Leaving Oxford Read online

  While they waited, Dylan took a deep whiff. “It smells great out here. This place must be fantastic. There’s certainly a crowd.”

  She breathed in the scent of fried fish and potatoes. It did smell delicious. “It’s one of the many hidden jewels around Mississippi. I loved the fresh fish tacos and avocados in California, but Mississippi doesn’t have one of the highest obesity rates in the country for nothing. We’ve got some people who know how to cook.”

  “You not being one of them.”

  “Why are people always knocking my cooking?”

  “It’s not edible. Or safe.”

  “When have you had something I made?”

  “The fundraiser at my house. You brought a dip. Bill warned me not to eat it, but I didn’t listen. Big mistake. We threw it out before more guests had the same experience.”

  “Oh, that. I think I accidently used cumin instead of chili powder. I thought it wouldn’t make much difference.”

  “It did. Hey, I think they called for us. You must’ve had some pull after all. Let’s go, I’m starving.” Inside, he offered his arm to her as they followed the waitress past the tables covered with red and white plastic cloths.

  Along the way, Sarah Beth waved and greeted Oxford acquaintances but moved at a fast pace so she wouldn’t have to introduce Dylan. No one within the brick walls covered with graffiti and old pictures bothered to stare at the long-haired man wearing a cap, fake mustache, and tinted glasses.

  They took their seats, and she set her menu aside without looking at it. “So, Dylan, you want to tell me about the hold-up for the movie promos?”

  “It’s fine. I just wanted an excuse to see you in person. Catch up. What are you having?”

  She should’ve guessed. “I always get catfish, hushpuppies, fried green tomatoes, and turnip greens.”

  “My trainer would have a heart attack, but I’ll try the same.”

  They made small talk and ate every bite of the deep-fried food. Plate empty, Dylan leaned back and smiled. “That was everything you promised and more.” He patted his midsection. “This place has its charm.”

  “Had enough fun for one night? Ready to head back to my place?”

  “I could never have too much fun, but heading back to your place sounds promising.”

  “No.”

  Dylan chuckled. “You can’t blame a guy for trying. Can you?”

  ~~~

  The next morning, Sarah Beth sipped her watery coffee and checked her email while Gingie lounged at her feet. She’d dug out the makeup Jill insisted she buy for special occasions and applied it. The paparazzi might find Dylan, and if she was going to be on covers of gossip rags in grocery stores around the country, she may as well look her best. Even if the press didn’t see Dylan, what if Jess did? What would he think?

  Dylan insisted she come to the pool house when she was ready to go out, so he wouldn’t upset the attack dog. She scanned the yard while she waited for him to answer the door. The white picket fence surrounding the pool gleamed with fresh paint, and the thick green ivy growing up the trellis had been trimmed into submission by the new landscapers Nick had suggested. Pine straw circled the pink and white azaleas. She pulled her phone from her pocket and glanced at the time. What was taking Dylan so long?

  The door swung open. Shirtless and in boxers, Dylan stood, drying his hair with a towel. “Sorry, I slept like a baby out here. Didn’t even hear my alarm. Come in.”

  She dropped her eyes from his bare chest to the ground. “I’ll wait out here.”

  “Have it your way.” Smiling, he turned away.

  Five minutes later, he reappeared dressed in jeans and polo shirt. No costume, only a pair of sunglasses and a white baseball cap.

  “You’re not wearing a wig or makeup? The mustache was a lady killer.” And someone might recognize him.

  “Apparently, not all ladies think so. What’s on tap for today? Tractor pull? Tobacco spitting contest?”

  She punched her fists to her hips. “Very funny. And where exactly are you from?”

  “Boone, North Carolina.”

  “Is that where you heard of tobacco spitting contests?”

  A half-smile formed on Dylan’s perfect lips. “I guess I deserve that.”

  “How do you feel about touring Faulkner’s home, the campus, antique stores, and a great bookstore? I know it’s not Rodeo Drive...” As if she had time to take a day away from work. But Dylan had come all that way at her request, and he was the client she needed to win over.

  His hand caught the back of her arm. “Sounds perfect.”

  They strolled to her SUV. “I called a friend and reserved the upper floor of one of the town’s nicest restaurants for supper. Your trainer may be more pleased with the menu.”

  “My trainer’s not here, so don’t worry about making him happy.”

  “The food’s fabulous, just not all fried. You’ll love the chef.”

  “I trust you with my palate.” Dylan pivoted toward her and winked. “And everything else.”

  Sarah Beth ignored his relentless flirting as they enjoyed the sunny day perusing art, books, and antiques. It was nice to spend time with a friend. She hadn’t been to many of these places since college.

  “This is a charming town. You should come with me to visit Boone sometime. The mountains, clear creeks, and red barns are picturesque, like a painting. It’s much cooler, too. The humidity here is killer.” Dylan wiped his brow as they exited the SUV. “I’ll have to take another shower before dinner.”

  He moved closer and his gaze wandered from her eyes to her lips. “You’re welcome to join me.”

  This had to end. “We need to talk.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Dylan, I’m not interested in dating.”

  “We don’t need to have anything heavy.”

  “You’re not getting it. A professional relationship and a friendship. That’s it.”

  Dylan reached for her and slid his hand down her back. “I know you’ve been through so much, but you can’t close yourself off forever, Sarah Beth. In L.A. I knew that you were with...”

  “Adam. You can say his name. What you’re not getting is that God is my first love now. If I ever date, the person I get involved with will have God as his first love, too.”

  Pausing as if in thought, Dylan worked his jaw. “Can’t we just enjoy each other? See what happens?” He moved a strand of hair from her shoulder.

  “I thought we had a nice time today.”

  “That is not what I mean.” His eyes glimmered.

  She scooted away from him. “Dylan, as my grandpa used to say, you’re barking up the wrong hill. I’m going to change for dinner. I’ll text you when I’m ready.”

  “I think you mean tree.” He sank his hands into his pockets. “But, I got it. I’ll meet you outside in an hour.”

  The disappointed look on his face tugged at her heart. She hadn’t wanted to hurt his feelings, but she needed to set things straight. They were on very different paths.

  The shower washed away some of the day’s heat and tension. Of course, as soon as they went back out, she’d be sweating again with the humidity. Like air you could wear.

  She stared in her closet. What should she put on? Something presentable, but not flirty. Practical. Her closet was full of that.

  She picked a mid-calf red cotton skirt and a collared matching blouse with low-heeled brown sandals for the walk. Nothing fancy.

  She peeked out the window. Dylan waited on the sidewalk right on time. Picture perfect. He did look nice with that dark auburn hair, those green eyes, and that beautiful smile. She couldn’t deny that much. For just a moment, she wondered what it felt like to be in Dylan’s arms, have those perfect lips touch hers. Wouldn’t it be lovely to let herself get lost in those eyes? To escape the pain for just a little while...

  Jess’s brown eyes took over her thoughts. She swallowed at the lump forming in her throat.

  Then Adam’s.

  She’
d made that mistake before. God would fill the void in her heart.

  Outside, she met him with a smile. “Do you mind if we walk? It’s not far.”

  “Fine with me.” His eyes fell to the ground, his voice flat.

  The three blocks to the Oxford Square passed in silence. The sun dropped, leaving strands of pinks and purples elongating across luminous clouds. Gardenias and magnolias delivered bursts of color and sweet scents of an early summer in the yards along the way.

  “It’s a lovely evening.” Making small talk was a struggle after the earlier conversation with him.

  “It’s nice to be able to walk downtown. You don’t see that much anymore. You look lovely, by the way.” The flirtatious tone rematerialized. “You’re stunning in red.”

  Music from a college bar down the road blended with the sounds of the evening crickets, frogs, and cicadas. A perfect Mississippi evening. If only Dylan could accept the friend zone. “Do you fly back tomorrow?”

  “Around lunch, out of Memphis.”

  “You should go to Graceland if you’ve never been.”

  “I’ve always wanted to see Graceland. Want to follow me up there, and we can see it together?”

  An image of the interstate filled her mind. She lost her footing and tripped forward.

  Dylan reached out to steady her.

  Ice water seemed to pump through her veins, and her palms perspired. The gate inside her brain fell down. Again. Her vision blurred. “Um, I’m booked.”

  Dylan kept his hand on her arm. “You’re trembling. Did you hurt yourself?”

  She pressed her lips into a smile. “Just my usual graceful self.”

  He studied her face before he released her arm. “You’re still struggling, aren’t you? Are the panic attacks as bad as when you left Los Angeles?”

  “We’re here.” Sarah Beth pointed to the restaurant housed in a remodeled nineteenth-century brick cotton gin. “Put on your tinted glasses and cap, at least until we get seated upstairs.”

  Dylan complied then placed his hand on the small of her back.

  The touch spurred her to rush through the restaurant door, plowing into a man near the entrance. “Oh, I’m so sorry, sir.”

  The man spun around and caught her. “No problem, ma’am.” Warm brown eyes and a familiar grin.

  “Hey, it’s you.” Her heartbeat fluttered in her throat. Jess. Warmth started where his fingers held her arm and traveled throughout her body. She beamed. Probably too much.

  “It is me.” His smile faltered as his gaze intensified. “I need to tell you something.”

  The hostess interrupted him. “How many in your party, ma’am?”

  “I’m Sarah Beth LeClair. I have reservations for a private party upstairs.”

  Jess’s forehead crinkled. “You’re the one who’s hogging the whole upstairs? Where’s the party?”

  “Oh, I’m with one of my clients, and we need some privacy.”

  “Just you and him?” Jess eyed Dylan and raised an eyebrow.

  Dylan looked on without speaking.

  Fidgeting, Sarah Beth kicked at the pine floor. “How many are in your party?”

  Jess waved her off. “It’s just an old friend and me, no big deal. We’re fine sitting downstairs. I was just giving you a hard time. Sorry.”

  A woman appeared behind Jess. A beautiful and sensual woman Sarah Beth had seen before.

  Sophia Edmunds. Her long manicured fingernails raked across Jess’s bicep. “I’m back. Did you find out why we can’t sit upstairs, Jessup?”

  What was she doing with Jess? In that low-cut red dress.

  Dylan stepped up and gawked at Sophia. “Sarah Beth, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friends?”

  The hostess arrived to seat them.

  “Dylan, this is Jess, a friend of mine. Would you mind if he and his companion joined us upstairs?”

  Dylan’s gaze remained on Sophia. “Would not mind at all.”

  ~~~

  Jess stepped out of the way for Sarah Beth and Sophia to climb the steep wooden stairs leading to the second floor.

  That guy Dylan looked familiar. The man stepped in beside Sophia and offered his arm. “I’d hate for you to fall with those high heels on these old stairs.”

  A wicked grin spread across Sophia’s ample lips. “Thank you.”

  The hostess led them to a table for four near the window that overlooked the town square. She lay a menu at each place. Dylan held a chair out for Sophia, his eyes traveling up and down her curves. What a jerk. Jess pulled another chair for Sarah Beth. He waited for her to take a seat. She didn’t seem ruffled by her rude date. Or was it a date? She’d said it was business.

  “Thank you, Jess.” Sarah Beth’s sweet voice caused him to smile.

  He held her gaze. “Thanks for letting us invade your dinner.”

  Dylan took off his hat and tinted glasses. “Any friend of Sarah Beth’s is a friend of mine. I’m Dylan Conner.” He flashed a cheesy smile. “I don’t think I caught your names?”

  The actor? What was he doing here? “I’m Jess McCoy, and this is my old friend Sophia Edmunds.” He glanced at Sarah Beth. “She dropped in unexpectedly from out of town.”

  Sophia pooched out her bottom lip. “Jessup, I hardly care for being called your ‘old friend.’ There’s only six years between us.” She flipped her long, jet-black hair and turned to Dylan. “I can see why your friend wanted you all to herself up here. Dylan Conner. The actor, right?”

  “That’s the reason for the glasses and hat. And I think Sarah Beth’s ashamed to be seen with me for some reason.” He winked at Sarah Beth, who seemed to struggle not to roll her eyes. “Tell me, Sophia, where in the world did a vision of beauty like yourself originate? I can’t place your accent.”

  “Most recently, Paris, but I travel the world. I own and design the Sophia Fashion line.”

  “You should get Sarah Beth to promote your account. She’s amazing. That’s why I came to Oxford, to meet with her about my latest project.”

  Sophia turned to Sarah Beth. “Are you Sarah Beth LeClair with the Parker Morgan Agency?”

  “Yes.” Sarah Beth took a swallow of water and stared into her glass. “We met in Paris.”

  Sophia looked to Dylan, again flipping her hair. “Her agency markets my line, but Ms. LeClair was unavailable. Another talent has my account.”

  It sounded like Sarah Beth had turned down Sophia’s account. Jess couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, caught in this awkward position. He hated that Sophia had shown up at his doorstep. He’d told her not to come, not to call anymore. He was done with their relationship—if you could call it that.

  The server arrived to relay the chef’s special and take their drink orders. He had no desire to prolong this meal, so he was happy when Sarah Beth suggested they try the special.

  Jess changed the subject as soon as the orders were taken. “Sarah Beth, how’s your puppy? I saw you attempting to walk her.”

  Dylan waved one hand. “That’s no puppy. It’s an attack dog. I’ve never heard such growling, and it grabbed my arm with its teeth.”

  Sarah Beth laughed. “It wasn’t your arm, it was your shirt. And I did tell you the rules about no men in the house.”

  “Yeah, some rules you have.”

  Jess chuckled. “She licks my face when I sit on the front porch with Sarah Beth.”

  A scowl lowered Dylan’s brows. “So how’d you and Sophia come to be old friends?”

  Jess’s jaw clamped shut, and his fists tightened.

  “His sister and I were friends in college.” Sophia shot an evil look his way. “Jess was such a baby when I met him. So naïve.”

  Dylan’s eyes ran up and down Sophia. “I don’t think you have a naïve bone in your body, which looks very nice, by the way.”

  She closed the gap between herself and Dylan then whispered something in his ear.

  The two continued their voracious flirting through dinner. What was with this guy flying
all the way to Mississippi to see Sarah Beth?

  Business, his foot. This guy wanted more. And she was still so vulnerable, though he had no idea why. Did Dylan know? The thought rankled him.

  He turned his attention to Sarah Beth. She explained her latest crazy ideas for advertisements. So quirky. But in a good way. And he liked how she listened when he talked about spring training. It was nice to find a woman who understood football and the pressures that went along with it.

  When the waitress brought the check, Dylan grabbed it. “I’m buying. I showed up out of the blue at Sarah Beth’s. It’s the least I can do.” He smirked. “And I didn’t want her to cook for me.”

  She laughed at his ribbing. Didn’t seem much like a business dinner or a date for Sarah Beth. Maybe he’d wanted it to be something more, and she’d shot him down.

  He hoped.

  Dylan pushed back his chair and stood. “I hate for the night to end so early. There has to be somewhere to dance in this town. Let’s find a place.”

  Of course, Sophia readily agreed.

  “You guys go ahead.” Sarah Beth gave a dismissive wave.

  “Too many students around here for me to go dancing. I’d end up on an Internet video.” Jess gave them directions across the Square and down a block to a bar with a dance floor, and they were gone.

  Finally.

  “Can I walk you home?”

  “Thanks.” Sarah Beth fell in beside him, tension melting away from her face. “I’ll take you up on that.”

  They exited through the crowded doorway and turned left down the sidewalk toward her house.

  “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about Sophia.”

  “That’s not necessary.”

  “I want to. I need to.” The sooner he got this out the better. He raked a hand across his forehead. “But it’s not something I’m proud of.”

  “Jess, you must know I won’t judge you after everything I’ve told you.”

  “I know, but you’ve straightened out your life. You haven’t told me the whole story, but it’s obvious.”

  She stopped and turned to him with those ebony eyes. “I’m not all that straightened out, trust me. And we’re friends.”

  That friend thing again. “This is hard for me to talk about.” He took a cleansing breath. “Sophia came to our house with my sister, Rachel, their senior year at Florida to spend Thanksgiving, rather than fly home to New York. She flirted with me. I thought she was attractive and sophisticated. I had a crush. Everyone in the family thought it was harmless. What they didn’t know was that while they all went out shopping one day, Sophia and I stayed home.” How to put this delicately? “Basically, she thought it would be fun to teach me about women.” There it was. Out there.