Page 32 of No More Secrets
He was a little leaner than his brothers. Jax topped out an inch or two over six feet, but the profile, the walk, the eyes, they were all Pierce. He had a vibe that was uniquely his, though. Where Carter was the peaceful warrior and Beckett the cautious, by-the-book politician, Jax threw off the air of enigmatic artist.
Joey must have been head over heels for him in high school, Summer thought.
McCafferty’s Farm Supply took up all three floors of the skinny white clapboard building at the end of the square. From the outside it looked just as tidy as the rest of the buildings flanking the green, but on the inside it was crammed full of chaos from top to bottom.
There didn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason to the organization. Gas-powered generators sat next to a rounder of coveralls and extension cords. Horse bridles hung from pegboard behind a stacked display of wax logs. Cowboy hats and flowered straw hats were clumped together on top of every flat surface.
“Oh, my.”
Jax laid a hand on her shoulder. “Most of the clothes are upstairs and if we’re careful we can avoid —”
One of those flowered hats floated toward them.
“Jackson Pierce, as I live and breath!”
The hat, and the short, round woman under it emerged from the sales floor. She was wearing thick glasses and a denim shirt embroidered with the McCafferty logo.
“Miz McCafferty!” The enthusiasm in Jax’s voice didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“I haven’t seen you in what is it now? Eight years? You lit out of town right before graduation after that horrible accident. My, you’ve grown,” she said, eyeing him appreciatively. “You Pierce boys sure give us ladies lots to look at in Blue Moon.” She perched her elbows on the register counter. “I hear you’re a big-time movie maker now.”
“I just write ‘em, Miz McCafferty. Someone else makes ‘em.”
“Now, who’s being modest?” she chuckled. “Notice I’m not asking what Joey thinks of you coming home. I’m no busybody. No siree. I keep my nose in my own business. Although, I’m sure you’ve been getting peppered with questions since you came home ...” She waited for him to fill in the blank.
“This morning.”
“Right, this morning.” She smiled, knowing she had hit fresh gossip. “Now what can I help you find?”
Jax shoved Summer toward the stairs. “We’re just here for some jeans.”
“Oh, hi there, Summer!” Mrs. McCafferty called. “I didn’t recognize you there with the wrong Pierce brother. If there’s anything you two need, just let me know.” She was already reaching for her cellphone as Jax shoved Summer up the stairs in front of him.
“And you willingly came back to this?” Summer wondered, climbing to the second floor.
“You know how sometimes with time and distance you can romanticize things?”
“Yeah?”
“I think with time and distance, I forgot all about Miz McCafferty.”
“She’d be heartbroken to hear you say that.”
“Jeans are over here,” Jax said pointing to the back corner.
They were piled on the floor, stacked on shelves, and hung from clothing rods. It was a mountain of denim.
“How do you find anything?” Summer asked.
“Just start digging.”
It took her ten minutes to find two pairs of jeans in her size plus a pair of comfy looking cargo pants. On the bright side, all three together were still significantly cheaper than the pair sampled by Clementine.
“We can try everything on in there,” Jax, holding an armful of clothing, pointed to two stalls cordoned off with sagging rope and tarp that acted as fitting room curtains. “I’ll take this one,” Jax said, gesturing to the room with the curtain that sagged to mid-chest.
Summer gratefully pulled the tarp closed on the room with slightly taller coverage and was delighted to find that all three pairs of pants fit perfectly. The jeans had reinforced stitching and seats and would look great with her boots. The cargos were as comfortable as sweatpants, and looked much nicer on her butt.
She exited the room, pleased with her finds, and was greeted by a shirtless Jax digging through a messy pile of t-shirts.
