His Southern Sweetheart

“Lexi,” Amelia started.

“No, I’m serious. Grits and Glam Gowns is more than just a dress shop. I’ve got weddings, proms and all other kinds of events needing a videographer.”

Amelia needed to stop her. She shook her head and held up her hand. “Lexi, my job is not in jeopardy. I’m on mandatory leave.”

“What?” Lexi stepped with a dramatic flair.

“I was never fired,” Amelia confessed. She watched the news register through Lexi’s wide eyes and immediately began to explain. “When everything happened with Nate, I did miss an opportunity for some great sound points on the show I produce. So my boss felt I might be overworked. With Grandmamma getting ill and me not taking a sick day in years, he ordered a mandatory leave of at least one month.”

Lexi covered her mouth with her French-manicured hands. “You’ve been here for three weeks.”

“I know.”

“Because of Miss Helen?”

Amelia blinked and glanced toward the screen. “Would you judge me if I said Nate was a part of the reason?”

A pregnant pause of shame fell between them. Amelia thought of herself as a career woman, not someone who put her life on hold for a man. And the crazy thing about extending her time to be with Nate was that it was purely on an emotional level. If it were for the sex, she’d understand, but with each day passing she found herself growing more attached to Nate.

“Hey, don’t be embarrassed. I fell in love with one of those Reyes boys,” said Lexi. “I completely understand.”

“No one said anything about love,” Amelia said, panicking. “I’ve produced shows where people claim to fall in love with someone after one date, seen folks get married after laying eyes on each other for the first time. I’ve seen some pretty bizarre things out in the world.”

“This is reality,” Lexi said, patting Amelia’s shoulder, “and realistic. You and Nate clearly have the chemistry. The two of you can’t stop making goo-goo eyes at each other.”

Amelia pressed her lips together to keep from grinning. “You’ve been talking to Philly.”

“Give the girl something sweet and she’ll spill all your secrets.” Lexi chuckled and patted Amelia’s shoulder again. “Look, girl, I’m not going to say anything to Nate about your job, but you need to. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to make a decision.”

“Why?”

“Because you can’t be in a serious relationship if you’re traveling all the time working on reality shows.”

Amelia’s lips twisted. Maybe she could manage her career as well as a relationship with Nate. Time would tell—and by time, she had until this weekend to decide.

* * *

Well aware of the silence falling between them since they’d left Lexi’s shop that evening, Nate reached across the console of his SUV for Amelia’s hand.

“Everything okay?”

The car passed under a street lamp. The light illuminated Amelia’s face. Nate’s heart seized for a brief moment when she smiled. He’d never get tired of it. “You’re awfully quiet.”

“Lexi made me a dress.”

“She thinks you’re special,” said Nate. “Something wrong with her making you a dress?”

“It’s for your small gathering Saturday night.”

Nate bit down on the inside of his cheek to contain his excitement. “Oh, yeah?” His mind raced with all the places he wanted to take her in his hometown.

“I haven’t agreed to go.”

“I fully believe you’ll change your mind.” Nate turned his vehicle onto the graveled driveway. The tires crunching against the tiny rocks reminded him of the next task he wanted to do for Amelia and Helen. Even though Helen was still in a cast, she’d eventually have a cane. A cane and gravel did not mix. “Want me to bring you in to work tomorrow after I drop off the girls at school?”

The norm for the last week had been for him to pick Amelia up and bring her into town to work with Lexi. He looked forward to their routine. Who knew a relationship would be fun? Why did everyone think it was hard work? The hardest thing, Nate might argue, was the sex, or lack of it. At their age, a quickie in the car was not an everyday thing—hence why he also wanted to get away for the weekend. The girls would stay with his parents and he’d get a room at the Torres Towers, his family’s hotel.

“Sounds like a plan to me, unless you want to stay the night and be here already in the morning.”