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The look he shot me was pure fire, his eyes flaring again, but this time, I was ready for it. I wanted him to see that this wasn’t just about him—it was about making my girl Phoebe smile again. And if that meant dragging Tucker along to a scarecrow contest at the corn maze, then so be it.
Austin shuffled his feet, glancing up at Tucker nervously. "Tuck, I know it probably sounds lame to you, but?—"
Tucker’s response was immediate, his hand landing gently on Austin’s shoulder. "If you think it sounds fun, so do I.”
Austin didn’t look entirely convinced, but when Phoebe clapped her hands, and her grin returned in full force, it seemed like no one was going to challenge Tucker’s sudden change of heart.
The moment Phoebe’s excitement hit a peak, Momma’s voice called out from the kitchen. “Y’all, dinner’s ready!”
Tucker’s introduction to my dad and Judd Wilson was a lot less eventful than I imagined. It was a simple round of hands shaking, nods, and manly mumbles. Nothing I’d expectfrom them if he were actually my boyfriend, which was strange, considering he was—as far as they knew.
The familiar sound of plates being set on the table and chairs scraping against the floor filled the house as we all crowded around the dining room. It was a cozy chaos—just the way suppers in this house or the one next door always were.
The long wooden table was set with a colorful array of dishes, bowls, and platters piled high with comfort food. Steam rose from a dish of baked macaroni and cheese, while fluffy rolls sat next to a basket of fried chicken, and collard greens glistened with just the right amount of bacon grease.
“Everybody grab a seat!” Momma said, her voice a mix of command and excitement. Tucker and I exchanged a look, and I could tell he was taking it all in—the organized chaos, the easy laughter, the warmth that seemed to pulse through the room. I led him to the open seats near the middle of the table, hoping he was ready for the whirlwind of conversation that was about to hit.
“So, Tucker, you should hear some of the stuff people are sayin’ about your reason for bein’ in town,” Momma said as we started passing platters of food around the table.
My dad groaned, eyes on the ceiling. “Aw, shoot, honey, leave the man alone.”
“I will not,” she insisted.
“Has she ever?” Georgia asked, eyes twinkling.
“Left anyone alone or listened to me when I told her to?” Daddy replied.
There was a collective murmur about how neither of those things ever happened, and I chuckled, shooting Tucker an apologetic smile. “You might as well let her get it out of her system. She won’t stop until she’s satisfied.”
“Is it true you’re a private investigator?” Momma asked.
“It is.” Tucker pursed his lips, and I could tell he was once again cursing our town for their big mouths. But really, a man who had such a love of secrets had no business here if he was so opposed not no one having any.
“And you’re here investigatin’ a case?”
“I am.”
Georgia gestured at him with her fork. “And that cute partner of yours—did y’all serve in the military together?”
Tucker’s gaze swung to me, and I held up both hands. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t even know that.”
“Oh, sugar, look at him,” she said to me. “Have you spentanytime watchin’ how those boys move around town like their heads are always on swivels?”
“We don’t do that,” Tucker muttered under his breath.
“No one needed to be told that you’re either former military or former law enforcement,” Momma said. “So, which one is it?”
“Military,” Tucker allowed with a resigned nod.
“Tuck and my uncle Colt were in the Marines,” Austin boasted.
“Once a Marine, Always a Marine,” Judd said with a butterknife aimed in Austin’s direction.
Phoebe scowled. “Whoa, PawPaw, don’t stab him.”
While Phoebe and Judd went back and forth about whether or not he would, Momma picked up on the new breadcrumb of info. “UncleColt? So all three of you are brothers, then?”
“They’re not really brothers,” Austin supplied. “It’s just a thing.”
