Emma looked so peaceful sleeping, Greer hated to wake her, but it was time to get ready for school. The biggest surprise had been how quickly her heart opened to the child. She'd never thought she had maternal instincts. At least not since she had gotten knocked up straight out of school, then miscarried, and that'd been four years ago.

A tear dropped onto her shirt, and once again, she didn't understand what brought them on. Since coming to Fairhope, she'd turned into a crybaby, and it had to stop. Swiping at her cheeks, she willed the emotions away. She was homesick and already counting the days until she could leave this dreadful city and get back to Atlanta.

Along with her niece and Mr. Mooney, meeting easy-on-the-eyes and good listener, Jackson was another bright spot in her life. She laughed. A sunshine trifecta. Yep, that's what she had going for her. And the padre was right, talking things out might help. His encouraging words had already lifted her spirit.

She moved to the bed and brushed Emma's hair from her cheek, then planted quick kisses across her forehead. "Time to get up, sweet girl. It's a school day."

Emma's eyes fluttered open for a second, the closed again. "Five more minutes."

"I've already let you sleep longer than usual. Hop up. I'll scramble you an egg. You want some bacon to go with it?"

"I'll get up if you'll give me a piggy back."

Greer pulled free of the embrace. Turned.

Emma locked legs and arms and Greer took off in a gallop with her rider giggling all the way. She deposited her passenger onto a bar stool, and went to fix her food.

"Why does my room feel like Hawaii and in here, it's like Antarctica?"

Greer laughed. The kid was six going on twenty with some of the questions she asked. Or, it might have to do with the geography books Grammy Collins had given Emma, as a way to keep up with where the grandparents were since they traveled so much. "I have the cooling vents partially closed in here. I'm hot natured, so I need it cooler. Are you cold?"

"No. I'm okay. I just wondered."

"I signed the form for you to attend the lock-in on Friday night. That should be fun."

She bounced in her seat. "We're gunna watch a movie and play outside and do karaoke."

"Are you going to sing?" Greer cracked an egg into a bowl and stirred it with a fork, one of the few things she knew how to cook. Her normal menu comprised of sandwiches, frozen dinners, and takeout.

"Yep. Katie and me." She slipped off the stool and shed her pajamas.

"What song?" Greer wrapped two strips of bacon in a paper towel and put them in the microwave. She might suck at cooking, but she excelled at nuking.

"Let it go."

"Who sings that?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Elsa."

"Oh yeah, is that the one from that...uhmmm. Frozen?"

She pulled a bright red shirt over her head. "Yep."

"I bet you do great."

"They're going to video it and sell copies."

"I should get you and your friend special costumes. Like princess dresses."

"No. Teacher says we should wear play clothes we can sleep in, so we don't have to change."

"That's a smart idea. Maybe matching princess pj's. Would you like that?" Greer plated the eggs and placed them in front of Emma along with toast and juice.

"Yes, ma'am, but not just alike. I want to be Cinderella. Katie can be Snow White. That's her favorite. Which one would you choose?"

Greer wanted to tell her what a sham the storybook stuff was and there was no such thing as happily-ever-after, but the kid would find out soon enough. May as well let her have the fantasy for now. "Well, I'm not really into the whole princess thing, but if I had to choose..." Greer put her thumb under her chin and tapped a finger against her lips. "Mmm, let me think. Oh. I'd be Tiana, from the Princess and the Frog. She's a strong, independent woman."

Emma bent over laughing. "You're silly, Aunt Greer! Tiana wants to open a restaurant and you can't cook!"

Greer frowned. "Oh, yeah. Now I remember. But it's just a story, so we can pretend I know how."

Emma scooted her dish away. "All done."

"Okay. You get dressed and I'll make your lunch."

By the time Greer dropped Emma off and returned home, it was eight-thirty. She could pack a lot of boxes before meeting the Reverend. As she finished taping the fourth box, someone rang the doorbell. Shari? She'd not heard from her. The realtor? She'd instructed them to only bring possible buyers during school hours to avoid Emma. Greer figured the fewer questions, the better, that's why she'd insisted on having no sign in the yard.

When she opened the door, Mr. Mooney, still in his plaid bathrobe, stood in the opening, smoking a cigar. "Morning, Greer."

"Good morning. It's too early for your bourbon run, so how may I help you?"

He pulled a measuring cup from his pocket. "I'll be back later for the whiskey. Right now, I need some milk for my oatmeal."

"Come in, I'll get it." While he made himself at home, and Greer got the milk, she told him about meeting Jackson, leaving out how gorgeous he was and how he didn't look like a preacher.

"Sounds like this guy helped you. How old is he?"

She twisted her mouth. "I don't know. Older than me. About thirty, I think. Give or take."

"Uh-huh. Married?"

"I don't think so. He wasn't wearing a ring."

"Uh-huh."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why'd you say it like that?"

"You looked for a wedding band, so the guy must be good looking."

She waved him off. "I guess. But that doesn't mean anything."

"Uh-huh."

"Stop that! Take your milk and go eat oatmeal. I've got work to do."

He laughed all the way out onto the porch. "See you later."

She'd just carried the last packed box to the garage, when someone rang the bell again. If it was Mr. Mooney, she was putting him to work. But when she looked through the peephole, her heart flipped. She swung the door wide, and jumped into Andreas' arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. "Oh my God! What are you doing here? I'm so glad to see you." Before she gave him a chance to answer, she locked lips with him, hanging on, never wanting to let him go.

A rumble of laughter came from deep in his throat. "Damn, baby, I've missed you."

She slid her feet to the floor. "I've missed you, too." Since opening his tattoo parlor across the street from her shop in Atlanta, she'd struck up a casual affair with him. "What are doing here?"

"On my way to Nevada and worked in a visit."

"If you keep going south, you're going to end up in the Gulf, not Nevada."

"For you, what's a few more miles?"

Greer shoved the door closed, and he pulled her tight against him. She slipped his vest off, then unbuttoned his shirt. Within minutes, they were naked on the sofa going at it like two newlyweds. She'd prefer more foreplay, but Andreas wasn't into that. He liked to get down to business, and since it'd been a while for her, that was just fine. No need for sweet talk and false promises. Love, romance, and happy endings were a fairytale. This way, there were no expectations. No broken hearts.

Greer lay on top of him trying to catch her breath. "Oh man, I needed that."

"I'd say so."

He chuckled again, and she thought how much she'd missed hearing his laughter and everything else. "Why Nevada?"

He trailed his fingers up and down her spine sending shivers everywhere. She hoped he could stay a few days because she needed more of this.

"Sold the shop. Moving to Vegas to go into business with my brother."

Greer sat up. "Oh, so this is a goodbye visit."

"Fraid so, babe. Unless you want to go with me."

"A month ago, I would have been tempted but not now. I've got responsibilities."

"Yeah. Sorry about your sister. How're you making it with the kid?"

"I'm doing okay."

Andreas stood, removed the condom. "What should I do with this?"

"Bathroom, end of the hall."

He returned and grabbed his boxers from the floor, and dressed. "I'll be in town until Friday morning, then I'm heading out. I'm staying at the Motel 6 on Inn Road. Room 118."

After Andreas left, Greer got rid of the evidence in the trash can. Questions about a used condom from a six-year old was a subject she wanted to avoid. But releasing all that pent up sexual frustration caused every nerve in Greer's body to hum.

                                                                                    *

Jackson sat up on the side of the bed and glanced at Julie. Her long dark hair fanned out on the pillow, her face relaxed in sleep. He was such a fool and never thought she'd take him up on his promise. I'll give you sex, but not my heart. She'd shown up to collect. Well, this would be the last time. He couldn't let it happen again and he'd make that clear as soon as she woke.

He ran his hand across his face, then stumbled into the kitchen to start the coffee. Some caffeine should help clear his head. After telling everyone he and his ex weren't an item, he'd taken her bed...again. Damn, bad decisions kept making a liar out of him.

He stuck a pod in the maker and pushed brew. Soon he had a steaming mug full. He brought the cup to his lips, blew across the surface, then swallowed a long, slow drink. Down the hall, he heard his bed partner stir and within a few seconds, she appeared in the doorway. "Morning."

She smiled, and he wanted to wipe that self-satisfied grin off her face. How could he feel such anger toward her, yet have sex? Easy answer. A willing female shows up with a free offer of something he liked, why the hell not? Well, no more. "Hey, we need to talk. Last night..."

"Was wonderful. You can say mean things but admit it or not, you still have feelings for me."

"No, I don't. Last night, was just a primal need. That's all. But even that's wrong, so don't show up here again wanting sex, because it won't happen."

"We'll see about that." She moved closer and wrapped her arms around his waist and brought her lips to his.

He pushed away. "I'm serious. This...us...a big mistake. I took advantage of a situation and caused you to believe it meant more than it did."

"It could be more if you'd give us a chance. You loved me once and I know you can again. All you have to do is forgive me for leaving. It was a mistake, but my career means something to me. You would never give up yours, yet men always expect women too... I shouldn't have walked out like I did, though. What we had was good...great, and I messed up. But I've learned my lesson."

"That's just it. I have forgiven you, and I still don't want to rekindle what we had. I don't love you. It's taken a long time for me to get to this place, but I have. I'm moving on with my life, and you're not part of it. And never will be."

She backed away and eyed him. "You're serious."

"Yeah."

Her shoulders rose and fell with a heavy sigh. "Well, I'll leave for now, but Fairhope isn't so big that we won't run into each other. Especially if you still frequent the same old haunts. Maybe after you've had a while to think about it, you'll realize this wasn't wrong."

"I don't think so. I've had four years to consider it."

As the tail lights on Julie's car disappeared from view, Ian's van pulled into the drive. Jackson wondered what brought his brother out so early. Waiting at the door until Ian went through his routine of swiveling, transferring, rolling to the back of the vehicle, then lowering himself to the ground, Jackson marveled at how easy his brother made it look.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Better question, was that Julie I saw leaving?"

Jackson took a deep breath and stepped back for Ian to enter. "Yeah, but not what you think."

Ian wheeled in and spun around. "Really? It's seven-thirty in the morning and I'm thinking you spent the night together."

"You of all people should understand when a man gets a booty call, he'll act on it."

"That's all it was?"

"Yeah. Now, back to you. What are you doing here?"

"What's going on with the mysterious nooner?"

"Damn. Why does Mom want to get in the middle of my business? I told her it's no big deal."

"She thinks it is. Said you marked off two hours every day this week to meet this person. Why did Mom find out before I did?"

By the time Jackson finished telling Ian the story, he was laughing so hard he had to put the brake on his wheelchair. He caught his breath, then stuck out his palms. "Well, just one thing left to do. Let's join hands and pray about it." He barely got the words out before he broke into laughter again.

"Funny. Real funny. Glad you're enjoying this because I'm not. What started out as an innocent mistake already has the potential of becoming a huge problem."

"Oh, I'm loving this. My straight laced uptight big bro has fallen into my old ways of juggling women. But truthfully, I think you've surpassed anything I ever did. You've sent one away who loves you. Sleeping with one you don't like, and this last part is the best. Let's see what should I call you? Pastor of Disaster. Clergy of Catastrophe? Minister of Misfortune? Wait, I've got it. You're hoping for some Divine intervention of the missionary kind."

-------------------------------------------

Pft, as if Greer could get rid of pent up frustration now that Jackson's around.

Also, I've set up a schedule and I hope I can keep up with it. I'm entirely forgetful, but the entirety of this story is already typed up on my computer, hopefully manageable.

I will update on: MONDAYS AND FRIDAYS.

Til next time,

x zuz