Page 64 of Nashville Lights

Vaughn confirms. “I called him and he said the two of them ran into each other on Broadway in the rain. Her name is Stella.”

I grin at them. “Yay.”

“He’s thoroughly getting the ex out of his system, by the sounds of it,” Vaughn laughs.

Daisy tugs at the leg of Vaughn’s jeans. “Uncle Vaughn?” She’s holding a small bag of chocolate chips. “Do you want some?”

“Of course I want some, darlin’.”

She pours some chocolate chips from the bag into his cupped hand and it overflows a little. He shoves the whole handful into his mouth.

Daisy giggles. When Vaughn holds out his hand for more, she shakes her head, grinning at him with her little gap-toothed smile. So Vaughn pretends to chase after her. Daisy squeals and runs to hug Nate’s leg.

“Careful there, Daze, I’m just serving these up.”

I reach to get some plates for Nate to serve the pancakes onto. Clearing a place on the counter to set them down, I notice all three of the men have stopped what they’re doing to stare at the open door.

Someone must have knocked, but with the loud music playing, I hadn’t heard it.

Daisy has opened the door for a woman, who’s standing there with a mildly shocked, displeased look on her face.

She’s dressed in a conservative outfit. A knee-length gray skirt and a blue blouse buttoned all the way up. Her hair is pulled back into a neat bun. She’s probably in her mid-thirties but it’s hard to tell since she’s dressed like a much older woman.

Nate looks briefly for a dishtowel but, unable to find one, wipes his hands on his jeans. “Travis, turn that music down, would you?” he says, walking over to the woman. He holds out his hand for her to shake. “Nate Boone. Can I help you?”

The woman looks at his hand, which is still wet and partly covered in flour. She doesn’t take it. “Ainsley Beal.”

I’m not sure who Ainsley Beal is but from the look on Nate’s face, something about this has caught him off guard.

“Uh,” Nate gestures toward the rest of us. “This is Roxie, Travis and Vaughn Tucker.”

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Vaughn says, almost stepping forward to offer a handshake but then deciding better of it. It’s pretty clear from Ainsley Beal’s expression she wouldn’t shake his hand either.

Ainsley stares at Vaughn, saying nothing. She takes in his open shirt and bare, tattooed chest. The whiskey flask he’s still holding. His mussed-up too-long hair. The fat joint behind his ear.

Then she takes a long look at Travis, equally unimpressed.

I have no doubt that both my brothers look like hell-raisers to someone like Ainsley Beal—whoever she is.

Ainsley’s glance falls on Daisy, who still has chocolate on her face—more now than before. Her hair is a tangled mess and probably hasn’t been brushed since before the birthday party. She’s still dressed in the same princess outfit she’s slept in for two days’ straight, which looks it. It’s crumpled and dirty.

The music is off now but the scene is chaotic. The air smells like smoke, there’s flour and burnt pancakes all over the counter and toys and chocolate chips are strewn all over the floor.

Ainsley turns to me. The shirt I’m wearing is as long as a mini-dress. But it’s not a mini-dress. It’s very clearly a shirt. And it’s fairly obvious it’s Nate’s shirt. I notice now the few buttons I’ve done up are unevenly buttoned. My hair lookslike I spent a night either tossing or turning—orhaving very hot sex.

Ainsley seems almost speechless.

But then she clears her throat. “Um, Mr. Boone, I apologize for interrupting your…party. I called the school on my way over here and there’s no record of Daisy’s enrollment.”

Nate rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah, we were planning to do that today.”

“School startstomorrow, Mr. Boone.”

Nate seems flustered and Daisy picks up on it. She goes over to him and he lifts her into his arms. “We’re headed over there soon, Ms. Beal. After Daisy finishes breakfast and gets cleaned up.”

More scrutiny over the fact that Daisy’s obviously overdue for “cleaning up”.

“Yes. Well. There’s quite a bit involved in first grade enrollment, Mr. Boone. Most parents tend to organize the stationery lists and so on several weeks in advance.”

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