Chapter 1 #2
I wasn’t hungry when I was at Shelly's, but the minute I open the door, the smell creeps up my nose, and I’m a goner. Piper is sitting at the kitchen table, alone, eating what looks like a dinner roll. “Hey, Levi. Come and eat. There’s plenty."
She rises off her chair, and serves me a bowl of stew, adding a dinner roll to the lip of bowl.
Freshly churned butter sits on a dish in the center of the table.
As I sit down across from her, I feel a strange sense of home.
Billy's ranch has become my home since I started working here. “The vases came for the ranch house today. I’ll show them to you after you’re done eating if you want. ”
“I’m up for that."
“I was going to have a fire later. Burn off some of that old brush. Are you up for roasting some marshmallows?"
Piper has become somewhat of a sister to me. In fact, all the ladies around here have. I can’t say no to any of them. But I have to stop myself. “I can stay for a bit, but I’ve got plans later."
She gets this smirky yet cute grin on her face. “And just when do I get to meet these other plans?"
If it were anyone else, I might not react so kindly. “Not ready yet. We’re not there yet.”
“Tell me about her.” She suggests, putting more butter on the end of her bun and taking a bite.
I grunt softly as I sit up higher. “If I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone?”
“You know me, Levi. I’m no saint. I’ve got plenty of secrets that will go to my grave."
“She’s older. I don’t know how much older, mind, but she’s got them wrinkles on the sides of her eyes."
“Crow's feet." She corrects. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s older. Lots of younger people get those."
God bless her. Piper wouldn’t judge anyone. She's still got so much innocence in her. “Her skin is different, too. And the way she talks, I can tell that she’s not from my generation."
Her eyes widen a little. “You mean, she’s like, a decade or more older?"
“I think so. I’m not sure. But I think that she was married once. Her engagement and wedding band sit on one of those little ring holders that my Meemaw used to have in her bathroom.”
“Are you sure she’s not still married?"
The hesitation is palpable. “I’m pretty sure. I’ve never seen any evidence of another man in her house before.”
She tilts her head contemplatively. "You ought to ask her, Levi. It’s easy to hide evidence. Although, I doubt that she’d be so foolish as to invite you over when she’s still married. But if I were you, I’d check.”
My stomach sinks at the thought. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard about it. Women do it all the time, and you know as well as I do that my mama is one of them. But I really don’t think that she’s that kind of girl.”
“Not that I’m trying to burst your bubble, Levi, but you two haven’t been together long. You should have your back up more. Do those wedding bands look modern? A friend of mine used to wear her mom's old wedding bands."
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Well, I can help you there. What do they look like?”
I shrug. "Hell if I know. Sparkly?"
"White or yellow gold?"
"Yellow."
"One diamond or more?"
"One."
"Round, oval, pear shaped?"
"Round."
"How big?"
I lift a brow.
She smirks. "Size matters, Levi."
I snort a laugh. "I guess so. I'd say it was three quarters of an inch in diameter."
Her eyes bulge. "Okay, definitely modern. There is no way that that's an antique."
"I think you're worrying a little too much over this, Piper. And frankly, I don't give a damn if she is still married."
"You'll become a strange smell in the attic if he doesn't know that she's fooling around on him. Especially if he's bigger than you."
It takes me a second to think about that, and then I swallow. "Fine. I'll ask her straight up."
"You should specify, too. Make sure you ask if she's in a relationship with someone else, or if he knows that the relationship is over, all that. You never know these days."
"Are you saying that I'll screw it up?"
"Are you seeing her tonight?"
"I said I was."
She bites her lip in thought. "Anyone else in our circle know her yet?"
"No, but Nash wants us to come out for dinner tomorrow night with him and Braylynn."
Piper waves. "Forget it. That line of questioning is for a woman. Let Braylynn fire them off. She'll be able to tell from a mile away if she's lying."
"I think I can handle it."
She ignores my statement. "I'll talk to her."
"Braylynn or Shelly?"
The look. It's like I just asked if the chocolate bar was chocolate. "See. This is why Braylynn needs to do it. Because men can't hear the cues."
I sigh, exasperated. "Fine. Have a talk with Braylynn for chrissake. God, I gotta go."
"No, you don't." Her voice is stern, motherly. "You sit there and eat your supper. I'll go give Braylynn a call. We'll talk about this later."
"What's this supposed to be? An interrogation?" Shelly asks, smelling the rat about dinner.
"No. And I can call it off if you want. It's just with my brother Nash and his fiancé Braylynn."
She's unimpressed. Her voice is cutting. "This the one with the head injury?"
"Yeah. She's better now. She's up for meeting at a restaurant, too."
Her purse is on the console table. She slings it over her shoulder, as if to say, 'hold my beer'. "My truck or yours."
"It doesn't matter."
"Fine. We'll take mine. That way if things go south, I've got a ride home."
Not crazy about the sound of that, but Shelly's not delicate, so I go with it.
Letting her out the door first, like a gentleman, I follow her to her truck and get inside.
The second that I arrive at the restaurant, I grab a beer from the bar and guzzle it down, even though I'm not one to drink by any means. Shelly gives me a satisfied look.
"Levi, hey." Nash says, coming behind me.
"Hey, Nash, Braylynn." I say by way of introduction. "This is Shelly."
Braylynn gives Shelly an evaluating glance before shaking her hand.
No way there will be any hugs exchanged with her, like when Braylynn met Piper for the first time.
That, my friends, is not happening. The hostess shows us to the table and hands us our menus.
Before I can say a word, Braylynn starts.
"So, Shelly. What do you do for a living? "
"Well, I think y'all know the answer to that, don't you? After all, that's how Levi and I met."
Braylynn lifts her brows in judgment. "You're a student? Y'all don't work part-time?"
Shelly gets this sly look on her face, like she's got the biggest secret, but before she can answer, the waitress comes to take our drink orders.
Both me and Nash exchange a look and order a beer.
Braylynn orders a white wine, but Shelly hesitates as she orders, and then she asks for a fruit smoothie.
As the waitress walks away, Braylynn sits higher in her seat and speaks on exhale, thumbing at her menu, eyes averted from Shelly and asks. "A smoothie?"
Sucking her teeth, my girl sets down her menu and responds in a way that makes me shit my pants.
"I'm pregnant."