Tuesday morning I woke up and picked up my email to check my phone. I was blown away - over 40 notifications from you beautiful people, reviewing my story, adding me to your alerts... It seriously blew my mind and I can't thank you enough for being so kind. I believe I've replied to all of your reviews, but if I missed you, please know I appreciate it so much!
The update was named after Justin Moore's song "Outlaws Like Me." I have to say, despite my distaste with Monday's episode, I do like the show's Judson a lot more than my Judson, ha!
THINGS I OWN: A cat who is thisclose to being evicted if her attitude doesn't improve. THINGS I DON't OWN: Hart of Dixie.
The sun streaming through his window woke him the next morning. He blinked several times, trying to adjust his eyes to the brightness. Half of his body was asleep, not to mention warm. He looked down for the source to see Zoe Hart curled up against him, her head and hand on his chest, legs draped over his, still sound asleep.
The night before came flooding back to him. Coming home, finding Zoe asleep on his couch, his father passed out in an armchair. Zoe asking him about his mother, him telling a story he hadn't visited in years. Zoe somehow ending up with her head on his shoulder, his arm around her, her asking to stay.
He wasn't sure if he regretted it. He didn't like to think about the past. For him, it was full of missed opportunities. Times when he should have spoken up, said what he was thinking, what he was feeling. Times when he should have taken a chance when it was in front of him instead of taking the safer route, the easier option or even the right option. Times when he knew he was making a bad decision but followed through anyway.
Without knowing he was doing it, he started playing with Zoe's hair, running his fingers through her long locks as she slept. It felt like this was how it was supposed to be, him with Zoe in his arms, a place where she was safe, cared for. He knew she liked to think she could take care of herself, that she didn't need anyone, but in that moment, he couldn't help but realize just how petite she was, how delicate and feminine she was despite the sharp edge attitude she liked to throw out in front of her.
He'd been in love before. He'd had his heartbroken before and broken more than his own fair share of hearts along the way. He'd seen what real love looked like. It was what his parents had, before his mom had passed away. They were high school sweethearts, married just days after their high school graduation and, despite Earl's physical presence, had died together. He'd sworn he wouldn't go there, wouldn't fall, not just for Zoe but for any other woman. It was just too much trouble. One night stands and short flings were the best he could do. Zoe was a game changer though, and he had to figure out the play calling before it was too late.
"You goin' marry her." Wade had let his forehead rest against Zoe's as she slept and he lost himself to his thoughts, but he raised it to look at his father. Earl, now sober, was watching him and Zoe as though they were the most interesting thing in the world.
"'Bout time for you to leave, ain't it?" he asked, keeping his voice quiet so as not to wake Zoe. There was a hard edge to it though, his patience for his father weathered by years of alcohol and rooftops. If it hadn't been for Zoe asleep on his chest, he would have tossed him out unceremoniously the moment he woke up and realized his father was still there.
"You look at her like I looked at your momma," Earl said, nodding his head as though agreeing with himself. Wade carefully – begrudgingly – moved Zoe off of him and lowered her to the couch. She sighed softly, but didn't wake up. He stood and moved towards his father.
"Let's go," he said, pulling Earl into a standing position. "You've done enough here."
"I'm goin,' I'm goin,'" Earl muttered, shrugging Wade off. He felt his pockets. "Where's my flask?" Wade spied it tucked in the cushion of the armchair and picked it up.
"Here," he said. He'd long since given up on trying to keep his father from his whiskey. "Now get on home." Earl raised his flask to Wade and headed towards the door, as sober as he'd be the rest of the day. He took a swig of his flask as he exited. Wade heard him mumbling about it tasting like water as he descended the porch stairs.
Rubbing his hands over his face, Wade turned to Zoe. He had to wake her up, whether he wanted to or not. She had to be at her office soon. He sat down on the edge of the sofa, giving himself a few more moments to just look at her before he carefully brushed the hair out of her face.
"Hey, Doc?" he said. "Time to wake up." When she didn't stir, he put a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. "Doc? Rise and shine." Zoe woke slowly, stretching her arms and yawning as her eyes flickered open.
"What time is it?" she asked sleepily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Little after eight," Wade answered. She sat up, unintentionally putting herself in close proximity to Wade. It was then that she recalled the conversation from the night before, remembered her head on Wade's shoulder, the feel of his arm around her as she'd dozed off and just how comfortable and familiar it had felt.
"Hey," she said softly, not sure what else to say. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Hey," Wade answered. He tapped his fingers against his thigh, trying hard not to just stare at her. Her hair all over, her eyes still heavy with sleep and wearing his shirt over her too big t-shirt and leggings, he was sure she had never been more beautiful. She looked past him to the chair Earl had spent the night in.
"Where's Earl?" she asked.
"Just left. I think he figured out you switched his whiskey for water before he got off the porch." Zoe smiled slightly though there was nothing funny about the situation.
"I should go," she said. "I need to be at work soon." Wade nodded and stood as did she. He followed her to the door, both of them awkward in the morning light. It made Wade appreciate even more that their previous close encounters – once in his car and once in the rain – hadn't led to more. They hadn't slept together and yet they were as awkward as if they had. At the top of his porch stairs, Zoe turned to him but didn't say a word, their eyes locking in on one another. They both felt the air around them charge but neither of them let on.
"Thank you," Wade finally said, hoping she understood everything he was thanking her for. In an uncharacteristic move, Zoe reached out and squeezed his hand, her eyes still on his. Without a word, she turned and crossed the yard. She was still wearing Wade's flannel shirt.
"Heads up!" Wade turned just in time to catch the package of ground beef Lavon tossed at him. "Go ahead and make us a couple of burgers out of that, Kinsella." Wade looked at Lavon.
"Do what?" he asked.
"Burgers. Fry us up a couple. I didn't stutter."
"Since when am I your personal chef?"
"Go on and do what you're told, boy," Lavon shot back, nodding at the stove.
"Only 'cause a burger would be good right 'bout now," Wade relented, retrieving a frying pan. He and Lavon had this same conversation every week. He knew how to cook up a burger and Lavon knew how to eat them and so a weekly burger ritual had been born between the two.
"So, what's going on with you and Dr. Hart?" Lavon asked. Wade looked over his shoulder at Lavon.
"Seriously? We're havin' this conversation again?"
"I'm trying to catch you off guard," Lavon told him. "A man gets suspicious when the squabbling and innuendo he done grown accustom to listening to over his breakfast every morning is replaced with relatively civilized conversation."
"She helped me out with somethin'," Wade said. He opened the top on several different seasonings to use on his burgers. "It's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal my left foot," Lavon said.
The town had been talking when Earl didn't make his monthly appearance on the rooftop, especially since Gary Marks had seen Earl stumbling towards town earlier in the evening. They'd all waited around for Earl but he never turn up. The next morning, Stu Bealcher had seen Earl heading towards home, walking down the road not far from Wade's. Lavon was certain Zoe was involved in Earl's no-show but he couldn't figure out how. All he knew for sure was that his breakfast had been strangely peaceful over the last several days. He kind of missed the usual uproar.
"It's not," Wade said. "And what do you mean, no innuendo? Just this mornin' I got accused of using a blown fuse as a matin' call."
"Oh you're still throwing out your lines that don't work, just less frequently and with a lot more sweet smiles and eye contact that lasts just a shade too long." Wade was saved from replying by Zoe herself.
"We're not staying, just dropped by to get my bottle of wine out the fridge," she said, breezing in with Judson several steps behind her.
Lavon glanced at Wade just in time to see him give the veterinarian a cold look before turning his attention back to the frying pan. "Sure you don't wanna stay, Doc? Lavon's got me fixin' up some of my burgers," he said, glancing at Zoe.
"No thanks. Judson managed to get his hands on some sushi – apparently a rare delicacy around these parts – so I'll be enjoying a slightly more refined meal tonight than your greasy burgers." Wade made a face.
"That ain't even real food," he told her.
"Why? Because it's not rolled in batter and dropped in a vat of grease?" she retorted, digging in a drawer for the wine opener.
"Pretty much," Wade confirmed.
"Oh, sushi ain't so bad," Lavon commented, watching both the interaction between Zoe and Wade and the way Judson hung on the fringes, checking his phone and glancing anxiously at Zoe.
"Thank you," Zoe said, acknowledging Lavon's support of her dinner choice. She went to work at pulling cork out of her unopened bottle of wine.
"You can't listen to Lavon. He spent ten years getting' knocked around on the football field, bound to have some brain damage." Wade watched as she struggled with the corkscrew, pulling and twisting and exerting far more effort than was necessary. He glanced at Judson who showed no signs of coming to her rescue. He shook his head and put down his spatula. "Give me that," he said, taking the bottle from her and easily uncorking it.
"Thanks," Zoe said unwillingly as he passed the bottle back to her.
"So Dr. Lyons, I haven't seen you around much. Been busy?" Lavon asked, making an effort to make the newest member of his town feel welcomed.
"Oh yeah, always," Judson answered, pocketing his phone. "Actually, I've been wanting a word with you." Lavon nodded for him to continue. "Mr. Mayor, with all due respect, you realize it's not in the best interest of your pet alligator to, well, keep him as a pet, correct?" Lavon raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"As a veterinarian, I can't approve of you keeping an alligator as a pet. It goes against the laws of nature, keeping him as a pet."
"Burt Reynolds is as free as any other gator around these parts," Lavon told him. "He just happens to like my table scraps so he sticks close to the plantation and in turn, has gotten used to being around people."
"An alligator isn't meant to live on table scraps," Judson argued. "There are a number of alligator farms within driving distance of here…"
"You can stop that fuss right there," Lavon told him. "Burt Reynolds is as much a part of this community as I am. He ain't going nowhere."
"Judson, why don't we head to my place?" Zoe said, sensing that Lavon was just getting started. "We'll – eat and stuff." She moved towards the door, grabbing Judson by the arm in the process and pulling him with her.
"Hey Doc?" Wade called.
"What, Wade?" Zoe asked, annoyance creeping into her voice.
"I won't talkin' to you," he said. Zoe frowned. She was 'doc,' not Judson. "I wanted to ask the vet, since he's an animal guy and all… See, I'm a bit of an avid fisherman – nothin' quite like an early mornin' on the lake, you know? Anyway, I ain't been havin' much luck lately and I was wonderin' if you had any kinda tips or tricks on how to bait a hook? Bein' a animal doctor and all, I reckon you might know what fish might bite that I ain't thought to try yet."
"Well," Judson started. "To tell you the truth, I don't do much fishing myself." Wade nodded.
"So you don't know much 'bout baitin' a hook?" he asked, his face serious. Zoe realized what he was doing, recalling he and George making fun of Judson at the Rammer Jammer the first night they met him.
"He's not a fisherman," she said, giving Wade a pointed look. "Judson? Let's get going. We shouldn't leave the sushi sitting out long."
"Sure you don't wanna stay, Doc? I can start a few more burgers," Wade said. "There's plenty to go 'round."
"Goodnight," Zoe replied pointedly. She shoved Judson out the door ahead of her and gave Wade and Lavon the dirtiest look she could muster before closing the door behind her. Lavon looked at Wade who had turned back to the stove.
"You could not be more obvious," he stated. "'Course, Zoe could not be any more oblivious, but that's beside the point."
"What are you talkin' 'bout now?" Wade asked. He expertly flipped the burgers over and added slices of cheese to melt on them.
"'Sure you don't wanna stay, Doc? I can start a few more burgers,'" Lavon mimicked. "It's eating you up inside, her being off with the vet."
"I don't like the vet, that's all," Wade said. He slid the burgers one by one onto a plate. "Burgers are ready." There was silence as he and Lavon went through the motions of loading up buns with their condiments of choice, grabbing handfuls of chips as a side and twisting the caps off of beers. They took seats across from one another at the kitchen island.
"You know, between me and you, I ain't that fond of the vet myself," Lavon commented. "And Mayor Hayes is supposed to like everyone in this town. It's in the job description."
"He's the doc's type, I reckon," Wade said with a shrug of his shoulder. "Successful, educated." Lavon studied Wade.
"Don't compare yourself to him," he said, his tone serious.
"I'm not."
"Yeah you are. Just remember, the measure of a man isn't counted in gold or in book smarts, for that matter," Lavon told him. "In your case, it's measured in fixed fuses, opened bottles of wine and batches of gumbo." Lavon bit into his burger, his peace said.
"You know you doin' the dishes, right?" Wade asked, eager to change the subject.
"Yeah, I do. 'Cause I need you to do me a favor." Wade waited. Lavon put down his burger and looked at Wade seriously. "Soon as you done here, head on home. Turn on every light and appliance in the gate house, get your guitar, plug it in to that new amp of yours and crank it up until you blow the fuse box. Wake up all of Bluebell if you have to." He stood to go for a second burger. "Dr. Lyons trying to tell Lavon Hayes he can't have a pet alligator…. Who does he think he is?"
Wade laughed. He'd already planned to run the vet off early, but having Lavon's blessing never hurt.
"What'd you do to her?" Shelley asked, coming to stand by Wade behind the bar. She nodded at Zoe who was purposefully sitting across the room with her back to Wade, eating her dinner and making polite conversation with Dash Dewitt who was seated at the next table over.
"I don't know. Somethin' about interruptin' her sushi dinner with the vet. Blown fuses, loud guitars… I kinda tuned her out once her voice reached pitches only dogs can hear. She'll come 'round soon enough," Wade answered.
She'd have to. They were having a standoff over the fuse box, him refusing to fix it for no other reason than the fact that he enjoyed getting under her skin, her having no idea how to fix it herself. Breakfast had returned to its usual state of chaos that morning. Zoe, already cross from a night with no power, had demanded again that he fix the fuse box. He'd refused again and so Zoe had tried to persuade Lavon to fix it. Lavon had made up an excuse about early meetings and mumbled about not getting in the middle of their argument, slipping out of the kitchen to avoid getting hit by the crosswire. Wade suspected he was still bitter over Judson's stance on alligators as pets. The whole thing was childish on all their parts but none of them were willing to concede.
"You two just need to get naked together already," Shelley commented, popping her gum. She picked up a pitcher of water and left to refill glasses around the restaurant. Wade smirked, watching Zoe. He knew she could feel his eyes on her. He also knew it was taking every ounce of will power she had not to turn around and let him have it. He was talking with a couple local fisherman about their day's catch when she finally caved and crossed the room to the bar.
"Did you fix the fuse box?" she asked him, getting straight to business.
"Guess you'll find out when you get home, won't you?" he replied.
"Wade, if it's not fixed…"
"What are you gonna do? Poke it with a stick some more?" he interrupted. He still didn't understand why that was her go-to when it came to the fuse box. As intelligent as she was, she could be as dim as she was pretty when it came to common sense.
"I'll find someone in this town willing to change a fuse for me," she said haughtily.
"Who? The vet? 'Cause he sure seemed useless last night." Zoe narrowed her eyes but knew she couldn't argue. She'd asked Judson to fix it when Wade refused and after a couple of half-hearted attempts, he'd confessed to being clueless.
"Tom'll do it," she said, looking around the bar to see if she saw the young guy who had a puppy dog crush on her.
"It's Wednesday. Poker night. Sorry, Doc."
"Did you fix it or not?" Zoe demanded, a hand going on her hip. Wade had come to recognize that as her battle stance.
"Like I said, you'll figure it out when you get home."
"You're impossible."
"Likewise, sweetheart."
"Don't call me sweetheart."
"Don't use so much electricity."
"Wade Kinsella, you purposely turned on everything electrical you own and plugged in that damn amp of yours to intentionally blow the power and ruin my night. I don't know what you have against me, Judson, or sushi, but I want my power back on."
"You're hot when you're mad, know that?" he asked. She scoffed, both hands now on her hips.
He was completely unfazed by her tantrum, standing there behind the bar with a smirk on his face, clearly enjoying taunting her. She wasn't used to that. Her ex-boyfriend, before he had grown a backbone and dumped her in the lobby of a hospital, would cave the moment she'd so much as raise her voice an octave and the few people she counted as friends had all been intimidated by her and her attitude at some point. Wade, however, merely grinned at her and waited for her to get over herself. She wasn't sure how to take it.
"Mad hardly covers what I'll be if I get home and there's no electricity," she told him.
"Can I just point out that Dr. Vet didn't offer to stay the night or to take you to his house to make sure the big bad wolf didn't get you in the dead of night?" Wade couldn't stop himself. It had been one more reason he didn't like the guy. He was willing to leave Zoe to fend for herself without electricity. It wasn't what a gentleman did. Of course, he hadn't been gentlemanly himself, refusing to swap the fuse for a good one, but he'd also spent the night in the dark and was just across the yard had Zoe actually needed something. Had Judson offered to stay or take her to his place, however, Wade would have fixed the fuse on the spot in an effort to prevent it.
"I'm leaving," Zoe stated. She put a $10 on the counter to cover her dinner and Shelley's tip. "And there damn well better be power when I get home."
"Well then, turn around and let me watch you walk out of here," Wade answered, leaning on the counter. Zoe glared at him and began to walk backwards towards the door, checking over her shoulder ever few steps to avoid falling over anything.
"The front is just as good!" he called across the room. She scoffed, turned, and was gone in a flurry of brown hair, high heels and short shorts he was certain she wouldn't have on if she was still in New York City come late fall. He turned his attention to re-stocking the bar, already anticipating the slew of angry text messages he'd receive when Zoe got home and tried a light switch. He was just finishing up when George Tucker hurried through the Rammer Jammer door.
"Can you get away for a minute?" he asked Wade. His voice was urgent. Wade frowned and nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "Hang on." He searched out Shelley who had taken a seat at the bar and was filing her nails. "Shelley? I'm takin' my break. Cover for me." He walked out from behind the bar, wondering how Shelley still had a job. He headed towards an empty table in a back corner but George stopped him.
"Out back," he said. "The alley should be good."
"The alley?" Wade asked, changing course. "What the hell is goin' on?" George didn't answer, leaving Wade to follow him through the back door of the Rammer Jammer. Once they were outside with nothing but a stray cat raiding the trash cans for company, George turned to him.
"My buddy up in Mobile, the investigator? He got back to me." He had Wade's attention.
"What'd he find out?" he asked, now as urgent as George.
"Judson Lyons? His real name is William Blackburn. He's wanted on felony drug charges in three states and owes a lot of people a lot of money. He's got an elaborate scheme where he uses the money from one deal to pay for another and it's finally caught up with him. About the only thing he's told the truth about is that he is a vet and he did go to Virginia Tech."
"So the doc is spending most of her free time with a felon," Wade stated. He reached in his pocket for his phone but before he could dial Zoe like he intended, George snatched it away from him.
"We can't tell her," he said. Wade looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "The authorities know he's here. They've got people undercover to catch him in the act. I'm not supposed to know anything about it and I'm certainly not supposed to be telling you any of this. If we tell Zoe, she could blow the whole thing and put herself in that much more danger."
Wade took a deep breath, trying to sort through his thoughts. His first instinct was to grab Zoe and take her as far out of Bluebell. His second instinct was to handle Judson himself. In that moment, his second instinct was far stronger.
"I can't just sit there and watch her continue to date him knowin' he's dangerous," he told George. It was hard enough to watch them as it was.
"Wade, think about it. Think about Zoe. She's not going to take something like this lying down. We tell her, she goes to Judson, demands to know the truth. He'll know he's been found out and then God knows what he might do to keep himself out of jail. It's a lose-lose situation whether she knows or not but I think she's far better off being in the dark then she is knowing." Wade took a deep breath to calm himself.
George was right. He hated it, but George was absolutely right. Zoe wouldn't just take the news at face value, dump Judson and move on. She'd demand he tell her the truth and when he realized she knew he was a wanted man, there was no telling what he'd do. Wade had to assume Judson was dangerous and he would be willing to bet everything that the people Judson owed money to weren't the kind to mess with.
"I don't like lyin' to her," he said, resigning himself to the fact that he'd have to stay quiet. "I like knowin' she's in danger even less."
"Nothing about this is ideal. But with any luck, it's short lived. They'll catch him, lock him up and Bluebell will go back to being a sleepy little town on the Gulf instead of a hideout for a felon." George gave Wade a serious look. "But no one is stopping you from telling her the truth about a few other things." Wade frowned.
"You don't know what you're talkin' 'bout," he said.
"I'm your lawyer. I know exactly what I'm talking about," George answered. There was a certain firmness in his voice. "Besides, we used to be best friends."
"That was a lifetime ago," Wade said simply. George nodded in agreement.
"Just keep an eye on Zoe," he said.
"I always do," Wade answered. George nodded at him, passed back his phone and disappeared down the alley and around the corner of the Rammer Jammer. The phone chimed. He opened his new text message and smiled. Zoe had discovered she still had no power and according to her at least, it was his life that was in danger. He grinned just a little as he pocketed his phone and headed back inside. He'd be fixing the fuse box as soon as he got off work.
Dun dun dun... Thanks for reading!