She was clueless, but maybe he had changed his ways. Maybe he could love her because, hello, he cooked and did laundry. Two things Jordie had never done before…which again made her mad. Where had he been? What had he been doing? And why hadn’t he wanted her there? It was so frustrating, but Kacey was quickly learning that her life was a big ball of maddening things.
Shaking her head, she parked her car beside Lacey’s and headed in with her gym bag hanging loosely on her shoulder. Entering through the back like she always did, she found Lacey at the island, making a bottle.
“Hey,” she said happily as she shook the bottle.
It was like night and day with Lacey. If anyone had said Lacey would be grinning while making a bottle a week ago, Kacey would have laughed in their face. The girl was screwed up and had been since about day three of Mena being home. But according to Karson, she was finally taking her meds. She had even texted Kacey that she went to her After Breast Cancer meeting that morning, which was huge. After Mena arrived, she claimed she didn’t need the group, when really, she did. So the fact that she was going made Kacey’s heart a lot happier and her nerves a bit calmer.
“Hey, you. You look great. Did you shower?” Kacey teased, throwing her gym bag down.
“Yeah, I told you I went to my meeting today,” Lacey reminded her and Kacey nodded.
“Oh yeah, did you take Mena with ya?”
“I did, and they all just gushed over her. It was wonderful,” she boasted before turning just as Karson entered with Mena in his arms. Taking the bottle from her, he kissed her cheek.
“You’re superhot,” he muttered against her lips. “Better be careful, I might try to make another baby.”
Kacey gagged as Lacey giggled. “Um, we can practice, but we aren’t having another one till Kacey has one,” she said with a huge grin at Kacey. “So get busy, lady.”
Kacey scoffed. “Gotta find a man first.”
Karson rolled his eyes. “And I’m out. Mena Jane, boys are stupid, but please don’t end up like your aunt with a billion cats watching a stupid movie about a hill,” he said as he walked away.
“It’s Notting Hill, asshole, and I don’t have any cats ’cause I don’t like them!” Kacey called at him, but he was too busy cooing to Mena Jane. “Your husband is a dick.”
“Hey, he was your brother before he was my husband,” Lacey pointed out with a grin before grabbing the sweet tea out of the fridge. She offered a glass to Kacey, but she shook her head.
“Hand me a beer, please,” Kacey said, pulling out the chair and sitting down, letting out a long breath.
“We don’t have any,” Lacey informed her, and Kacey’s head whipped up just as the tea was placed in front of her. “We have tea, water, and Gatorade.”
Kacey made a face. “Where’s the beer?”
“Gone. No beer or any kind of liquor in the house.”
“Why?”
“Because there is a baby here,” Lacey said simply.
“Okay? I promise I won’t feed it to her!”
“No alcohol in my house,” Lacey said sternly. “Now drink your tea, it’s classier anyway. We are Nashvillians now. We have to be classy Southern bitches.”
Kacey glared as she swigged her tea. “Classy girls don’t say classy bitches.”
“This one does,” Lacey said and she took a sip of her tea with her pinky up just to show she meant what she said.
“Dork.”
“Hag,” she said with a wink. “So how was your first official day?”
Kacey leaned on her hand, letting out a long sigh. “Would be better if I could have a beer.”
“Go to a bar then,” Lacey suggested and Kacey shook her head.
“Rather not.”
“Then suck it up, cupcake. Run a bath or something,” she said and Kacey shrugged.
“Which would be ten times better with a glass of wine.”
Lacey ignored her and asked, “What made it so bad?”
“Jordie,” she answered simply and Lacey’s brows rose in confusion.
“What did he do?”
“Nothing,” she moaned. “Everything.”
Lacey leaned on her hand, obviously confused. “I don’t understand.”
Kacey let out a breath and shook her head, her voice lowering as she leaned in closer to Lacey to make sure that Karson didn’t hear them. “He’s everywhere. In my home, in my gym, and in my head, twenty-four seven! I don’t know what to do, because one second I want to slap him, but in the same second, I want to kiss him.”
“Oh,” Lacey said, leaning back some, her brows still raised to her hairline. “I thought you liked Liam?”
“I do,” she moaned. “But I don’t know. It’s more curiosity where Jordie’s concerned, I think. Like today, he couldn’t do a simple dead lift without taking a lot of weight off. That’s not Jordie. He could lift a house, he’s so strong and burly. It made no sense. Like what the hell has he been doing? I know his PT guy was hard on him and worked him like a dog, so why isn’t he in shape? It’s driving me crazy and I want to know.”
“Then ask,” she suggested and Kacey shook her head.
“I don’t want to know, but I do,” she admitted, tracing the brim of her glass. “He told me last night that he wants to talk.”
“Okay? So talk. It would be good for you to get the closure you want.”
Shaking her head, she parked her car beside Lacey’s and headed in with her gym bag hanging loosely on her shoulder. Entering through the back like she always did, she found Lacey at the island, making a bottle.
“Hey,” she said happily as she shook the bottle.
It was like night and day with Lacey. If anyone had said Lacey would be grinning while making a bottle a week ago, Kacey would have laughed in their face. The girl was screwed up and had been since about day three of Mena being home. But according to Karson, she was finally taking her meds. She had even texted Kacey that she went to her After Breast Cancer meeting that morning, which was huge. After Mena arrived, she claimed she didn’t need the group, when really, she did. So the fact that she was going made Kacey’s heart a lot happier and her nerves a bit calmer.
“Hey, you. You look great. Did you shower?” Kacey teased, throwing her gym bag down.
“Yeah, I told you I went to my meeting today,” Lacey reminded her and Kacey nodded.
“Oh yeah, did you take Mena with ya?”
“I did, and they all just gushed over her. It was wonderful,” she boasted before turning just as Karson entered with Mena in his arms. Taking the bottle from her, he kissed her cheek.
“You’re superhot,” he muttered against her lips. “Better be careful, I might try to make another baby.”
Kacey gagged as Lacey giggled. “Um, we can practice, but we aren’t having another one till Kacey has one,” she said with a huge grin at Kacey. “So get busy, lady.”
Kacey scoffed. “Gotta find a man first.”
Karson rolled his eyes. “And I’m out. Mena Jane, boys are stupid, but please don’t end up like your aunt with a billion cats watching a stupid movie about a hill,” he said as he walked away.
“It’s Notting Hill, asshole, and I don’t have any cats ’cause I don’t like them!” Kacey called at him, but he was too busy cooing to Mena Jane. “Your husband is a dick.”
“Hey, he was your brother before he was my husband,” Lacey pointed out with a grin before grabbing the sweet tea out of the fridge. She offered a glass to Kacey, but she shook her head.
“Hand me a beer, please,” Kacey said, pulling out the chair and sitting down, letting out a long breath.
“We don’t have any,” Lacey informed her, and Kacey’s head whipped up just as the tea was placed in front of her. “We have tea, water, and Gatorade.”
Kacey made a face. “Where’s the beer?”
“Gone. No beer or any kind of liquor in the house.”
“Why?”
“Because there is a baby here,” Lacey said simply.
“Okay? I promise I won’t feed it to her!”
“No alcohol in my house,” Lacey said sternly. “Now drink your tea, it’s classier anyway. We are Nashvillians now. We have to be classy Southern bitches.”
Kacey glared as she swigged her tea. “Classy girls don’t say classy bitches.”
“This one does,” Lacey said and she took a sip of her tea with her pinky up just to show she meant what she said.
“Dork.”
“Hag,” she said with a wink. “So how was your first official day?”
Kacey leaned on her hand, letting out a long sigh. “Would be better if I could have a beer.”
“Go to a bar then,” Lacey suggested and Kacey shook her head.
“Rather not.”
“Then suck it up, cupcake. Run a bath or something,” she said and Kacey shrugged.
“Which would be ten times better with a glass of wine.”
Lacey ignored her and asked, “What made it so bad?”
“Jordie,” she answered simply and Lacey’s brows rose in confusion.
“What did he do?”
“Nothing,” she moaned. “Everything.”
Lacey leaned on her hand, obviously confused. “I don’t understand.”
Kacey let out a breath and shook her head, her voice lowering as she leaned in closer to Lacey to make sure that Karson didn’t hear them. “He’s everywhere. In my home, in my gym, and in my head, twenty-four seven! I don’t know what to do, because one second I want to slap him, but in the same second, I want to kiss him.”
“Oh,” Lacey said, leaning back some, her brows still raised to her hairline. “I thought you liked Liam?”
“I do,” she moaned. “But I don’t know. It’s more curiosity where Jordie’s concerned, I think. Like today, he couldn’t do a simple dead lift without taking a lot of weight off. That’s not Jordie. He could lift a house, he’s so strong and burly. It made no sense. Like what the hell has he been doing? I know his PT guy was hard on him and worked him like a dog, so why isn’t he in shape? It’s driving me crazy and I want to know.”
“Then ask,” she suggested and Kacey shook her head.
“I don’t want to know, but I do,” she admitted, tracing the brim of her glass. “He told me last night that he wants to talk.”
“Okay? So talk. It would be good for you to get the closure you want.”
