AUTHOR'S NOTE: YA'LL CONVINCED ME! - KRISTINE.

RATING: PG

DISCLAIMER: UH, NO.

CHAPTER SEVEN: KELLY MCNAMARA

- W - & - Z -

On the eve of Thanksgiving, Zoe Hart was grateful for many things. She was grateful for her budding friendship with Leslie, which had resulted in her dressing even more fashionable as well as Lemon being less snide. She was grateful for Lavon's willingness to let her stay in the cottage even if occasionally she felt like it too closely resembled an early 1900s log cabin. She was especially grateful for Wade who never ceased to amaze her with this smooth charm and weak in the knee kisses. You might be wondering what it is she wasn't grateful for and that was the creation of Skype.

Skype allowed her mother to not only call her, but also see her while she went about torturing and grilling her. It made lying almost impossible for Zoe, who had never been good at doing it directly to someone's face. So now she was forced to simply wait for her mother's pestering about what she was going to do if she wasn't coming home for Thanksgiving while also trying to convince her to come home for at least a few days.

"Sweetheart I miss you and your father is in Los Angeles or maybe Phoenix doing some sort of state of the art surgery. Do you want your poor mother to spend Thanksgiving all by herself with just a bottle of Merlot to keep me company?"

Zoe groaned softly. She wished her mother wasn't so good at making her feel awful. This wasn't the first time she'd employed such heart hurting tactics. Anytime Candice Hart wanted her daughter to make an appearance with her at some sort of celebrity event she'd always bring up the fact that she just knew her career was not nearly as exciting to Zoe as her father's but she wished that she could at least still get a little emotional support. "Mom I couldn't come home even if I wanted to. We both know I'd spend the whole time stuck in airport waiting for someone to hopefully not show up."

"So you're saying that you don't want to spend Thanksgiving here with me in New York? In your childhood home no less?"

It took a lot of self-control to keep her from scoffing. Her childhood home was a 15th floor penthouse. Even worse it stopped feeling like home when her favorite doorman who'd been working there for as long as she could remember retired and was replaced by a d-bag who took the building rules too seriously. Instead of admitting all of this to her mother she did the good daughter routine and instead said, "I didn't say that."

"No but you implied it when you said even if you did."

"It's a figure of speech."

"I think it's your way of saying that you don't miss us nearly as much as we miss you."

"Mom come on we both know that isn't how I meant it." She tried, growing even more tired of the conversation with each passing moment.
"Mom I've got an appointment. I need to let you go." She lied.

"You have an appointment? You're getting more patients?" Her mother asked visibly brightening. If she hadn't been so damn annoying with her badgering Zoe probably would have been able to appreciate just how proud she seemed to think that her daughter was actually surviving in Bluebell.

"I do and I am but I'll talk to you later Mom." Zoe replied as she scrolled to end the conversation.

"I love you Zoe."

"I love you too Mom."

"Do you really?"

Before that question could lead to another annoying discussion about why it was she insisted to not bother trying to come home for Thanksgiving Zoe ended the conversation. Later she'd tell her Mom that she had gotten too click-happy.

She sighed and leaned back in the chair. If only she really did have a patient. Then she'd have something to distract her from the fact that she was going to need at least five more patients in the next week if she was going to keep Brick from forcing her out. She started to nod off when her office door opened and Addie said, "Dr. Hart you've got a patient."

"Send them on in," Zoe instructed thinking it was probably Leslie or Wade just stopping by to see her or take her to lunch. Her eyes widened in surprise when in walked a person that was neither Leslie nor Wade. She had an actual patient, an actual patient who didn't seem to personally know her and wanted to just throw her a bone. "Hi, I'm Dr. Hart and you are?" She asked standing to shake the petite woman's hand.

The blonde smiled kindly, "It's nice to meet you Dr. Hart. I'm Kelly McNamara."

"Why don't we go to the exam room and we can talk about your reason for coming in today," she suggested not being able to shake the feeling that she recognized her from somewhere. She took a moment to glance over the paperwork that Addie had them fill out while Kelly got herself seated on the exam room table. Her eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw that Kelly's listed age was 44 years old. She wouldn't have guessed she was a day over 35. "So Ms. McNamara what brings you in today? It's not everyday I snag a client from Brick."

"Well unlike most of the people in this damn town I recognize Brick for the blowhard that he is." Kelly explained, her bright smile never wavering for a second. "And you should know that I actually have an ulterior motive for coming to see you."

"And what's that?" Zoe asked her voice wavering just a little.

"I wanted to meet the girl who has managed to put a smile back on my son's face. I'm Wade's mama." She explained.

Suddenly everything clicked for Zoe. Now she could place the shade of blonde as being the exact same as Wade's. Her perfect teeth and brilliant smile looked almost the exact same as Wade's cocky grin.

"I didn't mean to blindside you Dr. Hart."

"Please call me Zoe," she managed still a little dazed. She'd never been the kind of girl who liked meeting parents. It made her somehow even more awkward than she already admittedly was. Even though she was every parent's dream for their son she always came across as being too driven, too intense, too everything. If parents in New York didn't admire that quality she was damn sure that Wade's mom wouldn't be a fan.

"Well Zoe I didn't mean to come in here and shake up your life. I actually just thought I'd set you up as my primary care physician and invite you to our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night."

"Shouldn't Wade be the one to invite me to intrude on his family?"

"We both know my son. It's a miracle that I can even manage to get him out to my house for Thanksgiving. Also it isn't intruding if you're invited Zoe."

She hesitated not sure what to say. The last thing she wanted was to tell Wade that she was coming with her tomorrow and for him to be angry.

"I'll warn you now that I'm a bit stubborn Zoe so you're going to say that you'd be delighted to join us and I'm going to say well that is just great. How does that sound?" It sounded like a question but the look on Kelly's face said you better say yes.

"Okay well I would love to come tomorrow."

"Great!" Kelly exclaimed with so much enthusiasm you would have thought that she hadn't just orchestrated the invitation acceptance. "I cannot wait!"

To her credit Zoe smiled and nodded as though her arm hadn't just been twisted.

"Well then I'll see you tomorrow afternoon then. Feel free to tell the secretary that I'm one of your regulars now or however that works." Kelly said as she hopped off of the table. She paused for a moment to fix her dress.

"What if you learn more about me tomorrow and think I'm dreadful? Would you really want someone you didn't like to be your PCP?"

"If you have Leslie's seal of approval then you'll certainly have mine. Like I said we'll see you tomorrow and if you wouldn't mind would you that charming dress you wore to the Auburn game last weekend. I've just been dying to see it in person." Kelly replied and then without waiting for a response she was gone just as suddenly as she came leaving Zoe wondering what the hell just happened.

- W - & - Z -

"Did you tell Wade's Mom about me?" Zoe asked the moment that she walked into Leslie's store.

"Well hello to you too," Leslie greeted as she came out from around the cash register. "And you two might have come up during lunch yesterday afternoon."

"How could you not tell me that? Or him?"

"I don't know. I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Why what happened?"

Leslie hadn't actually said Wade's dating someone. Instead she had just been showing them pictures from Founder's Day weekend. In the process of that a picture of Zoe and Wade popped up. It wasn't like she could lie and say that Zoe was just some girl that Wade had met up there. She also couldn't act like she hadn't noticed her in the picture. So she told the truth and then they started talking about the Iron Bowl and somehow she forgot that the topic had ever even come up. That is until right now.

"Oh nothing except for the fact that she just showed up to my office, told me I was coming to Thanksgiving dinner with Wade tomorrow, added me as her primary care physician, and left."

Leslie could tell that Zoe was freaked out but she couldn't help but laugh. "Sounds like Kelly."

"Yeah well now I have to tell Wade that I'm going with him to Thanksgiving tomorrow even though he never mentioned to me that he had plans for tomorrow."

"Relax Zo, Wade wanted to ask you but was scared that it would scare you off."

"And you know this how?" She asked not totally convinced that Leslie wasn't just trying to placate her.

"Because he asked Nick what he thought about it," she explained. "And Nick told me because he tells me everything."

"So when I tell him about his mother showing up he's not going to fly off the handle?"

"One Zoe get real Wade is so enamored with you I doubt you could ever cause him to fly off the handle. And two no he'll be happy that you took the pressure off of him."

She stared at her for second before finally letting out a sigh of relief. "Good because I really like him Leslie."

"Duh you don't think I know that?"

"No I know you do it's just," she paused searching for the right word.

"For the first time you feel like you're with a guy who likes you warts and all?" She finished for her.

"Exactly," Zoe said, biting her lip and shrugging. "All of the guys I used to date used to act like my intense passion for being a surgeon was a phase. Wade teases me about it but I never get this feeling that one day it'll need to take a backseat to being his wife or anything."

"Wade's a special guy." Leslie reminded her. "And tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun. There's always a lot of drinking and loud stories."

"You're going to be there?"

Leslie nodded, "Of course. My family has been doing Thanksgiving with Wade's since we were babies."

"Well then I know I'll have at least two allies tomorrow," Zoe murmured.

"Don't count on that. If Kelly hates you Wade will jump off that ship real quick."

"What?" She asked in alarm.

The redhead cackled and shook her head. "I'm just screwing with you Zoe. It'll be fine. If I like you then our Mamas will love you too. It helps that Lemon doesn't like you."

"Is that like required to get into the cool kids club?" Zoe asked, only half-kidding.

"If only you knew. Why do you think my Aunt and Uncle are so mad about George marrying her? My mama doesn't even want to go to the wedding." She wasn't even kidding. Seriously her mother complained about the upcoming nuptials all of the time. Nobody could believe that their beloved George would be dumb enough to marry a Breeland. While she knew for fact that there were moments when Lemon was actually tolerable she couldn't blame them. "And hey on the bright side you got another patient! If you think about it me telling them about you and Wade has honestly done nothing but better your life."

- W - & - Z -

"Is it my imagination or is the prettiest girl in this whole town waiting on me?" He asked taking a moment to give her a kiss before sitting down beside her on his steps.

She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, "Such a charmer."

"Only for you darlin'," he whispered. Gently he grabbed her hand and started to trace circles on her palm with his thumb. For a second he simply marveled at just how small yet perfect her hand looked in his. "Long day?"

"Something like that," she murmured. "I got a new patient today."

"Well look at that. Dr. Hart you might actually get to keep the practice after all." He teased. "Who was it?"

"Your Mom."

He tensed for a second. "My Mom?"

"Well she said her name was Kelly McNamara and that she was your Mom so yep."

"My Mama came to see you at work today?"

"And made me her Primary Care Physician," she added.

"Well damn…" he whispered.

"My thoughts exactly," she admitted laughing softly as she played with a frayed section of his worn jeans. "She invited me to Thanksgiving tomorrow. I tried to explain that I shouldn't intrude but she demanded that I come. I hope that you don't mind."

"Zoe that woman raised me. I know how she operates. I'm definitely mad. In fact I'm glad she asked you to come. I wanted to. I really did. I just wasn't sure if it would freak you out. I mean I haven't even technically called you my girlfriend out loud yet and here I am asking you to come to a meal where my whole family is going to be." He knew he was rambling but this had been something he'd been considering since his mother called to remind him what they would be eating.

"Really because I could lie and make up some excuse about having to cover at the office tomorrow."

"Zoe Hart you're going to be my date for Thanksgiving tomorrow whether you like it or not so you better just get on board with the idea." He told her before softly kissing her temple. "Now I'm starving. Want me to fix you something to eat?"

"You'd cook for me?" She asked, surprised even though she wasn't sure why.

"Of course I'd cook for you. Now come on. We'll go inside and I'll fix you dinner and try to not only explain my family to you, but also keep from scaring you into not coming tomorrow."

- W - & - Z -

"Now your Mom said she was a McNamara but I thought her maiden name was Kinsella," Zoe asked as she sat at his small kitchen table watching as he cooked. Later when she told Leslie all about tonight she'd admit that this was the first time in her entire life that a boyfriend had cooked for her.

"It is. She married my stepdad Clark when I was 8. He's a lawyer." He explained relishing for a just a minute that to Zoe his past was a mystery. "Everybody just calls Clark, Mac though."

Growing up Wade had been the source of a lot of gossip. His mother had been that girl. As in the girl who was dumb enough to get in bed with Earl Duncan but then refused to marry him when she found she was pregnant. Instead she was stubborn. She went to work with his granddaddy and raised Wade all on her own. When Mac showed up in town to take depositions of some guys that got hurt on one of the rigs she'd actually forced him to chase her for nearly a month before she went on a date with him. Even though Earl was technically his father and he made a point to keep an eye on the old man, Mac and his granddaddy Jimmy had always been the two men he'd really looked up to.

"I can imagine that didn't make things easy for her," she said before she'd even thought her words her through. She hadn't actually meant to voice them. They'd been one of those thoughts you just sort of had that somehow escaped your mouth. "Sorry I didn't mean for that to sound the way it did."

"It's fine Zoe. You're right. It didn't. That's part of the reason my family doesn't get along with the Breelands. Lemon's kin snubbed mine like they were so much better. Of course when Lemon's mama took off mine had the decency not to comment or gossip."

"Lemon's mom left her?" She'd always just assumed that her Mom had died or something equally tragic.

"Yep when Lemon was in high school. She used that and her little sister as a reason that she just simply couldn't follow George up to New York." He stopped what he was doing and turned around to face her. "My mama and I are the reason that George's family is so upset with him marrying Lemon. You see they thought it was the ultimate betrayal for him to marry into a family that had treated his like it was less than."

"I honestly think growing up here must have been like a soap opera or something." She mused as she took a sip of wine, which she knew without a doubt that he'd bought just for her. "I don't know how you did it."

"Believe me it was more dramatic than a soap. Everybody knows too much about everybody else in this damn town. That's why I never wanted to come back."

"Is that why you stay here on Lavon's property? So you don't have to set down permanent roots."

The question had been plaguing her since he admitted to having a lot of fame and money. She couldn't stop thinking that if he had all of these resources that it would only make sense for him to live somewhere where he didn't have to worry about blowing a fuse.

"I don't know," he admitted softly. "I guess so. I just know that when I came back into town my mama and Mac were telling me I could come stay with them but I couldn't do it. I ran into Lavon and he suggested I stay in the cottage. Now it's been months and I'm still here. If I was a romantic I'd say it was cause I've been waiting for you."

"But you're not a romantic?"

He smirked silently wondering how it was she got him to talk about these kinds of these. He'd always been the kind of guy who was only willing to talk about stuff that didn't matter. Hell some of those girls he wasn't even really willing to talk about anything with them. Then again it helped that none of them expected much from him. Those girls showed up only wanting to add Wade to the notches on their bedpost. They all were significantly more wowed by his fame than Zoe seemed to be. "Only a little."

"You know you never did ask how it was your Mama found out about us?"

"Because it was obviously Leslie."

"Did you know she was going to tell them?"

"No, but I know Leslie. She was probably showing them pictures from the game and they noticed that I had my arms wrapped around you like I was scared somebody would try to steal you from me." He explained because he knew what happened when Leslie got together with their mamas. It always ended up being a gab session where almost nothing was off-limits.

She nodded. She stared into his glass for a minute trying to figure out the best way to pose her question to him. She just felt silly for even thinking it.

"Spill," he urged as he turned off the stove and plated the pasta he'd made for the two of them. He knew her well enough to tell when she had a question on the tip of her tongue. Well it was more like he'd stared at her long enough to figure it out.

She smiled faintly. She hated that he was so good at reading her. "Do you think your Mom will really like me?"

"Zoe Hart, are you insane? You are the first girl I've dated that my mother will actually like. I'm sure Leslie has expressed this to you in your many conversations but I have had what some people refer to as questionable taste in women. Believe me if my mama hadn't liked you she would have let you know." He assured her, placing the plates on the table before sitting down across from her. He squeezed her hand lightly. "I wish you could see just how amazing you really are."

- W - & - Z -

AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO WHO IS INTERESTED TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR THANKSGIVING? I WISH I COULD HAVE GOTTEN THIS DONE YESTERDAY SO THAT YA'LL COULD ACTUALLY HEAR ABOUT THEIR THANKSGIVING ON THANKSGIVING. BECAUSE THAT PROBABLY WON'T HAPPEN I COULD PROBABLY BE CONVINCED TO HAVE IT DONE IN TIME FOR THE IRON BOWL WHICH IS SATURDAY. SO YA'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO. YA'LL ARE SIMPLY TOO AMAZING! HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING! GOBBLE TIL YOU WOBBLE! DON'T FORGET TO LET ME KNOW WHAT YA'LL THINK. ANY INFORMATION YA'LL WANT TO LEARN ABOUT COULD POTENTIALLY BE INCLUDED NEXT CHAPTER. JUST LET ME KNOW. THANKS! - KRISTINE.