Bad Girl Lessons (6 page)

“Has he ever done anything like this before? Has he ever hurt you?”

“Jackson, do not go off half cocked about this. It was an isolated event. The only danger I experienced in my relationship with Trevor was the possibility of being bored to death. I don’t know what yesterday was about other than the fact that Trevor realizes how negatively all of this could impact his precious image and now he’s trying to put it right.”

“I don’t give a damn what his motivation is, Evie. He left bruises on you!”

Evie was saved from responding by the sudden appearance of a blue light and the short wail of a siren. She was engulfed in a maelstrom of panic and mortification as she recognized the voice of the local sheriff.

“There some reason you’re parked in the middle of a field that doesn’t belong to you, Cope?”

Evie heard the mild epithet that Jackson muttered, which was quickly followed by a brief explanation. “Just came out to look at the stars last night, Sheriff. Fell asleep here in the bed of the truck.”

“You drunk, Cope?”

“No, sir. I had a single beer at Tiny’s while I was playing pool, but left after that,” Jackson said. He felt his gut tightening as the sheriff continued to walk closer, “Sheriff, if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t walk any closer. I’m not exactly by myself here.”

“Who the hell is in there with you?” the man demanded angrily.

Jackson reached for his T-shirt and tossed it to Evie, knowing that it would be the quickest thing for her to put on. Even then, it was no easy task laying flat in the bed of the truck. When she finally managed to get the thing on, she sat up and pushed her tangled hair back. “Good morning, Sheriff Dobbs.”

The look on the middle aged man’s face would have been comical had Evie not been thinking about the fact that it would be all over town before breakfast that she’d been buck naked in the back of Jackson’s truck in the middle of a field. When the sheriff regained his composure, he made a snorting noise that might have passed for a laugh. “You sure didn’t let any grass grow under your feet, did you, girl?”

“Sheriff, this is more than a little bit embarrassing, so--”

“Well, the truth of the matter is, Evangeline Harper, it’s a bit more than just embarrassing. It’s also illegal. You’re trespassing on private property, and then there’s the little matter of public indecency...but seeing as how this is your first offense, I reckon we can let matters slide a bit.”

Evie let out a shuddering breath of relief. That was something at least. It might not stop the gossip, but at least she wouldn’t have to ask her father for bail money. “Thank you, Sheriff.”

“Now, I’m gonna get out here. Y’all are gonna get dressed and then skedaddle. Next time y’all decide to have a romantic evening, rent a motel room like normal folks, you hear?”

“Yes, sir,” Jackson responded and watched as the man slid behind the wheel of his car and drove away with a cheerful salute. “Well, do you think it will be before or after lunch that your mother shows up at your office?”

Evie put her head in her hands and groaned. It was going to be a nightmare. Trevor would hear, of course, and then he’d be on a tear. Her mother would be impossible and she didn’t even want to think about what her Daddy would say. She reached for her skirt and struggled into it. Finding her scattered clothes and dressing as quickly as possible, she said, “Just take me to my car so I can get home and start battening down the hatches. This is not going to go well.”

“If you want to be a bad girl, Evie, then be one. Who gives a damn what anybody else thinks?”

I do, she thought. Being bad or kinky or anything else in the privacy of her bedroom or his was one thing. Of course, that hadn’t stopped her from walking into Tiny’s the night before and walking out with Jackson in tow like she was the whore of Babylon. Only now it was coming back to bite her in the butt. Having the whole town know that the sheriff caught them naked in a field together, fooling around in the bed of his truck like a couple of horny teenagers was not what she’d had in mind. Even then, she couldn’t really bring herself to regret it. As humiliating as it would be to be at the center of Gresham County’s gossip storm, the way he’d made her feel had been worth it. Getting caught had not been on her list of things to do, but she wouldn’t trade the night before for anything.

“I don’t have to go to work, you know? I was supposed to have the whole week off anyway.”

Jackson laughed, “Oh no. You have to face the music sooner or later, and trust me, sooner is always better. Go to work. Face down your Mama when she demands you stop acting like a jezebel and if that son of a bitch, Trevor, comes within fifty yards of you today, you call the police.”

“And what are they going to do, Jackson? He hasn’t really done anything.”

“Then you call me,” he said, and all traces of humor were gone from his voice. “I won’t go find him and beat the shit out of him, even though I want to, because you don’t seem so keen on the idea. But if he comes near you again, all bets are off.”

It was a unique occurrence for Evie. She’d never had someone be protective of her before. “You know, Jackson Cope, you are a much nicer man than you are given credit for.”

He pulled her to him, molding their bodies together, “I just take care of what’s mine.”

She raised her eyebrow at that. “Yours? Since when?”

“Since the moment you laid back on that dock and lifted that white satin dress for me,” he retorted, and then stopped any further protest with a searing kiss. “Now get your ass in the truck.”

Had it not been for his cheeky grin, Evie would have clocked him with one of her black stilettos. Sliding into the cab of the truck, with Jackson holding the door for her, she met his cocky grin with a death star, “Keep on being a smart ass, Jackson and you’ll find out just how bad I can be.”

“I fucking hope so,” he responded.

Two hours later, Evie was once again seated at her desk, but it wasn’t work that filled her mind. It wasn’t even Jackson, which was something of a surprise. She stared at the picturesque house on her computer screen with a half smile curving her lips. It wasn’t a large house, but it had a lot of history which was important to her. Built at the turn of the century, it hovered between Victorian and Craftsman styles. With dark stained woodwork and large windows, it had gorgeous built in shelving and a kitchen that just begged to be cooked in. Picking up her phone, she placed a quick phone call to her bank to make an appointment with the loan manager and a second call to the realtor to schedule an appointment to view the house. With that done, she settled back in her chair to savor the excitement that burned inside her. That excitement withered when she heard the familiar click of heels in the hallway. Her mother’s perfect, ladylike stride would have been recognizable anywhere. Evie braced herself for the coming confrontation.

“Good morning, Evangeline,” Margaret said, stepping inside and closing the door. “I hope you’re proud of yourself. The entire town is talking about you.”

“My fiancee left me at the alter just a few days ago. They were talking about me anyway,” Evie responded. “Is there some reason you came here, mother? Other than to lecture me?”

“I came because I was concerned for you,” Margaret responded coolly. “I understand that Trevor’s behavior was hurtful to you, but he’s told me how sorry he is. He wants to work things out with you, Evie, but if you continue this ridiculous affair with Jackson Cope, it will never happen!”

Evie stood and walked to the window. She counted to ten before speaking. “Mother, I don’t want to work things out with Trevor. I don’t love him and I’m beginning to realize that I never did. Furthermore, if Trevor comes near me again I will press charges. He assaulted me yesterday, or did he forget to mention that?”

Margaret waved her hand, “It was a simple misunderstanding!”

Evie stripped off her cardigan, revealing the dark bruises around her upper arm. Margaret’s lips thinned in response, but she continued, “Well, he was upset, dear. Trevor was overset by all the things that have happened, but he would never truly hurt you.”

“He already did hurt me, mother. We dated for five years and were engaged for two, and for that entire time, my life has been a misery of criticism from both you and him. I was never thin enough, never good enough and was always an embarrassment to you both. I don’t know why Trevor is so desperate to work things out when he could barely stand the sight of me to begin with!”

“Constructive criticism--”

Evie threw her hands up in the air and made a screeching noise. “No, Mother! There is nothing constructive about it! This isn’t a paper being graded...It’s me. The way I look, the way I speak, the way I dress, everything about me has literally been picked apart and I’m done!” she yelled. Gathering her composure, in a more even tone, she added, “If you can’t be supportive of my choices and happy for me then you can stay away.”

Margaret rose, “You will regret this, Evie. Jackson may talk a pretty piece, but men like him never stick around. When he gets tired of you, and believe me, he will, you will be alone... Trevor won’t wait forever.”

“Please leave.”

Evie sank into her chair as Margaret’s footsteps receded down the hallway. It didn’t help that Margaret’s words had only reflected her own fear and insecurity, but then her mother had always been good at going for the weakest link to bring down the kill. There was a reason that Margaret Harper was at the top of the Gresham County social ladder. It wasn’t just because she was an amazing hostess. Others feared her and with good reason. Throughout her life, Evie had known that she never measured up. As a child, her clothes had always been rumpled, her hands dirty and her hair mussed. In her tween years, she’d begun to put on weight, and in adolescence had failed to shed it. No amount of dieting or exercise ever made her small enough for her mother’s standards.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Evie decided to focus her energy and attention on something she could control. She pulled up her email and began working on the ad for the museum that would run in the back of a few magazines targeted at Southern readers. Their small museum, with its adjacent battlefield and antebellum home would not draw tourists from around the world. But it did have the potential to draw people for a weekend if they lived only a few hours away. It would be good for the town and good for the museum.

Two hours later, with her eyes burning, she turned off the computer and rose from her desk. The ad was done. She would send it to her graphic artist that she normally used for such things and have it prettied up, but it was essentially done. With her purse in hand, Evie left the museum and crossed the street to the small, local bank. Stepping inside, she scanned the room for her cousin, but when Lisa’s face did not appear she breathed a sigh of relief. She would have to face her eventually, but not after an ugly confrontation with her mother. The receptionist ushered her into the loan manager’s office, which was, in fact, nothing more than a glass enclosed cubicle. Evie completed the application she’d been given and the little man who came in reviewed it. He typed into the computer for several minutes, asking her terse questions. It was hardly a friendly process.

“You borrowed money for Mr. Trevor Dupree, for his accounting firm. I understand that the two of you have recently parted ways, but I assure you, I have all the proper signatures on file.”

The man appeared visibly distraught. “My only advice to you, Miss Harper, is to retain a lawyer. As Miss Harper is an employ of the bank, I’m afraid I cannot say anything further.”

“I need copies of the loan documents and I also need all of my account statements for the past six months.”

He gulped nervously. “Of course, Miss Harper. If you’d like to come back at four, I’ll have everything ready for you.” Evie nodded and walked out of the office. She was absolutely reeling as she made her way towards the doors. She stepped out into the bright afternoon sunshine and wanted nothing more than to see Jackson. Cursing, she slid behind the wheel of her car and made the long drive out to the lake.

When she got out of her car, she followed the sound of Jackson’s blaring southern rock. He was in his small detached garage, up to his elbows in engine grease and appeared to be happy as a clam. He wasn’t working on his truck, but on an ancient Chevy that appeared to be more rust than metal. Hot, sweaty, dirty and sexy as hell, Evie’s knees went a little weak when she saw him. As if he sensed her presence there, he turned to her with a questioning gaze. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I may not be able to get a loan to buy a house because Trevor forged my signature on a business loan for himself.”

Jackson pulled himself completely out of the car then, and wiped his hands on a grease covered rag. “Why would Trevor need a business loan? His family owns the building that his office is in. He doesn’t have any employees, and his overhead is next to nothing.”

“I don’t know. But Lisa knew about it. She ‘witnessed’ my signatures on the documents. What if there’s more? Mr. Morris is supposed to be getting all of my bank statements together for me, as well as the loan documents. I’m supposed to pick them up this afternoon.”

“And Trevor’s insistence that you get back together is because he is probably trying to cover his tracks.”

“Probably, but he hasn’t called or approached me today.”

“You’re not going to meet with him alone. Trevor is now and always has been an underhanded bastard, but this is a new low even for him.”