. “Uncle Houston got sick, and I came home to take care of him.” That hadn’t been a happy time in his life. Three years of taking care of a man who didn’t want anyone else to know he was sick. A man who didn’t like his nephew all that much. A man who was the only family Tuck had in the world.
Except…
He shouldn’t have kept his back to the room for this long, not on a Friday night. Introspection was interrupted by a shout, a scream, the sound of something heavy hitting the floor.
Tuck spun around and leapt off the stool. The fight wasn’t more than six feet away, and the drunken combatants were making their way toward Olive.