I’m wearing a woman he was engaged to’s clothes?
What happened? Why is she an ex?
She probably got tired of his shit!
His eyes leave mine to glare into the corner and I suddenly remember that we aren’t alone in here.
Oh, my God! His mother is in here.
She just saw all of that.
She saw us on the bed and what almost happened… Hell, nothing almost happened. As if I’d fall in with Falcon Donovan!
He just made it abundantly clear that he thinks I’m nothing special anyway.
Still… I probably wouldn’t have went off on him so hard if I’d remembered his mother was in here. Probably…
Oh well, it wasn’t my fault.
Yet, why do I feel bad for the anger Falcon is currently directing at her?
His voice is harsh as he glares at me again. “Get what you need out of here and get the hell out.” Turning to the door, he stops at the threshold. “This room isoff-limits. Don’t come back in here… Don’t come back in this wing.” I’m about to snap that I’m only in here because Bessie told me to follow her, but he sighs without turning back. “Momma, you knew better…” He walks out and I hear his boots on the wood before a door opens and closes solidly.
Bessie sighs sadly and I turn to her. Before I can say anything, she shakes her head. “He’ll be ok. Tanzy is a touchy subject for him.” She goes to the dresser and grabs a stack of jeans before nodding at the closet. “Go on and get some of the shirts, too. You need them and we have them. No sense in them rotting in a drawer.
“He’ll deal with it. They’re just clothes.” She sets the jeans on the bed and opens the top drawer of the same dresser. “There are t-shirts and tanks here, as well. You just as soon, take what you think you’ll need. Grab extra, too. Sometimes, you’ll need to change during the day.”
Together, we gather the clothes. When my arms are full, Bessie grabs her stack and says, “Come on. Let’s get this into your room. I’ll bring your tennis shoes along later tonight. Get the light when you come out?”
I nod and walk through the threshold into the hall. My elbow reaches for the light, but I can’t help looking around the room once more. My eyes zero in on the perfume on the dresser and I wonder just who Tanzy was and why she left.
Falcon
I’m more affectedat the sight of Miss Fancy Pants in Tanzy’s clothing than I want to be.
My door closes behind me and I cross to the bed and sink to the mattress. My elbows rest on my knees and my hands rake my face as I exhale.
It’s been five years. Falcon.
I’m better off. I know I am. This is my life. This is the life I love. The life I chose.
She never fit in here…
And, her clothes sure fit Miss Fancy Pants the right way… they never worked for her…
“Hell no. Momma’s words were wrong. Eliza McCormick doesnotfit in here. She could never fit in here… just like Tanzy couldn’t. Sure, the clothes fit, but that doesn’t mean jack shit.” I mutter. “You can slap a tuxedo on a cowboy, too. Doesn’t mean that he needs to be in magazines…”
Damn, right.
Falling backwards on the bed, I sigh as my shoulders hit the mattress. I stare at wooden beams on my ceiling and watch as the dust bunny’s dance in the air.
I must havefallen asleep because the light knock on my door has me sitting bolt upright in the bed. Glancing around quickly, I see sunset colors reflecting through the crack of my curtains. Scrubbing my hands down my stubble, I try to wake myself up as I call out, “Yeah?”
Momma’s voice is filtered through the door. “Dinner is up in just about fifteen minutes. You coming down?”
Shit. I did fall asleep.
Glancing at the hands of the clock on my nightstand, I see that it’s just after a quarter to seven. If I hurry, I can shower off the day before we eat. I call back, “Yeah, I’m coming. I’m going to jump into the shower right quick and I’ll be down. Should be there by the time the cornbread hits the table.”
