“Wait…what? Dude, that’s not the plan. All three of us are supposed to head south of the border. Mexico. Cops ain’t looking for three people, either.”
“I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and it’s better this way, I swear. Besides, I’ve got some unfinished business I need to take care of before I can relax in the Mexican sunshine.”
Axel simply shook his head. “It’s your funeral, dude. You know where me and my lady will be hanging, if you change your mind.”
“I’m gonna take you up on that. Just need to finish what I started first.”
Axel yanked him in for a hug, and Evan cringed, even as he pounded the other’s back. Yeah, he really needed to hit the road before things got any more awkward. He wasn’t looking at being any part of Axel’s extracurricular activities. Taking a step back, Evan finally noted what was in Axel’s outstretched hand.
“Take these. They’ll probably be too big, but they’ll do until you can find something else. Can’t have you running around in those,” Axel gestured toward Evan’s prison uniform. “You need cash? I ain’t got much, but I can float ya a big.”
He didn’t want to take Axel’s money, but he’d be a fool to walk around strapped for cash, not even able to buy a meal. “That’d be awesome. I’ll pay you back, I swear.”
“Don’t sweat it. Pay it forward when you can, help somebody else out. Anyway, my girl’s headed this way, so we’re outta here. Peace, my brother.”
“Take care of yourself, Axel. Thanks for getting me out of that hellhole.”
He stood, watching until the car drove out of sight, before heading toward the restroom with the clothes and cash. Making quick work of shedding the loathsome uniform, he wet and slicked back his hair, and scrubbed the grime of the trunk from his body as best he could do in the miniscule sink. Donning the T-shirt and jeans, he shoved the money in his pocket, and headed into the gas station’s convenience store, and bought a map.
It took less than a minute to locate his destination.
Shiloh Springs, Texas.
CHAPTER NINE
Beth nibbled on her thumbnail and stared at the clothes laid out on her bed, a knot of dread in the pit of her stomach. What was she doing? She hadn’t been on a date in…forever. Not since she’d married the ratfink ex. They’d never done date nights. Shoot, they’d barely spent quality time with each other once Jamie was born. Now, she’d jumped off the deep end and invited Brody on a date. A date! Maybe this was a dream, and she’d wake up and realize it was all in her imagination.
She reached for her forearm and pinched. Ouch! Nope, not a dream. Somehow, moving into Tessa’s old cottage had jumpstarted her libido, and she’d given into temptation, and its name was Brody Boudreau.
“What ya doing, Mommy?”
Beth glanced toward her daughter, who stood in the bedroom’s doorway, her head cocked to the side.
“I’m trying to decide what I’m going to wear.”
“Why can’t you wear what you got on?”
Beth wanted to laugh, because her daughter’s question was said in such a serious tone. Jamie was too young to understand the ins and outs of fashion, especially dating attire. Not that she was any kind of expert. Jeans and a shirt had pretty much encompassed her entire wardrobe when she’d been dating her ex. She wanted to look nice tonight, but not like she was trying too hard.
“Aunt Tessa’s here.” Jamie made the announcement and proceeded to run down the hall, toward the front door. Ever since Beth had told her she’d be spending the night with her Aunt Tessa, Jamie had been a bundle of uncontained energy, over-the-moon excited to get to have a sleepover at the Big House. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear those Boudreaus were spoiling her child. Oh, who was she kidding? They were totally treating Jamie like a pampered princess.
“Hey, Sis.” Tessa sauntered through the bedroom door, her eyes instantly zeroing in on the stack of dresses, jeans, and tops. “What’s going on?”
“I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to wear tonight.”
Tessa’s eyes narrowed, and she studied Beth intently. “You never mentioned when you called and asked me to watch Jamie what you were doing.” Then her mouth dropped open for a second before she whispered, “Don’t tell me. You’ve got a date? You’ve got a date!” Her voice got louder with each syllable, until she was nearly yelling by the end.
“It’s nothing serious, Tessa. Just dinner between friends, that’s all.”
Tessa snorted. “You’re not fooling me for a second. Spill. Who’s the lucky guy? Give me all the deets.”
Beth picked up a pale blue sheath and held it up to her chest. “There are no deets. Simply dinner as a thank you.”
“Still not buying it. You haven’t shown an interest in any guy since moving to Shiloh Springs. Unless…no, I don’t believe it.”
“What?”
Tessa’s body practically quivered on the bed, and Beth rolled her eyes, before tossing the blue dress back on the bed, and picking up a soft peach-colored blouse with tiny buttons down the front and lace edging around the collar. From the corner of her eye, she watched Tessa, her expressions ranging from astonished to amused.
“Please, oh, please…tell me you’re finally going to put Brody out of his misery and go out with him.”
The blouse she held slipped from her fingers and she stared at her sister. “What are you talking about?”
“Sis, are you blind? Or just out of practice? Brody is definitely interested in getting to know you.” She waggled her brows in an exaggerated fashion. “The guy is totally besotted.”
Images of Brody raced through her head, playing like a slideshow. His cheeky grin. His crooked half-smile when he watched Jamie.
