was married to Darcy, an oceanic-treasure hunter. Then there was his doctor cousin, Gavin Faulkner, and his wife, Ellery, who ran an art gallery. Gavin’s little sister, Harper, owned the bar and her husband, Dare, was with the ATF. Tinsley was an artist and her older brother, Ridge, an architect and builder, had married Savannah not too long ago. Ryker was an only child and it showed. He liked things his way so it was good that he ran who knew how many companies. Trent knew about the shipping company but also knew there were many other companies and “business interests” that Ryker either owned a part of or ran outright. That expanding family now meant way more people to butt into his private life.
“I heard it was that Mason fella. He’s been in the news saying all these great things about her,” Gator said from the bar as he hooked a thumb into his overalls. Gator was aptly named since the mountain of a man in overalls and a worn ball cap did actually wrestle alligators.
“That’s a right good-lookin’ man if I can say so,” Turtle, Gator’s little-in-every-way cousin, said back. Women sighed in agreement. Even the men nodded their heads.
Gator took a swig of beer and set the mug on the bar. “I don’t think any man can compete with that.”
“Did you see Mason in Spring’s Redeeming Bloom?” Turtle asked, and the women all blushed and began to fan themselves. “They showed him bathing in a creek. And I mean they showed him . . . his little turtle and all.”
“It was wicked hot and not little in the slightest,” Georgina, the bartender, said, waving her hand in front of her face.
Gator groaned. “Miss Georgie, I know you’re from up there in the north somewhere, but you’ve been here long enough to start makin’ sense.”
“I said, ‘wicked’ again, didn’t I?” Georgie bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling as if she were thinking. Georgina Grey was from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and Gator thought she was speaking another language. “Let’s see, Mason Hemming is finer than frog hair split four ways?”
Gator saluted her with his beer. “Now I know what you’re talking about.”
Georgina beamed with approval and Trent was ready to leave.
“Now, I’ll grant you that Mason Hemming is someone you’d write home about,” Tinsley said to them all before turning to Trent. “However, just because the paper says they’re together doesn’t mean they are. Is she still texting you?”
“I don’t want to talk about Skye Jessamine,” Trent said between clenched teeth. He loved his family and town, really, but this was too much. “G, I’ll take a bourbon. Straight up. Make it a double.”
“That’ll wet your whistle,” Georgina said and then winked at Gator and Turtle who golf-clapped for her use of an expression they understood.
Trent took a seat with his family. Everyone stared at him. Trent let out a suffering sigh. “Yes, she texted me a picture of her on set this morning. She said it was her last day of filming. Then next month starts her press tour for her movie coming out then. She told me she’ll be in Atlanta doing press and wondered how far it was from Shadows Landing.”
“See!” Tinsley shouted joyfully.
“See what?” Trent asked as Georgina set the bourbon down in front of him.
“She still likes you,” Harper said without hesitation.
“Strange way to show it,” Trent muttered.
“It’s probably a fake relationship. I’ve read about those,” Savannah told them.
Darcy and Tinsley nodded in agreement.
“You need to talk to her. Find out what’s going on. I know God gave you some common sense. Use it,” Ellery told him and again everyone nodded in agreement.
Trent glared at her and then suddenly her face crumpled up and she burst into tears. “Sweet magnolia! I’m so sorry. These pregnancy hormones make me say the darnedest things.”
Gavin looked concerned as he pulled his pregnant wife against his side and promised Trent wasn’t mad. Now he couldn’t even be irritated with Ellery since she sat there crying buckets as she held her slightly rounded belly. What made him smile though was the look of abject fear on Ryker’s face.
“I have a call I need to make,” Ryker said as he was out of his chair and out the door before anyone could tell him he’d left his phone on the table.
“She’s right,” Harper said to Trent as everyone tried to cheer Ellery up. Harper and Trent had always been close. They both had the same no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is