She would never say she was glad Beau was blind, but she was happy she didn’t have to try to hide how nonplussed she was by Colin’s sudden reappearance, because she didn’t think she would have been able to if she tried.
It had transitioned from dusk to night while she’d been going back and forth with Colin at the door, but Beau was now standing by the kitchen table, his ever-present sunglasses covering his eyes.
“What took you so long?” he asked.
And she stood there, trying to decide how much to tell him.
CHAPTER 19
SHE SHOULDN’T HAVE TOLD HIM ANYTHING, she thought to herself less than an hour later. She had tried to play off Colin’s coming by the house as a fun coincidence, keeping her voice light when she told him he was in town and decided to look her up.
But Beau had crooked his head to the side and asked, “Is he in town for a concert?”
“I’m not sure,” she answered, though she suspected he wasn’t. “I would think that would be the most likely case.”
“Yeah, you were always a little naïve where Fairgood was concerned,” he said.
“The main point is he asked me to catch up over dinner later on. He’s staying at the Birmingham Grand.”
Beau went still. “He asked you to meet him at his hotel?”
“Not in his room or anything. In the bar. We’re just grabbing something to eat.”
Beau gave her a humorless smile. “That sounds fine to me.”
“Really?” she said, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice. It wasn’t like Beau to acquiesce this easily.
“Sure,” he answered. “I’m looking forward to catching up with Fairgood. In fact, we can go now if you want to. Just give me a few minutes to get changed.”
Josie’s face fell, but she hadn’t been able to come up with a response that would get her out of the house and keep him from coming with her. And that was how she ended up at a table for three in the Birmingham Grand’s main bar and restaurant with Beau, waiting for one of the biggest country stars in America to meet them.
To Colin’s credit, he played it cool when he’d come downstairs to find Beau playing third wheel. He only paused for a second before dropping into the half-circle booth beside her.
“Hey, Josie,” he said. “See you decided to bring a guest along with you.” His eyes then landed on Beau. “Sorry to hear about your accident, man. Saw the replay on SportsCenter. That take down was brutal. And losing your sight on top of that. I don't even know how you're managing right now."
Something ticked in Beau's jaw but he kept his voice calm and casual when he responded, "I'm managing just fine, thanks."
Colin lazily signaled a waiter for three beers. "ESPN must have called it wrong then,” he said. “They had a doctor on there saying your career was over and your eyesight wasn't ever coming back."
Another dangerous pause before Beau said, "Wouldn't be the first time they got something wrong."
And Josie threw Colin a look that clearly conveyed, Stop it. Stop it now!
But Colin either didn't see her censorious look or was determined to get into it with Beau, because he said. "I mean, yeah they've gotten a few things wrong. Like when they called the Suns to go beyond the playoffs last year, but I ain't never seen them say a player's career was finished when it wasn't."
Before Beau could answer, Josie jumped in. "Well, Mr. Prescott's doing better than expected under the circumstances. Can we change the subject now?"
But Colin lifted his eyebrows at her. "Mr. Prescott, is it?"
Beau frowned in her direction. "I told you to call me by my first name," he said to Josie.
Colin leaned forward then, with more viciousness than she remembered his eyes containing. "Thing is, she shouldn't be calling you anything. I don't know how you convinced her to come back to Alabama and play nursemaid for you, but I can clearly see you're taking advantage of her."
"He's not," Josie said. "I came back to Alabama on my own to live in my grandma’s old trailer because I didn't have anywhere else to stay. And I got lucky, because I needed a job and Beau's mama needed somebody to help Beau out."
Colin's eyes stayed on Beau. "So you got your mama to do your dirty work?"
"No," Josie said. "He had no idea she hired me. In fact he was mad when he found out she did."
"Really, Jo-Jo? Because Beau don't seem all that broken up about it,” Colin said.
"That's because Jo-Jo and I came to a mutually satisfactory understanding."
"A mutually satisfactory understanding," Colin repeated, his eyes narrowing.
"Yep." Beau drew the word out, letting all sorts of innuendo creep into it.
Colin cut his eyes at Josie. "What kind of understanding?"
"As much as I love talking about my job during my non-working hours, I'd really like to change the subject now," she said.
"Alright,” Beau said. “Let’s talk about Fairgood. What made you come down from Nashville? I assume you’re in town for one of your little concerts.”
Her eyes flew to Colin to see if he was offended. But he stayed cool and collected, at least on the outside.
“Nah, this visit is all about pleasure, Prescott. But next month I’ve got one of my sold-out concerts scheduled at Suns Stadium in Los Angeles. Hey, ain’t that where you used to play?”
Josie’s mouth fell open and she was about to chastise Colin for going there, but Beau just smirked and said, “Someone big is letting you open up for them? Good for you, Fairgood.” Then before Colin could correct him, he slid out of the booth and stood up. “Josie, I need to take care of some business in the men’s room. Do you mind taking me?”
Josie was so stunned he actually asked her for help that it took her a second to respond. “Oh, of course. No problem,” she said.
She took his arm and led him just around the corner to the bar’s single-person bathroom. “Do you want me to go in with you?” she asked. “Show you where the toilet is?”
Beau palmed the wall carefully, as if to make to sure there was one there. “No, we can stay out here.”
“What do mean ‘we’?”
Her back hit the wall and the next thing she knew, Beau was kissing her with a ferocity that both excited and scared her.
“Beau, we can’t,” she said, looking sideways. They were mostly hidden behind the brick wall separating the bathrooms from the main dining and bar area. But if anyone walked around the corner… “Not here.”