His Southern Sweetheart Read online

  “Miss Amelia,” began Kimber, “is it true you’ve worked with music producers?”

  What Amelia had learned about Kimber was the girl loved the world of celebrities. “I have. Are you interested in meeting one?”

  “I do love to sing.”

  A long list of singing competitions came to mind. Kimber would make the perfect contestant on any of the shows. She was young and gorgeous with a heart-tugging backstory. America would fall in love with her.

  “I know that look.” Cay interrupted Amelia’s thoughts. “You’ve got a pitch going on in your head.”

  “A pitch?” uncle and niece chorused.

  “My cousin has this knack of turning everything she comes across into a reality show,” Cay continued, ignoring Amelia’s death stare that was willing her to shut up. The cousins had met up at Grandmamma’s to prepare the ice-cream treats for this afternoon. They’d rummaged through the barn for novelty items such as the old-fashioned red-and-white ice-cream stand equipped with a red-and-white striped tarp, under which the kids loved hanging out in the shade while poring over the wide variety of treats. Along with the standard flavors of ice cream like chocolate and vanilla, they’d also made peach, strawberry and even bubblegum ice cream. Though Amelia informed Cay that she still hadn’t told Nate the truth about her employment status, she did not want this barbecue to be the place for the discussion.

  “Yeah, I recognize that look.” Nate studied Amelia’s face and shook his head back and forth. “Too bad there will be no reality shows here, not in this household.” Nate frowned.

  A twinge of hurt tugged at Amelia’s heart. Her bottom lip poked out. “You haven’t even heard my pitch.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Nate, turning his back to the burgers and hot dogs. “My niece won’t be involved.”

  “Don’t be mean, Uncle Nate.”

  “Who?”

  Kimber sighed in annoyance. “Tío Nate. And don’t change the subject. Let’s listen to what Miss Amelia has to say about my singing career.”

  “Miss Amelia,” Nate clipped, “doesn’t have a say in your nonexistent singing career.”

  The fun, sun-loving, pool-splashing atmosphere continued as Amelia swallowed her feelings. The pangs stemming from her heart vibrated through her body. Nate’s icy tone reminded her of the scolding and sometimes cursing out she received from contestants after she purposely manipulated a situation just to get a money shot. Over the years, she’d done some shady things, but producing reality shows was her life. And from the tone in his voice she could tell he despised her lifestyle. Had his back not been turned, she probably would have seen his upper lip curled.

  “Don’t pay him any attention,” said Kimber, patting Amelia’s hand. The girl’s bright smile cheered her up a bit. “He doesn’t know good television. Let’s talk about Natalia. Do you know where she is?”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t,” Amelia answered, though she wondered if the star of the show was hiding in retaliation. “I’m starting to get worried.”

  “Well, if you ask me, I think Natalia is tired of living her life in front of the camera.” Kimber’s perception gave Amelia reason to pause.

  “You think?”

  Kimber shrugged her shoulders. “She didn’t seem happy.”

  “What?”

  “Every time the camera caught her in the background of her brother Nicholas or her sister Natasha, she got this far-off kind of look. Natasha’s preparing for a wedding and Nicholas is always dating. Maybe Natalia wants to settle down.”

  Hmm, Natalia settling down? A Bachelorette type of show? The ideas flew into her mind.

  Dear MET executives,

  With the Ruiz family climbing the reality TV charts, I would like to schedule a pitch session to discuss The Road to Ruiz Love.

  Sincerely,

  Amelia

  “Is that the look when she’s got an idea?” Kimber half whispered to Cay.

  “Yep, that’s it all right.”

  Amelia blinked back in focus in time to catch Nate shaking his head in disapproval. What did she need his approval for? This was her career she was thinking about. Backyard barbecues were one thing, but were they the rest of her life? Amelia sighed inwardly. She had a lot of thinking to do over the next few days.

  * * *

  “I have the perfect dress for you.”

  Amelia glanced up at the video footage she’d been editing all day long. The only time she recalled moving from the computer was to put on her favorite comfy, army-green hooded jacket from the coatrack by Lexi’s office door. As she worked, whether she had multiple monitors to edit or one, Amelia had turned the lights off. When Lexi entered her office, the light from the main floor spilled through, blinding Amelia like a vampire. She ducked behind the monitor and clutched her heart.

  “Sorry.” Lexi cocked her head and grinned. She reached for the light switch with her long purple nails that matched her sparkly tutu. According to the chaotic whiteboard schedule, the afternoons were dedicated to a dance rehearsal led by Chantal Hairston, Lexi’s right-hand woman for the pageant coaching. Amelia couldn’t help observing the contrast in the way she and Lexi were dressed. While Lexi looked like a prima ballerina, here Amelia sat in her faded comfy jeans and an old red Southwood High T-shirt.

  “I thought the bell over the door didn’t ding when I came back into the store,” Lexi continued, stepping farther into her office, but she turned to glance at the front door to the shop. “Damn it, I’m probably going to have to get a new bell. I can’t have customers sneaking in on me. You never know what I might be doing with the hot new neighbor.”

  The hot new neighbor, as Amelia had learned last week, was none other than Stephen Reyes. He ran the new real estate and contracting agency in town. Over one of their dinners, Nate had shared with Amelia information about the business he and his brother owned. The brothers did a lot of scouting for television and movie execs—namely for MET—which probably explained Nate’s ability to contact Natalia so easily. She hinted again for the real story, but he declined—as always. Each brother had their own niche in the business. Stephen worked more with the Hollywood folks in the aspect of helping people get into their dream homes. Most of the homes, as Amelia understood, were replicas of iconic houses from the movies. If the frame of the desired homes needed work, Nate stepped in to reconstruct the buildings. Amelia understood Nate’s passion for tweaking the homes exactly how the home buyers wanted them to be. The man was good with his hands. Amelia rolled her eyes at her new friend and shook her head, not expecting the crick in her shoulders.

  Three of the mandatory weeks were already up. When was the last time she’d woken up in the same bed for a full week? Two months ago, Amelia was jet-setting across the country. The mere thought of staying in one place for any amount of time seemed dull, and yet, these last few weeks had flown by.

  Amelia had traveled to and from Grits and Glam Gowns in Grandmamma’s car and never once complained about being stuck behind a tractor. She didn’t bat an eye when someone parked their horse in a diagonal spot in front of the coffee shop on the corner. The road trips she took with Lexi and her Glam Squad never maxed more than two hours and the largest body of water they crossed was the Flint River.

  This morning Amelia had arrived just after eight and judging from the clock in the right-hand corner of the monitor she used, the sun was about to set. Where was Nate? The last time she’d laid eyes on him, or hands, for that matter, he’d walked her to the front doors of Grits and Glam Gowns. He’d placed his hands on the rim of the door to stop himself from entering and defiling the gowns in his future sister-in-law’s store. Maybe during their heated kiss, he’d knocked the bell off-kilter. Amelia adored Nate, but as these weeks flew by, so had the time they had to be intimate. Since Grandmamma’s return from the hospital, Nate had become the ultimate choir boy.
Was it possible to miss someone—sexually—after a few times?

  Cheeks flushed at the memory, Amelia fanned her face. “My goodness, I forgot how time flies when editing.”

  “So you think you can come up with something?” Lexi asked, strutting across the length of her office.

  “Not just something,” Amelia bragged, “some things.”

  “I hope this hasn’t been too much trouble.”

  “Not at all.” Amelia waved off the notion. “I’ve come up with the perfect video for you to give Emily and Sam.” She beamed. “I also took the liberty of putting together footage for you to give your potential clients. I like the regular portfolio, but sometimes having a visual of what it looks like to win helps. I noticed you’ve built your clientele based on each pageant win and word of mouth. This way you’ll have a portfolio potential pageant clients can see.”

  “Let me see.” Lexi came over to Amelia’s side of the desk and leaned over to view what Amelia had come up with.

  Amelia waited, nervous at Lexi’s response. The bubbles in the pit of her stomach were refreshing. When was the last time she’d gotten excited and nervous over her job? Damn, she missed working. Sure, the bubbles of excitement welled inside of her body when she thought of seeing Nate again, too; the two feelings were very similar. One, however, gave her orgasms.

  “This is awesome, Amelia,” exclaimed Lexi once the video ended. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me.” Amelia shook her head. “This is what I do for a living.”

  “Did? Right?” asked Lexi. “Nate shared with me he got you fired. I know I might not be able to pay much but I could really use your help around here.”

  “Lexi,” Amelia started.

  “No, I’m serious. Grits and Glam Gowns is more than just a dress shop. I’ve got weddings, proms and all other kinds of events needing a videographer.”

  Amelia needed to stop her. She shook her head and held up her hand. “Lexi, my job is not in jeopardy. I’m on mandatory leave.”

  “What?” Lexi stepped with a dramatic flair.

  “I was never fired,” Amelia confessed. She watched the news register through Lexi’s wide eyes and immediately began to explain. “When everything happened with Nate, I did miss an opportunity for some great sound points on the show I produce. So my boss felt I might be overworked. With Grandmamma getting ill and me not taking a sick day in years, he ordered a mandatory leave of at least one month.”

  Lexi covered her mouth with her French-manicured hands. “You’ve been here for three weeks.”

  “I know.”

  “Because of Miss Helen?”

  Amelia blinked and glanced toward the screen. “Would you judge me if I said Nate was a part of the reason?”

  A pregnant pause of shame fell between them. Amelia thought of herself as a career woman, not someone who put her life on hold for a man. And the crazy thing about extending her time to be with Nate was that it was purely on an emotional level. If it were for the sex, she’d understand, but with each day passing she found herself growing more attached to Nate.

  “Hey, don’t be embarrassed. I fell in love with one of those Reyes boys,” said Lexi. “I completely understand.”

  “No one said anything about love,” Amelia said, panicking. “I’ve produced shows where people claim to fall in love with someone after one date, seen folks get married after laying eyes on each other for the first time. I’ve seen some pretty bizarre things out in the world.”

  “This is reality,” Lexi said, patting Amelia’s shoulder, “and realistic. You and Nate clearly have the chemistry. The two of you can’t stop making goo-goo eyes at each other.”

  Amelia pressed her lips together to keep from grinning. “You’ve been talking to Philly.”

  “Give the girl something sweet and she’ll spill all your secrets.” Lexi chuckled and patted Amelia’s shoulder again. “Look, girl, I’m not going to say anything to Nate about your job, but you need to. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to make a decision.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you can’t be in a serious relationship if you’re traveling all the time working on reality shows.”

  Amelia’s lips twisted. Maybe she could manage her career as well as a relationship with Nate. Time would tell—and by time, she had until this weekend to decide.

  * * *

  Well aware of the silence falling between them since they’d left Lexi’s shop that evening, Nate reached across the console of his SUV for Amelia’s hand.

  “Everything okay?”

  The car passed under a street lamp. The light illuminated Amelia’s face. Nate’s heart seized for a brief moment when she smiled. He’d never get tired of it. “You’re awfully quiet.”

  “Lexi made me a dress.”

  “She thinks you’re special,” said Nate. “Something wrong with her making you a dress?”

  “It’s for your small gathering Saturday night.”

  Nate bit down on the inside of his cheek to contain his excitement. “Oh, yeah?” His mind raced with all the places he wanted to take her in his hometown.

  “I haven’t agreed to go.”

  “I fully believe you’ll change your mind.” Nate turned his vehicle onto the graveled driveway. The tires crunching against the tiny rocks reminded him of the next task he wanted to do for Amelia and Helen. Even though Helen was still in a cast, she’d eventually have a cane. A cane and gravel did not mix. “Want me to bring you in to work tomorrow after I drop off the girls at school?”

  The norm for the last week had been for him to pick Amelia up and bring her into town to work with Lexi. He looked forward to their routine. Who knew a relationship would be fun? Why did everyone think it was hard work? The hardest thing, Nate might argue, was the sex, or lack of it. At their age, a quickie in the car was not an everyday thing—hence why he also wanted to get away for the weekend. The girls would stay with his parents and he’d get a room at the Torres Towers, his family’s hotel.

  “Sounds like a plan to me, unless you want to stay the night and be here already in the morning.”

  The lower extremities of his body thumped with lust. Nate swallowed down his desire. “Temptress.”

  “So you’re telling me no?”

  “I’ve got to get back to the house.” Nate reached over and stroked her neck. “It’s my turn to cook.”

  Amelia shrugged off his touch and reached for the silver handle. For a moment his feelings were hurt from the rejection until she flashed a smile. “Are the girls on punishment or something?”

  “You got jokes?”

  Before Amelia got a chance to come back with a smart-alecky remark, a flock of startled birds flew from behind the barn. The sun hadn’t made its way over the treetops but the near moon hovered along the horizon. An animal larger than Helen’s pet howled.

  “Stay in the car,” he ordered Amelia. “I mean it.”

  “And if there is a wolf or coyote behind the barn—” Amelia’s eyes widened with fear “—what are you going to do? It might even be a bear.”

  “How often do bears come around here?” Nate jogged to the front of the car and then darted off to the trees to snag a branch. Satisfied with the weight, he stalked toward the screen door. Whatever made the noise was still back in the barn, not outside. Coyotes, wolves or bears could not open doors. Nate wedged himself through the screen door enough before the hinges squeaked and hiked the branch like a bat over his shoulder. Prepared to swing like Derek Jeter, Nate said a silent prayer bears hadn’t learned how to open doors.

  “Whoever’s in there,” he said, making his voice deeper, “I’m coming in swinging.”

  The light above the doors back into the house switched on. For a moment he thought the blinding beam came on as a motion detec
tor, but Helen Marlow banged on the glass, her pinched face frowning.

  “What the hell are you doing back at my house?” Helen snarled through the glass.

  “Evening, Miss Helen.” Nate brought the bat back down to his side. “I did not mean to startle you.” He figured telling her an animal prowled somewhere in her backyard or possibly barn would only startle her further.

  “You still did not answer me.”

  “Grandmamma,” Amelia called out from the passenger’s seat.

  “I was bringing Amelia home, Miss Helen,” said Nate.

  The brass doorknob turned and the door opened. Helen poked her head out. A blue cast wedged through the crack. “Why is she in the car?”

  Nate cleared his throat, not sure how to answer—still not wanting to frighten her. “I wanted to make...”

  “You wanted to get a peep at an old lady, didn’t you?” Helen raised one brow and frowned before eventually breaking out a hacking cough as she laughed. “Boy, I’m just messing with you. Y’all stop playing around out here and get inside.”

  Relieved she wasn’t upset, Nate set the makeshift bat down and signaled for Amelia to come on inside.

  “You like my granddaughter, don’t you?” Helen asked.

  “Yes, ma’am, I do.”

  “Well, then, I don’t understand what you two are doing here,” Helen said under her breath. “I would have figured the two of you young folks would be rolling around in a bed somewhere.” Choking on air, Nate began to cough. “Don’t be shocked, darling, I was young once, too.”

  “Grandmamma,” Amelia said, arriving at the screen door of the breezeway. “What are you doing out of bed?”

  Helen Marlow cocked her hand on her hip and studied her granddaughter. “You’d like for this old woman to be bedridden, wouldn’t you?”

  Beside him, Amelia huffed out a sigh and rolled her eyes. “Of course not, Grandmamma. I want to make sure you’re getting enough rest so your broken leg will heal properly so you don’t have to go back to the hospital and disturb those nice people.”