The room suddenly went dark and Daisy was jarred from the past. A spotlight shined on the center of the dancefloor, and she tried to push all thoughts of the past from her head. led and the Rippers picked up theirinstruments and Jimmy and Shay danced their first dance as husband and wife.
When Daisy had decided to come home and tell Jack about Nathan, she hadn't counted on the memories. Shehadn't even known they were there, locked away, waiting for her.
Daisy moved away from the dance floor and placed her empty glass on a table. She headed to the bathroom inthe bar down the hail, and while she washed her hands, she looked at her reflection. She was no longer a scared,heartbroken girl. She was a lot tougher than she'd been growing up. While she wasn't here to relive memories,she wouldn't hide from them either. She was here to tell Jack about Nathan. She would tell him that she wassorry and hope he'd understand. Although she was fairly certain he wouldn't understand and would make thingsdifficult, she still had to do the right thing. No more putting it off. No more hiding.
She reapplied her red lipstick and dropped it into her purse. Let Jack do his worst. She might even deserve someof it, but she'd survive. She'd lived with just about the worst that life could deal her, and nothing Jack could dowould be as bad as that.
Daisy stopped in the bar and bought a glass of wine, then made her way back toward the banquet room.
Jack stood in the long hail with one shoulder shoved against the wall. He held a cell phone in one hand, theother was in the front pocket of his pants. He glanced up and watched her as she moved toward him.
"That'd be fine," he said into the phone. "I'll see y'all first thing Monday."
Her first impulse was to hurry past, but she stopped in front of him instead. "Hey, Jack."
He disconnected and put the phone in his pocket. "What do you want, Daisy?"
"Nothing. Just being friendly."
"I don't want to he 'friendly' with you." He straightened away from the wall and took his hand from his pocket.
"I thought I made myself clear last night."
"Oh, you did." She took a drink of her wine, then asked, "How's Billy?" All she remembered of Jack's brotherwas a pair of shiny blue eyes and sandy blond hair. Other than that, she couldn't recall much about him.
He looked over her head and said, "Billy's good."
She waited for him to elaborate. He didn't. "Married? Kids?"
"Yep."
"Where's Gina?" His gaze met hers and, in that suit, his eyes appeared more gray than green.
"At Slim Clem's, I imagine."
"She's not here?"
"I don't see her."
She took another sip of her wine. She was going to be pleasant if it killed her. Or him. "You didn't bring herwith you?"
"Why would I?"
"Isn't she your girlfriend?"
"Whatever gave you that idea?"
They both knew what had given her that idea. "Oh, maybe because she was wearing your shirt last night, andnothing else."
"You're wrong about that. She was wearin' a black lace thong." One corner of his mouth slid up, purposelyprovoking her - the jerk. "And a satisfied smile. You remember that smile, don't you, Daisy?"
She would not lose her temper and give him what he wanted. "Don't flatter yourself, Jack Parrish. You weren'tthat memorable."
"What? I was talking about Gina's smile last night." The other corner of his mouth slid up and laugh linesappeared in the corners of his eyes. "What were you talking about, buttercup?"
They both knew he hadn't been talking about Gina's smile. "You haven't changed since high school." She gavehim a withering glance and walked away before she lost her temper and said something she might regret. Likethat he should grow up.
Jack watched her go. His smile flat-lined, and his gaze slid from her blond hair, all slick and smooth, down theback of her red dress to her behind and the backs of her thighs. Who the hell was she to judge him? She'dscrewed around with him, said she'd love him forever; then married his best friend the same week he buriedboth his parents. In his book, that made her a hardcore hitch.
She disappeared into the banquet room, and Jack waited a few moments before he followed. At thirty-three,Daisy was even more beautiful than she'd been at eighteen. He'd seen it last night. In his kitchen, and he saw itnow So much about her was different, yet the same. Her hair was still the same shiny blond, but it wasn't bigand curly and sprayed stiff. Now it was smooth and sexy as hell. She'd grown an inch maybe two, to what hefigured was about five-foot-five, but she carried herself like she was still queen of the Lovett Rose Festival. Herlarge eyes were still the color of rich mahogany, but they'd lost the innocence and passion that he'd once foundso fascinating.
He walked down the hall and entered the dark banquet room. Marvin stopped him to talk about the '67 FordFairlane he'd just bought.
"It has its original 427," he said while Jed and the Rippers sang a Tim McGraw song about a girl in a miniskirt.
Like a magnet, Jack's gaze found Daisy. She stood at the edge of the lighted floor across the room, chatting withJ. P. Clark and his wife, Loretta. Daisy's red dress hugged the curves of her body without looking too tight. Sheclearly hadn't gone too fat. Didn't have thick ankles or a droopy butt. Which was too bad, as far as Jack wasconcerned.
For years he'd forgotten about her and Steven. He'd buried them in the past and got on with his life. Now hereshe was, dredging it all back up again.
Cal Turner approached her and she followed him to the middle of the dance floor. Everyone knew Cal was ahorny bastard and would naturally take all those buttons on the side of that dress as an invitation to let hisfingers do the walking. Maybe that's what she wanted. To get something going with Cal. Didn't matter, though.
It was none of Jack's business.
"Tile vinyl roof needs to be replaced," Marvin said, then rambled on about the interior.
Cal wrapped an arm around Daisy's waist and she smiled up at him. Light from the crystal ball slid along hercheek and got caught in her hair. Her red lips parted and she laughed. Daisy Lee Brooks, the fantasy of everyhorny guy at Lovett High, was back in town, turning heads and leading guys on with a smile.
Some things never changed.
Only she wasn't Daisy Lee Brooks. She was Daisy Monroe and she had a kid. A son. A baby with Steven. Hedidn't know why that surprised him. It shouldn't. Of course they'd had a kid. When he thought about it, it wasmore surprising that they'd just had the one.
Unexpected and unwanted, the memory of her flat stomach flashed across his brain. His mouth tasting her bareskin just above her navel as he gazed up into her face. At the hot drowsy passion in her eyes as he worked hisway down. Hcr lips moist and abraded from his kiss.
"Excuse me," he said just as Marvin was getting all hot about the Ford's dual carhs. He walked toward the exitsign and out the doors. He moved down the hall and out the front doors of the country club. The warm Junenight touched his face and throat. The sound of insects was thick in the air. There was some sort of pond toJack's right and lightning bugs blinked like white Christmas lights on the golf course beyond. A memory ofcatching lightning hugs with Steven and Daisy flashed across his brain. That had been back before insecticidesreduced their numbers, and they were still easy to catch in Mason jars. He, Steven and Daisy would smear thebugs on their arms, making fluorescent streaks that lasted a good ten minutes.
He pulled a cigar from his breast pocket and walked to a stone bench just beyond the lights of the club. He satand slid off the cigar hand. He stuck it in the corner of his mouth and patted his pockets, searching for the boxof matches he'd picked up in the tobacco store. He didn't smoke that often, but he did occasionally enjoy anexpensive cigar.
His pockets came up empty and he stuck the cigar back in his breast pocket. A bank of windows from therestaurant threw watery light on the pond. He ran his fingers through his hair, leaned his head back against thebuilding, and stared out at the night. His life was good. He had more business than he could handle and wasmaking more money than he needed. He'd taken Parrish American Classics and made it bigger and better thanhis father had ever dreamed. He owned his home and his business. He drove a Mustang worth seventy grandand a new Dodge Ram truck to pull his twenty-one-foot boat.