Chapter 2 #2
“And here I thought I could count on my family to go one night without causing trouble.”
“He hit Huck,” Dawson stated.
“That’s no reason to cause a brawl.” Jaxon glanced around at the broken tables and beer bottles. “Look at this place. We’ve only been opened one night.” He held up a finger. “One damn night.”
Dawson’s gaze narrowed. “And what would you have done, Jax? Please tell us how our perfect brother would have handled the situation.”
“I would have done what Mama taught us to do with all raging assholes. Toss them out of the bar and never let them come back.”
Dawson laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound.
“Oh, yes, and Mama always taught us such good lessons, didn’t she?
Like how to toss out drunks so they didn’t bust up her precious bar .
. . with no regard to those drunks possibly hurting her young, teenage sons.
Yeah, maybe I shouldn’t have lost my temper.
But if someone hurts my family, I’m not just going to ignore it.
And a month ago, you wouldn’t have either.
Now, it looks like you’re putting Honky Tonk Heaven first. Just like Mama did. ”
“Not likely,” Jaxon said. “I’m just choosing to use my brains over my fists. Something you’ve always sucked at. You’re lucky Tully’s daddy didn’t haul you in. He still might if that cowboy wants to press charges.”
“I don’t give a fuck. He hit Huck. I’d do it all over again, regardless of the consequences.”
Jaxon hesitated for only a second before he spoke. “Then maybe you’re the one I need to toss out of this bar and tell to never come back.”
A sadness filled Dawson’s eyes before it was covered with indifference. He shrugged. “No need to toss. I’ll gladly go willingly. I hate this fuckin’ bar, anyway.” He shoved past his brother and headed for the back door.
An awkward silence followed until Huck lifted the beer bottle.
“To Tully and Jax, may y’all live happily ever after!
” He took a big swig of beer, then set the bottle on a table before tugging on his cowboy hat and lifting Poppy’s limp body over his shoulder.
He turned to Tully and smiled weakly. “Sorry for the mess, Tul. I bet you’re wishing you’d stayed out of this family. ”
Tully shook her head. “Nope. Didn’t you hear? It was the best wedding reception ever.”
Huck laughed. “That it was.” He sent an apologetic look to Jaxon before he headed for the back door with his sister draped over his shoulder.
After the door slammed behind them, Jaxon released a long sigh. “One night. All I asked for was one night to keep the crazy locked up.”
Tully took his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. “Huck didn’t know Dahlia was married. Dawson was just protecting Huck. And Poppy drank too much because she’s upset over her boyfriend breaking up with her.”
“Believe me, there’s always some excuse for why my siblings get into trouble. I’ve heard them all. But regardless of the excuses, I’m always the one who’s stuck cleaning up their messes.” He glanced around. “Look at this place.”
Tully took his face in her hands and held his gaze. “It’s just a few broken tables and beer bottles. It won’t take much to clean up. But not right now. Right now, you need to take me home and finish what we started earlier, Mr. Hennessy.”
The anger and disappointment drained from Jaxon’s face. “Eager to get some luvin’ from your new husband, Mrs. Hennessy.”
Tully sent him a sassy look. “Damn right I am. And I expect you to give it to me for the rest of my life.”
“Done.” He swept her up in his arms like a hero in a romance novel and started for the door. Magnolia figured they’d forgotten she was still there until Tully peeked over Jaxon’s shoulder.
“Would you lock up when you leave, Mags? There’s an extra set of keys in the third drawer in the kitchen.”
“No worries!” She called after them. “Y’all just enjoy your honeymoon.”
After they were gone, Magnolia found the keys. But instead of locking up, she looked for cleaning supplies.
Cleaning was one of the few things she was good at.
After her daddy had taken the admissions job at the University of California, he’d hired a Brazilian housekeeper to clean, cook, and babysit Magnolia after school.
Iris couldn’t speak a word of English, but she was kind and loving and taught Magnolia how to cuss in Portuguese and how to get hard water rings out of a toilet.
After tying a dishtowel around her waist, Magnolia headed back into the bar with a broom and dustpan.
She collected the broken tables and chairs, dragging the heavier pieces when she couldn’t lift them, and placed them in a pile by the back door before she started sweeping up the broken glass.
She’d decided to postpone cleaning up Poppy’s puke until last. She had just bent to collect the glass in the dustpan when she heard the back door open.
She straightened, expecting to see Huck.
Instead, it was Dawson.
He froze when he saw her. “What are you doing here?”
She lifted the broom. “What are you doing here? I thought you hated this frickin’ bar.”
“I do. But I also clean up my own messes.” He removed his hat and tossed it to a table, making her aware of the fact that his lip was still bleeding.
Even though she was mad at him for being so hateful and mean, she leaned the broom against a chair and went behind the bar to get a towel of ice.
When she returned, he had taken over sweeping.
She took the broom from him and handed him the towel.
“Sit down. You need to put ice on that eye before it swells any more. And for the record, you aren’t totally responsible for this mess. I believe one of these busted beer bottles was the one I used to save your life.”
He stared back at her for only a second before a smile spread over his face.
Up until that point, she had not been that impressed by Dawson’s golden good looks.
In California, she had dated her fair share of golden blond-haired beach boys with perfect features.
But Dawson’s smile completely transformed his looks from handsome blond to jaw-dropping sun god.
It was like drawing back the curtains and discovering a glorious sunny day when you expected nothing but dark clouds and rain.
For the first time in her life, she was struck speechless by a man’s looks.
When he noticed her staring, his smile faded. But it was too late. She’d already witnessed the glory.
“Why did you do it?” he asked. “Especially after what I said to you.”
She shrugged. “Maybe I didn’t hit the man I was aiming for.”
He tipped back his head and laughed. His laughter was husky and rough like it had been locked away in a shed for too long and needed oil.
“Then I guess I better keep my eye on you, Maggie May.”