Seagrove Secrets Read online

  “I’m not going to get hurt. Just trust me, okay?”

  He nodded, and then got out of the truck. As they walked past the window to the kitchen, Chase smiled at her, his hands covered in dough. It really wasn’t fair for her to ask Bo to trust her when she couldn’t even trust herself around Chase.

  Chapter Nine

  “The siblings have emerged,” Maya said.

  Bo and Shayla’s mother, Donna, laughed. “Get used to that, my dear.”

  Maya smiled, her face turning pink.

  Chase rolled another sausage ball out of the dough. “So I take it they’ve always been secretive.”

  “Oh, yes. Since they were little. We had Bo and Dale sharing a room since they were boys, and Shayla had her own, but Bo would sneak in there every night and sleep on the floor. Finally we gave up and moved his twin bed in there. Of course that all changed when they went to middle school. We moved Bo back in with Dale, which was a nightmare till Dale moved out the day he turned eighteen.”

  “How long was that?” Chase asked.

  “Too damn long,” Donna said with a look that he’d seen Shayla give more than once. “Chase, honey, those go in that oven under the potatoes for twenty-five minutes when you’re finished. My grandsons are alone. I’m going to steal a minute with them if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not,” Chase said.

  “Flip ‘em halfway through now, will ya?” she said, but didn’t wait for an answer before heading outside. Maya grinned as she cut tomatoes for the salad.

  “You like her, don’t you?” Chase said.

  “You have no idea. My mom is like her polar opposite in every way, and I couldn’t be happier about it.” She held out both hands. “Look at this. She’s left her two houseguests in her kitchen to do her cooking. My mother would have caterers and the guests wouldn’t be allowed to breathe out of order.”

  Chase smiled and plopped another ball onto the pan. “These are all different sizes.”

  “You think she’s concerned?” Maya slid him a look. “So, I hear you and Felicity have kept in touch all this time.”

  “Just as friends. I’m sure she’s told you that.”

  “She has. I was just testing you. I love the two of you together, so I was being hopeful.”

  “Well, that’s kind of you.”

  “Not kind, just selfish. Now that I’m moving down here, I want her to come. But that’s not going to happen anyway.”

  “What’s so great about Indianapolis?” Chase asked.

  “Her mother.”

  “She’s never mentioned her,” Chase said.

  Maya nodded with a closed-mouth smile. “She is keeping you in the friend zone, isn’t she?”

  Chase gave her a curious look, but wasn’t sure he should prod for more info.

  Maya put the knife down and wiped her forehead with her wrist. “So speaking of Felicity, she’s coming down for the wedding.”

  “Oh. Cool.”

  “Yeah, so typically she would stay with Sebastian, but he has graciously agreed to host my parents and my sister, Meade, for the weekend, and I love Felicity way too much to do that to her.” Knowing where she was leading with this, he started to get a little uneasy. “So, how would you feel about having her stay with you? I mean, if it’s a problem, she can totally stay with Bo and me, but I’m not sure who else is coming, and if I can place someone with a person they already know and are comfortable with, it frees up our place for someone who doesn’t know anyone, and—”

  He turned to her. “Absolutely.” There was no other way to answer that question, but even as he said it, his stomach rumbled.

  Maya smiled wide. “Thank you. That’s one issue down, eight million more to go.” The screen door opened, and Bo came in with that look on his face that told Chase he was in for it. Maya’s smile increased, if that was possible. “Hello, fiancé.”

  He took her into his arms and kissed her. “I missed you.”

  “My God,” Chase said, and Bo glared at him.

  Bo turned back to Maya. “Darlin’, would you mind taking that vegetable plate out to the screened-in porch?”

  “I would love to,” she said, twirling to pick up the plate. Bo held the door open for her and she finger waved at him as she headed out the door. He watched her until Chase cleared his throat, and then his expression turned ominous.

  “If you want to fight me, you’re gonna have to let me wash my hands first or else your face is going to be covered with raw sausage dough.”

  “I don’t want to fight your scrawny ass,” Bo said.

  Bo was maybe the only guy on the planet who could legitimately call Chase scrawny, even being about six inches shorter than him.

  Chase ran his hands under the faucet. “Good. I hate to fight. Especially when it’s not a fair one.”

  “You’re half a foot taller.”

  “You’ve got your brother outside for backup.”

  “You clearly don’t know my brother. If he saw you pounding on me he’d join in.”

  Chase dried his hands with a dish towel. “I don’t get that. I love my brothers.”

  “And I love my sister, which brings me to—”

  “I know where it brings you, and I really don’t need to hear it. Stay away. Point taken.”

  “She’s been through a lot lately.”

  Chase met Bo’s gaze. Maybe he did know what was going on with Shayla. Chase had to play it cool to get the info. “I know.”

  “What’d she tell you?” Bo asked.

  Chase crossed his arms over his chest. “What’d she tell you?”

  Bo pointed at him. “I’m not fucking around.”

  “Neither am I.”

  “Are you sure? Because otherwise, I can’t figure out how the two of you went from introducing yourselves to one another to moving in the next day.”

  “You know it’s not like that.”

  “Then what the fuck?”

  “The fuck is she needed a place to rent and I had one.”

  “She didn’t need a place to rent. She can stay with Maya and me.”

  Chase narrowed his gaze. “Did it ever occur to you a single time that she might not want to live in your little love nest where the two of you can’t go five minutes without your tongues down each other’s throats? No one wants to be around that shit.”

  “I told her we would restrain ourselves.”

  “Ha! I’ll give you fifty bucks if you can go the rest of this night without touching your fiancée.” The look of panic on Bo’s face gave Chase a good laugh.

  Bo looked down, defeated. “I just want to help her. I can’t believe she never came to me when all that was going on.”

  Chase hung the dish towel on the oven handle. “I’ll tell you what. If you give me a little information, maybe I could be of use.”

  “What kind of information?”

  “What are we dealing with here? Clearly she’s a little freaked out.”

  “What are you talking about?” Bo asked, eyes going wide.

  Chase held up both hands. “Not freaked out. Just aware of her surroundings. I just want to know what’s going on so I can be sensitive to whatever it is. Can I at least do that?”

  Bo lifted his chin. “All right. The guy she just broke up with, he went into rehab.”

  “Drinking or drugs?” Chase asked.

  “Drinking, as far as I know. But it’s significant to know that my dad was a fall-down drunk when we were growing up.” Chase glanced out at the screened-in porch where they were all talking and smiling. “He’s sober now, but he’s just been that way about seven or eight years. Life at our house was rough growing up with him drunk. And Shayla had to relive that whole mess.”

  Chase’s heart cinched. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “You have any experience with alcoholism?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  Bo pursed his lips like Chase failed a test. “Just be aware. And keep an eye out for that dude. He’s still living in her house in F
ranklin.”

  “Why?”

  Bo looked out at where she was and then back to Chase. “I don’t know. She said she didn’t want to kick him out while he was in rehab, but she grew up with my mom making every excuse in the book for my dad’s drunken behavior and giving him every concession known to man. I hope she’s just being kind and not considering going back to him. I don’t want her anywhere near that asshole if he’s a drunk, temporarily sober or not.”

  “We’re on the same page there.”

  Bo furrowed his brow. “Since when do you care?”

  “Since I’ve gotten to know her a little. Can I care about your sister? Is that up for grabs?”

  Bo gave him a look. “You can care, but leave it at that.”

  “Out of curiosity, what if I did like her? What would be so terrible about me being with your sister?”

  “It wouldn’t be terrible if I thought you would stay with her, but I’ve known you a good five years now and I’ve never seen you with a girl for more than a week.”

  “I could say the same about you.”

  “I was with Angela for nine years. You told me you’d never had a long-term relationship, not since college. That’s what you said.” Chase looked him up and down, not even remembering when he’d said that, but not doubting that he had. He didn’t talk about Rachel and that part of his life, and to his knowledge, no one in this town knew her. “Suddenly you’re going to change your mind now, with my sister? I’m not taking that risk.”

  “I think she’d be the one taking the risk,” Chase said, just to prod the lion.

  “Bullshit. Not after what she’s been through. I’m coming back, and I’m going to be watching out for my sister. You better remember that.”

  “Okay, tough guy. I hear you. Now step off. I’ve got sausage balls to bake.”

  “I’m fucking serious, Chase.”

  Chase turned around, pan full of sausage ball dough in hand. “So am I. Do you mind?”

  Bo stepped back, glaring Chase down while he loaded the oven with the pan. Chase set the timer per Donna’s instructions, and then wiped his hands against one another. He pointed at the oven. “Those are going to be the best damned sausage balls you’ve ever had, guaranteed.” Bo lightened his glare, barely. “So, are you really worried about this guy coming around or something? I thought he was in Nashville.”

  “He is, but he wants her back. There’s no doubt about that. I stopped by there this morning. He turned white as a ghost when he saw me, but then when we sat down together, he opened up. I told him he needed to move on, but I’m not sure he heard me. I’d have threatened him, but he started crying. Hell, reminded me of my dad and I softened to him. That’s fucked up.”

  “That’s human,” Chase said.

  Bo met Chase’s gaze. “I guess her living in that pool house isn’t the worst place in the world. At least I know it’s secure back there. You keep that front door of yours locked. And turn on that high-dollar security system.”

  “I will. I’ve already been doing that. She has the codes and all.”

  “Good.”

  “I should mention that I’m going out of town. That’s actually why I’m here. She was taking me to the airport, but my flight got delayed.”

  “How long are you going to be gone?” Bo asked.

  “Till Thursday. But I’m hiring a security guard for nights.”

  “Really?” Bo asked.

  “Yeah, I told her I didn’t like the look of the renters across the street.”

  “That’s gonna cost.”

  “You know I’ve got the money.”

  Bo pursed his lips. “Thanks. Wanna come meet the rest of my family?”

  “Since you’ve spoken so highly of them, sure.”

  Bo rolled his eyes at Chase, and they headed that way.

  Shayla could feel Maya eyeing her from across the porch while she spoke to Dale’s wife Cindy. As soon as she found a break in the conversation, she met Maya’s gaze. “You want to see Bo’s old wrestling trophies?”

  “Oh, God yes,” Maya said, and they headed toward the house, passing Chase and Bo.

  “Where are you all going?” Bo asked.

  “None of your business,” Shayla said.

  “Stay out of my old room.”

  “Like we want to go in there. Probably still smells like feet.”

  Maya giggled, as Shayla let her into the house.

  Shayla opened the door to Bo’s old room, which was a shrine to Bo’s high school days only with a bunch of boxes and crap stacked on the floor. “Dumping ground,” Shayla said. “My mom turned my room into a sewing room. There’s fabric everywhere.”

  “Do you sew?” Maya asked.

  “Outside of a skirt in Home Ec once, no. Do you?”

  Maya shook her head. “But I should. Some of the girls at work knit.” She looked lost for a second. “Girls who I used to work with.”

  “You ready to make this move?” Shayla asked.

  “Oh, yes. Definitely. It’s just that I didn’t expect to be so emotional about it.” She tossed up her arms then let them fall against her legs. “But I’m here now for good. I’ll be solo until Bo gets back with all our stuff. My boss has agreed for me to work out my notice from home under the stipulation that I’ll be available for the next two months.”

  “Does that work for you?” Shayla asked.

  “I’d have agreed to six months if I had to. Once I decided, I was ready to do this.”

  Shayla nodded, understanding that more than she knew.

  “So I’m here if you’d like to have lunch or coffee,” Maya said.

  “That sounds good. I’ll be in PCB for work all week, so I’ll text you.”

  “Great,” Maya said, and then picked up a trophy of Bo’s but Shayla could tell she wasn’t really seeing it. She turned to Shayla. “So, I was hoping I could talk to you, about the wedding.”

  Shayla sat on the foot of Bo’s old bed. “Mmm hmm.”

  “I want you to know that I care for your brother more than any man, ever.”

  Shayla nodded, appreciating Maya’s need to get this out, but really just wanting to tell her it wasn’t necessary.

  “I love him like crazy. I just can’t believe I’m the one who gets to marry him. I mean, I can’t believe I met him and he loves me and it’s all so insane.”

  Shayla smiled, thinking that Maya probably didn’t realize how much she sounded like a teenager. Or maybe it was just being in Bo’s old room that conjured that feeling.

  “Anyway, I know we don’t know each other, but I’m very much looking forward to knowing you. I feel like I know you as it is. Bo talks about you all the time. And he loves you so much.”

  Shayla gave a sharp inhale. She didn’t do emotional or heartfelt well at all. And she knew Bo loved her. She didn’t need his new fiancée to tell her that, but she’d keep that to herself.

  Maya shook her head like she was resetting. “So I wanted to ask you…Bo and I would both like for you to be a part of the wedding.”

  Shayla smiled. “Thank you.”

  “Would it be okay if you stood on my side with my sister and Felicity? Bo’s going to have Dale and Blake and Chase, and so it would just sort of even out if you were on my side.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  She gave a smile of relief. “That’s great.” Shayla stood, but Maya held up a hand. “Actually, I had one more thing to ask. You’re Bo’s closest friend or sibling, both, I guess, so I’d like you to be my maid of honor to symbolize the importance in—”

  Shayla scratched her forehead. “Maya, can I just stop you there? I’m so honored that you’d allow me to stand up with you and help celebrate your wedding to my brother. And I’m happy to. But I don’t need to be equal with your sister or in front of Felicity, who I assume you’ve known a long time.”

  “Since high school.”

  “I’m just happy to be up there. Stand me wherever works based on my height or my hair color or however will make the best p
ictures. But you don’t need to assign any other meaning to it, okay?”

  Maya closed her eyes like a huge burden had been lifted. “Thank you.”

  Shayla stood. “All right, it not only smells like feet now, but there’s an added musty mothball stench. Let’s get out of here.”

  They headed toward the backyard where they found Chase and Bo running with the boys, hitting each other with foam bullets and sweeping the boys up into their arms, using them as shields.

  Maya covered her heart. “They are so cute.”

  “Yeah, they both get spoiled rotten.”

  “I meant Bo and Chase,” she said with a smile.

  Chase smiled at Shayla’s nephew as they played, but as the boys ran off behind the trampoline, Chase’s expression dropped and turned into something resembling lonely. Her nephew ran back toward him, and he smiled again, jumping back into the game. He’d said he didn’t have any kids, but Shayla wondered if he wanted them. That didn’t match with his relationship pattern, or lack of it, but what did she know?

  Shayla pulled her car up to departing flights and popped the trunk. She met Chase back there, because it seemed rude not to get out. “Is that everything?” she asked, peering into the trunk.

  “Appears so. Thanks for dinner.”

  “I should have warned you nobody relaxes at my parents’ house.”

  “I loved it. Now I know how to make sausage balls.”

  That made her smile. “They were good.”

  “They weren’t, but thanks.”

  “I liked them.” She held his gaze, not sure why she was doing it. A car horn honked, and they both turned in its direction.

  He threw the suit bag over his shoulder. “So you’re okay to hold down the fort while I’m gone?”

  “All set,” she said with more bravado than she felt. She wasn’t sure what to make of the new development of Bo having actually seen and talked with Brian just yesterday. It could mean Brian was feeling safe, like he’d made a friend in Bo, and that Bo was going to help get her back. It could mean he was even more determined now.

  “I don’t have to go, you know,” Chase said.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll see you here Thursday.”

  “You’re gonna pick me up?”