Page 13 of Almost Had You

He runs a hand over the scruff on his jaw. “I’ve had a relationship with my job. The clothes are because I know you. I don’t think I’d be able to get it right for another woman.”

“You don’t know me. Not anymore,” I reply, looking out the window. The cows are in the big field today.

Mercer clears his throat. “I know you better now, after one night, than I ever did before.” He pauses. “You really don’t care that everyone is going to think we did the deed last night?”

“There are more pressing matters in the world.”

“Your parents?” Mercer presses.

I suck in a breath. “I’ll deal with them. Tell them the truth. Well, not the whole truth, but you know?” I lean over and put on the cowboy boots. They’re tight like all new leather boots. I’ll have blisters in no time.

“You’re beautiful,” he rasps, drawing my gaze to the side of his smiling face.

“And that’s not the tequila talkin’,” I say.

His grin widens. “It never was, ma’am.” We pull into Tannie’s drive. It’s a modest home, in a great neighborhood where real estate goes for a ton more than it should.

Mercer pushes the drive shaft into park and looks over at me. “Last night was fun.”

“Could have been more fun,” I fire back.

He nods. “Three weeks. You sure you’re ready for this adventure?”

My stomach flips, and I lean over to kiss him. He grabs my head with one hand and pulls me in tighter. When he releases me, we’re both breathing heavy, minds recalling last night when we wore less clothes and had one thing on our minds. Mercer hops out of the truck and goes around the open my door. My boots hit the ground and he lays another kiss square on my mouth. “Two o’clock sharp, ma’am.”

I nod. “I’ll be there.”

He waits until I’m inside Tannie’s house before he jumps back into Bentley’s truck and leaves. Tannie’s voice screeches down the hall. I turn and face my best friend. She’s already impeccable, face done, hair coifed, and dress crisply pressed. “Clover Wellsley,” she spits out, gaze roving over my nonstandard outfit. Are you okay?” She raises one brow.

I smile wide. That remains unchanged, I think. “Do you know how good that man looks naked? You don’t. Let me tell you.”

Suddenly, my outfit is all but forgotten and she’s leading me into her gossip parlor offering me sweet tea and finger sandwiches. Who is counting my lies at this point?

_______________

My mama bought my story about getting my windows tinted. She taught me how to tell white lies with success, so she doesn’t really have anyone to blame but herself. I feel the least guilty about lying to her. I know I only have a little while until Tannie spreads the details of my illicit romp with Mercer far and wide. What I didn’t tell Mercer is that it’s part of my plan to cut myself loose from my chains. I’ll be sullied. Less likely to nab a suitor my parents are thrusting my way. I feel most guilty for that, but he should know better than getting tangled up with a woman like me. He even told me he cared about what people said, what they thought of us.

I push open my glass front door and I’m met with a pleasant smell of gardenias. It’s the scent of cleaner Maria uses. It’s the perfect temperature, cool, but not cold. Everything is impeccable in here, and I can’t deny I’ve gotten used to a certain standard of living over the years. The wheels of my plan are starting, and I know I’m going to leave all of this behind. I’ve lived in the house on my parents’ property since I turned eighteen. It’s an allusion of privacy—a scrap of dignity because they assume I’ll always be here.

I open the fridge and pour myself another glass of iced tea. This stuff is made with fake sugar. My mama gives the orders to the chef about all of the food and drinks in both of our houses and because I’m trying to match with a suitor, the phrase this decade is “slim hips sink ships.” Wincing, I swallow the last of it. It tastes like garbage after having the real stuff at Tannie’s house. “Tannie’s hips are still slim, Mama,” I growl at the empty glass, rinsing it and setting it in the sink.

I take a real shower, with all of my favorite products, take my time with my hair and makeup and pop a Tylenol to stave off the lingering effects of last night’s tequila binge. I can hold my liquor, but I’ve reached the age where I feel it longer. Another sign of my dwindling youth. I take care in my oversized closet selecting a matching bra and panty set. I cut off the tags and lotion my entire body before putting the outfit Mercer picked out back on. I smile as I look at myself in the mirror.

I pull my hair back, the golden ponytail falling over one shoulder. I move the stool over to the hat section of my closet and slide aside my Mint Julep hats to grab a worn-out ball cap that hasn’t seen sunlight in five years or so.

My front door slams. “Cloooooover,” Mama sings.

“Oh, bitty varmint,” I whisper, stepping off the stool, folding the hat into the back of my jeans.

She takes off her heels and places them by the door with a thud. “Where are you?”

I call back to her as I enter my room and start busying myself with a stack of books on my nightstand.

“Your daddy and I were talking. You should have told us about your plans for your car. You didn’t have to borrow Tannie’s old thing, we would have given you our extra SUV.”

“I appreciate that, Mama. I got it covered. What are you guys up to today?” I never felt like I missed out on much growing up without a sibling. Now, I wish I had one to deflect some of their attention. They could take some of this heat.

Her eyes narrow. Suspicion. “How was planning the town festival with Tannie last night?”

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