Something Blue, page 9
“I think that’s got a nice ring to it.”
“Kind of long, though. I like Milton the mailman better. Or even Lina the house lady.”
His uncle cleared his throat. “She’s just Lina. So, I guess I can go with plain ole Beth.”
Beth wasn’t plain ole anything.
With green eyes that flashed whenever she was interested or aggravated, and hair that matched the fire within, Beth was a force.
Sure, she was full of manners and graces, a professional with a mind like a trap, but he saw the careful, deliberate side of her crack when she’d gotten mad at him. That might make some people mad. Turn them sour on someone who looked ready to gouge their eyes out for saying something about their best friend.
Not him.
He understood that kind of reaction. That level of protectiveness.
It was exactly how he felt about Garrett.
Beth made sense to him—most of the time. He liked her. Plain and simple. And she’d almost convinced him to sit down and let her talk him into believing in Shelby and Evelyn, and supporting this wedding.
But he couldn’t let his affinity for her get in the way of doing what was best for his family.
“You going to answer the question, son?” Joe interrupted his thoughts. “Y’all were meeting about the groom’s dinner. Did you get it sorted?”
“Not exactly.”
“You better hurry up. How many more days until go time?”
Not enough days, that was for sure.
“There are some issues I need to fix first.”
“Issues. That doesn’t sound good.”
It wasn’t, and Sawyer was usually great at resolving issues. But this one had already blown up on him two or three times.
“Anything I can do?” Joe asked.
There may as well have been a lightbulb flipping on over Sawyer’s head.
Uncle Joe’s help was exactly what he needed. If he could get his uncle on Team Stop This Wedding, then Garrett would finally listen.
Joe was their mentor, their father figure. They loved him, would do anything for him, and vice versa. If Joe had concerns, then Garrett would take heed.
“You going to drive right by Farm & Feed or slow down?” Joe asked.
Sawyer hit the brakes and cut a quick right, barely making the turn.
“Don’t kill us before we get supplies.”
The Farm & Feed was only slightly less crowded on a weekday but remained one of Fredericksburg’s hottest social scenes on any given afternoon.
Sawyer and Joe had to stop twice to talk to folks before they even made it into the air-conditioned barn area.
“You want to divide and conquer on this list?” Joe flicked the notepad paper in his hand.
Normally, that was their MO. Today, Sawyer needed to bend his ear and gain an ally.
“We don’t need much. I think we can stick together.”
“Hey there!” His uncle waved at one of their neighbors and went over to chat.
Sawyer said hello and waited patiently for his uncle to finish gossiping about the couple that’d bought the land next to them.
At this rate, he’d never have time to talk about Garrett.
Finally, Joe finished chewing the fat and they headed to the aisle with the galvanized tubs.
“About the groom’s dinner meeting,” Sawyer began, with no segue or soft opening. “I told Beth I’d like to wait on scheduling that just yet, since I have some concerns about this whole wedding to begin with.”
His uncle stopped in the middle of the aisle. “Has this got anything to do with that same nonsense you pulled at the breakfast table the other morning?”
“It’s not nonsense. I’m telling you, Shelby is hiding something. She isn’t trustworthy. I heard her mother telling Beth about all her big plans for spending Garrett’s money.”
“Spending money is all that woman ever talks about. That don’t mean nothing. I know Evelyn Meyers can be a lot to handle, but you can’t judge Garrett’s girl based on the dam.”
“She’s not a horse, Uncle Joe. She’s an opportunist and she’s using Garrett the same way Melissa used me.”
They both fell silent. The softness in his uncle’s gaze was more than he could bear.
Joe was the person he’d confided in when he’d first learned the truth about his fiancée. He’d gone over to Melissa’s house to surprise her with a trip to San Antonio, in celebration of their engagement.
So stupid in love, he hadn’t stopped to wonder what some flashy Mercedes was doing in her driveway.
He’d been struck silent, finding her with another man.
Even later, she’d tried to make excuses for her actions and said a bunch of crap about how she’d felt rushed and she’d gotten scared, wanted to slow down, and how this was, in essence, all his fault.
He should’ve told her where she could go with all the bull she was shoveling, but he knew nothing good would come from saying another word to her. His love for her had ended at that exact moment.
So he’d walked away.
To this day, he was angry at her, but sometimes the best thing a man can do is walk away.
A few nights later, at Bronco’s Bar & Grill, he learned from one of Melissa’s tipsy friends that she’d actually “traded up on fiancés.” See, Chad with the Mercedes was a stockbroker from Dallas. Chad managed hedge funds and was moving her up in the world.
She’d never loved Sawyer or felt anything for him, except excitement at the opportunities being Mrs. Silva might have brought her.
That was the extent of Melissa’s true feelings for him.
The next day, after sobering up, Sawyer had gone out to one of the barns and punched a feed bag until his knuckles were raw.
That was where Uncle Joe had found him, and where he’d spilled out the whole sordid tale.
“Shelby ain’t Melissa, son,” Uncle Joe said to him now.
“I know she isn’t, but she’s cut from the same cloth.”
“How so?”
Sawyer looked at his uncle.
“No, seriously. Following that logic, how do you get she’s the same as your ex?”
He spit out the truth. “I’ve seen her hanging around a guy I know is no good. For no good reason.”
“Did you ask her why?”
“No. She doesn’t even know she’s busted.”
“So, it could be completely innocent?”
“No way.”
“I suggest you ask her and find out the truth about what you think you saw before you go digging yourself a big ole pit to fall in.”
“I asked her at breakfast, and you heard her. She made up a lie.”
Shelby wasn’t going to be honest about what she was up to, which is why he’d called a friend of a friend who did a little investigative work on the side. Nothing over the top, just someone who could do a little digging, a little following up on his would-be sister-in-law.
Something he should’ve done for himself, back in the day.
Joe shook his head. “Don’t go making judgment calls on people until you talk to them and get to the bottom of things. You know this, and we deal with it in business all the time. I’ve taught you as much for years.”
Oh, he’d get to the bottom of things. That much was certain.
But this wasn’t business. This wasn’t horses and land, training and riding and breeding.
This was personal.
This was his brother and the woman he was planning to marry. She was going to be family.
Family was more important than business.
After the Farm & Feed, they had an appointment with Mitchell, their financial advisor. There was an account Uncle Joe had and he said he wanted to check on it and make a few changes. He was vague on details, so Sawyer didn’t pry.
Instead, he waited in the clean, sleek lobby while his uncle conducted his business.
“Sawyer?”
“Garrett.” He stood to greet his brother. “I didn’t know you were meeting Joe here.”
“I’m not. I just wrapped up a separate appointment with Mitchell and ran into him. Funny seeing you guys here too.”
What was Garrett doing at Mitchell’s office? Mitchell handled only their long-term finances, savings and investments. Garrett didn’t need to make any changes to his savings. Unless…
A knot twisted Sawyer’s stomach.
Surely he wasn’t adding Shelby to any accounts already. They weren’t married yet.
He’d raised his brother to be smarter than that.
But how to ask.
“What are you doing here?”
Not smooth, but it’d have to do.
“Nothing much, just talking about options. Stuff about the future. You know.”
He did know. That was what worried him.
“But not making any changes right now. Right?”
Garrett rolled his eyes. “Sawyer,” he grumbled as he turned to go.
Sawyer followed him out. “I’m just asking.”
“You’re being nosy. They’re my accounts. I can do what I want.”
“And some of them are our accounts.”
Once he reached his car, Garrett spun on him. “You really think I’d be doing anything to our joint, family accounts without telling you?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“It’s what you meant.”
“I didn’t mean anything. I was asking a question. I know you’re all in love—I’ve been there, and it can make you do things—”
“I’m not you,” Garrett snapped.
They both fell silent.
“Look. I know you mean well, but after breakfast and then whatever happened at the bridal shower—”
“Nothing happened at the bridal shower.”
“Obviously something happened, because some bridesmaid came running over to Shelby upset about them going dress shopping without her, and Shelby is convinced you hate her.”
Great.
This wasn’t going his way at all. He wasn’t going to convince his brother to call it off, but what if he could at least convince him to slow it down? Buy himself time to get proof of Clay and Shelby.
“I just think you’re moving too fast. What’s the rush?”
“It’s not too fast.”
“Why now? Why does the whole thing have to be what Shelby wants?”
“Let’s just stop talking about this, okay? You’ve made it clear how you feel about her, the marriage, and now where we’re getting married.”
“I don’t care about where you get married.” He just wanted them to stop moving forward.
Garrett stuck his finger in Sawyer’s face. “Do not bring this up again. You understand? Not Shelby, not the wedding, none of it, or so help me God, you won’t be a part of any of it.”
Sawyer’s gut clenched and Garrett got in his car before Sawyer could say anything else.
He drove off, leaving Sawyer in the parking lot like a dog someone had abandoned.
An older lady studied him from the other side of her car.
“Ma’am.” He nodded her way before going back inside.
With a grumble he slumped onto the couch. This was going south fast. The harder he tried, the more he pushed his brother toward Shelby.
His tactics were all wrong. He was creating the Romeo and Juliet syndrome, and everyone knew how that ended.
He sat up a little straighter and tried to clear his head.
Everything he’d tried ended up with him being the bad guy. Flying off at the mouth had put him on the outs with Beth and now Garrett.
He wasn’t the bad guy, but they couldn’t see that.
Sawyer had to make himself the good guy. Turn things around so he was back on the inside, and then he could get to the bottom of what was going on.
Shelby was hiding her relationship with this guy, and he’d have to have his proof before he could ever bring this up with Garrett again. He wasn’t going to confront her about it, only to have her lie again and cause even more issues between him and Garrett.
No, he’d sit tight and wait until he had facts in hand before bringing anything up again.
Beyond that, though, he’d be Mr. Nice Guy. He wasn’t going to let Evelyn Meyers break the bank with her big reception plans, but otherwise, he’d play along with this wedding game.
That was the only way to ensure his brother didn’t lose.
Chapter 9
Beth finally got around to pouring herself the glass of tea she’d wanted over twenty-four hours ago and plodded down the separate hall to her bedroom. Luckily, her room sat on the other side of the living room from her sisters’. She needed privacy for this conversation. No one wanted to eat crow in public.
She sat on her bed and quickly ran through her opener—half in her head, half mouthing the words.
“Hey, Sawyer. It’s Beth Shipley. I would like to apologize for the other day. The whole conversation got out of hand, blah, blah, blah. I’m sorry. Let me take you to lunch. How about Frank’s BBQ? I will hear you out and even answer any questions you may have about Shelby. Without being defensive. You will see she is the best kind of person. I’m sure we can get everything back on track.”
Or something like that.
Maybe she’d get lucky and go to voicemail.
She hit his contact in her phone, because, yes, he was now a contact in her phone, and waited as it rang.
“Hello.”
Dang it. No voicemail.
“Sawyer. Hey. It’s Beth. Shipley.”
“I know. Your name popped up when you called.”
She was in his contacts too.
“Right. Okay. Well. I’m calling because…”
I want to apologize.
Just spit it out. Take one for the team even though he’d been snippy and defensive, too, not to mention completely baseless in his accusations against one of the nicest people on the planet.
Beth took another deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
A pause drew out into too-long silence.
“Because. See, the other day, when you were here, things got—”
“I know. I’m sorry too.”
Beth drew back the phone and looked at it. He was sorry too? In her experience, the men of Texas rarely, if ever, apologized.
“Things got way out of hand. The way Shelby’s mom was talking rubbed me the wrong way and I have my own, justifiable, reservations about my brother getting married so fast, but I didn’t need to go barking at you about it. I was out of line.”
Beth sat back against her pillows, stunned.
“Don’t get me wrong. I still think they’re rushing into this, but I realize I went about things the wrong way.”
“I’m…that’s good to hear. And I realize I was defensive and a bit…snippy. But I know what a good person Shelby is, and she really isn’t anything like her mother.”
Silence from the other end of the phone, but at least there was no argument otherwise.
“I know you were concerned with some of what you overheard,” she kept going since he wasn’t pushing back. “Why don’t we get together and talk about it? You can tell me what you’d like to see and you can continue to be as involved as you’d like to be. If you still wish to be involved?”
“I do.”
Her shoulders slumped with the sigh of relief. “Great. Then let me take you to lunch tomorrow. Maybe to Frank’s? And we can sort everything out. I’m sure.”
“I can’t go to lunch.”
Dang it.
“But I can meet you for dinner.”
Oh.
“Okay,” she answered, probably too quickly.
Dinner with Sawyer. On what planet was this a good idea? She was supposed to be corralling the enemy. Buttering him up so he didn’t ruin this whole thing. Not gazing into his big brown eyes over candlelight.
Actually, Frank’s didn’t have candles. Just BBQ and beer. That would be safe enough. Nothing romantic about either of those things.
“I’ll meet you there at seven tomorrow?” he asked.
“Sounds good.”
“See you then,” he said, and waited for her to hang up first.
Beth set her phone on the bed and began picking at a loose string on her quilt.
The call had gone okay. Right? Kind of felt like she’d blacked out for a moment after he apologized.
But he had definitely apologized, so that was a good sign. He knew he was out of line with all that warning-Garrett talk and trying-to-ruin-the-wedding nonsense.
Not that Garrett would listen.
Any fool could see how much he loved Shelby, and how she loved him.
It still bothered her why Sawyer would ever think the worst of her best friend, but she could use this dinner to poke around and get to the bottom of why.
Frank’s BBQ looked out across the vast fields of Firewheel Farms, one of the Hill Country’s famous wildflower farms. At sunset, the views would be so clear you could see for miles.
There were two different stories about how the Firewheel flower got its name.
The flowers were vibrant yellow around the edges, red centered, and daisy shaped.
Legend had it that, in the time of the Aztecs, bright yellow flowers grew everywhere. Children played in fields of wildflower blooms. Young ladies collected the flowers and decorated themselves with necklaces of these yellow flowers.
Then Cortés arrived and conquered the nation. The blood of the Aztec people stained the flowers with red.
Beth shivered at remembering the tale. It was a dark legend.
Some believed the Firewheel was named for the Texas horizon at sunset. The sky would color a deep burnt orange, the sun setting low beyond the peak. It looked like fire in the sky.
Sawyer had beaten her to the restaurant and waited for her inside the door near the hostess station.
She smiled, thinking he’d probably heard the exact same stories growing up, as all locals did.
“Good to see you.” He smiled back.
Remembering he was the enemy was going to prove quite the challenge.
And, as it turned out, for dinner service, Frank’s did have candles.
Yay!
They were the short, fake tea-light variety, but they still created an ambience that Beth didn’t need right now.
“Inside or outside?” the hostess asked.
