Chapter 9 #2
She drew back. “Okay, so maybe you were a troublemaker as a kid and teenager. But that was a long time ago. Jaxon needs to let it go and so do you. And it wasn’t like you asked him to take the fall for the gas station robbery, Dawson.
You wanted to tell Sheriff Gentry the truth, but Jaxon refused to let you.
And rightly so. If you had confessed about setting the tires on fire, no jury would have believed you hadn’t stolen the money too.
It was best that you kept your mouth shut. ”
“Not best for Jaxon. Even though he got off, the townsfolk still think he did it.” Just like Jaxon still believed that Dawson had. “Which is why he had to move away.”
“He was planning on moving away anyway.”
“After you graduated from high school. What happened forced him to leave sooner.”
She stared at him, her eyes sad. “Which forced you to take over watching out for me and Huck.”
He reached out and ruffled her hair. “It wasn’t that big a deal.”
“Yes, it was. We weren’t any easier to raise than you were.”
“Then I guess you owe me as much as I owe Jaxon.” He thought he’d get a smile out of her. Instead, her eyes teared up. Which broke his heart.
“I do. Which is why I want you to be happy. And if you want to date Magnolia, no one should keep you from it.”
“I don’t want to date Magnolia, Pops. We’re just . . . hell, I don’t know what we are.”
Poppy squinted at him. “I think you know. You just don’t want to say. I can’t remember you wanting to teach anyone else how to dance. Hell, I can’t even remember you ever dancing with another woman . . . besides me and that’s only when I badger you. Admit it. You like her.”
He wished he could deny it, but he couldn’t. As much as her bright smiles and pink had annoyed him at first, he now found himself looking forward to seeing both. It wasn’t a sexual thing as much as a . . . happy thing.
She made him happy.
He sighed. “I like her. But Jaxon’s right. I have no business hooking up with Tully’s friend. Especially when I’m leaving.”
Poppy sighed. “Fine, but just because you can’t fool around with her that doesn’t mean you can’t be friends.
If anyone needs a friend, it’s you. Especially a female friend.
Women friends help men dress better, communicate better, get in touch with their deepest emotions better, and basically stop being such self-centered assholes. ”
Dawson laughed. “Tell me what you really think of men, Pops.”
“Hey, I’m just speaking the truth. And I don’t think you could pick a better friend.
Magnolia’s a little too pink for my taste, but she’s not a wimp.
I yelled at her repeatedly last night for not getting orders right and she didn’t fall apart like those other two servers did.
You need someone strong who won’t put up with your grumpiness.
Not to mention, she brought us yummy donuts. ”
“Huck saved you some?” The way his little brother had been devouring the mini donuts Magnolia brought, Dawson thought for sure he’d eaten them all.
“Only one. The glutton.” She gave him the wide-eyed, pleading look she’d perfected over the years. “But maybe my nicer big brother would be willing to go get his favorite baby sister some more before she expires from hunger.”
Since Dawson could never deny his little sister, he ruffled her hair. “How many?”
Grounds For Divorce wasn’t crowded when he stepped in the door. Probably due to the fact it was Sunday, and people were either at church or sleeping in. The only customers were a young couple sitting at a table by the window.
Which was probably a good thing. Since it looked like he was about to get thrown out.
“Oh, no!” Arlene came out from behind the counter, flapping her hands at him like he was a chicken who had escaped the henhouse. “Don’t you even think about walking in here after what you did to my daddy’s window. Adele! Ada! Look who thinks he can just waltz in here as sweet as he pleases.”
The other two sisters came out of the kitchen and joined Arlene. They all three circled around him like they were about to bounce his ass out into the street. He realized he’d made a major mistake by giving into his sister’s sweet tooth.
He held up his hands. “Now, there’s no need to get violent, ladies. I’ll be happy to leave.”
Unfortunately, before he could, a pink confection with piles of moonlight-blond hair sailed in the door. Magnolia froze when she saw him, those green eyes taking in the scene in one thorough glance.
Damned if Dawson didn’t blush as if she’d just caught him being hassled by the playground bullies. If the narrowing of her eyes were any indication, that’s exactly what she thought. He knew she was about to embarrass him even more.
“Don’t—” He didn’t get to finish his warning before she slipped an arm through his and kissed his cheek like she was greeting her grandma.
“Sorry, I’m late, Dawson, but I slept right through my alarm. Did you already order? I’m starving!”
All the A-Sisters stared at her in horror for a long moment before Ada spoke. “Oh, sweetie, I thought you would heed our warning and steer clear of this scoundrel.”
“Scoundrel?” Magnolia tipped back her head and laughed.
“Y’all must not know Dawson very well. He might have been a little ornery as a kid, but now .
. .” She pinched his cheek. “He’s just a sweet, little ol’ puppy dog.
” She looked back at the sisters. “I mean he reads cozy mysteries for goodness sakes.”
Adele stared at him in shock. “I love cozy mysteries.”
“I know!” Magnolia crowed. “Y’all buy the same authors. In fact, you should start a book club.”
“Maggie May,” he growled under his breath, but she only swatted his chest.
“Now don’t be trying to fool people with a mean bark. These women are too smart for that. They know the difference between a man who bites and man who just uses a bark to hide the fact that he’s just a real softie who bakes cakes for his sister on her birthday.”
It was Ada’s turn to stare at him. “You bake?”
“No. I do not bake. It was just a box mix, and I even screwed that up. It sunk in the middle like a crater.” He looked at Magnolia. “And how did you know about the cake?”
“Jaxon told Tully and Tully told me.”
“Your cake sunk in the middle?” Ada nodded.
“That’s because you probably opened the oven to check it and caused the temperature to fluctuate.
You can’t open an oven when a cake’s baking.
And you can’t over mix the batter either.
If you come by some time, I’ll give you my recipe for a yummy white cake that doesn’t ever sink in—”
“Ada!” Arlene snapped. “Even if he didn’t paint the penis, he still is a Hooligan. The same Hooligan who beat up our star high school quarterback so he couldn’t play in the championship game. The same Hooligan who broke little Tina Baca’s heart. The same Hooligan who—”
Dawson cut in before she could continue. “You’re right, Ms. Arlene. I have made a lot of mistakes in my life. I wish I could go back and have a redo. Unfortunately, that’s not how life works. The mistakes you make you have to live with.”
Magnolia looked around at the sisters. “Which is something y’all should understand.”
The sisters exchanged looks and something must have been telepathically communicated between them because they separated as quickly as they had come together.
Adele moved back behind the coffee counter.
Ada headed back to the kitchen. While Arlene pulled an order pad and pen out of her apron pocket.
“So, what can I get y’all?”