Chapter Six

Complete and utter peace enveloped Gen as she stepped onto the back porch of the Blu. It was purely majestic. The lake was rushing up on the man-made shore and all along the dock that Gen could still remember being built. It was when she first came there, and it only took the crew of misfits Ms. Neil had hired three days. Theo was a part of the crew, and his pay went to Gen’s lodging at the Blu since his mom wouldn’t let him have a girl in his bed in her house. They weren’t underage, but she still stuck to her guns. A grin pulled at Gen’s lips as her fingers danced along her laptop, her eyes gazing out across the backyard.

She’d wanted so desperately for nothing to change, but it had. Ms. Neil wasn’t there, and neither were the canoes along the bank or the beach chairs. It was much cleaner, classier almost, like a real business was being run. Not that Ms. Neil hadn’t run a true business, but with her, it was more a home she had people to stay in. Now, it was obvious this place was being run for a profit, and Gen wasn’t sure how that made her feel.

Especially since she hadn’t met the new owners.

It had been five days since she had arrived. She had written six chapters in that time, and at that rate, she was going to be done in no time. She wasn’t sure if that excited her or upset her. She knew the point of coming here was to write, but when she was done, would she be expected to go home? Because she didn’t want to. Not yet, at least. She was just getting comfortable. She was still busy seeing everyone, and she wasn’t nearly done exploring. She knew that made her a horrible person, and she knew she really needed to think what that meant. She just didn’t want to deal with it. Not when the sun was kissing her face and the stillness was exciting her.

Being there, she couldn’t help but wonder if maybe she wasn’t cut out for city life.

Another thing she needed to assess.

Rolling her eyes at her endless list of things to examine in her life, she sat down in her spot and opened her laptop to where her chapter and characters were waiting. She felt giddy not needing her headphones as she jumped in, her fingers flying over the keys.

“Angel, I can’t.”

“You can,” she demanded, looking over her shoulder at him, spreading her ass apart for him. Her body was burning with heat, flushed. And fucking hell, he wanted her. He wanted to push his cock so deep inside of her ass, he wouldn’t be able to think, but he couldn’t.

He wouldn’t.

“Angel,” he tried to say, his voice cracking as he watched her squeeze her ass cheeks, her eyes searing into his. His nickname for her, angel, wasn’t something he said often, but when it came to her, he found no other word to describe her.

She took him straight to heaven. With just a look.

His beautiful angel.

“I could hurt you. You’re so small, and you’ve never done it—”

“First time for everything,” she said over him, and his hands shook as he met her gaze. “I want you to fuck me, Travis. I want you inside of me. Now.”

His heart skipped a beat. How did this happen? She was his best friend’s sister. Baby sister. He knew better, but fucking hell, he was about to fuck her hard.

Because she was his.

When her phone rang, Gen glanced over at it, her breath catching. She wanted so much for it to be Montgomery, but it was her mother. Only a little disappointed, since she hadn’t spoken to her mother since she had arrived, she picked it up. “Hey Mom.”

“Hey, honey, how are you? How’s it going?”

“Great, words are pouring out of me.”

“Wonderful. Is everything still utterly beautiful there? I was always so jealous of that place. It reminds me so much of back home in Georgia.”

Exhaling deeply, Gen leaned back in her chair, and it gave a bit so the sun kissed her cheeks even more. It was such a peaceful day. She could hear the sounds of the distillery on the hill, and she figured she’d need to make a trip up there.

“It is. I love it here. You should come visit before I leave.”

“Maybe, we’ll have to see.”

“Yeah,” she said, her voice trailing off because if she had her way, she’d never leave. “I really don’t want to leave, Mom.”

Fawn paused for a moment before she cleared her throat. “Well, we both know that Montgomery isn’t going to move there, Genevieve.”

Gen shrugged, closing her eyes. “I know.”

“Then that probably won’t happen.”

“I’m just saying. I don’t want to.”

She paused once more. “Genevieve.”

“What?”

“What’s going on?”

She cleared her throat. “We haven’t spoken since I left. Well, no, I take that back. I texted him about my room, and he was a smartass about it.”

“Why? Because you went?”

“That and because he wants me to quit writing.”

Her mother took in a quick breath. “What? It’s your job.”

“He wants me to be a housewife, he says. I guess I should have figured that out since he never really implied that he wanted me to get another career. I want more from my life than that. I want to be successful but also a great mom, ya know?”

“Oh.”

Gen’s brows pulled together. “Oh?”

“I feel that was a bit of a dig at me.”

“Not at all. You only wanted a mom life, and I want both.”

“Well, I mean, you won’t have time for writing when the kids come anyway,” her mother treaded gently, and Gen scoffed.

“I’ll make time. I’ll write with a kid on the tit, I’m good.”

“I don’t doubt that,” she said softly. “But I don’t think Mont understands that.”

“He doesn’t. He wants me to be his mom, or hell, you, and I don’t want that. I don’t know, Mom,” she said, frustrated. “Maybe I should call off the wedding.”

Her mother gasped before she started rambling. “Oh no, Gen, that’s a little dramatic. I’m sure this can be fixed.”

“Maybe, but I don’t want to get trapped in a marriage where my husband doesn’t support what I do.”

Fawn didn’t answer for a long time before she said, “I understand, but, Gen, if you call this wedding off, you’re saying goodbye to him permanently because he won’t stand for that. Or really, his momma won’t. And since he’s basically still hanging on to that umbilical cord, that might not go well.”

Gen snorted as she nodded. She knew her mom didn’t mean to be funny, but it was since it was the truth. Montgomery was the biggest momma’s boy Gen had ever met. It hadn’t ever bothered her before, but now, with the wedding and everything else… Yeah, it was a real problem.

“Oh, Genny, what am I going to do with you?”

Gen smiled. “What does that mean?”

“I just want to know you’re taken care of, and I feel like you’re running.”

“Mom, I’ll always be taken care of. I don’t need anyone to do it for me.”

“I mean by a man, and Mont would take good care of you.”

“Yeah, but he wouldn’t support me even a bit.”

“That’s unfortunate. I have dinner with Verna tonight. I’ll bring it up.”

“Ew, please don’t.”

“Okay.” Gen knew she would anyway, so she let it go. “All right, well, you finish that book and then really do some soul-searching, okay? Can you honestly live without Mont? Don’t you love him?”

When Gen couldn’t answer automatically, she felt her stomach drop.

Did she love him?

“I don’t know,” she answered, more to herself than her mother. “He really hurt me the other day. He accused me of coming here to cheat on him.”

“What in the hell? Is he insane?”

“He must be.”

“Who in the world would you… Oh Lord, is that drug lord still there?”

Gen snorted as she shook her head. “He wasn’t a drug lord. More of a mover of the drugs, and hell if I know. I haven’t seen him.”

“Goodness me. I’d forgotten all about that guy.”

Gen hadn’t. “Yeah.”

“Okay, well, don’t get into any trouble. And if you see that guy, run. Please. Like you should have when he cornered you in the clubhouse.”

“I think I cornered him.”

“Genevieve, don’t ruin my beautiful image of you as a sweet and innocent teenager.”

That had her guffawing. “Mom, come on. I went home with Montgomery after our first date. I’m no Sister Mary. I write smut, as Montgomery constantly reminds me, for goodness’ sake.”

“Lord. Please stop. I don’t know what you do. I’m hanging up.”

“Love you.”

“Love you more.”

With a grin still in place, Gen went to hang up, but then her mother said, “And please, really think this through, my love. Don’t let Montgomery go without considering all of the repercussions.”

Her smile dropped then as she swallowed. “I hear ya, Mom.”

She hung up and leaned back. It was all just so complicated. Why couldn’t he be supportive? Why couldn’t he just understand that she wouldn’t stop writing? Since her phone was still in her hand, she texted him.

Genevieve: Why haven’t I heard from you?

When he didn’t answer right away, she told herself he was working, but she knew damn well he had his phone on him. He always did.

Before she could go back to work, she heard, “Hey, Gen, you hungry?”

Gen looked over her shoulder at Delaney who was standing in the door to the kitchen on the other side of the porch. Tilting her head in curiosity, Gen said, “Hey, what are you doing here? I thought the new girl was starting?”

“She’s a no-show, like everyone else in this town, and since I owe—” She stopped, her lips pressing together as her nose wrinkled up. “I’m here. You hungry?”

Gen’s eyes narrowed. “You owe whom?”

“No one. Food. You. Is it happening?”

Gen laughed. “Yes. Please. Thanks,” she called as the door shut. A grin sat on her face. She wasn’t sure what the deal was with the mystery of the Blu’s owner, but she was surprised how much she didn’t care. It was probably some girl she didn’t even know. Maybe a fan who was nervous around her or something, because everyone in Spring Grove loved Gen. She was awesome, how could they not? She chuckled to herself.

When the door opened once more, she looked back as Delaney started toward her, a plate in hand. When she set it down, Gen’s eyes widened. “Oh, shut up.”

“Oh, yes. The Blu’s famous fried pickles.”

“Holy mother of God,” Gen groaned as she took a bite of the fried goodness and moaned. They were perfectly cooked and downright scrumptious. The last time she’d had this fried magic was when Theo… Her brows immediately drew in as she glanced up to Delaney. “These are wonderful,” she said slowly. “You make them?”

Delaney laughed. “No, girl. I can cook, but I can’t cook that. The chef did.”

“Is the chef the owner?”

“Maybe,” she drawled. “But word on the street is this is your favorite, and since you’re our only guest, here you go.”

Gen paused her eating. “Why am I the only guest?”

“I don’t know,” Delaney said simply, shrugging her shoulders. But it was a lie. “Slow month?”

“It’s peak tourist time. Everyone is in town.”

“Yeah, I don’t know,” she said while looking everywhere but at Gen. Which meant one thing.

More lies.

With a grin, Gen leaned on her hand. “Hey, Del, you remember Theo Hudson? I saw his momma the other day.”

“Oh, yeah. She’s a hoot.” Delaney struggled for words, and Gen could tell she wanted to get away.

But she wasn’t going anywhere until Gen had some answers. “What about Theo?”

Delaney blinked. “Yeah, I don’t know.”

“You don’t?”

“Nope.”

Oh, she was lying through her teeth. “Really? Don’t you talk to his mom?”

“I do.”

“And she doesn’t talk about Theo?”

Delaney started to get flustered. “Yeah, I mean, I don’t know. I gotta go.”

“No, you don’t,” Gen said laughing. “I was just curious.”

She shrugged. “Well, y’all were too hot for words, so I expect you would be.”

A grin pulled at Gen’s lips. The five years she’d had with Montgomery couldn’t even come close to those two weeks of passion with Theo. Wow. That was pathetic. When her phone dinged, she looked down to see it was a text from Montgomery.

Montgomery: Have nothing to say.

Her face turned hot with annoyance, and before she could even think it through, she asked, “Say, what are you doing tonight?”

Delaney looked back at her, her eyes boring into Gen. “I think I might be going to the bar with you. For that drink you owe me.”

A sinful grin came over Gen’s lips. All her thoughts of Montgomery, her mom, and her life outside of Spring Grove were gone, and Gen had one thing on her mind.

Finding out what in the world was going on with Theo Hudson.

Her fiancé’s half brother.

She knew it was wrong. She knew she should take her mom’s advice and not worry about it, but something was up.

And she needed to know.

So with a nod and a sneaky grin, Gen said, “I think you might be right.”