Southern Desire (Southern Heart 2)

“Yeah. Look, I’ll make an appointment.”

“Thank you. Do you want me to send you a doctor recommendation? I don’t have privileges, so I can’t order it.”

“Yeah, that would be great. Thank you, Kathy.”

“How are you? You like the new job?”

Aaron flashes through my mind. “Yeah, I really do. McKinley is great to work with. I don’t really feel like I’m an employee. Everyone here is so nice.”

“That’s great, Whitney. I’m glad it’s all working out for you. I can hear the change in your voice. This move was good for you.”

I think about it for a minute. “Yeah, it really was. I’m happy here.”

“So you think you might stay?”

“I really do. It just feels right, you know?”

“Good. You still have to come back and visit.”

“You know I will.”

“All right, Whit. I’ll send you a few doctors to choose from in a few days. Call me if you need anything, and I’m so happy you’re happy. She would be too,” she says softly.

“Thanks, Kathy.” We say good-bye and I tap the screen, letting my phone fall to my lap.

“What are you still doing out here? Time’s wasting,” Olivia scolds me.

“I’ll be ready,” I assure her. I hop off the couch and race to my room. A drink after that call is exactly what I need. Thirty minutes later, I’m just sliding into my boots when Kinley honks her horn, letting us know she’s here.

“Whit!” Olivia yells down the hall to my room.

“Coming!” I yell back as I do a quick check in the mirror. This is as good as it’s going to get. I grab my phone and my purse and rush out the door.

Mike’s Tavern is busy. I’ve been here a few times and there always seems to be a big crowd; of course this is a small town and Saturday night. Not much else to do.

“You ladies grab a seat. I’ll grab the first round,” Olivia says, sauntering off toward the bar.

Kinley grabs my hand and leads us through the crowd. “I have to admit, it’s nice to get out of the house. I love my kids and my husband, but I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”

“You know, this is exactly what I needed as well.”

She raises her eyebrows. “What did my brother do?” she asks.

“Uh, n-nothing. Why would you ask that?”

She gives me a look. You know, the one that says she knows what I’m trying to hide. “He’s a man. They mess up.” She shrugs. “It’s what they do.”

Before I can reply, Olivia is returning with our drinks. I guess it helps that she served herself. “Here you go.” She slides a shot and a beer in front of me and a glass of wine in front of Kinley.

“I’m nursing,” she says, eyeing the wine like she’s been in the desert for days.

“Yeah, but your husband assured me that one glass would be fine and that you need to—” She pulls out her phone and looks at her messages. “—pump and dump for twenty-four hours.” Olivia smirks when she sets her phone on the table.

“That man.” Kinley laughs, reaching for the glass of wine. “That means he will be here to drive us home.”

“You got it. Drink it slow. He said one, and I’m not pissing Evan Chamberlin off.”

Kinley chuckles. “He’s more bark than bite.”

“Not when it comes to you and his kids. I’m not going there.”

Kinley holds her glass up. We follow suit with our shots and click them together. Olivia and I toss back our shots, chasing them with the beers. We talk about everything and nothing. Kinley is thinking about getting her hair cut, but Evan likes it long. Olivia has her eye on a guy they all grew up with. His name is David. I guess he just moved back to town. I feel terrible listening to her talk. I live with her, we’re family. I should have known this already.

“I’m a terrible friend, roommate, cousin, whatever I am.” I can hear my words starting to slur. Mike has kept the beers coming.

“What?”

“I live with you and I had no idea. I suck!” I say, slamming my bottle down on the table harder than I intended.

“Hey.” Olivia puts her arm around my shoulder. “It’s new. I wasn’t sure really if I should even say anything. I just decided to put it out there. That makes it easier to ask you to dish about Aaron.”

Shit! I look over at McKinley and she’s grinning. “Oh yes, what is going on with you and my brother?” she asks, resting her arms on the table, leaning in close as if I’m about to give her the biggest news of the century.

“We’re friends,” I say, defeated. How am I supposed to tell them what we are when I don’t even really know?

“He likes you,” Kinley says.

“He’s a great guy.” How lame is that? I look around the bar, needing a distraction. “Why are we sitting here? Let’s dance.” I slide out of the booth, reaching in and tugging on Olivia’s arm until she follows. “You too,” I say, reaching out for Kinley with the other hand.

We’re all three laughing by the time we reach the dance floor. Luckily, it’s a fast song and we lose ourselves to the beat. This is exactly what I needed.

It’s Saturday night, and I find myself sitting all alone on the front porch, sipping a beer. Mom and Dad are in the house watching TV. I needed some fresh air. Really, this is a perfect night. The weather is warm but not so much that you feel like you’re melting even though the sky is lit with stars. I texted Evan earlier to see if he wanted to go grab a quick beer, and he informed that Kinley was having a girls’ night with Whitney and Olivia.

I started to ask her if she wanted to do something tonight, but I decided against it. I’ve been spending every spare minute I have with her. Not that it’s a bad thing, not really. I mean, she’s fun to be around and she’s easy on the eyes for sure. No, the reason I refrained is because this is becoming more. More than I expected, more than I could have possibly wanted.

For the first time in my life, I find myself at a crossroads, and I don’t know which way to go. I want her. I want to lay it out there, tell her she’s mine, but she’s still grieving. I don’t know how to handle that. Is it too soon? Has she really grieved the loss of her mother? Am I just a crutch? Are her feelings real? I’m a fucking whipped asshole over this girl. This is new.