Jonah
At Lavon's suggestion, Wade continued to avoid regular meal times in the kitchen they shared with Zoe. He volunteered to work mornings and nights at the Rammer Jammer, leaving for several hours in the middle of the day so that he didn't run into Zoe during the lunch or dinner hours.
They had not seen, let alone spoken to each other since the night he brought her home from The Crossfire. However, Lavon took it as a personal obligation to keep Wade apprised of all things Zoe. Wade heard about her evenings out with Tansy, Lily Ann, and, of all people, Lemon. He learned that Zoe's mom was pushing her to return to New York now that she had no one "special" in Bluebell. Her dad told her to focus on her work; no surprise there. One afternoon, Wade's attention drifted as Lavon regaled him with a story about Zoe removing a fishhook from the back of some guy's head. Wade wondered if Lavon provided the same service to Zoe, like the friend in school who would ask the best friend of the girl you liked if she liked you back. Wade chuckled to himself, amazed that they really hadn't come all that far since highschool.
It was early evening at the Rammer Jammer when Wade heard a familiar voice ring out.
"Hey, Wade." Jonah called out as he approached the bar.
"Hey Jonah, what brings you back into town?" Wade replied, shaking hands.
"Well, my uncle, Brick, is taking some time off and asked if I'd come fill in for him." Jonah explained. He lowered his voice and continued "Hey man, I was at the office earlier and heard about you and Zoe. Sorry about that."
Wade cleared his throat to remove the sudden lump that had formed, and responded quietly, "Yah. Thanks." There was a brief pause before Wade asked in full voice "So, what can I get for you?"
"Actually, I'm meeting some old pals…" He broke off as a group of guys arrived, laughing loudly. "And there they are. Catch you later, Wade." Jonah slapped him on the shoulder, as he turned to join his friends.
They were a rowdy bunch, talking and laughing loud enough for the whole bar to hear every word. College football was the topic of choice, but as the night wore on and the drinks caught up with them, their interest turned to women. Wade tuned them out for the most part, until he heard a particularly lewd remark.
"…hottest piece of tail in these tiny shorts! Mmm! Recently single." Jonah looked Wade straight in the eye as he continued, "Boyfriend cheated on her, making her mad and sad; a good mix for poor decisions." They all chortled at this. "THANK YOUUUU, UNCLE BRICK!" Jonah hollered.
"Woo-hoo!" shouted one of his buddies. "You dawg! Should make for a very entertaining week."
"And to make it even more entertaining, how about a wager on how long it'll take to get her out of those little short-shorts of hers." Jonah laughed mischievously.
Wade swallowed the bile that rose in this throat as the group of men made wagers on defiling the woman he loved. He grabbed a tray and headed over to their table under the guise of collecting the empty beer bottles. "Hey gentlemen," he spoke amiably, despite this ire. "Perhaps you could steer clear of the good doctor. She's been through a lot."
Jonah sniggered and confided to his friends with a gesture at Wade. "The cheating boyfriend." They all smiled and nodded.
"She's the town doctor. Show some respect. She doesn't need a bunch of frat boys sittin' around talkin' smack about her at the local gin joint." Wade said with all the disgust he felt. But, as the boorish bunch just laughed, he knew his words made no difference.
For the rest of the night, Wade battled with himself. "I can't let this happen to her," he'd think. "No! Stay out of it. She does not want you in her life," he'd rage back at himself. "How the hell am I gonna fix this!" he'd start in again. And so it went, until well near sunrise, robbing him of sleep and the little good sense he had.
Late afternoon the next day, as Wade was leaving home for his second shift at the Rammer Jammer, he was surprised to find Lemon at his door. "Lemon, what brings you here?"
"I have something to tell you." She paused a moment as if trying to organize her thoughts. "After George and I … broke up … he was kind enough to give me a heads up before he went out on his first date." Lemon just looked at Wade, knowingly. But, Wade didn't know, so she continued. "I appreciated that, and thought, maybe you would, too." Again, Lemon paused, but when she realized Wade was not following, she let the rest just spill out. "I thought you should know that Jonah is taking Zoe to that new bistro in Mobile, tonight."
After a brief pause, Wade questioned rhetorically, "the one with the giant Mai-Tai on the menu?" His mind was suddenly racing, trying to figure out how to warn Zoe when they really weren't on speaking terms. "Well, thank you, Lemon. I do appreciate you letting me know."
As Lemon walked back to her car, Wade pulled out his phone and dialed. "Wanda? I gotta favor to ask." Feigning illness he said, "I'm really not feeling well. Any chance you can cover for me tonight?"
Zoe looked pretty peeved to find Wade sitting on the porch steps of her carriage house when she arrived home to change for her date. He stood, holding his hands up as if to fend off an attack. "I know I'm the last person you want to see or talk to. It's just …" Wade paused then rushed out with "you can't go out with Jonah tonight ... or ... any night."
Zoe scoffed. "I can't go out with Jonah? You're telling me who I can and cannot go out with? Wade, this is none of your business. You …"
Knowing he didn't say it right, Wade interrupted the on-coming tirade. "He's not as nice a guy as he seems."
"Really!" she said acidly. "And you know all about nice guys don't you."
"This is not going well," Wade muttered dejectedly, running his hand over his mouth.
She moved passed him, up the steps. "I have to get going. Goodbye, Wade."
"Zoe, please!." His voice cracked with a rush of raw emotion, and it stopped her in her tracks. With her back to him, Wade continued. "Please. Just be careful, I … I'd hate for you to be hurt any more than I already have." He said forlornly. Without looking at him, she nodded her head and slowly made her way inside.
Wade returned to the gatehouse, trying to decide what to do with his unexpected night off. He reminded himself regularly that he was not interested in what was happening with Zoe and her date. But, as the moon rose, he found himself looking across at her carriage house every five minutes. "Great! Now I'm a stalker," he thought. It was only nine-thirty when he heard a car coming up the drive. The lights of the gatehouse were off and the bright moonlight made it easy to see in the night. Wade saw Zoe climb the steps of her front porch, turning to speak to Jonah. "Did she just lose her balance? Damn giant Mai-Tai!" he thought. Although he could hear her voice, he could not make out anything she said. He saw her head nod to the side as if to say "wanna come in?" and then turn towards the door as Jonah went up the steps behind her.
Seconds later, Wade found himself outside Zoe's carriage house, pacing back and forth, arguing with himself. "She's allowed to sleep with whoever she wants. I can't just go barging in like a jealous boyfriend. She'll kill me." But remembering Jonah's crass comments and his sordid wager, Wade could not let Jonah take advantage of her. He climbed the steps, but as he hesitated at the door, still unsure, he heard Zoe cry "I can't, I'm sorry." With a bit of nervous hysteria, she rushed on, "I thought I was ready to move on, but, it's just too soon. I think it's best if we just say goodnight." Realizing that he was an idiot and that she could take care of herself, Wade let out a sigh of relief and made the trek back to his house.
He was near the pond when he heard her shout "NOOOO!" and then a crash. Without thought, Wade sprinted back to the carriage house, tore open the door and burst into Zoe's apartment. The table with her vases and fancy perfume bottles was overturned, glass broken everywhere. Zoe was on floor, Jonah on top of her.
Wade saw red!
But, he heard laughing. "What the hell!?"
He grabbed Jonah by the back of his shirt and nearly tossed him toward the door. Zoe, still laughing, started to sit up. "No, Wade. It's okay. It was an … an … accident" she was laughing so hard she could barely get the words out. Wade just stood there, hands on hips, glaring first at Zoe than at Jonah. As the laughter died down, Wade realized for the second time that night that he was an idiot.
Sheepishly, Wade said, "Well, then. Goodnight," and returned to the gatehouse, berating himself for getting involved.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Wade heard a knock on his door. With a resigned sigh, knowing the tongue-lashing was coming, he opened the door and gestured Zoe to come in.
She entered soundlessly. A moment passed before she started shaking her head and said sympathetically, "what happened tonight, Wade?"
He couldn't look her in the eye, he had no right. "I heard a scream and a crash, and the next thing I knew, I was bursting into your place. I'm sorry."
"And, before that?" she urged him on. Looking embarrassed, he fretted to himself, "She knows that I was watching her?"
When he didn't reply, she continued, "Wade, you came to my house to warn me not to go out with him. And after I fell over the table, you were there in a split second, like you were ready for something bad to happen to me."
Wade took a deep breath, secretly glad she didn't know for sure that he'd been skulking around outside her place. "Jonah was at the Rammer Jammer with a bunch of his fraternity brothers the other night, and they …" he paused, thinking "how the hell do I tell her this without humiliating her?"
"Wade! Just spit it out! What happened at the Rammer Jammer?" She said impatiently.
Frustrated that she was yelling at him, when he was trying to protect her, he just put it all on the table "They made a bet, ok? A bet on how long it would take Jonah to get into, and I quote, 'those little short-shorts' of yours!" He paused then added angrily, "Happy, now!?"
No, she was clearly sickened. Zoe dropped to the sofa and held her head in her hands. Slowly, Wade moved to sit near her. "I'm sorry" he said contritely. "I didn't want you to know."
Zoe sighed and looked at him questioningly. "It's not like the people in this town haven't made bets on these things before: hooking up, breaking up, …" her voice trailed off, both remembering the hundred bucks he won on the Zudson break-up pool. "Why would it matter this time?" He didn't speak. He just continued to look at her, his mind racing. "Wade?"
With a violent shake of his head, Wade jumped up off the couch as if it burned. "I've done the same thing dozens of times – taking advantage of a girl with a broken heart" he clarified. "But I've never seen it from the other side. Listening to Jonah…" His voice cut-off as if suddenly sick. "There's nothing fun or frivolous about it. It's callous and cold and downright mean." Again he stopped himself, looking pained. "It made me sick, Zoe. I just couldn't let that happen to you."
Wade took a deep breath and sat again on the sofa. He let out a long breath. Neither looked at the other.
With a soft rustle, Wade felt Zoe take his hand and then give it a squeeze. "You were protecting me." She stated simply. Wade only nodded. With a sad grin, she said "I always liked about you." With a final squeeze of his hand, Zoe stood, and Wade's eyes followed her. "Thank you. I appreciate you looking out for me."
Wade stood apprehensively, not knowing if this was the part where she tells him to stay the hell out of her life. "You're welcome," he said.
They shared a moment, just looking at each other.
"Goodnight." Zoe said and turned toward the door.
Wade moved to open the door for her. "Goodnight, Zoe."