“Damn,” he muttered, getting stirred up all over again. This was bad. He had plans for the rest of his life and they didn’t include staying in Serenity forever. He’d been very careful in the past to keep his relationships casual and uncomplicated. Jeanette had complication written all over her.
Thankfully, before he could get too worked up over the unexpected twist of fate, his cell phone rang, promising a distraction.
“Yes, hello,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound as desperate as he felt.
“Tom, it’s Cal.”
He nearly sighed with relief at the distraction. “Cal, I meant to call you earlier about your Little League proposal. I wanted to let you know that I haven’t had time to get to it, but I haven’t forgotten.”
“Not a problem,” Cal assured him. “Actually, I thought maybe you’d like to hang out with Ronnie Sullivan—you know him from the festival committee, I think—Erik Whitney from Sullivan’s and me tonight. We’re going to toss around a football in the park, maybe have a few beers after. Interested?”
“How soon?” he asked eagerly.
“Twenty minutes,” Cal said. “We’ll be by the gazebo. Can you meet us there?”
“Absolutely,” Tom said. “I just need to drop off my briefcase at the inn and change.”
Thank heavens, he thought as he stuck his cell phone back in his pocket. He hoped these guys took their games seriously. He figured it would take a solid hour of hard sweat and a whole lot of inconsequential guy talk to work the memory of that smoldering kiss out of his head.
* * *
Two hours later, Tom was drained of thoughts and energy. These guys played even a casual game of football with an intensity that had challenged him. He was also on his second beer, which had loosened his tongue.
“So, what’s the story on Jeanette?” he asked before he could think through the consequences of bringing up her name with these particular guys. “You all know her, right?”
Cal, Ronnie and Erik exchanged amused looks.
“Told you,” Cal said, holding out his hand to the others. “Pay up.”
Tom frowned. “Told them what?”
“That you had a thing for Jeanette and that it wouldn’t take more than two beers for you to start asking questions about her,” Cal said.
“You bet on this?” he asked incredulously.
“We bet on everything,” Ronnie said, handing over five dollars to Cal. “Keeps us on our toes. We’re a very competitive bunch.”
“I’m paying you under protest,” Erik said as he gave Cal his money. “The deck was stacked in your favor. You’ve seen the two of them together. We haven’t.”
“Stop whining,” Cal told him, seizing the five-dollar bill. “I know perfectly well that Helen and/or Dana Sue has clued you in about this. Probably both of them. And Ronnie’s on the Christmas festival committee, so he’s at least seen them together once.”
Erik grinned. “Well, maybe I had heard something, but I’m busy when I’m at Sullivan’s. I don’t always pay attention to whatever Dana Sue’s going on about in the kitchen.”
“And your wife?” Cal taunted. “Do you tune her out, too?”
“Helen?” Erik said. “Impossible! She makes sure I hear every word she says. It’s the lawyer in her.”
Tom held up a hand. “Can we back up the train a minute? All of you, your wives included, have been speculating about me and Jeanette?”
“True,” Ronnie said, giving him a commiserating slap on the back. “Welcome to the world of the Sweet Magnolias.”
“Damn,” Tom muttered. “She told me they meddled, but I had no idea to what extent.”
“Take it from the three of us, these women work as a team,” Cal reported. “You show a little interest in Jeanette, they’re going to be all over it.”
“I’m not sure if that’s good or bad,” Tom said. “It seems to be scaring off Jeanette. She claims she has zero interest in me specifically and in men in general.”
“Trust me, they were all skittish when we came into their lives,” Cal reported. “With Maddie and me, it was the age thing, plus my job was threatened by the whole supposed scandal of her dating a younger man, who also happened to be her son’s baseball coach. With Ronnie and Dana Sue, let’s just say there was some history he had to overcome the second time around.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Erik added, giving Ronnie a playful punch in the arm.
Cal continued, “As for Erik here, well, he was just about as reluctant to get involved as Helen was. Ronnie and I had a great time watching the mightiest of the mighty fall.”
“So what’s made Jeanette so skittish?” Tom asked, probably too eagerly.
“Beats me,” Cal said. “She was flying solo when she got to town and that hasn’t changed in the time we’ve known her.”
“Hold on,” Ronnie said. “Wasn’t there some guy she was living with before she moved here? I think Dana Sue said they broke up over her working so much and wanting to leave Charleston.”
“Jeanette used to live in Charleston?” Tom asked. “I didn’t know that. Is that where she’s from?”
“No, she’s from someplace south of here,” Erik said. “Another little town.”
Ronnie shoved another beer in front of him. “Okay, let’s get to the point, man. Are you serious about her or are you just looking for a distraction?”
Tom stared at him. He’d been here less than a month, known Jeanette for a couple of weeks and they wanted to know if he was serious? “Come on,” he protested. “Serious? As in looking for a wife?”
“That’s the one,” Cal confirmed.
“I barely know her.” Tom shrugged. “And if she has her way, it’ll stay like that.”
“We could help you out,” Cal offered casually. “If we thought you were serious.”
“Help me out
