A Summer Romance (5 page)

“I guess you’re right,” she said, watching
the peacefully sleeping cat. “He doesn’t really look like a
Killer.” She hated to admit it, but the cat was growing on her.
He’d taken to sleeping curled up at her feet when she read in the
library and often accompanied her on walks around the property in
the mornings. His company was kind of nice.

“So what should we name him?” he asked.

“Maybe Barney?” she suggested. Aaron laughed
loudly. It was such a genuine carefree laugh that Maggie found
herself smiling with him instead of self-consciously analyzing what
she’d said the way she normally would.

“Fred and Barney? Really?” Aaron
laughed.

“I think he looks like a Barney,” Maggie
defended. She couldn’t seem to stop smiling.

“That he does,” Aaron agreed. “Barney it
is.”

Maggie smiled as she sipped her lemonade.
She wasn’t really sure if he was flirting or just being nice, but
she liked the way he teased her. She liked that there wasn’t a need
for formal etiquette between them. They were just being themselves.
Two people sipping lemonade and naming a cat.

“I take it you’re a fan of The Flintstones?”
Aaron surprised her with his insightfulness.

“It was the only cartoon I ever watched as a
child.” Maggie surprised herself even more with her admission.

“The only one?”

Maggie nodded. “My mother didn’t approve of
my watching television,” she explained. “But our housekeeper, Mrs.
Burton, drove me to school each morning, and when Mother would
leave for one of her club meetings Mrs. Burton would allow me to
watch The Flintstones on the small TV in her room before we left
for school.”

“So where’s Wilma?” Aaron accepted her story
without judgment or question as his blue eyes danced with
mischievous laughter. Maggie rolled her eyes and laughed.

“There’s no Wilma,” she insisted, smiling.
There was no way she would ever admit that she’d named her car
Betty!

“Chicken and dumplins. If you’re going to
live in the south it’s kinda required that you know how to make
this,” Andi informed her. “Goes great with Strawberry wine.” She
smiled and nodded to the bag she’d left on the counter.

“Where do you find this stuff?” Maggie asked
as she retrieved the bottle of wine and stuck it in the fridge to
chill. “Or is that top secret since this is a dry county?” she
teased. She still couldn’t believe something like a dry county
still existed in this day and age.

“My brother makes it,” Andi laughed. “And
don’t worry, he lives a county over so we’re not technically
breakin’ any laws. He’s actually planning on opening his own winery
someday,” she said proudly.

“Really? If he ever needs a taste tester you
know where to find me,” Maggie offered playfully. Andi paused for a
moment and studied Maggie as if she was considering something, but
whatever it was she didn’t share it.

“So Lacey Buchannan came into the store
today.” She quickly changed the subject, falling into her usual
habit of updating Maggie on all the local gossip. “I swear she
looks like she’s about to bust! She’s gonna have that baby any day
now,” Andi predicted.

“It was so adorable watching her waddle
through the store with her little ones walking behind her in a
perfect row, looked just like a mama duck,” she laughed. “If
someone had told me in high school that Lacey would be on her
fourth baby by now I’d’ve never believed it. But I guess when you
have a husband that looks like hers you just can’t help it. Those
blue eyes.” Andi held her hand to her forehead and pretended to
swoon. Maggie couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s dramatics,
but the reference to blue eyes immediately brought Aaron to
mind.

In truth, in the few days since she’d last
seen Aaron he hadn’t really left her mind. She kept analyzing their
conversation in the kitchen. Had he been flirting or was he just
being polite? He’d made her laugh and feel completely at ease,
aside from those few times when their eyes had met and butterflies
had erupted inside her. Had he felt that connection too or was it
just her?

Obviously she found him gorgeous, but what
did he think of her? She just couldn’t tell. She’d really enjoyed
their conversation and he seemed to be enjoying her company as
well, but once he’d finished his lemonade he’d politely excused
himself, wished her a good day, and left without any indication
that he wanted to see her again.

“Travis was the biggest flirt in high
school,” Andi continued and Maggie snapped back to the present.
“But he seems totally devoted to Lacey now. They really are a cute
couple.”

“What was Aaron like in high school?” Maggie
blurted out the question before she’d even realized she was going
to ask it.

“Who?” Andi stopped short as she was serving
up their dinner.

“Aaron Miles?” Maggie asked timidly.

“He’s not from here,” Andi replied as she
placed the dinner plates on the kitchen island.

The girls had located some bar stools in a
game room which they had moved to the kitchen. They preferred to
eat there rather than in the formal dining room.

“Where’s he from?” Maggie asked as she
grabbed the bottle of wine and joined Andi at the bar. Barney
promptly curled at her feet beneath the barstool.

“Look, sweetie, I know he’s gorgeous. Trust
me, I’ve seen him. But I think you should stay away from him.”

“Why?” Maggie’s heart fell at Andi’s
words.

“I don’t know much about him,” Andi
admitted. “He got here just before you did, but he keeps to
himself. No one really knows much about him, but I’ve heard…” Andi
trailed off as if she was contemplating whether or not to say what
she knew which wasn’t like her at all. Maggie could feel her
anxiety building.

“What?” She prodded.

“He’s an ex-con.” Andi sounded
apologetic.

Maggie’s mind immediately rejected the
possibility. Not her Aaron. Andi must be mistaken. But then again
he wasn’t “her Aaron,” was he? She barely knew him. Could it be
possible?

“What did he do?” Maggie found herself
whispering.

“I don’t know,” Andi admitted. “My uncle is
the Sheriff. He overheard me talking about how cute I thought Aaron
was the first time I’d seen him at the store. And he told me that
he wasn’t supposed to tell anyone because the records were sealed,
but that he’d definitely been in some serious trouble in the past
and he wanted me to stay away from him. He said he was dangerous.
That’s all he could tell me.” Andi shrugged sadly.

Maggie couldn’t believe what she was
hearing. She didn’t want to. She couldn’t reconcile this man Andi
was describing, a loner with a sordid past, with the man she’d met.
Aaron was sweet and funny, he was polite and charming. There was no
way he could be an ex-con. This had to be a mistake.

~∞~

The next morning Maggie woke to an awful
revelation. She was out of coffee. This day was not off to a good
start. She had a horrible headache, probably a result of the bottle
of wine she and Andi had polished off the night before. Plus she
hadn’t slept well. She couldn’t stop thinking about Aaron.

In truth, she didn’t know him. Perhaps Andi
was right. Maybe it was best to stay away from him. That thought
coupled with the lack of coffee left her feeling very defeated. She
considered going upstairs and crawling back into bed. To make
matters worse, without a car driving to town wasn’t an option. Why
had she sold her car? She really hadn’t thought that through.

Barney sat at the backdoor crying to be let
out. Even he seemed in a bad mood this morning. With shoulders
slumped she crossed the kitchen to the backdoor and opened it to
let the cat out. She was greeted with a surprisingly cool morning.
The sky was overcast and a brisk breeze was blowing. It wasn’t hot
at all. Maggie considered the walk to Sweetwater. It wasn’t really
very far and with this weather it might be kind of nice. There was
coffee in Sweetwater.

With a renewed spirit and a plan she headed
outside to the garage in search of a basket or something that she
could carry with her to bring back a few groceries from town. To
her delight she found an old bicycle with a basket on the front.
This day was steadily improving.

Maggie hadn’t rode a bike since she was a
kid, but by the time she’d reached the end of the driveway and was
turning onto the dirt road that led to Sweetwater she had the hang
of it again.

It didn’t take her long to reach town, and
as she rode her bike through Sweetwater she took a minute to really
appreciate the quaint little town. The historic downtown buildings
were bustling with people coming and going and waving as they went.
The columned city hall boasted a large town clock that towered over
the main square where a farmer’s market was set up. Nearly every
corner held a steepled church and the large central park was filled
with beautiful magnolia trees.

Maggie was drawn to a small cafe by the rich
smells of coffee and cinnamon rolls. She sat outside on the patio
and enjoyed her breakfast and a very large coffee as she watched
the small town of Sweetwater. The town was bustling with energy,
but the people were smiling. They were waving and taking the time
to stop and greet each other on the street. The stress and anxiety
of her life before had been left behind. This was exactly what she
needed and she was once again glad that she came. She began to
consider the idea of staying in Georgia permanently. Maybe she
could get a job at one of the downtown shops, find a small place to
rent. It was a far cry from the life she’d once planned, but the
idea was very inviting.

After breakfast she decided to walk around
town and explore some of the shops. The weather was still
pleasantly cool, the sky shrouded with a heavy cloud layer. She
walked downtown and meandered through a few antique stores,
mentally shopping for items she might stock a home with if she were
to move to this town permanently.

She bought a few summer dresses at a cute
little boutique and some aromatherapy bubble bath at another shop.
She also stocked up on several bags of gourmet coffee. She found
herself nodding to passersby who smiled at her as she walked
through the streets.

At the farmer’s market she selected some
fresh produce and made small talk with some of the townspeople. She
noticed a young blonde woman sitting at a table with a stack of
homemade cookbooks for sale. She crossed to her stand thinking how
proud Andi would be of her for buying a cookbook. As she approached
the table she also noticed three small children behind it. A blonde
little girl was coloring in a coloring book while her dark haired
brother played with his toy cars in the dirt. A toddler was
sleeping peacefully in a stroller beside them. That’s when she
noticed that the young woman seated behind the table was very
pregnant.

“Oh, you must be Lacey,” Maggie said,
smiling with recognition. Lacey looked a little taken aback that
she’d known her name and Maggie made a mental note to allow people
to introduce themselves first. But Lacey quickly recovered and
smiled.

“You must know Andi,” she laughed and Maggie
smiled with relief.

“Yes,” Maggie admitted sheepishly. “I’m
Maggie,” She added quickly.

“It’s nice to meet you, Maggie.” Lacey
smiled kindly. “Welcome to Sweetwater.”

“Thank you. It’s a wonderful little town,”
Maggie enthused. The place was really growing on her.

“How long will you be staying?” Lacey asked
pleasantly.

“At least for the summer.”
Maybe
longer
, Maggie added to herself.

“Then you’ll definitely need to come back
next week for the Fourth of July barbeque. Everyone gets together
in the park, it’s just a big potluck, everybody brings something
and there will be tons of fireworks,” she told her.

“That sounds wonderful! I wouldn’t miss it.”
Maggie was really beginning to picture herself living in this town
permanently. “Thank you.”

“Well, we’re happy to have you. It’s nice to
see crazy old Ms. Devereaux bringing some
nice
people to
town.” Lacey’s tone was kind, but there was an undertone that was
undeniable and Maggie couldn’t help but wonder if she was referring
to Aaron.

As Maggie left the farmer’s market the
Sheriff approached her.

“You must be Maggie.” He smiled as he
politely tipped his hat.

“There really are no secrets in a small
town, are there?” Maggie laughed nervously as she smiled in his
direction but continued walking toward her bicycle.

“Not in a town where my niece lives,” the
Sheriff joked as he strolled alongside her. “I’m Paul Rutledge,
Andi is my niece,” he explained kindly.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Maggie replied as
she reached for her bike.

“Andi tells me you’re staying at the old
Devereaux place.” Sheriff Rutledge seemed to be getting at
something.

“Yes, Sir,” she confirmed.

“Well, for the most part this is a very safe
town,” he assured her “But in recent years we’ve had a few more…
transient residents.” He seemed to be choosing his words carefully
“It’s my understanding that you’re not the only guest on the
Devereaux property, and I just want you to know that I’m only a few
minutes away if you need anything.” He handed Maggie a card with
his name and phone number on it. “Please don’t hesitate to call if
you need anything.”

“Thank you, but I’m sure I won’t need to
bother you,” she assured him as she accepted the business card.
“
Everyone
I’ve met has been very kind,” she emphasized as
she climbed onto her bike. It seemed obvious to her that he was
referring to Aaron and she wanted to defend him. But what could she
say?

She left town with mixed feelings. She
really shouldn’t take such offense to the opinions people held
about Aaron, she barely knew him. But she couldn’t help but think
they had to be wrong. Even if he had been in some trouble in the
past, he couldn’t possibly be dangerous, could he? But what if he
was? Should she stay away from him?