A/N: Thanks for the recent reviews, peops! Yes, Joel might be coming to town, but don't panic, he won't be getting in the way of the Zade. I mean, seriously, would I do that to you? :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 14

"I can't believe that stupid chicken picked Ruby Jeffries!" Lemon raged, throwing her purse onto the couch with way too much force. "After all our hard work too!"

Zoe opened her mouth to respond to that but quickly changed her mind. Frankly, she had no idea where to begin in arguing with the logic that a chicken could actually predict the future. It was almost too ridiculous for words!

"If Ruby Jeffries wins this election, it will definitely be a tragedy," she said eventually, "but if it happens, it won't be because a chicken said so. I know you hold with all the wacky traditions of this quaint little town, Lemon, but even you must know that. You're too smart to put so much faith in poultry."

Lemon heaved a sigh. "I do not know what you're talking about, Zoe Hart," she said primly, looking everywhere but at her room-mate.

"Yeah, so I actually think that you do," said Zoe, her hand at Lemon's elbow, prompting her to actually look her way. "Seriously, Lemon, what is the problem? I know something is bothering you and I absolutely do not believe it's about the Pickin' Chicken. So, what's up?"

She seemed conflicted, like she knew what she had to say but didn't want to have to let the words out. Zoe thought it was probably best just to stay quiet and not spook her. Just let Lemon work through it in her head until she finally spat out the truth.

"I... I don't like that Ruby Jeffries being around Lavon so much," she admitted at last. "You do know that those two used to date, right? For all I know, he was in love with her, and now, she's back. She's successful, and as much as it pains me to say it, she's also pretty smart and so beautiful. At the debate last night, she was so obviously trying to flirt with Lavon and he wasn't exactly hating it, now, was he?"

Zoe knew she couldn't deny that last part, or some of the other things that Lemon had said about Ruby either, but she could still offer some comfort here, so she did.

"Lemon, Ruby and Lavon dated in high school. Not to imply anybody in this situation is super old, but that was still a really long time ago," she said definitely. "And yes, maybe back then, he did love her, but it's over now. It's been over for so many years, and now, he has you. Lavon adores you, Lemon, you know this. There is absolutely no way that he is going to risk what you two have by even so much as smiling too much at stupid old Ruby Jeffries."

Lemon looked set to argue, which was nothing new, to be fair. She could debate with the best of them and seemed bound and determined to always be right, even when she was actually wrong. Of course, for once in her life, she ought to want to be wrong. Whether or not she would admit as much was a whole other thing.

"High school was a long time ago," she admitted then. "Things change, people change."

"Exactly." Zoe nodded. "You changed," she reminded her swiftly. "I mean, when you were in high school, you were pretty damn certain you and George would end up together, right?"

"I was," Lemon agreed. "In fact, I thought that right up until six months ago."

"Yes, but you haven't been in love with George for a while, else why have the affair with Lavon?"

"True."

As Lemon nodded her head, Zoe could practically see the cogs turning inside her friend's mind. She knew she didn't really have anything to worry about here, and if what she needed was a second opinion from Zoe, well, she could have it.

"Also, if Ruby was trying to flirt with Lavon, that's on her. I guarantee he wasn't responding... was he?"

"Well, not really," said Lemon. "I'm being so foolish, aren't I?"

"I'd say so," Zoe told her with a smile. "Please, don't let this bother you. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, not about Lavon running off with Ruby, and not about the election either. Everybody around here loves Lavon. I'm sure he'll win and then Ruby will probably leave and everything will be good. You believe me, don't you?"

She ought to have taken offence at the way Lemon faltered before answering, but Zoe knew better than to do that. After a few seconds, she realised her room-mate must be feeling better as she found a smile.

"You're right," she said with no small amount of confidence. "Of course, I believe you, Zoe, because you're absolutely right, about everything. Gosh, I don't know why I let myself get into such a tizzy about these things."

"Because you're human, Lemon, despite what I thought when I first met you," Zoe snarked. "And you've been let down before, which I know from experience makes a person kind of assume everybody is going to let them down. The difference is, Lavon isn't like that. He's just a really solid guy."

"Yes, he is," Lemon smiled genuinely. "Thank you, Zoe Hart, for... for being a friend, I guess."

Zoe smiled back, feeling warm inside as she replied; "You're entirely welcome, Lemon."

As great as Lavon truly was, it really didn't suck having a girl-friend these days.

It seemed to be Zoe's day for talking people down from stress over their relationships. When she arrived at work that afternoon, Brick was in such a state over how far away Emily lived and how he never got to see her, he really was not at all fit to see patients.

"Brick, seriously, why don't you just go see her?"

He looked at her like she had three heads, which didn't exactly bother Zoe. She was getting used to those kinds of expressions from the Breelands as a whole, it no longer bothered her at all. After all, in the end, they did usually seem to see her point.

"Are you crazy? Go see her?" he echoed, shaking his head. "Did you not hear the part about how far away she is? The planes and trains and-"

"Brick!" she cut in fast, waving a hand around for good measure. "Do you want to go see Emily?" she asked him straight.

"I do," he said with hardly a half-second of hesitation.

"Then, go," she told him easily. "I will cover your patients, I will talk to Lemon for you about keeping an eye on Magnolia - she can even come stay with us for a couple of days if she needs to - and everything will be fine here, but just go. Go, be with the woman that means so much to you for a while. I'm sure you'll feel better for it."

"I guess, in that case, I could go," Brick considered, looking out through the door and back again, running a hand through his hair as he thought over all that Zoe had said. "I'm just wondering... what's making you so accommodating, and so damn cheerful besides?" he asked, eyeing Zoe with no small amount of suspicion.

It was such a weird expression, she actually laughed at it.

"I'm sorry, it's a crime to be helpful and happy now?" she checked, before deciding she may as well answer the question regardless, since she did have a good answer to give. "Look, I know what it is to want to be with someone all the time. Someone you really care about," she said with a look. "I think I'd make the effort to go a few hundred miles to get to Wade if I had to."

She hadn't realised quite how much she meant that until the words were out of her mouth, but Zoe was suddenly sure that she did in fact mean it all. How she had come to this point, where she was just so head-over-heels for Wade Kinsella, she couldn't quite say, but it was absolutely true. She should probably tell him sometime.

"You really do have it bad, don't you?" said Brick with a wide smile. "You know, when you first moved here, I wasn't sure you'd ever learn to fit into this town, much less want to be here. Now, you're practically best friends with my daughter, falling all over yourself to be with Wade Kinsella, of all people, and you have turned that man around, let me tell you" he said definitely. "You have proved you can more than live up to that last name of yours, Zoe Hart," he told her pointedly, "but honestly, I gotta admit, right here and now, I see a lot of Harley in you too."

Zoe hadn't expected the lump that came to her throat when she heard those words. Of course, she cared that she was a Wilkes by blood, but to know she shared some of the best qualities of her birth father, to hear it from one of the people who had known him best, it really did mean an awful lot.

"Thank you, Brick," she said softly, swallowing hard right after.

"No, thank you, Zoe," he told her, hands at her shoulders as he leaned over and kissed the top of her head, "for giving me some good advice and for offering to cover for me this weekend. You're right, I should just seize the moment and go visit with Emily. She'll be so surprised!" he said with a chuckle, grabbing up his bag and jacket and practically running on out the door.

Zoe laughed, watching him go, until her attention was taken by her cell phone buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out and smiled all the more on realising she had a text message from Wade.

Sorry, babe, can't do lunch today, but I promise to make it up to you tonight ;)

She was about to reply when suddenly the phone started to ring in her hand. For a moment, she wondered if it was Wade following up from his text, but the number was unknown, which made her frown some. Accepting the call, she offered a wary 'Hello?' to the caller, then sighed with relief when she realised who it was.

"Hey, Zoe. It's Joel. Um, Sophie's brother?"

"Hi, Joel. How are you?"

"I'm pretty good, I mean, not bad, you know? How are you?"

"Strangely, I'm having a pretty good day myself," she admitted wandering out into the empty reception area as she talked to him.

Zoe waved to Annabeth, now behind the desk sorting through files. She was filling in for Lemon today, as she had a few times since their mutual friend started helping Lavon out with his mayoral election campaign. Of course, that would all be over after today. Zoe really would have to find five minutes to run out and vote.

"...and I know Sophie said it was fine," Joel was saying when she began listening again, "but I really wanted to talk to you about it myself. I mean, I know it probably seems kind of random to you, but I think just getting away from New York, going someplace completely different, it has to be good for my writer's block, right?"

"Uh, I guess so?" said Zoe, unsure how she was supposed to know anything about an author's process. "I mean, you're totally welcome to come visit. I can't offer you accommodation, since it's a two-bedroom apartment and I have a room-mate, so that could be awkward, but we have a decent bed and breakfast in town and a motel further out."

"Sounds good to me," Joel told her with a smile she could almost hear - she really couldn't picture his face without a grin on it, now that she thought about it. "And you'd be okay with showing me around a little?"

"I'm sure I can make time for that," she said easily, before a thought occurred to her, "I mean, any brother of Sophie's is a brother of mine."

She hoped she was making herself clear. After all, she was well aware that Joel used to have a crush on her back in the day. College was a long time ago, but she hadn't seen much of him since. The last thing Zoe wanted was the complication of Joel making eyes at her in front of Wade!

Though Joel stammered his way uncomfortably through the rest of his thanks and promises to let her know when his plans were firmly made, Zoe hoped she had got through to him. It was a shame to disappoint him, if that was in fact what she had done, but Zoe had never been attracted to Joel. Even if she had been once, he stood no chance these days, not now Wade was in the picture.

"That was a lot of smilin' you were doin' while talking to a man that's not your boyfriend," said Annabeth with a look. "I don't have to tell Wade on you, do I?" she teased.

"Not at all." Zoe rolled her eyes. "That was just Joel," she explained, waving her cell phone in her hand before pushing it back into her pocket. "His sister, Sophie, was my college room-mate. Anyway, he wanted to know if he could come visit to see our fair town of Bluebell and get some inspiration for the latest book he's writing."

"Ooh, an author, huh?" said AB with a grin. "That's... artsy."

"I guess." Zoe shrugged. "Anyway, even though I know you were kidding, you can rest easy that I have zero interest in Joel Stephens that way," she confirmed. "He's just a friend. Not even a friend, just a friend's brother. Believe me, that is all."

"Well, of course, I believe you, Zoe." Annabeth shook her head. "Like you said, I was just teasing is all," she promised her.

They didn't say anymore as the desk phone rang and AB was quick to pick it up. Zoe was heading back into her office when a thought suddenly hit her and she turned back to stare at her friend. Annabeth had been looking for someone to help her get back into the dating game after her divorce, and Joel was so sweet and not at all brash in his pursuit of women, Zoe could attest to that.

"Might just be the perfect person to help AB get comfortable with dating again," Zoe muttered to herself, thoughtfully. "And it would stop him from thinking he was getting anywhere with me. Hmm..."

To Be Continued..,