Ask Me to Stay (Honky Tonk Angels #4) (2 page)

“Thank you so much,” Callie said.

“Tank you,” Lily echoed, earning a chuckle from Billy and even making Jayce smile.

Billy gestured to a table and yelled at Cody. “Where ya’ll keep them kid’s booster seats?”

“In the closet near the door.”

“I’ll get it,” Jayce offered.

“Thank you, Jayce,” Billy said and took a seat, propping his cane against a chair at an adjacent table.

Jayce found the booster seat and returned to the table. Callie sat holding Lily, who was looking around and taking it all in.

“Here you go.” He placed the booster seat in an empty chair and strapped it in.

“You obviously have experience,” Callie commented.

“It’s been a while, but yeah.” Jayce gave her a smile. “Jayce Weathers, ma’am.”

“Callie Williams.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He leaned down to look at Lily. “And you too, Miss Lily.”

It purely surprised him when Lily grinned and reached for him. He cut Callie a quick look. “Is it okay?”

“Sure.”

He picked Lily up, surprised at how natural it felt to hold a child again in the crook of his arm. She smiled and put her hand on his face. “Fuhhy.”

“Furry?” he asked and chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it is a little. So, how old are you, Miss Lily? Two, three?”

“Two,” Callie answered.

“She’s a cutie.”

“And hungry, I hope.” Cody’s voice drew everyone’s attention as she headed for the table with a tray laden with food. “Hope you don’t mind, but I just brought everything together.”

“You eating?” Billy asked Jayce.

“Yep.”

“Then pull up a chair.”

“You sure you don’t mind?” Jayce looked at Callie. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“No, please.”

“Well thank you. I’d be honored.” He put Lily into her seat, scooted it up close to the table, then sat in the vacant chair between Billy and Callie.

“This looks wonderful,” Callie commented and looked at Cody. “Thank you so much. I hope it wasn’t too much of a bother.”

“Heck no.” Cody turned a chair from an adjacent table and took a seat. “Ya’ll dig in.”

Jayce noticed that Callie’s attention was on her child. Apparently, Lily wasn’t a picky eater, even if she did favor fingers over the child-sized eating utensils. In moments, she was stuffing her face with potato salad and baked beans.

“So, Callie, how do you know my Dad?” Cody asked.

“He rescued us.” Callie smiled at Billy before continuing. “The fuel gage in my car is broken and I thought I had more gas than I did. I ran dry about five miles from town. Billy came by and was nice enough to bring me here to get gas. And offer lunch. Thank you again, Cody.”

“Don’t mention it. So, were you headed for Cotton Creek or just making a pit stop?”

“That depends on whether I can find work here.”

“You’re looking for a job?”

“Yes.”

“Doing what?”

“Whatever pays for Lily and me to live.”

“Ever work in a bar or restaurant?”

“Yes. I worked for a chain restaurant in Nashville as a server and bartender, and for several privately owned restaurants and bars, and I did the books for some of them.”

“You do accounting?”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t mind waiting tables or working a bar?”

“Not at all.”

“Well girl, you just might be the answer to my prayer.”

“Seriously?”

Cody grinned at Callie and then at her father. “I know now why you called.”

“Anything to help my babies,” Billy said and smiled.

Cody reached out to give his shoulder a squeeze, then yelled for her sister. “Hannah? Get out here, girl!”

A few seconds later, Hannah appeared. “What ya’ll need?”

“Come over here.” Cody motioned her over.

When Hannah reached the table, Cody gestured to Callie. “This is Callie Williams and her daughter Lily. Callie, my sister and partner, Hannah.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Hannah smiled and bent down to address Lily. “And you too, beautiful girl.”

“Belly hurt,” Lily said with a mouthful of potato salad.

Billy laughed at the concerned expression on Hannah’s face as she looked at Callie. “That’s her way of saying she’s hungry,”  he explained

“Oh.” Hannah smiled. “Well eat up sweetheart. There’s plenty more where that came from.” She looked at Callie. “She’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“So, Hannah.” Cody drew Hannah’s attention. “Callie is in need of a job and I was just about to tell her that we’re in desperate need of someone to do the books here. She has experience in doing the books for some bars and restaurants in Nashville.”

“Oh my god, yes.” Hannah quickly pulled up a chair and addressed Callie. “We have a computer and QuickBooks, but I really don’t trust myself to get it right and Cody would rather be beat than do that stuff.”

“God’s honest truth.” Cody added and looked at Hannah. “So, what do you think?”

“I think hell yeah, sister.”

“Bam.” Cody grinned and looked at Callie. “So, we could definitely use you – what you think, Hannah? Three days a week for the books?”

“Yes,” Hannah said, and added, “And if you want extra work, we can put you on as many dinner or night shifts as you want. We’re really shorthanded.”

“Seriously?”

“Hell yeah,” Cody answered.

“Don’t you want references?”

“Well sure, but we don’t have to have them this minute.”

Callie looked around the table, and Jayce couldn’t help but notice how overwhelmed she appeared. “You’d give me a job just like that?” she asked.

“Sure, why not?”

Callie looked over at her daughter and reached out to stroke the child’s curls before responding. “I – I don’t know how to thank you.”

“By telling me when you can start,” Hannah answered.

A stricken look came on Callie’s face that had Jayce feeling sorry for her. “Oh dear.” Callie’s hands went into her lap and clenched “I – I don’t know. We don’t have a place to stay and I’d have to find child care for Lily and—”

“No problem,” Cody interrupted. “Until you find a permanent place, you can stay with me at the ranch. I’ve got plenty of room.”

“And,” Hannah added, “after lunch, if you want, I can take you over to meet Mrs. Branch. She runs the daycare at the church and she’s the nicest woman that ever walked the earth. The kids love her.”

Jayce caught himself reaching to touch Callie when tears glistened in her eyes.

“Oh… oh my…” Callie swiped at her eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Absolutely.” Hannah looked at Cody.

“Amen,” Cody agreed. “The way I see it, this is fate. We were in need and here you are. Least we can do is make it possible for you to do the work we need done.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“
Yes
would be good.”

Callie smiled through the tears and Jayce was struck with just how beautiful she really was. She nodded and extended her hand across the table to Cody. “I’ll do a good job for you, Miss Sweet. I promise.”

“It’s Cody, and I know you will.”

“Thank you.” Callie offered Hannah her hand.

“You’re most welcome.” Hannah stood. “Okay, so I’m going to call in our order for the week, and we’ll be ready whenever you are to go meet Mrs. Branch.”

“Oh, no. My car!” Callie exclaimed.

“Oh right,” Cody said. “Out of gas.”

“Maybe I can help,” Jayce offered.

Everyone looked at him. “I’ve got gas cans in the truck. If Billy will ride with me, I’ll fill up the car and we’ll drive it back here. Won’t take more than half an hour.”

“Oh, I can’t let you go to all that trouble,” Callie protested.

“Just call it a welcome to Cotton Creek from a friend.” He turned to look at her.

When their gazes met, something punched him in the gut. Attraction? Yeah, there was a good measure of that, but it was more than just lust. It took him a second to recognize the feeling and the realization surprised him. For the first time he could remember, he was getting to play the role of hero in a minor way and help a damsel in distress. He liked it.

“Well, thank you, Mr. Weathers.”

“My friends call me Jayce.”

“Thank you, Jayce.” She looked down as she spoke and the gesture intrigued him. She hadn’t seemed all that shy until now.

Wonder what Callie William’s story was?

Callie brought Lily downstairs to the kitchen, put her on the floor and started preparing coffee. She knew Cody would be getting up any minute to head out to talk to her ranch hands. They’d only been at Cody’s for two weeks, but she pretty much had Cody’s schedule down pat. Honestly, she didn’t know how Cody had the energy to do all she did. Between the ranch and the bar and grill, she must put in seventy hours a week, but she never complained.

The same thing was true with Hannah. Along with working at the bar, she also worked at her mother’s bakery, and like her sister, never complained about the amount of hours she worked. Callie had never met two harder-working or nicer women.  Every day, she gave thanks to whatever lucky star or guardian angel had her breaking down outside of Cotton Creek.

For the last two weeks, she’d actually slept the whole night through. She felt safe here and no one would ever know how precious that feeling was. Lily had taken to Cody and Hannah like they were family and she loved Mrs. Branch, the lady who ran the daycare. The days Callie worked at the bar on the accounting, she’d drop Lily off and Lily would run to Mrs. Branch, smiling and chattering like a magpie.

As luck would have it, Cody and Hannah’s younger sister, KC, babysat to earn extra money. Callie checked with Mrs. Sweet first to make sure it was okay when KC volunteered to babysit should Callie want to pick up some evening shifts. It worked out beautifully. The Sweets’ home was right in town, and Lily had immediately fallen in love with KC. Callie had started working Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights and on Saturday nights, when KC didn’t have plans. That left her Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday to devote to Lily.

Hannah said her mother was relieved KC had been so eager to babysit. Stella and Billy were still a bit nervous about KC dating, even though she was seventeen. They’d made Hannah and Cody wait until they were seniors to have dates other than at school functions or have a boy over to the house. They were trying to keep KC to that restriction as well.

Callie counted herself lucky to not only have the chance to make some extra money, but also have someone she could trust to watch Lily. Already Lily had claimed KC as “my gurl.”

The icing on the cake was Jayce Weathers. He’d dropped in a few times during the day when Callie was working, and a couple of evenings. She was definitely enjoying being flirted with by such a drop-dead gorgeous man. For the first time in three years, Callie was remembering that she was more than just a mother—she was still a woman. Jayce awoke feelings she had buried and it was exciting to feel that part of her come to life again.

Yes, it was as if life had decided to smile on her and Callie felt like pinching herself to make sure it was real.

Today was Thursday, so she was off and could have slept in, but Lily had become accustomed to an early schedule. Callie thought she’d take Lily into town, visit the bakery and then do a little shopping. Lily was quickly outgrowing her shoes and could use a couple more outfits. Hannah had told her about the thrift shop and a small store in town that carried affordable clothing. Maybe they’d make a morning of it, then visit the town park.

God, even just planning a day like that felt like paradise. Was this really her life now? It was almost perfect.

She was still looking for a place of her own, but until she’d squirreled away more money, she wasn’t going to be able to move. She’d convinced Cody to allow her to do all the cooking and cleaning as a way of payment for her generosity, and had asked Cody yesterday if there was anything she could do to help with the ranch work.

Callie didn’t know much about ranching, but her grandparents had owned a farm and she’d spent a lot of her time there, so she did know how to milk a cow, feed animals and shovel manure. And she loved horses, having been around them at her grandparents’ farm. She still remembered how to muck out a stall. Cody said it wasn’t necessary but Callie wasn’t going to let up. She had to pay her own way and since she didn’t have a lot of money, this was a way to do it.

Lily bounded up and took off running the moment she heard footsteps on the stairs. “Tody, Tody!” So far, the
C
s in Lily’s vocabulary were not constant, and her pronunciation of Cody’s name always elicited a grin from Cody.

“Hey, bug-a-boo!” Cody swept Lily up in her arms. “Hmmm, I smell coffee.”

“Taulkee.” Lily nodded.

“Yes ma’am. Taulkee.” Cody walked into the kitchen, carrying Lily. “Girl, you don’t have to get up and fix coffee on your day off.”

“Oh, yes I do. Miss Sweet pea was chomping at the bit at first light.”

“You little early bird.” Cody nuzzled Lily’s neck, eliciting a fit of giggles.

“Belly hurt.” Lily rubbed her stomach.

“Okay, let’s get you some breakfast.” Callie poured Cody’s coffee and turned. “Do you want oatmeal, Lily?”

“No, no want it meal.”

“Okay, how about eggs?”

“Hmmmm, eggs,” Cody said as she set Lily down. “I like eggs.”

“My yike yeggs.” Lily jumped up and down. “Yeggs, Mommy, yeggs.”

“Eggs it is.” Callie smiled. “Cody, want some breakfast?”

“You won’t hear me turn it down.” Cody plucked her cup from the counter and took a seat at the table.

“So, how did it go with KC last night? She still working out?” Cody asked.

Lily looked right up at the sound of KC’s name. “My gurl gone.” A sad expression came on her face and she shook her head. “My sad. My gurl gone.”

“You’ll get to see her again soon, butter bean,” Callie assured her, then answered Cody, “As you can tell, Lily is in love with her. She just wailed when it was time to leave. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”

“Are you kidding? KC is thrilled to be able to earn some extra money. Mama and Daddy have always been good to us, but they don’t cotton to laziness, so they taught us young that if you want something you have to be willing to work for it.”

“My mother was the same.”

“Was?”

Callie nodded and turned away. She didn’t want Cody to see her face. Callie never talked about her mother. It was still too painful.

“Sorry, hon.”

Callie nodded, pretending to pay attention to preparing the eggs. The truth was, Cody’s question had sent her shooting back to a time she wished she didn’t have to remember.

“So, Jayce stopped by after you left last night and asked if you were working,” Cody said. “I told him he’d just missed you but that you were working until closing on Friday.”

“Oh?” Callie tried not to acknowledge the little thrill that statement gave her.

“That man is all kinds of fine.”

Callie cut a look over her shoulder as she popped bread into the toaster. “You’re interested in him?”

“Me? Heck no.”

“Why not?”

“He’s not my type.”

Callie turned at those words. “Oh, then what is your type?”

“Temperamental, dangerous, a man not afraid to break the rules when the situation demands it – someone smart but not puffed up with his own intelligence or importance. A man who loves the outdoors and isn’t uncomfortable under the stars or squeamish about getting dirty. A man who knows how to do things, take care of what needs taking care of. A man who’s hard from the work he’s done and not some prissy gym rat that would be scared of a mouse or a snake. A man who’s loyal and sends my lust-o-meter to the red line.”

“Interesting and very specific combination.”

“Yep.”

“So who fits that bill?”

“No one I’ve met yet, but when I do meet him, watch out because it’s on.”

Callie laughed. “Just like that?”

“Yep. How about you? What’s your type?”

Callie turned back to the stove and stirred the eggs in the skillet. “I don’t know if I have one.”

“What about Lily’s dad? What was he?”

“A mistake.” Even she could hear the bitterness in her voice, and she hated it. Deke had been a mistake, a horrible one. The only good that had come from her time with him was Lily. The only thing.

“We all make them, girl.”

The toast popped and Callie busied herself buttering it, then finished the eggs. She piled eggs and toast on three plates and carried them to the table. “Eat eat time, Lily.”

“Eat eat time!” Lily scrambled into a chair, kneeling to be high enough.

“We need to bring a booster seat home from the bar,” Cody commented. “Oh no, wait. I think there’s a high chair in the attic. This weekend I’ll climb up there and look for it.”

“Cody, you don’t have to go to so much trouble for us.”

“It’s no trouble, girl. That’s what friends are for.”

Callie hated that once more tears threatened. Would she ever become accustomed to kindness again? And why did acts of kindness fill her with such unreasonable anxiety? It was like there was a part of her certain that anyone who was nice to her was putting themselves in harm’s way.

Please god, don’t let that be true.
She wasn’t the smartest or the bravest, and certainly didn’t profess to have herself and the world all figured out, but one thing she knew for sure. She’d never survive having to live through watching someone else who was kind to her pay a horrible price for their goodness.

*****

Jayce and his fifteen-year-old son, Carson, had just stepped out of the diner when he saw Callie and Lily walking along the sidewalk, holding hands.

“Hold up, bud.” He put a hand on Carson’s shoulder. Carson stopped and they waited.

Callie looked up and Jayce could tell the moment she saw him. Her expression arranged first into a smile and almost immediately thereafter into something that struck him as anxious.

He waited until she drew near. “Hey, Callie.” He knelt to address Lily. “And Miss Lily. What’cha got there? Ice cream?”

“I-keem.” Lily nodded and extended the dripping cone to him. “Bite?”

“No, but thank you sweetheart.” Jayce stood. “Callie, this is my son, Carson. Carson, this is Ms. Williams. She’s new to town and works at the Honky Tonk.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Carson gave her a smile and then turned his attention to Lily. “Hey little one. You’re cute.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Callie replied and looked at Jayce. “And nice to see you. Is there no school today?”

“Teacher’s work day,” Carson offered. “So I’m working with Dad today.”

“Oh, well, I imagine he’s enjoying that. You look like you could work circles around most people.”

Carson grinned. “Yeah, he tries to keep up.”

Jayce smiled as well. “Hey, go easy on your old man.” He then looked at Callie. “So what are you girls up to?”

“Just doing a little shopping for some new clothes for Lily and having a treat. We thought we might find the park and let Lily play. Do you know where it is?”

“Sure. It’s three blocks down. Turn right on Maple and then a block down and turn left on Oak.”

“Right on Maple, left on Oak. Thanks.”

“Happy to help. Well, I guess we best get along. Hope you have a good afternoon.” He knelt again. “Have fun at the park, Miss Lily.”

“Sving,” she said and grinned.

“Yes, have fun on the swings.” Jayce stood and tipped his hat. “Nice seeing you, Callie.”

“Nice to see you, Jayce. And good to meet you Carson.” She led Lily past Jayce and he watched.

If she turns around and looks she’s interested.

He grinned when she looked back over her shoulder. With a wave, he turned. “Well, we’re burning daylight son, so let’s get to it.”

“She’s pretty.”

“Huh?”

“That lady. Miss Williams. She’s pretty. Is she married?”

“No, I don’t believe so.” Jayce headed for his truck, which was parked a block down the street.

“Then maybe you should ask her out.” Carson fell in step with him.

Jayce looked at Carson in surprise. Carson had never broached the subject of Jayce dating before. “And why would I do that?”

Carson shrugged. “Remember how Uncle JD was before he and Liz got together? I mean, he was good to everyone, but he was just always seemed mad at the world or something. Since Liz came, he’s smiling all the time and Dawson and Briggs say that he laughs all the time now.”

“And I don’t laugh?”

“Yeah, you do, but Pops says you’re a rounder.”

“Excuse me?”

“A rounder. You know. You get around with a lot of women but none of it is ever serious. It’s just good times and sex. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Nothing could have shocked Jayce more. “Good times and sex?”

“I’m not a kid, Dad. I’ll be sixteen in four months. And Pops is right. You’re not getting any younger and in a couple of years, I’ll be leaving for college. Maybe it’s time for you to think about settling down. A lady like Miss Williams with a little girl might be looking for the same thing. And I saw the way you looked at each other.”

Jayce shook his head. How had he missed the fact that his son was growing up fast? Or that Carson saw things Jayce had never given him credit for having the brains to figure out? “Well, I just met the lady, son, so let’s not start planning the wedding yet, okay?”