Stay With Me (Sugarland Creek Book 2): Chapter 6

“How’s my favorite farrier?” I smile wide at Fisher when he walks up to the counter. I haven’t seen him since the tux fitting two weeks ago. He stopped in after Tripp’s turn to sign some paperwork and see how everything was going.

He smirks, pulling out his wallet from his back pocket. “I’m the only farrier you know.”

“Perhaps but even so.” I shrug. “What’re you doin’ in town?”

On Fridays, I park downtown and grab the early morning crowd, then stay through the afternoon for the after-work crowd.

“Pickin’ up some things for the honeymoon. But shh, it’s a surprise. Noah thinks I’m meetin’ Jase for lunch.”

I feign a shocked gasp and clutch my chest. “You want me to lie to my bestie? Hmm. That may cost you extra…” I tilt my head toward my tip jar.

He shakes his head, grabs a twenty, and shoves it in. “That enough for your silence?”

“That’ll do it. Now what can I getcha?”

“A regular coffee with caramel and two creams.”

“You know what’d pair great with this?” I grab a cup. “A blue-choco-berry muffin.”

It’s a new thing I’m trying. Baking, that is. Customers have been asking for food options, so I’m starting small. With the weather getting colder, I’m spending more time inside and figured I’d give it a try.

Plus, it helps keep my brain busy so I don’t overthink how I’m going to be a single cat lady for the rest of my life. Well, as soon as I get some cats. It’s worked for Taylor Swift.

But I’d probably forget to feed it.

Or maybe I’ll get a hamster. I’m ninety percent sure I could keep a hamster alive.

“A blue-choco what?”

“I mixed blueberries and chocolate chips with a hint of cinnamon,” I explain, making his drink. “It’s an orgasmic explosion for your tastebuds.”

His brows rise with amusement, but he doesn’t tell me no. Fisher’s too sweet to make fun of my random concoction.

Too bad he doesn’t have a brother. Preferably one closer to my age, rich, and single.

“How many do you have left?”

Once I put the lid on his cup and hand it over, I look over at my tray. “Three. Sold five this morning.”

“Okay, I’ll take the rest.” He smiles wide, pulling out more cash.

“All three? Better not let those Hollis boys see you with these. They’ll fight ya for one.”

“Pfft. They’re too scared of their sister’s wrath to mess with me.”

I laugh because it’s true. Noah’s the youngest sibling, but she holds the reins on her brothers. Now that Fisher’s joining their family, he gets auto-protection.

After the muffins are bagged, he hands me a fifty and tells me to keep the change.

My jaw drops. “Are you sure? That’s like a thirty-percent tip.”

“Consider it a gift for everything you’re helpin’ Noah with. Especially when it involves her brothers.” He winks.

I put the change in my tip jar and thank him. “Yeah, four hot, rowdy cowboys. Definitely a hardship.”

He smirks, then takes a sip of his coffee. “This is good, Magnolia.”

“You doubted me?”

“Never. Just givin’ you a compliment. I’m sure the muffins are equally delicious.”

I put my hands on my hips and stare at him. “Why do I have a feelin’ you’re butterin’ me up for something?”

He barks out a laugh. “You caught me. I need a favor…”

I sigh. “What?”

“This is another one of those times where you can’t tell Noah.”

Rolling my eyes, I cross my arms. “Of course it is.”

“I have some items on hold for Noah, but I wanna make sure they’ll fit her comfortably.” His voice is hesitant, nervous even, and it makes me narrow my eyes. I grab my iced coffee and suck it down as he continues. “Thought you could maybe go look at ’em and if you think they’ll fit. Or if you think she’ll hate them. They’re at Lacey’s.”

Before I can catch myself, icy liquid spurts out of my mouth and spills across my countertop. I cover my mouth and choke the rest of it down.

“Shit. You okay?” He hands me a napkin from the dispenser.

“Did you say Lacey’s? As in…the lingerie store?”

“Yeah. Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. That’s probably weird, right?”

“Well…” I dab my chin and clean up my mess. “No weirder than me knowing where Noah hides her vibrator. Did she say she wanted lingerie?”

“Yeah, we talked about it. She thought it’d be sexier if I picked it out versus someone gifting it to her from the bachelorette party. I found some sets, but I want her to love them and fit correctly. There’s so many options. And pieces. And clips. Hence where you come into this very awkward picture.”

His cheeks are red as he scrubs a hand through his shoulder-length hair. I’m pretty certain there’s a line of sweat along his forehead. It’s kind of adorable.

Noah’s a little curvier than me, but we have the same size chest. So it couldn’t hurt to at least see what he found. Might be fun to play dress-up even if no one besides me will see it.

“Alright, I’ll do it. What’s your budget?”

He snorts. “Um…a hundred bucks?”

“That’s it? That’ll get you a thong and an overpriced scrunchie.” Lacey’s is known for their luxury lingerie lines. They’re pricey, but you won’t find better quality anywhere within a hundred miles.

“Per piece, Magnolia. I’m not that cheap.”

I chuckle in relief and shake my head at the irony. “And to think I’m the one who told her to go talk to you and now y’all are havin’ hot sex while I’m”—I wave out my arm around my small trailer—“makin’ coffee and bakin’ muffins. Alone.”

He sucks in his lips as if he’s stifling a laugh at my dramatics. “Did I ever thank you for that, by the way?”

“You’re about to when I find myself a really cute set and add it to your tab. Ya know, for psychological damages.”

He slides over his credit card. “Here. Get the ones you think Noah will like that I put on hold. And nothing over a hundred for your…extras. I’m not cheap, but I’m not loaded either.”

I play with the card in my fingers. “Pff, you’re marrying into the Hollis family.”

“Magnolia…” He pins me with a warning stare.

“Fine, fine. Do you want pics?”

“Of what?”

“Me. To get a visual of how they look.”

“Jesus Christ, no. You tryin’ to get me divorced before I even walk down the aisle?”

A laugh bubbles out of me as I pocket his card. “Calm down, cowboy. Just messin’ with ya.”

Noah wouldn’t believe anything was going on between us anyway. She’s smarter than that.

“I need that back when you’re done.” He points to my shorts pocket.

“I’ll bring it with the secret stash.” I wink as if we’re dealing hardcore drugs. “Secret’s safe with me.”

He blows out a breath. “I’m regrettin’ this already.”

I’ve never worn lingerie before, but it wasn’t hard to find what I liked. After trying on and approving the sets and pieces Fisher picked out, I went shopping for myself. Fisher has good taste, so I grab similar items to try on. Where he got blacks and whites for Noah, I opt for blacks and reds for me. They look sexy against my tan skin and dark hair, if I say so myself.

But the truth is I have no one to wear it for. So I’ll wear it for me.

I take a mirror selfie with each outfit change so I can remember how good they look on me since I can’t purchase them all. I don’t want to bankrupt Fisher since I actually like the guy, so I’ll stick to the hundred-dollars-per-piece rule.

The black corset with the garter belt paired with a push-up bra and see-thru lacy panties is my favorite. Since I can’t ask Noah’s opinion without her getting suspicious, I have to resort to my only other friend who will tell me honestly.

He sends a devil emoji, and I’m regretting this already.

But I really do want his thoughts on which one is the most appealing to a guy. Who knows if the one person I want to show will ever see them, but better to be prepared.

With each lingerie change, I took a handful of mirror-length selfies from the front and back. I attach the best ones to our message and hit send.

My heart races while I wait for him to respond. Two, three, five minutes go by without a word.

Shit. I probably look stupid.

I can’t wait any longer.

I roll my eyes. And cringe at the image.

Landen and I are good friends, so I felt comfortable enough showing him, but he’s not the one I want to impress.

I giggle at our fake nickname for Tripp. Ever since I told Landen about the crush, I made up a name to use when we text. The last thing I need is Tripp seeing them and feeling like a fool. Since I wanted the name to start with the same letter as Tripp’s, I picked the hottest character played by the hottest man in Hollywood—Chris Hemsworth.

Landen teases me for it, but I feel better knowing I can talk about him in secret.

Guilt crashes into me, worried that maybe Landen’s crush on me isn’t as over as he says it is. He’s always trying to find ways to get Tripp and me together or to make him jealous, so if he does, he’s not made it obvious to me.

I smile because that’s mine too.

I groan, knowing the shit is going to taunt me with these until I threaten him with bodily harm.

I take the final set to the register and have the woman ring me up with Noah’s. Once I’ve paid with Fisher’s card and grabbed the bag, I walk out to my Honda CR-V. Sadly, I had to trade in Big Red when I got the trailer so I could tow it from place to place. The trailer isn’t super large, but I needed something stable for the investment I put into building it.

Once I’m buckled in, I grab my phone and shoot a text to Fisher.

I’m totally messing with him since I didn’t take any of the ones that are for Noah. But making him uncomfortable and annoyed is part of my best friend duty.

My eyes bulge out of my head, and my jaw drops.

That little snitch.

Then he sends a cheeky smirking emoji.

Not helping.

I sigh, unable to stay mad at the guy who’s making Noah the happiest I’ve ever seen her.

And that’s when I decide. Landen’s birthday party is at the Twisted Bull, and I’m going take a few shots for courage, dance as if my life depended on it, and get Tripp’s attention once and for all.