Southern Player (Charleston Heat 2)

He shoots me a dark look.

“As a friend, I mean. Emotionally speaking. I’m doin’ my best to respect her wishes while winnin’ her over at the same time. Matter of fact, I’m taking her out on a date tonight.”

“Oh?” E raises a brow. “She agreed to that?”

“Sure did. Gonna show her around the farm a bit. Then take her to some of my favorite spots out on Sullivan’s.”

Sullivan’s Island is my old stomping ground. Before I moved to the farm earlier this year, I had a little bungalow out there by Mama’s house. It’s a sleepy place that’s gotten a bit more touristy over the years, thanks to the incredible beaches. But there’s still some really great, locally owned spots on the island to grab a bite and a beer.

“Lacy’s BBQ?” he asks.

I grin. “Yup. They know me there. Used to pretty much live at their bar.”

“Lacy is good people. Man makes the best pulled pork in the city if you ask me. And then what? Drinks across the street at The Raven?”

“You got it.” I rub my hands together. “Been a while since I got out that way. Lookin’ forward to it.”

Eli hands a perfect wedge of watermelon to me. Takes one for himself. Takes a bite.

“Damn that’s good,” he says.

I take a bite myself. Juice running down my arm as I take another. Perfectly sweet. Firm. Not the least bit wormy or watery.

Tastes like sun and summer.

“Thanks. Found this varietal from a guy out on Edisto—swears it’s the low country’s best.”

“Gonna have to agree with him on that point.” Eli fishes a few seeds out of the half-eaten slice in his hand. He narrows his eyes at it. Wheels starting to turn. “I’m thinking some sort of watermelon gazpacho is a good call here. Make it very classic with cucumber and red pepper. Nice hit of red wine vinegar. Garlic always spices things up…I’m thinkin’ a watermelon cocktail’s too obvious. Could do some grown-up popsicles, though.”

I nod. “I like that idea. Maybe mix a little silver tequila in there. Mint and lime, too.”

“Fuck yeah,” he says, grabbing the pen from behind his ear and jotting down a note on a nearby clipboard. “So what are you gonna show Gracie at the farm? The mill where you’re gonna be makin’ me more grits I hope? I got dibs on your next batch.”

“I know, I know. Corn is comin’ up real nice this year. But yeah. She said she wanted to see more of the farm, so…really, I just think she wants to see me on a tractor, like, naked or somethin’,” I joke.

Eli looks up from his clipboard. “I told you I don’t want details.”

“Sorry,” I say, laughing as I hold up my hands. “Sorry. Just bein’ honest.”

“If I’m bein’ honest, I’m surprised Gracie’s so intrigued by your…tractor, I guess. She’s always been more of a city girl.”

That shadow moves across my chest again. I look down. Unhook my ankles, scuffing my toe against the tile floor.

“She’s been good about keeping an open mind about things,” I say. “But yeah. She’s definitely a city girl. Kind of—well, not a sticking point for me, ’cause I love how involved she is here in town. Got a nice life for herself, you know? But I do think about how our lives are not at all alike. I’m just a country boy who likes his quiet, and she’s this sexy—”

“Dude, come the fuck on.”

“This sophisticated woman who likes being in the thick of things. I love that she’s so accomplished and so ambitious. When we’re alone, Gracie and I get along like peas and carrots. I’m worried, though, that tryin’ to exist outside that little bubble…” I shrug. “It might be tough.”

Eli’s brow is furrowed. He takes a minute to think before responding.

“At the end of the day, I just want y’all to be happy,” he says, crossing his arms. “I hear what you’re saying. The two of you do lead very different lives. But I’ve watched Gracie get hurt time and time again by guys who were just as involved downtown as she is. Just because people live in the same place and run in the same circles doesn’t mean they’ll be happy together. I think it just comes down to y’all’s willingness to compromise. To find some common ground. If Gracie’s keepin’ an open mind, and you are, too, then you guys are already halfway there.”

I swallow. Take a breath. “I’m just worried I’ll hold her back, you know? I don’t want to take her away from her life here. I see how much it lights her up. I see how ambitious she is. She’s got big plans. And I don’t know if me being around will help or hurt her chances of makin’ ’em happen.”

“That’s for her to decide, isn’t it? Don’t go patronizin’ my sister—that’s a surefire way of losin’ her respect. And if you lose that, you’re gonna lose her. Look.” He sighs, uncrossing his arms to rest his hands on the stainless steel counter behind him. “Just the fact that she agreed to go on a date with you how many days after y’all first, er, hung out is a good sign you’re doin’ something right. When she came to me to discuss the idea, she said point blank she had her guard up. And for good reason. She’s been disappointed. Shit on. Left.”