Coming Home to Paradise (Sisters in Paradise #3)

Chapter 17

Rae tapped on Bo’s bedroom door, and then opened it and peeked inside. “Are you awake?”

“I am now, and I may not forgive you for waking me up.” Bo yawned, threw back the covers, and sat up. “I was reliving yesterday in my dreams.”

Rae went on into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Did Santa kiss his helper beside the Christmas tree when y’all took it off the trailer?”

“Did you get all tingly just looking at Gunner in his police uniform?” Bo shot back.

“Every single time.” Rae had always been attracted to men in uniform—be it soldiers, firemen, or police—but there was more to what she felt for Gunner than what he was wearing. He looked just as handsome in his creased jeans and plaid shirt on Sunday as he did in his full policeman attire.

Bo rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes. “Are you going to buck up against Aunt Bernie?”

Rae handed her phone to Bo. “Probably, how about you?”

“I haven’t decided if I want a broken heart or not,” Bo answered. “He could be the one, and it wouldn’t take much to make me fall in love with him.”

“Do I hear a but in there?” Rae asked.

“Maverick has admitted that he’s not ready to settle in one place, and the writing on the wall says, ‘Broken Heart’ in big neon letters,” Bo replied. “Now why am I holding your phone?”

“Sorry I ruined your dream, but if you check out the pictures on social media, you might forgive me. You and Maverick are the stars of the whole weekend. There are pictures and even videos everywhere. The newspaper editor posted that since y’all won first place for the best float, and you sang for a whole hour at the festival, you will be featured on the front page in tomorrow’s edition.”

“Holy smoke!” Bo flipped through dozens of pictures and posts.

“You might not be famous in Nashville, but, Sister, you made a name for yourself in Montague County. I bet folks will be calling you to sing at the county fair, weddings, and other events before long,” Rae told her. “Daisy and Heather are going to be over the moon if they publish the picture of you throwing candy and kisses toward them in the paper.”

“This is fantastic.” Bo handed the phone back to Rae. “Did you see the post where it says that our float set the mood for the whole parade?”

“I sure did. Eat your pompousness, Helen!” Rae raised her hand for a high five.

Bo’s slap made a cracking noise. “The mighty Helen has fallen off her pedestal.”

Rae tucked her phone into the pocket of her flannel pajama bottoms. “But now your fifteen minutes of fame and glory are over. I’m on breakfast duty, and then it’s church. After services and dinner, I’m going to help Gunner and the girls move.”

“Maverick is taking me to lunch,” Bo said. “I was so involved with the parade yesterday that I haven’t even had time to pick out an outfit. Help me, please.”

Rae crossed the room and threw the closet doors open. “Where are you going?”

“I have no idea,” Bo answered.

“Then we’ll pick something in the middle. Nothing too fancy. Something easy to remove if you get lucky.” Rae pulled out a dark-green sweater and a plaid skirt. “These look good together.”

Bo must not have been fully awake, but suddenly she gasped. “What did you just say about getting lucky?”

“We have to be prepared,” Rae answered without cracking a smile.

Bo’s palms shot up in a defensive gesture. “This is our first date. I haven’t even kissed him yet. All we’ve done is a little harmless flirting.”

“This is your third date, darlin’.” Rae slapped Bo’s hands and then held up a finger. “Number one was when you had the event at Whiskey Bent.” Another finger went up. “Number two was when he came to church and Sunday dinner.” The third finger shot up. “Number three was actually when you rode on the float with him.” She studied her hand and raised her pinkie. “I was wrong. This is the fourth date. I’m disappointed in you, Bo Simmons. You should have at least gotten a kiss or instigated one by now. He’s got to be disappointed.”

Bo laid the skirt and sweater on the bed. “His disappointment should make Aunt Bernie very happy. I would love waffles for breakfast.” She turned around, put her hands on her sister’s back, and pushed her toward the door.

Rae set her heels and held on to the doorjamb. “Hey, that’s not nice. I brought you the reviews about your concert, and even picked out your outfit to seduce Maverick with, and you treat me like this.”

Bo pushed even harder. “Have you and Gunner had sex?”

Rae laughed out loud and stepped out into the hallway. “No, but we have managed a few hot and steamy kisses, which is more than you’ve done. Stop pushing me. I’m going, but you are not getting waffles because you are mean. Give you a little fame and look what happens.”

“I’m going to tell Mama on you,” Bo told her.

“If you do, I’ll tattle that you have deprived poor old Maverick of a kiss.” Rae laughed all the way down the stairs.

***

That morning Maverick was five minutes early to pick Bo up for church services. He did everything a gentleman should do on a first date—knocked on the door instead of honking the horn, greeted Mary Jane and shook hands with Joe Clay, helped Bo with her coat, and kept his hand on the small of her back when he escorted her out to his truck.

“You are gorgeous,” he said as he held the door open for her. “I’ll have trouble keeping my mind on Parker’s sermon this morning.”

“You clean up pretty good yourself, Mr. Gibson.”

He tipped his cowboy hat with his free hand. “Thank you, ma’am, but that’s just plain old Maverick to you. When I hear that name, I think my daddy is in the room.”

“Okay, then, plain old Maverick, where are we going for Sunday dinner?” she asked.

He started the engine and drove down the lane. “To the bar.”

“We’re having beer for dinner?” she teased.

“Yes, but that’s not our whole meal,” he answered. “There is chili in the slow cooker. I made sourdough bread yesterday to go with it. If you are a vegetarian, I can stir-fry some vegetables.”

“I’m not a vegetarian,” she replied. “I love chili, but I didn’t picture you as a guy who cooks.”

“Remember that I’ve moved around a lot,” Maverick told her. “I’ve wrangled cattle, bartended, and learned a little bit about cooking in a five-star restaurant in Las Vegas.”

“How can you afford to do all that?” she asked.

“That’s a story for a seventh date.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh, so we’re going to have that many, are we?”

“If you are willing, we just might. That’s only one more after today, and seven is my lucky number,” he replied.

Bo turned toward him and cocked her head to one side. “My sister said that this is our fourth date.”

“You need to teach her to count better. We had date one when we decorated the bar, date two when you stuck around and helped me after the event, three when I went to church with you, four when we had Sunday dinner together, five when we decorated the trailer, and six when we had the first Whiskey Bent Band concert at the park. And I was mistaken. This is our seventh date,” he told her.

He pointed to an old building on the left. “What’s going on with that place? It looks like it’s been there forever.”

“Depends on your definition of forever ,” she answered. “It was here when we moved to Spanish Fort, and most likely it’s old enough to be put on the historical register. Tertia and Noah wanted to put a café in the place, but it wouldn’t pass inspection. Maybe someday, someone will figure out how to put it to use.”

“It would make a good museum.” Maverick made a turn into the church parking lot.

Bo would go to church and play the piano, but she didn’t expect to get much out of the sermon that morning. She would sit beside Maverick and think about spending the afternoon with him in his apartment, but even if she did make out with him, she had no intention of kissing and telling—not even Rae. She had no doubt that Aunt Bernie would shoot evil glances at her, but she didn’t care.

***

From the time Bo sat down beside Maverick until the benediction was given, she felt like time stood still and she had been sitting on the old oak pew for eternity plus three days. When everyone began to stand up, Tertia touched her on the shoulder and whispered, “Tell Mama that Noah and I won’t be there for dinner. We have agreed that Sunday afternoons belong to us for some alone time for the next few weeks.”

“Good for you, but you better let Ursula tell Mama. I’m going to dinner with Maverick,” Bo told her.

Bernie grabbed her arm. “I heard that, and sorry, but you can’t be runnin’ off with anyone today. The two of us will be working on the advice column after we eat dinner at the Paradise. With all that’s been going on, we are behind on getting questions asked.”

“We can do that tomorrow,” Bo said.

“You work for me, and I call the shots.” Bernie’s tone went cold. “You will come to Sunday dinner with the family, or maybe tomorrow you won’t have a job.”

Bo wrapped her arms around her aunt and hugged her. “You know you love me better than all the other sisters, and you would never fire me.”

“Don’t go testing the Jesus in me right here after that great sermon Parker delivered,” Bernie growled.

“What did he preach on?” Bo stepped back.

“You tell me,” Bernie’s eyes narrowed into nothing but slits.

Bo glanced over her shoulder and caught Maverick’s eye. He winked and then turned his attention back to the group of guys who had cornered him. Thank goodness for brothers-in-law, she thought.

“Well?” Aunt Bernie snapped.

“I wasn’t listening to the sermon,” Bo admitted. “I was thinking about borrowing your red lace teddy. I might need it wear it for dessert after Maverick and I have dinner together.”

“You’re aiming for a heartache,” Bernie said.

“You’ve said that before,” Bo told her. “I love you, Aunt Bernie, but this is my life. Maybe I’m like Maverick and haven’t found my place in the world. I may need to move every six months or so, and like that old song says, I may need to chase some elusive butterflies before I settle down.”

“All right.” Bernie sighed. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you and know that I will say that I told you so when you have a broken heart.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else, but if I do have a broken heart, will you bring the ice cream and two spoons?” Bo teased.

“I will not, and I won’t share it with you either. You and Rae are going to ruin my winning streak with matchmaking,” Bernie said and sighed again. “Strangers on my advice column listen to me better than y’all do.”

“Queen Bernie!” Daisy and Heather yelled and ran down the aisle to curtsy.

“Some folks appreciate me,” Bernie snapped and turned to smile at the little girls.

Maverick laced his fingers with Bo’s and asked, “What was that all about?”

“Queen Bernie is having trouble with her lady-in-waiting,” she answered. “I’ll fill you in on more of her story on the way to Nocona.”