Page 1 of Heart of Dixie
1
Deke
As morning commutes went, I had nothing to complain about. My morning drive in the city had taken forty minutes through a snarl of testy, pre-dawn freeway commuters. I’d mostly spent it with a Bluetooth plugged in my ear, chugging caffeine while getting a jump-start on my day. Today I hadn’t passed a single car while driving the few miles into town, and my only stimulant was the promise of Ruby’s blueberry pancakes down at the local eatery.
I braked to slow my speed as I hit Main Street, with its replica gas lampposts marching along the next several blocks. The members of the town council had gotten together and decided decorating the sidewalks was a good way to blow an unexpected windfall a few years ago. I didn’t care one way or the other, but besides the baskets of brightly colored flowers hanging from them, they were also still decked in patriotic bunting—leftover from the Fourth of July and fading from the simmering summer sun. Ol’ Gus needed to get on that.
The sky was clear and bright over Kissing Creek as I downshifted, and Lucy—my latest restoration project and one hell of a cool drop top—cruised to a stop at one of the town’s two traffic signals. Quiet mornings like this were one of my favorite things about small town living—and the number two reason I returned home. I scrounged a rubber band from the console and raked my hair off my scalp. I could grab my ball cap from the back seat once I parked, but for now I needed to keep my hair from whipping in my face.
All was quiet in the red brick high school to the right of the intersection, but in an hour it would come alive with the antics of rowdy teens, all shackled to a desk when odds were they’d rather be out causing their own brand of trouble.
Which, ironically, was probably why the little fuckers were in summer school to begin with.
I let my gaze sweep both sides of the street as the light changed and I crossed the intersection and headed into town. With the power in this bitch, I had to kiss the gas pedal lightly. There was a time I’d have bragged about getting jammed up for power display. Today was not that day.
A few early-morning regulars occupied the café tables flanking the entrance to Cruller Me Happy. Several people waved; in a small town, it was as natural as my honk back. If I hadn’t planned to meet my brother and nephew for breakfast I’d probably be there too, swapping lies and unashamedly raising my cholesterol. But it was Thursday, and third Thursday of the month was Breakfast with the Bros—something we’d been working on making a McAllister family tradition.
So, it seemed Shane and Cody beat me to the diner.Their massive bloodhound lay sprawled on the wooden bench in front of the hardware store next door, dozing with his ears and jowls overhanging the edges, the entire scene shaded by a green-striped awning. To be ornery, I honked again, but he didn’tbudge. “Damn lazy dog.” Not that I expected anyone to hear me; sometimes a guy just had to mutter.
Break an Egg seemed busy, judging by the number of heads bobbing in the front windows. I tugged on the steering wheel and pulled into an empty parking space facing the building.
The smell of fresh-brewed coffee hit me as I entered, as welcome and familiar as the tinkle of the bell above the door and the faces that turned to greet me as I passed on my way to meet my brother and nephew. I hooked my messenger bag on the high back of a booth, slid onto the seat and nabbed the narrow waist of the youngster squatted there. “Cody, my man.” He giggled when I tickled his belly. “Your ugly hound is hogging the entire bench in front of nice Mr. Huntley’s shop.”
The little boy squirmed until he was free and had his nose pressed against the glass again, but he peeked back to announce, “And he farted all night because he got the ice cream carton off the counter and ate it all.” But he grinned as he made his report, so he must not have been the sucker who had to sleep with the mutt.
“No kidding?” Nothing could keep the amused snicker from my voice. Cody’s head rocked in an emphatic nod that made me chuckle.
“Ate the fucking cardboard and everything.” The repulsed snarl on Shane’s face across the table was all the confirmation I needed. Sure enough, big brother spent the night snuggled up with a lactose-intolerant pooch.
I tore off the end of my straw’s paper wrapper and blew through the narrow tube. Tagged the grumpy sucker right in the nose.Bullseye!“If you hadn’t kicked my ass at the gym last night I might take pity on you, but my muscles are screaming for mercy this morning. For that alone I’d gladly keep your freezer stocked.”
“I like rocky road ice cream, Uncle Deke.”
The little guy’s hair stuck up in back like someone forgot how to use a comb; I gave his head a ruffle so he matched all over. “I already know whatyoulike. But what’sBoone’sfavorite? That’s what I want to know.”
Cody knee-bounced on the vinyl-covered seat, bracing his palms against the lip of the table for leverage. “He likes everything. Even plain vanilla.”
“We’re making sure he doesn’t get any more ice cream, aren’t we, Cody?”
The disgust on Cody’s face and the pleading horror in Shane’s voice would normally have me rolling on the floor in laughter. But if I even chuckled today I’d be rolling all right—in agony. I needed to lay off the weights for a few days till those abs quit screaming. Thankfully, Molly showed up with coffee before Cody’s antics had a chance to continue.
“Morning, gorgeous!” She set three heavy mugs around the table, filled the two before me and Shane and added a splash of coffee to the mug parked at Cody’s place. From her tray, she produced a glass of milk, which she used to fill his mug. Cody’s eyes went wide at the unexpected concoction. “There you go. I’ll be back in a sec with breakfast.”
My eyebrows shot up at my brother once she left. “You ordered for me?”
“You’re predictable, dude. Blueberry pancakes and black coffee.”
I grunted. Cody sampled his drink, then poked me in the ribs and snickered behind his hand. “She called you gorgeous.”
My back arched from the pain of his finger against my tender abdomen, but I somehow managed to not squeal. “That was you, sport. You’re the pretty one at this table.”
Cody huffed. “Boys aren’t pretty. Mommy always told me I was handsome.”
“Of course you are. Mommies are always right.” It was interesting that Cody’s eyes didn’t have that haunted look they usually wore when he spoke of his mom. Still, I let my eyes dart across the table in search of his remaining parent.Where the hell was Shane when I needed backup?
I was saved when Molly reappeared and lowered our tray of breakfast. I rubbed my hands in anticipation as she dealt us our plates. “Wait a minute!”
Shane stuck out his palm to hold her off. “Waffles? I ordered blueberry pancakes all around, Molly.”
