“Oh my goodness, Viviana Stark, is that you?” I heard the voice and it sounded vaguely familiar, but I hadn’t heard it in at least a decade. Maybe more.

I turned and saw Maddie Trenton, one of my closest friends in high school, unearthing herself from a stack of clothes inside High St. Fashions.

“Maddie Trenton, you haven’t aged a day.” Seriously, other than a few extra curves, you’d think we tossed the old cardboard hats just a couple years ago, and not more than ten years ago. Her thick blond hair was shorter now, stopping at her shoulders, and her brown eyes sparkled prettily when she smiled.

“Oh please, I’m a train-wreck and we both know it. I heard you were back in town.”

“I am. Chicago was not what I thought it would be, so I came back here. What about you?”

“You’re standing inside the second love of my life,” she said proudly, gesturing to the store and all its contents. “The first is running around here somewhere, and he’ll probably put something you don’t want in your basket.” We both spotted the blond curls bobbing from side to side between stacks of dresses. “That’s Max.”

“Wow, he’s adorable. You’re married?”

“Ha!” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Nope, I’m a cliché. Got pregnant junior year by my boyfriend and he told me to get rid of it, so I got rid of him instead.” She sounded breezy about it, but I imagined it was hard at first.

“His loss. This place is great, and I just need something…new.” That’s why I’d gotten out of the house today, because I needed to go into town and be surrounded by people. Make some other change in my life other than geography.

“Well, I’m not sure about your sense of style, but I do have a few things that would look good on you.” She whirled off and picked up a few pieces of fabric and then a few more. “Your color is so great. The perfect kind of pale for jewel toned colors.”

I rolled my eyes, because she’d always been the fashionista, looking more on trend than anyone in Belle Musique. And she was currently piling her arms high with pretty dresses and other frilly things I would never need. Probably. Although if I ever wanted to get laid this century then I probably needed some date night outfits.

“Okay, Maddie, let’s not go crazy.”

“Sorry! I have a tendency to go a little crazy with clothes.” She pulled me towards the back and gave me half the stack. “Start with the dresses and work your way back. The blue one will be extra fantastic on you!”

When Maddie left me in the fitting room I took a deep breath and looked at my reflection in the mirror. With each day that passed it felt good to be home, and reconnecting with an old friend like Maddie made it more enjoyable. “It’s so good to see you, Maddie,” I told her when I stepped out of the fitting room in the blue dress. She was right, it was pretty great on me.

“You too. Being a single mother and a small business owner means I don’t get out a lot. Friends have been pretty hard to come by,” she admitted, sadly.

“Yeah well, I spend my days at my house. Alone. Writing. I love it, but other than Nash and Norah, my social life has been nonexistent.” That was the truth, even if it was sad and pathetic.

“You’re a writer? How did I not know this?”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know, I suppose Aunt Mae didn’t manage to tell everyone.” Maybe she really was ashamed of my work. “After a bunch of drama and headache, I published a book and it did well. And then another and then another. Maybe I’ll finish Sweeter Nothings before the summer ends.”

“Sweeter Nothings? Sweeter Nothings! Holy shit, Vivi, you’re Sasha Roundtree? I love that series!” She squeezed me in a hug that was either meant to kill me or disarm me. “Congratulations, honey!”

“Thanks. I’ll get you a copy as soon as the hardcopies are ready.”

“That would be so great, Vivi! I can’t believe you’re here!”

I had a hard time believing it too. “You should come by for a meal and bring the tyke with you.” I tossed three dresses and a few items of lingerie on the counter and paid. “Here’s my number. Call me to let me know a good day for you to come for a visit, but now I have to meet Aunt Mae for lunch.” With a hug for her and a hair ruffle for Max, I rushed off towards the diner.

“So you didn’t forget about me,” Aunt Mae said with a sniff as soon as I dropped my bag on the empty side of the booth. “I was starting to worry.”

“I stopped into High St. Fashions and ran into Maddie. Did some shopping,” I told her and motioned to the bags shoved to my left. “I got you something.”

That had her sitting up tall and trying her damnedest to look indifferent. “A bribe?”

“No, a gift. But if you see it as a bribe, Aunt Mae, I wouldn’t feel right about you taking it.” I dangled the carrot in front of her and then I dangled the oversized pashmina from my finger, enjoying the way her eyes lit up.

“It’s beautiful.”

It really was. “I saw it and it made me think of you.” She took it when I offered the scarf, and ran a hand up and down the silky material, reverently.

“Such a sweet girl. I forgive your tardiness.”

“I’m not tardy, but I am hungry. Shopping always makes me hungry.” That was probably why I didn’t shop often. I was more of a needy shopper rather than a recreational shopper. So I didn’t have a lot to base that statement on, but it sounded right. I opened the menu that hadn’t changed much at all since I last sat in one of the dark green booth seats.

“So Vivi, what’s going on with you and Nash? You always did have a sweet spot for him.”

I groaned and smacked my hands on the table. “Aunt Mae, no. Nash and I are friends.”

Her lips pursed, but I paid attention to the twinkle in her eye because that’s where the mischief would be. “I’m going to help you find love, Vivi. I know you were put through the ringer with that nonsense in Chicago but it’s all behind you and your words have come back to ya, focus on the good stuff. And open yourself up to the possibilities. Friends make the best lovers.”

“Mae, please. Just focus on your paying customers.”

“Oh, I don’t mind. You’re my baby girl.” She flashed that loving, affectionate smile that had meant so much to me when my own mother took off and I couldn’t hold on to my frustration. I loved the crazy old girl.

“Hey girls, what can I…Vivi Stark, is that you?”

I looked up at smooth caramel skin and familiar hazel eyes. “Molly Mackenzie? Holy hell, you’re all grown up and damn, you got hot, girl!”

She rolled her eyes and I was taken back to the geeky girl I’d taken under my wing, senior year. She’d been a fourteen-year-old senior and all alone.

“Thanks, I guess.”

“How are you? What are you up to?” I thought for sure she’d be pursuing a doctorate at one of the Ivy League schools.

“I’m saving up for a trip to England. Because no colleges will even consider hiring a twenty three-year-old professor, I’ve taken a job at a private women’s college.”

My surprise must have shown because she smiled proudly. “Damn, Molly, that is so amazing.” I was on my feet before I could even think about whether it was inappropriate to squeeze her in a hug. “Congratulations! Are you excited? Scared? Worried about falling for the first accent that falls at your feet?”

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “All of the above, but mostly I’m looking forward to the adventure. Now I have to take your order before my boss gets cranky.”

We placed our orders, and as soon as Molly was gone, Mae turned to me. “She’s going to meet her match over there and probably become a big deal in academia. Our loss,” she said simply as though it was a foregone conclusion.

“Good for her. How’s the shop?”

“It’s good. I get plenty of tourists, especially during the festivals, but my online store is my real money maker.”

I stared at her smug little smile. “Who are you, and what have you done with my Aunt Mae?”

“It’s the twenty-first century, dear.”

I stared at Mae for another beat, still surprised to hear she had an online store. Or that she even knew what an online store was. But Molly brought our food and rushed off, and I dug in, happy to enjoy the greasy delicious diner food.

“So good.” If you think a meatloaf sandwich isn’t one of the ten most delicious things on the planet, you need your head examined.

“Vivi!” Before I could turn around, a little body hurled into my side and wrapped little girl arms around me. “Hi, Vivi! We’re getting food too, whatcha eating?”

“Meatloaf sandwich with onion rings. What are you eating?”

“I’m getting chicken fingers ‘cause they’re my favorite!” She tried to hop on the seat beside me but it was too heavy for her to move. “Scooch.”

“You’re bossy today, Norah.”

“Nope, just hungry.” Well, who could argue with that? I slid over and moved my bags to the floor between my legs.

“Norah, what did I tell you about running off?”

She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. “It’s not running off, Dad. Vivi and Aunt Mae are right here.” She pointed at us both. “See?”

“Just have a seat, Nash. I never say no to a meal with a handsome man.”

He looked at our half-finished plates and sat. “Thank you for the kind invite, Mae.”

She grinned. “I hope you two have been practicing your kiss for the ritual.”

“Kiss!” Norah gasped, her head bobbing back and forth between me and Nash. “You’re gonna kiss my dad?”

I shrugged and schooled my face into a semi-serious expression. “Actually, he’s going to kiss me, and he’s going to pretend not only to like it, but also like I’m the most magnificent woman in the whole wide world!”

“That sounds nice,” she said, wistfully. “Daddy, you better get it right.”

“Yeah, Daddy!” When Nash glared at me, I smirked and stuck out my tongue. His glare didn’t go away until Molly came to take their order and the thought of food stole his attention from his annoyance with me. “What have you guys been up to today?”

“Daddy burned the waffles, that’s why we’re here.”

I laughed hard and Aunt Mae joined in. “Did you, really?”

“I got sidetracked. It happens.” Nash was a good sport about the ribbing and he was rewarded when a stacked blonde strolled up to the table, making sure every man in the diner saw her hips sway from left to right in an exaggerated motion.

“Nash Boudreaux, you’re looking especially fine,” she purred, placing one hand on the table so he could see deep into the vee of her cleavage.

He blinked and tore his gaze from her boobs. “Um, do I know you?”

She licked red lips. “Not yet, but I’m hoping we can get to know each other very well.”

I snickered because who talks like that outside of TV and romance novels, and seriously, in front of his kid? And then I was offended for a whole new reason. Who did this skank think she was, coming up and hitting on a man who clearly could be mine? We could be a family, and she just strolled up like we were invisible.

“Do you mind, we’re trying to eat here.”

She glanced over at me, looked me up and down with a sneer. “Some of you should try to eat a little less.”

“Yeah well, I don’t hear any complaints, so if you’ll kindly fuck off we might not have a problem.” I didn’t like to fight, but the issues with my former friends proved to me that I was indeed a fighter. A scrapper if I needed to be.

“And what are you going to do about it?”

“Stick around and see. You don’t embarrass easy, do you?”

Blonde Boobs pushed away from the table and folded her arms—under her chest, of course—with a huff. “If Nash isn’t interested then he can-”

“I’m not,” he said, forcefully, startling a gasp out of the woman.

“Can I have an onion ring, Vivi?”

I smiled down at her. “Trade ya for a fry?” She dropped a fry on my plate and I dropped two onion rings on hers. I also ignored the relief I felt when Nash shot down Blonde Boobs because I had no reason to feel anything. Other than relieved I wouldn’t have to hang out with that skank just to be friends with Nash.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

“How did I get roped into this again?” Nash stood chest to chest with me in Mae’s backyard while she tried to remember what came next in her voodoo prosperity ritual.

“By being a good southern boy?” I laughed at his scowl because he really was being a good sport about it all. Aunt Mae had shanghaied both of us, but she was too kooky and loveable to turn down. “Buck up, man, this is for a good cause.”

“Not sure your amusement qualifies as a good cause.”

“As amusing as I do find your discomfort, no. My amusement is just a happy byproduct, the good deed is for the town and for my nutty aunt.” I pulled back and stared at his gorgeous features. The man really was too blasted handsome, and it was completely unfair. “Besides, with all these muscles on display, you’re sure to land someone more tasteful than the chick from the diner.”

Nash made his chest muscles jump and I swear my lady parts stood up and twerked, before I made those bitches sit down and act like ladies.

“If you’re ogling me, then maybe you’re right.”

“Don’t get a big head,” I told him. “I enjoy man candy, full stop.”

“You called me candy, of course, I’m gonna get a big head. Is it too much for you when I do this?” He flexed his biceps and swear to god, yeah it was too much.

So much that my thigh muscles screamed with how hard I squeezed them. Standing this close just wasn’t good for my peace of mind. “Oh yeah, I can hardly stand it.” The sarcasm was strong with every syllable.

“Okay, kids, I’ve found my place, so turn to face each other. And now hold your hands palms out, so they’re almost touching, but not.”

We did as instructed, and though I couldn’t speak for Nash, I could say that proximity was a son of a bitch. Nash smelled as good as he looked, maybe even better. He was so big and masculine, with muscles everywhere there should be. But he was also my friend. And my neighbor. Not just some hot guy for me to lust after. Considering my current state, it was a problem.

Dammit.

“Stare harder. Look more deeply into each other’s eyes. Yes, like that!” Mae put a hand to each of our backs and pushed us together. “Don’t be afraid to touch. It’s perfectly natural and normal. Enjoy it.” It was hard to do anything but enjoy being so close to such a fine male specimen, even if he was completely off limits. “And now, the kiss.” Mae began to walk in a slow circle around us, chanting soft words that were incoherent to me.

“Ready for this?” I asked Nash, because I wasn’t ready, but I was here. Prepared to be ready. Any minute now.

“Nope,” he said and pressed his lips against mine in a quick peck.

“You can do better,” Mae insisted, still walking slowly and still chanting. “Again!”

“Okay. Pretend I’m Boobs from the diner,” I told him and shimmied beside him.

He frowned. “She was too fake. I prefer a more natural look.”

Dammit, Nash wasn’t playing fair. “Well, I’m not wearing any makeup, and it doesn’t get more natural than that.” I leaned in but chickened out, and gave another closed mouth kiss.

“No! This kiss is important, without it the bonds of the ritual will be incomplete. It has to be spectacular!”

“No pressure,” Nash mumbled, and I chuckled beside him.

“Alright Boudreaux, you heard the woman. Spectacular.” My eyes went playfully wide and I grabbed a fistful of his t-shirt and yanked him down to me, smashing our lips together. The kiss started off clumsy as expected, since we’d never kissed each other before, but it took seconds, maybe less, before we were in sync, and the kiss turned smoldering. Our lips and tongues moved in slow motion, as though slogging through hot lava and unable to make it up to the surface for fresh air. It grew hotter as his hands slid down my back and cupped my ass. I felt him grow hard against my belly and I moaned.

“Oh, yes! That is absolutely perfect! Do the same thing at the festival next week and I’ll owe you two everything. Everything!” Mae clapped excitedly and turned away, heading back inside her house. Nash and I all but forgotten. Then she ducked her head back out. “Oh, and don’t forget to practice that kiss!”

“Well that wasn’t weird at all. Let’s get out of here.” I didn’t want to think about Mae directing us like two porn stars on set.

“I’ve got the perfect place.” We jumped in his truck and took off, driving in silence until we got to the back road that ran along the south end of Belle Musique.

“I haven’t been out here in forever.” It was the spot where all the older kids hung out, drinking and exploring teenage bodies in ways parents most definitely would not approve of. “Are you trying to get me to round third with you, Nash?”

He laughed. “Would it work?”

I didn’t answer that because the answer was madness. The kind of madness neither of us needed in our lives right now. “I plead the fifth. Remember that night, we thought the world would be ours to conquer.”

His smile was wistful and slightly bitter. “You’re a bestselling author, that’s pretty much the definition of conquering your shit.”

“And you sell expensive one of a kind furniture to the one percent, and that was your fallback plan. So let’s just say we both are kicking ass. Professionally.” Because neither of us were exactly killing it in the romance department.

“Okay, I’ll agree to that. I just haven’t been interested, you know? After Nanette left I was just kind of over women.”

“Wait…she left? Not passed away, but left?” He nodded and I saw red. What kind of woman would leave a guy like Nash and the adorable Norah? I knew exactly what kind of woman, because one had given birth to me. “That bitch!”

“I know this is kind of a trigger for you and I’m sorry. I came home from work one day and Norah was just there in her playpen. Alone. Nanette left a note saying she just wasn’t cut out for motherhood and that was the last we heard of her.”

“Shit, Nash. I’m sorry. But at least she left a note so the cord was cut, which I know is small comfort right now, but trust me, she did you both a favor.” My own father spent a decade looking for my mother before finally giving up and moving on with his life.

“I suppose that’s true. But it’s made me hesitant about dating, or getting mixed up with a woman. I couldn’t stand them getting close to Norah and leaving.”

“That makes sense, but you also need to show her the healthy side of leaving. Sometimes, relationships don’t work out, and sometimes, old or ill people, they die.”

“Want to do that for me?”

I grinned. “Are you racking up more favors? Because I’m down with that. But let’s start with pizza and beer?”

Nash flashed a smoldering but totally platonic grin. “I’ll pick up Norah and the beer?”

“Meet at your place in thirty?”

“It’s a date,” he said and started the engine as we made our way back home.

“How did we end up watching Beauty and the Beast?”

Leaning over the sleeping girl between us, I whispered the question to Nash.

He shrugged and looked down at Norah. “Who knows, but we have beer and she’s asleep so…?” He let the question hang in the air.

“MSNBC?” I guessed, hopefully.

“ESPN?” He replied with a smirk.

I groaned, and stopped the movie. “How about a murder documentary?”

It was the perfect thing to watch with a friend because there would be no romance, and there was a ninety-nine percent chance the killer was the victim’s significant other. Red flashing lights, indeed.

“Seriously?” I nodded, and with a shrug he handed me the remote and carried Norah off to bed.

I refused to let something as ridiculous as a little bit of attraction get in the way of my friendship with Nash. Attraction would fade, I’d seen proof of it plenty enough in my life. But a friendship with him could prove very satisfying. So I found the channel I simply called, The Murder Channel, and unmuted the TV.

“Oh, I love it when church people are involved!”

I was alerted to Nash’s return by his deep chuckle. “Isn’t there a term for that kind of happiness at someone else’s misfortune?”

“Yeah, it’s called being human,” I told him. “But for you fancy types, it’s called schadenfreude. Though for the record I wasn’t happy per se, I just find these stories satisfying to maintain my healthy dose of cynicism.”

He laughed and shook his head, totally amused by my words. “Good to know. So catch me up,” he said as he sat too close and kicked his socked feet up on the coffee table.

“The pastor is having an affair with a parishioner, but they’re both married, and the pastor’s wife was found dead under mysterious circumstances.” The truth was, if you seen ten of these shows, then you’d seen them all, but I loved them anyway. It was a hardcore addiction.

“Damn, that’s harsh.” He leaned over so our shoulders touched, and his scent snuck up my nose and planted itself deep in my brain. It was a good clean scent and I knew I would remember it later.

“It’s always harsh, but what’s interesting is the motivation, the fact that they think they’ll get away with it, and my favorite, the evidence that gets them caught.” It was probably too much to tell a guy, but since we were only friends it didn’t matter all that much.

When the show ended, Nash turned off the television and sighed. “You were right. That was strangely satisfying.” He turned to face me, thankfully putting some space between us, but then he smiled. And it wasn’t that flirty panty-melting smile, it was casual and it was content. And totally freakin’ hot. “Is this what you do all day, write dirty romance stories with murder playing in the background?”

There was no judgment in his question, just curiosity. “A lot of the time, yes. But I also learn to do new things like gardening, oil change, German, and knitting. Just to name a few.”

“Only a few? I’m disappointed.” Nash smirked playfully and shook his head.

“Well, I do have dirty romance novels to write, remember?”

He shrugged. “So tell me about them. Or just tell me about your favorite one.”

What a thoughtful question. “Well the book I’m working on, Sweeter Nothings, features a couple that isn’t even a couple. They’ve been through hell and back, together and separately, and this book is them coming together. Finally.” I sighed and told him the rest. “And there’s lots of hot sex, kinky stuff, public, fetish, you name it.”

“That’s a busy couple.”

I laughed. “Well it’s not just them. Some people just like to watch other people have sex, Nash.” He coughed and his ears grew pink. I refused to believe that Nash Boudreaux was actually blushing. “A little bit of exhibitionism is good for the soul.”

He barked out a laugh. “Really? Good to know.” His words were kidding but his eyes held a hint of something dark and sensual.

And that meant it was time to go. “I should head home. Thanks for having me over and for the beer.”

“Anytime, Vivi. Anytime.”

The way he said it had me thinking things that friends didn’t think about each other so I smiled back, waved nervously and hauled my ass back to the safety of my own house.

And not a moment too soon.