"Can you get a message to my grandson for me?"
I smiled at him. "Sure."
"Tell Owen I say hello."
My smiled tightened. "Will do."
Billie: He says hi
Evan: You're a bad liar
Billie: You can tell I'm lying in a text message?
Evan: I can see it in your face all the way from here
Billie: Did you want something? Cause it's my move and this is rude.
Evan: You gonna be okay for a few hours? I have to run out
Billie: Yeah fine. I'm so full I can't move. I so want to unbutton my jeans right now
Evan: What a coincidence-I SO want to unbutton your jeans too
Billie: Quit turning me on
Evan: Gram says you're too skinny. She thinks you caught a touch of The Anorexia that's been going around
I laughed because I for sure did not have ‘The Anorexia'-not even a touch of it.
Billie: Did she not see how much food I put away?
Evan: Yeah, now she wonders if you got The Bulimia. I told her not to worry-that you hide your weight well
I shifted my head in his direction, giving him my best non-verbal fuck you.
Billie: You're lucky you're across the room cause I'd SO slap you right now
Evan: Quit turning me on
Evan was gone for a long time. Enough time that Grandma Fern and I scoured every photo album she owned, which was quite a collection. And each page came complete with a story. I devoured all of them, happy that she shared her memories, although she skimmed over anything about Evan's aunt.
It was late when he snuck into the bedroom but I was still awake, rummaging through my backpack.
"Are you looking for your virtue, Price? Because I'm sure you lost that before I met you."
I stuck my tongue out. "Funny. My cell phone, actually."
"Let's look for it tomorrow." He picked up the backpack and placed it on the dresser.
"You shouldn't be in here. I don't want to disrespect your grandmother."
"I want to lie next to you, angel. I'll get out before first light."
How could I argue with that? We lay entangled in each other. A nice breeze came through the window, carrying with it the scent of honeysuckle. He played with my hair.
"How are you holding up?" I asked.
"Not as bad as I thought. Not great either."
"Talk to me about it."
"I realize it's stupid and selfish, but I sort of hoped things wouldn't have changed this much. That maybe the world would have waited for me … to catch up. That's crazy, huh?"
I lifted my head and kissed him. "It's not."
"I'm glad I'm here." He pulled me against his chest. "I'm glad you're here."
"Me too. How did it go? You went to see your Aunt Lydia, right?"
"All of them. It went good."
"How are you going to bring them all back together, Evan?"
"Taken care of-I invited them to the barbeque tomorrow. My uncle declined but that's understandable. Lydia and her daughter are coming though."
"How is that going to take care of it?"
Evan laughed. "Baby, this is the south. You don't agree to break bread with someone unless you're ready to move on."
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I tried not to stare at the sight of Evan, shirtless and sweaty with a tool belt around his snug jeans and a Stetson on his head. I couldn't. I gave in to temptation and eye-fucked him for a minute. He leaned on the banister, his foot resting on the second step. He'd gotten a lot of sun and his skin glowed a golden brown hue.
"Need help, Grandpa?"
"I can still walk, David," Grandpa Joe said. Evan helped him anyway. Once he was in the house, Evan turned in my direction.
"Hey, you," I greeted.
"Hey, yourself."
"Where were you?"
"Didn't you get my text?"
"I still can't find my phone."
"Grandpa was right. The fence needed mending." He grinned, throwing a hammer high and catching it.
"You've been doing that all day?"
"Gramps and me. Me fixing it and Grandpa handing me things I didn't need. We had a good talk, even if he didn't remember me."
"I'm glad you spent time with him." I put down the bowl with the potato peelings and stood. His fingers tightened around the banister as his gaze travelled down my body.
"Did you strut your way straight out my adolescent wet dreams?"
I stared down at the cut-off jeans, heavily frayed at the edges, and pink tank top. A straw cowgirl hat sat on my head. It was too hot to wear too much. His gaze paused at my feet, clad in pink cowboy boots.
"One of your cousins lent this to me." I'd only packed jeans, per Evan's instructions. The sweet girl had taken pity on me.
"Think she'll let you keep it?"
"The hat's too much, right?" I started to remove it.
"Don't take off a stitch … not one stitch. Last thing I need is you stripteasing me."
I laughed, making a show of bending down to retrieve the bowl. "All righty."
He let out a low whistle, shaking his head when I turned around, before uncapping his water bottle, drinking it all down in a few gulps. He wiped his mouth-simple, distract-ilicious gestures. "It's cruel to hook a man with such fine bait when you don't plan to fish with him, Price."
"I'll behave." I gave myself a mental slap for turning him on. Unfortunately, the mental slap was on my ass, which only turned me on.
"Sorry I left you all day," he said.
"It's okay. I had fun here."
"Oh yeah? What did you do?"
"Besides the potatoes, I snapped beans and made a pie."
He licked his bottom lip. "I can't wait to taste your pie, Billie Marie."
I blushed, patting his chest. "Now you're baiting me. Grab yourself a cold shower, cowboy. People are going to be here soon."
He put his shirt on. It stuck to his back. "Let's find your phone first."
We walked into the house where Grandma Fern and Evan's great aunt Dorothy were making a vat of potato salad. Judging from the size, there were going to be a lot of people here.
"Aunt Dorothy, you came out," Evan said, although he wasn't smiling. "It's nice to see you."
I'd talked to the woman briefly. She had a sour expression that she carried in her face even when she smiled.
"Evan, I see the accent stuck."
"I never tried to lose it."
"Do you know what you've put your grandma through? Do you even care, or you too deep into this heathen lifestyle of yours to consider anyone else?"
What the hell is she doing?
"That's enough, Dorothy. Evan's here and that's more than enough," Grandma Fern said, her voice sterner than I'd ever heard.
"Yes, ma'am, I know what I did and I do care, but with all due respect, that's between me and my grandparents," he answered.
"It's awfully hot in here," Grandma Fern said, fanning herself. No doubt she was trying to dissipate the growing tensions.
"Sure is. I'll adjust the ceiling fans for you, Grandma."
Aunt Dorothy took a step forward. "I pray for your soul, young man."
"Ah … thank you. I'll pray for yours too."
She looked better when she was shocked-less sour.
"Just remember, hell is a lot hotter than Alabama."
"I don't know," Grandma Fern mumbled. "Bet the devil has central air."
Evan's face broke out into a laugh. Aunt Dorothy stumbled her way to the backyard.
Grandma Fern stood on her tiptoes to give Evan a hug, but he bent down so she wouldn't have to. "Don't pay attention to her, son. She can be mean sometimes, but bless her heart, she's had too much bible-or bourbon. Hard to tell these days."
"Thanks, Grandma."
"It's nothing but, sweetheart, you sure do smell something sinful though. Please go clean up."
"Yes, ma'am. I'm just going to help Billie find her phone first." He turned toward me. "Where was the last place you had it?"
His grandma tsked at him. "Evan, I don't even own a cell phone and even I know that's a stupid question."
He shook his head. "Yep, sure is." He pulled out his phone.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm calling you."
"No, I'll find it. Don't do that."
His thumb hovered on the ‘Call' key. I ran toward him.
"Chocolate," I screamed.
"What?"
"Chocolate, Evan!"
"Relax, Price, I'll get you some chocolate. Let's find your phone first."
Damn … he forgot our safe word.
I did a mad dash as the sounds of Candy Shop by 50 Cent boomed through the room. Evan's jaw dropped. Aunt Dorothy came in from the patio just in time to gasp. Grandma Fern commented that it sounded like an interesting song. All that happened in the forty-eight seconds it took me to locate my phone under a pile of magazines in the living room.
I looked at Evan, horrified and embarrassed. "I'm going upstairs."