Count on Me (Petal, Georgia) by Lauren Dane Page A

Anne that he found himself marveling over.
    It wasn’t the jealous thing. Though, truth be told who didn’t like it when someone got a little jealous over an ex? Anne was gorgeous in her own right and they were close. The other women he’d gone out with hadn’t really said much about it. Anne came with the Royal package. She was one of his chosen family. Though he didn’t love her in a romantic sense anymore, he’d always love her. Always have her in his heart because she was someone in his life. Had been part of his life history for longer than she hadn’t been.
    He’d expected a woman like Caroline to at the very least pretend she wasn’t bothered. That she was up front about her discomfort, while being rational about whether or not she had a right to be, fascinated him. She was a big girl. A woman in charge of her shit, and damn if that wasn’t incredibly attractive.
    In the meantime he had to figure out how to deal with the Anne situation. Her text had been about the scene with Benji at the Tonk. She’d heard about it from Beth and wanted to know the details. It had been a text like thousands of others they sent back and forth, but it felt differently in some ways because if he was correct, Anne was jealous of Caroline too.
    Maybe a year ago he’d have given it a different kind of thought. He might have gone to Anne and said, hey do you see? This is a woman I can see myself with a year from now. Two, five. This is the kind of woman a man can build a life with. He might have given Anne the chance to come to her goddamn senses and marry him.
    But that had passed. He could finally say—and mean—he was over her. Yes, she was important to him and always would be. But he didn’t ache for her. Didn’t dream about a life together or kids with her. He’d let go, and it felt normal after a lot of heartache.
    Caroline consumed his thoughts. It had been a short period of time and he was smart enough to take it slow. But after years of fruitless love with a woman who couldn’t ever give him what he truly wanted, feeling so intensely for someone else was liberating. Exciting.
    He watched a movie and fast-forwarded through a football game, pausing at the highlights before Anne came in.
    “Yo,” she called out.
    “Hey.”
    She handed him a cup. “Brought coffee.”
    “You’re awesome.” He lifted his cup in her direction.
    Spike defected, abandoning Royal for Anne, hopping up into her lap and butting her hand until she laughed, scratching behind his ears. “You’re so easy.”
    “What brings you out here today?” Sundays were usually days the entire Murphy clan congregated to eat and hang out. Sometimes with huge swaths of Chases.
    “You didn’t call me back yesterday.”
    “I didn’t call anyone yesterday. I’m tired as hell after yesterday.”
    “Ah. So I wanted to get the scoop on the scene at the Tonk. Where’s your girlfriend?”
    He didn’t argue with her tossed-out word. She’d meant it to needle him, but he found he liked it enough to roll it around his head and smile at the thought. “She’ll be over later. She’s having brunch with her grandparents.”
    “I heard she started some shit over at the Tonk. That’s a record, your what, first date, and you’re already having to punch people to defend her?”
    “Now come on, did you hear that or did you hear what actually happened?”
    “Stop being like that.”
    “Like what?”
    “Making excuses with a lovesick smirk. Don’t get all gone for this girl. She’s not one of us. She’s not your type.”
    “She’s not? Please explain how you’re so sure about that.”
    “She’s got shoes that cost more than the chair you’re sitting in. Her grandparents drive a new car and go to church with Edward and Polly. She’s an outsider and she’s bringing a suitcase of trouble straight into town.”
    “Your sister is married to a Chase. She probably goes to church with them too.”
    She waved it away.
    “You jealous, Anne?” He softened