Breaking Stars - J. Sterling Page 0,19
who I was. There was recognition in her eyes, as well as a sort of giddiness in her demeanor. She seemed happy and inviting, a far cry from the welcome her son gave me.
“Hi, Mrs. Montgomery. Thank you so much for letting me stay here.”
She nodded her head and waved a hand in my direction. “It’s no trouble. No trouble at all.”
“I really do appreciate it.”
“Would you like some sweet tea?” she asked with a smile, and my own dropped a little.
“I don’t know what that is,” I admitted sheepishly.
“It’s sweetened sun tea, dear. It’s a Southern tradition.”
“You sweeten it yourself?” I asked, feeling like a complete imbecile.
“You bet.”
“Well then, I’d love some.”
As she walked toward the front door, she stopped abruptly and turned to face me. “Oh dear, I hope you like dogs.”
“I love dogs,” I said, noticing the large chocolate lab behind the screen door, wagging its tail back and forth.
“Thank goodness. This here’s Buster. He’s a big love, but he gets in the way sometimes,” she said. “Tell me something else, dear. Would you prefer to sleep in the main house, or would you like some privacy in the back house by yourself? I can get it fixed up for you, if you’d prefer.”
I thought about it for a second, then said, “I’d love to stay in the main house with you, if you don’t mind.” I didn’t want her going to any more trouble than I’d already put her through.
“That would be lovely. Truly lovely. Come on then,” she answered before yelling, “Tatum Alan Montgomery, come help this young lady with her bag right now or so help me, God—”
“No, Mrs. Montgomery, it’s okay,” I started to argue, but Tatum appeared at my side and lifted my duffel with two fingers.
Buster bolted for me as soon as the door opened. I bent down and squeezed his face affectionately before scratching behind his ears. “You are so handsome, aren’t you?” I planted a quick kiss on top of his nose, and he licked the side of my face. I laughed and stood up straight, noticing that Tatum was watching and waiting for me.
His eyebrows lifted as he walked away, his manly scent drifting toward me as I followed behind him. “Your room’s in here. Mama’s making dinner. She’ll cook breakfast, as well. I’ll order that tire first thing in the morning.”
“I’m not in any rush,” I offered, hoping to slow him down, but he didn’t take the bait.
“Well, I’ll try to get it here as soon as I can, but it might take a couple days.”
I shrugged. “That’s fine.”
“The bathroom’s across the hall.” He pointed toward an open door. “Mama’s room is at the end,” he explained, then walked away. “Come on, Buster.”
“Thanks,” was all I seemed to manage at his indifference. I didn’t consider myself an egotistical person, but when someone clamored to get as far away from me as possible, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t give my ego a beating.
Glancing around at the sweet blue-and-yellow room, I smiled to myself. It was comforting and homey, the decor tasteful yet not over the top. It was everything I’d expect a Southern bed and breakfast to be.
Tossing my duffel bag on top of the queen-sized bed, I unzipped it and unpacked a few of my things on the dresser and nightstand. The bag was disorganized and nothing was where it should have been, but I didn’t care as I rifled through it, searching for my stuff. Normally I was a complete neat freak, but the chaos of the past week had put my neat gene in check.
Not wanting to appear antisocial, I headed into the kitchen where Emily, aka Mrs. Montgomery, was rolling some kind of dough.
“Hi,” I said, not wanting to startle her.
“Paige. Is your room okay?”
“It’s perfect. How much do I owe you?”
She shook her head. “Oh, we’ll deal with that later. Once you figure out how long you’ll be staying.”
I pulled out one of the white bar stools and sat down at the counter. “Tatum said it would probably only be a couple of days before he got the tire.” I glanced around, wondering where he was.
His mom caught me and a smile reappeared on her face. “He went to go tow your car to the shop.”
I nodded, embarrassed that she knew I was looking for him. “Mrs. Montgomery, I know I’ve got no business asking you for anything else after all you’ve done for me, but can I ask you