It had been years since Beth had been to a Spring Fling, even longer since she’d participated in one. The thing had almost doubled in size since she was a kid. The fair—complete with a massive Ferris wheel, fun house, merry-go-round, and more booths of games than Beth had the patience to count—was a newer addition to the event.

The real draw was the animals. There was the petting zoo (complete with pony rides), the pig racing pen (where people were crowded around cheering on the hog they wanted to win…and placing bets), and the cow show (which was actually where people dressed up any animal that wasn’t a cow into a cow).

Last, but certainly not least, were the vendors. About fifty booths and tents were set up around her, half local and the other half out of towners. There were those trying to sell their handmade goods and crafts, restaurants selling food, a pet adoption booth, and so on, and so on.

The bake sale, where Beth was currently stationed, was set up under a tent that sported the white and royal blue school colors. The school mascot, Paulie the Pirate, was printed on the overhanging border that ran around the whole tent. There were four massive tables set up on each side of the tent, two for the goods, one for the milk and coffee station, and the last was a sign-up station for the 10K color run the following month.

Mel had become the master of fundraisers, always having the next one in the works so that the community was in the know as to exactly what was going on.

Beth got to work with Mel, Dale, and Hamilton on her shift. The boys were on sign-up duty for the 10K…and flirting with every teenage girl who walked up to them. There were currently a group of five gathered around them, twirling their hair and giggling.

“You know every single one of those girls is going to sign up now, don’t you?” Beth asked, looking over at Mel. “They don’t stand a chance.”

“Why do you think I put Dale and Hamilton at the sign-up in the first place?”

“Because you’re an evil genius.”

“And don’t you forget it,” Mel grinned before she moved off to check the status of the coffee makers.

Beth turned to look at the crowd of people moving around. It was after one in the afternoon so a lot of them were lining up around the food vendors trying to snag some lunch. As she’d eaten a late breakfast before coming here she wasn’t all that hungry…though she could do with some more caffeine.

She hadn’t exactly slept well the night before. It had taken her well over an hour to finally fall asleep. And once she had? Well, the rest of the night had been fitful.

Tripp was to blame.

Obviously.

She’d lain in bed, unable to get the events of the day out of her head. A lot had happened, starting with that damn piece of pie at the diner…and her realizing she had a thing for him.

But what was the thing? That was the question, wasn’t it? And she had no clue what the answer was. Their flirting had morphed into something else in absolutely no time at all. In fact, the time from pie to kiss had only been about five hours. Five freaking hours. Oh dear Lord, that was fast.

Too fast.

Too freaking fast.

But whenever she started overthinking things—as she was prone to do—she remembered what his lips felt like on hers. Good Lord, kissing him had been…good.

Too good.

Too freaking good.

She was going to need to figure out what she wanted. Stat.

*  *  *

Tripp made his way through the mass of people that swarmed around him. He hadn’t planned on going to the Mirabelle Spring Fling; but had every intention of spending the day working on Koko. He’d just gotten a new alternator he needed to install.

But his plans changed when he saw Beth loading up her SUV that morning.

She’d been wearing a bright blue Pirates T-shirt and jeans shorts. The woman might be on the shorter side but that fact in no way detracted from her legs. She had fantastic legs.

Tripp found himself thanking the good Lord for the unseasonably warm weather, as it made it possible for her to show off those legs. He’d had a pretty intense fantasy of having those legs wrapped around his waist the night before.

One fantasy among many. All involving Beth.

When he’d left her house he’d walked in his own door and immediately headed for the coldest shower he’d even taken in his life.

It hadn’t helped. Didn’t even make a dent.

It had been a long time since he’d wanted a woman so much, and if he was being entirely honest with himself, he had never wanted a woman at the level he wanted Beth.

Which was why he was currently navigating the crowd in search of her. And when he finally found her he came up short at the sight. She was talking to some guy that Tripp had never seen before. She was beaming up at him, that smile getting bigger and bigger right up until she tipped her head back and laughed.

It was then that the schmuck reached forward, putting his hand on her arm before he pulled her into a hug. Tripp wasn’t quite ready for the seething jealousy he felt at seeing Beth in another man’s arms.

Yeah, that was…unexpected.

To top the whole thing off, when the idiot finally let go of her, he held up multiple bags of chocolate chip cookies. That had Tripp moving again.

Those were his fucking cookies.

Before Tripp could get to her, the asshole had moved off, but not before giving Beth a wistful look over his shoulder.

“Just keep moving it along there, buddy,” Tripp grumbled under his breath.

He was still a good ten feet away from her when she turned to go back behind the table, but as she moved, her eyes came up and landed on him. Her smile was replaced with an expression of surprise, her eyes going wide as she came to a halt and her entire body snapped to attention, like she’d just been shocked.

But within a second that all changed.

She loosened her shoulders, her stance going nonchalant as her body relaxed. She gave him a friendly smile, a smile that clearly said oh, you’re here. No big deal. Tripp continued to approach until he was standing right in front of her. Close enough to smell the vanilla on her skin…or was it in her hair? He had no idea. What he did know was that the scent was incredible.

She stared up into his face, still trying to look entirely unaffected by his sudden appearance.

She failed.

She might be trying to hide her reaction to him, but her blue eyes gave her away. They were bright with pleasure. Yeah, she couldn’t hide that.

And she wasn’t the only one who sucked at hiding how she really felt. He was about ten times worse.

“There a reason you’re scowling at me right now?” Beth asked, taking a step closer to him.

Yes, because some other guy had just touched her. That was why he was scowling. But rather than answer her, he did something even he couldn’t have predicted until the moment he decided to do it.

He kissed her.

Well, he didn’t just kiss her. No, he needed to prove a point—the point being that no other man was allowed to have his hands on her arms…or anything else, for that matter.

Oh hell, who was he kidding? It had been an eventuality: he was going to do it the second he’d seen her. He’d known he was going to grab her and haul her up against his body. Known he was going to claim her at the first opportunity he got.

Which was what he did.

Not only did she fist her hands in his T-shirt to give herself leverage as she stretched up, but her lips opened immediately to his. There was no resistance, just like the day before. He swept his tongue inside her mouth, tasting her sweetness.

And God, was she sweet.

She was also kissing him back. Her hands tightened in the fabric of his T-shirt as she somehow pulled herself even closer to him. He had absolutely no complaints.

Not a one.

When he finally pulled his mouth back from Beth’s—both of them good and truly breathless—he looked down into her beautiful face.

Mine.

That one word took hold in his mind and before he knew it, planted itself firmly and sprouted roots.

Well, that was definitely new. And not something he was going to analyze at the moment, not that he exactly had the brain capacity to analyze anything besides Beth being in his arms.

“How’s your head?” He reached up and brushed her hair back and behind her ear so he could get a better look at her forehead.

“It’s fine.”

“Good.” His fingers traced her hairline, moving down the side of her face to her jaw. “Who was that guy?”

“What guy?” Her eyes squinted in confusion.

“The guy who was just being overly friendly with you.”

“You mean you? Do you normally just walk up to women in the middle of a crowd, grab them and kiss them?”

“Women in general? No. You? Apparently. Now answer my question: Who was the guy?”

“He means Jameson.”

Tripp turned to see Mel a few feet away, standing behind the bake sale table. Her arms were folded across her chest and she was wearing the biggest damn smirk he’d ever seen in his life.

Before Tripp knew it, he was looking back at Beth, but not because he’d turned back. Nope. She’d grabbed his chin and forced his gaze back to hers.

“Did you seriously just kiss me because you’re jealous?”

“I’m not jealous of that guy.” Anymore, he amended in his head. He was the one who currently had Beth in his arms, and had tasted her mouth just moments ago.

“Oh, really now?” Her eyebrows rose high. “Well, to answer your question, Jameson is an old boyfriend. My first boyfriend, to be exact.”

“Wasn’t he your first kiss, too?” Mel asked.

It wasn’t lost on him at all that Mel was trying to be an instigator. She was succeeding in her mission, too.

“Sure was.” Beth nodded. “And as far as kisses go, it was—”

But exactly what it was, Tripp would never find out. His mouth covered hers, effectively stopping her from saying another word. As he kissed her, he was determined to make her forget about anything or anyone else. But it was Beth who was making him forget.

It had taken him absolutely no time at all to become completely and totally lost in her…and to completely and totally forget that they were in public…and currently surrounded by a hundred or so people. But who the fuck cared about that when she was running her hands up and down his chest…and grazing her teeth along his bottom lip?

What brought Tripp back to the moment was a piercing wolf whistle that echoed in his ears a moment later. He didn’t need to look over to know who’d done it. Enough time playing baseball and going horseback riding with Finn had permanently engrained that noise in Tripp’s brain.

And as much as he really, really wanted to keep kissing the beautiful woman in his arms, he needed to get a grip on himself.

When his mouth left hers—more than reluctantly—she looked up at him and grinned. “Not jealous, huh?”

“Jealous?” Finn asked, now at Tripp’s side. “Of who?”

“Jameson Mitchell,” Mel answered before anyone else could.

“Why?”

“Because, he was flirting with Beth,” Tripp told his friend.

“He was not.” Beth shook her head. “Next time, you should get all the facts,” she said as she pointed over Tripp’s shoulder, a gesture that had him turning.

Jameson was a couple of booths down, holding hands with a beautiful and very pregnant redhead. There were two little girls—both sporting strawberry blond hair—at their sides, one pulling on her father’s pant leg while she pointed to the very end of the row.

Tripp turned back to Beth to find her looking as smug as a person could look. “He’s happily married. Has been for about ten years now. I went to their wedding, actually. Got them a bacon press in the shape of a pig and a griddle that makes their pancakes look like a cow.”

He’d been wrong; her expression could get even more smug. A second later she stretched up and brought that smug mouth of hers to his ear, speaking low enough so only he could hear what she said next.

“Looks like I get this round, too, Tripp.” She dragged her hands down his chest again, flexing her fingers when she got to his abs. Her nails just pressed through the material of his shirt and into his skin.

He’d lost, all right. He was also quickly learning that when it came to Beth, control was a thing of the past.

*  *  *

Tripp Black was determined to destroy every last brain cell, ounce of composure, and any semblance of decorum that Beth possessed.

He was doing a pretty damn good job of it, too.

One second she’d been looking up into his scowling face and the next he’d been kissing the breath out of her, something that appeared to be becoming a bit of a habit. But Tripp had gone and upped his game this afternoon.

He’d done all that kissing very publicly.

It wasn’t that Beth had a problem with public displays of affection, not in the slightest. But gossip traveled fast around Mirabelle, and for him to have kissed her in front of so many witnesses said a lot…like he didn’t care who saw all of that kissing.

Okay, just one more thing to add to the long list of things she was learning when it came to whatever this was with him. It made her stomach flutter.

And as she was learning full well with this man, flutters could be dangerous.

Another thing she was adding to the list of things she was learning about him was Tripp’s reaction to her talking with Jameson. It was ridiculous for many, many reasons. The number one reason being that she and Jameson weren’t anything more than friends, something that had been true for over a decade and a half now.

That didn’t change the fact of the matter, though. Even if Tripp wanted to deny it, he’d been totally jealous. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he was trying to make a claim on her or something. But that would be crazy…wouldn’t it? It was too soon for something like that.

Way too soon.

Way too freaking soon.

The conversation Beth had had with Mel the other day popped into her brain, the one about men going all caveman. The way Tripp was currently looking down at her definitely made her believe he wanted nothing more than to throw her over his shoulder and carry her off somewhere.

Well, she’d poked the bear with that last little move of hers, now hadn’t she? And she’d only just been able to hold on to the last vestiges of her self-restraint as she’d leaned up against his body and run her hands down his perfectly muscled chest a few seconds ago.

She was definitely playing with fire.

It took a force of will to take a step away from him now, but she had to do it for sanity’s sake. Because if she stood there looking up into those intensely warm brown eyes of his for one more moment—and with his hands more than possessively placed on her hips—her sanity was going to crumble. She was pretty damn close to letting him carry her off anywhere that he wanted…and she’d enjoy every single moment of it.

Nope. Nope. Nope. That was not going to happen. She needed to pull herself together, and it was only because someone was speaking again that she was able to do it. Finn was asking a question and it took everything in her to concentrate on his words.

“It’s becoming a bit of a pattern with me walking up while the two of you are making out. This going to become the new norm?”

She really wanted to know the answer to that question, too. She had absolutely no idea what this was…and she really wasn’t the type to stay in limbo over something like this. Answers; she needed answers.

But Tripp wasn’t giving any. Instead he asked Finn a question of his own. “What are you doing over here?”

“I came for sweets.” Finn clapped his hands together before he rubbed them excitedly. “Beth, you still have some of your cookies up for grabs?”

“I sure do.” She started moving back to the table, beyond grateful for the distraction. But before she could get behind it, a high-pitched squeal of glee echoed through the air. The instinct to turn toward it was automatic; she’d know that sound anywhere.

Penny came barreling through the crowd, a green triceratops about half the size of her tucked underneath her arm. “Aunt B! Look what I got!” she said excitedly. Though what she actually said was, wook what I got.

Her hair was pulled up into pigtails that bounced up and down as she ran full tilt. Beth crouched down, opening her arms wide as Penny ran right into them. She stood with her giggling niece in her arms, looking into those delighted green eyes.

“What did you win?” Beth asked.

“A dinosaur! I named him Flounder.”

“Like the fish?” Finn asked.

Beth looked over at him and couldn’t help but laugh at his look of utter confusion. “Like the character from The Little Mermaid,” she explained.

“Except my Flounder isn’t a fish. He’s a dinosaur,” Penny said, holding the stuffed animal out for everyone to get a better look.

“We can see that,” Tripp nodded. “How did you get him?”

“Papa! He knocked down all the bottles. He won Grant a bear!” She bounced in her aunt’s arms as she pointed behind them.

All heads turned as Wallace and Grant made their way through the crowd. They were hand in hand, and Grant’s other arm was wrapped around the neck of a fuzzy black bear. It was just slightly bigger than Penny’s dinosaur, the head popping up above his elbow.

Grant was looking around, taking in the commotion that surrounded him with open fascination. It wasn’t until he and his grandfather were twenty feet away that he saw Beth standing with Tripp and Finn. He stopped dead in his tracks.

The abrupt halt caught Wallace off guard. The man turned back to look at his grandson, saying something that had Grant shaking his head. Those big green eyes of his went wide as he looked back and forth between Beth and Tripp.

The look of fear that overtook Grant’s face was not foreign to Beth. As usual, it made her heart hurt. She reached out for Tripp, the palm of her hand sliding up his forearm. What did it say that she found his warmth a comfort?

It said something that she wasn’t going to analyze at the moment.

At her touch, Tripp turned to her, confusion in his eyes. “Why is Grant scared of me?”

“Because lately he’s scared of everyone. But I think he’s scared of you because of the whole thing with Duke.”

“Right then. Well, I’ll just have to take care of that, now won’t I.”

Before Beth could respond Tripp was moving toward Grant and her father.

“Pen, go show Dale and Hamilton Flounder.” Beth kissed her niece on the head before setting her down on the ground.

Penny immediately ran off behind the tables and toward the boys, squealing excitedly. “Hammy! Dale! I got a dinosaur! His name is Flounder.”

“Like the fish?” Hamilton asked.

Beth turned and followed Tripp, picking up her pace in order to catch up to his long stride.

When Tripp got to Wallace and Grant—the latter was now leaning against his grandfather’s legs, looking about ten times more terrified than he had a moment before—he stuck out his hand.

“Hi, Wallace,” he said as the two men shook hands.

“Tripp.” Wallace nodded. His blue eyes—the exact same color as Beth’s—twinkled as his mouth twitched into a smile, making his thick steely gray beard move.

Then Tripp focused entirely on Grant as he crouched down, getting on the little boy’s level in one easy move. “Hey, Grant.”

“Mr. Tripp,” he whispered, shuffling his feet.

“I understand that you and I need to get a few things straightened out.”

Grant nodded his head. “I-I was the one taking Duke from your yard. A-and bringing him over to our house. I’m sorry I took him. It-it was wrong.”

Beth couldn’t help but marvel at what a contradiction her nephew was, because even though he was clearly intimidated, he was still looking Tripp in the eyes.

Looking down at Tripp from her current position, Beth could see his scruffy jaw move as his mouth formed a grin. When he spoke, she could immediately tell that he was impressed with the boy. “You know, Grant, it takes a real man to look another man in the eye and admit he did something wrong.”

“It does?” Grant asked imploringly. When Tripp nodded, Grant pushed off his grandfather’s legs and stood up straight, squaring his shoulders. “I’m sorry I made you and Aunt B hate each other, too.”

“We don’t hate each other. Well, at least I don’t hate your Aunt B,” he said, turning to Beth and shooting her that grin of his.

Beth forced herself to look away from Tripp and focus on her nephew. “Goose, I don’t hate Mr. Tripp, either.”

She actually liked him a little too much. Liked his hands on her body…liked his deep voice whispering things in her ear…liked the feel of his lips on hers. Yeah, all of those things would be permanently ingrained in her brain for the rest of her life.

“You know, Grant,” Tripp said, getting the little boy’s attention again, “I think that Duke has become attached to you, too. When you were out on the lake, he was sitting at my back door very anxious to get outside, very anxious to get to you. He knew you were in trouble.”

Well, that was news to Beth. She couldn’t have been more wrong about that dog, either.

“He did?” Grant asked, letting go of Wallace’s hand and taking a step closer to Tripp.

“Yeah, he did.” Tripp nodded. “And he was very upset about it. He’s bonded with you too, buddy, and I don’t think he’d like it if he didn’t get to see you anymore. So I’m going to make a deal with you. When I’m home and not busy with anything—and when you get permission from your aunt—you can come over and play with him.”

“I-I can?” Grant asked, his eyes going wide.

“Yes you can. But like I said, you have to get permission first.”

“I can do that! Can’t I, Aunt B?” he asked, looking up at her with a huge smile on his face.

Beth was left momentarily speechless. She hadn’t seen Grant’s face light up that much since before Kevin and Colleen had died. A wave of gratitude crashed through her, and she was lucky it didn’t knock her off her feet.

What was this man doing to her? Breaking down every last one of her defenses. That was what he was doing. For just a second her inability to speak was combined with an inability to breathe.

Was she ready for something like this? To be this vulnerable with a man again?

She forced herself to pull it together and nodded at Grant. “Yes, you can go over and play with Duke when all of those conditions are followed. And what do you say to Mr. Tripp?” she asked Grant.

“Thank you!” Grant was so excited now that he was bouncing on his feet.

“You’re welcome,” Tripp said as he stood back up.

“Hey Grant,” Hamilton called out. “Come over here and show us what you got.”

Grant glanced between Beth and Wallace, seeking permission. When they both nodded he shot off in that direction, the bottom of the bear bobbing up and down against the boy’s back as he ran full tilt to Hamilton and Dale.

“Well, that was mighty nice of you.” Wallace inclined his head in a small nod to Tripp.

“Yeah,” Beth agreed, turning to look at the man who’d just made her nephew’s day. She reached out and touched his arm…couldn’t stop herself. “That was really kind of you to do that for him. I was going to ask yesterday, but I-I got a little distracted…”

…by your mouth, she finished in her head.

Tripp’s warm brown eyes lit up, and she had absolutely no doubt that he knew exactly what she’d just been thinking. Nor did he leave her in any doubt that he was thinking the same thing when his gaze dipped to her lips for just a second.

“I see that the two of you have changed your tune about each other.”

Beth turned to look at her father.

“Or, I at least hope you wouldn’t be standing out here kissing some guy you didn’t like.” He nodded his head in the direction of Beth’s hand, still on Tripp’s arm.

She pulled her hand away as if she’d been burned, her eyes going wide in horror. “You saw that?”

Wallace reached up and ran a hand through his still very full head of hair, hair that was the exact same shade of dark gray as his beard. “I think very few people who are above four feet tall missed it.” He moved his hand down from his head as he focused on Tripp and frowned…or at least tried to. His mouth twitched again as he fought a smile. “I’ve got my eye on you, Black. Understand?”

“Yes sir,” Tripp nodded.

“Good,” Wallace said before he moved off to the bake sale table.

Her father’s words repeated in her mind as she watched him walk away: Very few people above four feet tall missed it. Meaning that Penny and Grant hadn’t seen it. There was more than a small amount of relief coursing through her body at that information, and a whole hell of a lot of confusion.

She hadn’t been over-exaggerating when she’d told her friends the night before that anything happening with Tripp (or anyone else, for that matter) would be complicated. And it was complicated for three very specific reasons: Nora, Grant, and Penny.

Beth had never been the type to fool around. She still wasn’t. She had relationships, not flings. And now? Well, now a relationship with her also involved the kids.

Would Tripp even want a relationship like that? Would any guy? And what exactly did she want?

Hands were suddenly on her hips; Tripp’s hands. They were such strong and firm hands. Steady. Sure. But why was it that when they were on her, she was unsure of everything?

He turned her to face him, and as she looked up into his eyes she decided she was sure of at least one thing: she wanted him.

But it wasn’t that simple. It was never that simple.

She opened her mouth. To say what? She had no idea. But before she could get her brain to construct even a single sentence, Tripp spoke.

“You and I need to have a conversation.”

“We do?”

“Yes.” His fingers tightened on her waist as he pulled her closer, the pressure sending a thrill through her body. “Are the kids with Wallace tonight, too?”

“Yes.” She nodded.

“And do you have plans? Because I’d like to make you dinner.”

Tonight…tonight she was…what was she doing?

Well, since she was supposed to be having a quiet evening with an empty house, she hadn’t had any plans that went further than a bubble bath and a bottle of wine. That had sounded absolutely glorious moments ago.

But with the way Tripp was looking at her, she had no doubt that an evening with him would be far more decadent…and dangerous…and would involve her ending up naked.

“I’m not doing anything. But…”

But…but what? Thoughts suddenly failed her as Tripp’s hands started to move up and down her sides. He obliterated her thought process, time and time again. Hadn’t she just come to the realization that she needed to be way more careful when it came to him, especially when she was around the kids?

What the hell was wrong with her?

She took a step back from Tripp’s grasp, glancing over her shoulder to where Grant and Penny’s attentions were being thoroughly occupied by Dale and Hamilton. She turned back to Tripp, shaking her head. “You don’t play fair. I can’t think straight when you put your hands on me.”

He raised his eyebrows while a smirk turned up the corner of his mouth. “Yeah? Well, that goes both ways, Beth. You haven’t exactly kept your hands to yourself, either.”

“I know that. And I’m just wondering how much talking we’re going to do if we’re alone.”

“What if I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself?” He held his right hand up in a three-finger salute. “Scout’s honor.”

“You were a boy scout?”

“Eagle Scout,” he told her as he dropped his hand to his side.

“Of course you were.”

“Beth, the ‘alone’ part is because I’d like to talk to you somewhere where we aren’t surrounded by a crowd of strangers…or interrupted by our nosey—but well meaning—friends. But,” he said as that smirk of his transformed slowly into a full-on sexy smile, “if you don’t think you can handle it, we can go out somewhere and get dinner.”

Ohhhhhhh, no. He did not just challenge her. “Your place works just fine. You can cook for me.”

“Perfect. It’s a date. Six sound good to you?”

“Yes.” She nodded.

“See you then. Now I’m going to buy some of your cookies.” And with that he turned and headed off to the booth, where Finn was perusing the baked goods.

She couldn’t take her eyes off his back, more than slightly overwhelmed by everything that had just happened. This man was a danger to her equilibrium, without a doubt. The path they were heading down was definitely, potentially, dangerous…but she couldn’t help herself around him. Case in point: her entire body had warmed and her stomach was all fluttery.

How could it not be? She was going on a date with Tripp Black.

And there was that fear again. Maybe that had a little to do with how long it had been since she’d actually been on a date…almost a year and a half ago.

That one had been when Mick had taken her to dinner and a movie, about six months before their relationship ended.

Huh, maybe there’d been a few signs after all.

Beth headed back behind the table just as another one of Penny’s high-pitched squeals rent the air. The little girl tore off again and ran straight to Nora, who was coming through the crowd.

“Nora! I gots a dinosaur!”

Nora scooped up her little sister and continued toward the tent, smiling as Penny went on and on about her new stuffed animal.

“What’s his name?” Nora asked.

“Flounder.”

“Like the fish?”

“Yes.” Penny’s little brow furrowed and she frowned. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

“Who else asked?”

“Mr. Finn and Hammy.” Penny stuck out her free hand and pointed to the tent.

And just that quickly Nora’s smile faltered, as well as her step. Her gaze came up and she looked in the direction that Penny indicated.

Hamilton was standing behind his post at the sign-up table, scowling as he looked at Nora. The expression on his face was very similar to the one Tripp had been wearing when he walked up to Beth not ten minutes ago. There was so much conflict in his eyes as he looked at Nora; sadness, mixed with a fair amount of anger.

Nora pulled her gaze from Hamilton and focused back on her sister, forcing a smile back in place as she started walking again. “Clearly they aren’t as creative as you,” she said as she moved past Hamilton, not even acknowledging him as she headed for Beth at the opposite end of the booth.

Such a quick exchange between the two teenagers, only a few seconds, but Beth had missed absolutely none of it. Not that she could say anything to Nora about it. Conversations of that caliber were strictly off limits.

“Penny,” Wallace called out to his youngest granddaughter. “Come over here and pick something out.”

“Yes, papa.” She gave Nora a quick peck on the check before she was set on the ground and scurried off.

“Can I go out tonight?” Nora asked Beth by way of greeting.

Yup, that was how Nora started most conversations these days, straight to something that she wanted. No hi, hello, or even a fuck you very much.

Well, at least that last one wasn’t spoken in words, though Beth did think that was the expression she got from her niece more often than not.

That wasn’t the case today, but Beth wondered if Nora had been distracted by the proximity to Hamilton. It might have been brief but it was very evident to Beth that her niece was trying very hard to put on an air of nonchalance. She couldn’t keep up with that and her usual contempt for her aunt.

“Who are you going with?” Beth asked, silently praying it wasn’t any of Nora’s new “friends.”

“Monica and Gretchen.”

Thank God. Monica and Gretchen had been friends with Nora since pre-school and though they hadn’t been around as much as they used to, they hadn’t been phased out like Hamilton.

“Where are you going?”

“Bubba’s Burgers and then the movies.”

Until two years ago the closest movie theater to Mirabelle had been in Tallahassee. People had had to drive over an hour to go see something on the big screen. So the novelty of the new local theater definitely hadn’t worn off, and it was the place to be on the weekends for a lot of the high school kids.

“What’s it rated?” Beth asked.

“PG-13.”

“And Monica is driving?”

She was the only one out of the three girls who had a car. Gretchen had already been in two fender-benders and her parents had smartly revoked her license. But Monica was very responsible for a seventeen-year-old; she had to be. Her father was the county sheriff and he didn’t tolerate any funny business of any kind.

As for Nora—well, Beth’s niece was less than enthusiastic about getting behind the wheel of a car. Understandably so. Even though she had her driver’s license she avoided driving as much as possible, though she was fine being driven by someone else.

“And what time will you be back at your grandfather’s?”

“Well, that’s the other half that I need to ask permission for,” Nora said. “Monica and I wanted to stay the night at Gretchen’s. We’d go back right after the movie ended, which is at ten.”

“It’s your grandfather’s night with you guys. Did you ask him?”

“I did. And he said it was up to you. I also told him I’d make it up to him on a night of his choice, and we’d have dinner, just the two of us. My treat.”

Beth’s eyes moved over to her father, who was looking at the pair of them. He nodded his permission. “Well, that was nice of you,” she said as she looked back to Nora.

“I’m capable of it sometimes.”

Clearly; just not with Beth. “Okay. But I expect a phone call when you get to the McPhersons’ house.”

“All right. I’ll call.”

Beth could tell from Nora’s tone that she was trying to hold back her exasperation. Because, at seventeen, she was apparently beyond checking in.

Nora’s eyes left Beth’s, moving to a spot over Beth’s shoulder. Tension snapped her niece’s shoulders and back into the most rigid posture imaginable. Beth didn’t need to turn to know that it was Hamilton who’d caused such a reaction in Nora.

Didn’t stop her from turning anyway. Immediately, it was clear to Beth why the scene was no match for Nora’s attempted indifference. Both Hamilton and Dale were now very much occupied with another group of girls who’d wandered up.

One of the girls, a pretty blonde with legs longer than any teenager should posses, was laughing as Hamilton handed her a pen. She reached out and grabbed his arm instead, running her fingers over his forearm.

Beth turned back to find Nora already ten feet away. She sighed as she stared at her niece’s retreating back, wishing for the millionth time that whatever was going on with Nora and Hamilton would get resolved.

Neither of them seemed happy about the current situation.

A gently nudge at Beth’s side had her turning. Mel had two cups of freshly squeezed lemonade in her hands. She handed one to Beth.

“I do not miss being a teenager at all.” Mel shook her head.

“You noticed all of that?”

“A blind man wouldn’t have missed it.”

“True.” Beth nodded before she took a sip from her cup. The lemonade was the perfect combination of tart and sweet. “The angst and hormones floating in the air right now is enough to give me hives.”

Mel raised her eyebrows. “You’re a fine one to talk. I think half of those hormones in the air are leftover from you and Tripp.”

At the mention of his name Beth scanned the nearby tables, looking for him. He’d said he was going to buy some baked goods. “They are not. He and I aren’t that bad.”

“He’s gone,” Mel said.

“Oh.” Beth immediately stopped looking around, wishing she could ignore the flair of disappointment that he’d left. Not that it mattered…she was going to see him tonight.

Oh, good Lord. What the hell was wrong with her? Apparently she was no better than her seventeen-year-old niece.

Not wanting to make eye contact with Mel—who was more observant than was natural for any human being to be—Beth moved closer to the table of baked goods in front of her. There was a huge gap in the middle and as she went to shuffle some things to fill it, she realized the empty space was where her cookies had been.

She immediately turned to Mel, who was standing in the exact same position and sipping her lemonade—all calm, cool, and collected.

“What happened to my cookies?”

Mel took another drink, this one long and slow before she lowered her cup. “Tripp bought them all.” Her mouth curved up in a grin.

“Excuse me?” Beth asked. That couldn’t be right. There’d been about thirty bags left, and they were priced at five dollars a bag. “He did not drop one hundred and fifty dollars on cookies.”

“You’re right.” Mel shook her head. “He didn’t. He gave me two hundred dollars.”

“He what!”

“Two hundred dollars. And that was after Finn bought five bags for himself.”

“Why in the world would he do that?” She knew he liked sweets, but come on. Hadn’t she just made him a pie the night before?

“Beth, it would appear that Tripp Black doesn’t want anyone else eating your cookies.” Mel took a step forward and lowered her voice. “And I believe that includes more than just your baked goods.”