I seriously can't get over y'all and your kindness. I'm having a blast writing this and I'm so glad so many of you are reading and reviewing and putting me on alerts. It means the world to me so thank you. :)
This update is inspired by Pistol Annies' "Boys From The South." Because Zoe Hart - at least in my story - is starting to see the value of those boys from the South. I'm rather partial to them myself...
This chapter is a little fluff and a lot of Wade and Zoe - more of a filler than anything. Hope you enjoy it seeing as we haven't had much in the way of Zoe and Wade in the last couple of episodes!
THINGS I OWN: A new pair of boots. And a new dress. I stress shop during football season. THINGS I DON'T OWN: Hart of Dixie.
The city rushed by the window as she sipped her cup of gourmet coffee and munched on the most amazing blueberry scone she had ever tasted. The sky was gray and threatened snow, the people below it hurrying to and from their destinations in colorful coats and scarves, some brand new and crisp against the dark sky, some old and worn, blending in to the cityscape. She smiled into her coffee cup, happy to be back among her people, among her city.
Bang!
She jerked her head around the coffee shop in search of the sudden noise.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
She stood, trying to search it out. "Do you hear that?" she asked the couple at the table nearest her. They looked at her as though she'd lost her mind and quickly gathered their things to leave.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Zoe sat bolt upright in her bed.
A dream. It had been a dream. A good one, with her back in New York, having breakfast at her favorite coffee shop and people watching, just before a snowfall. And then some unknown source of noise that apparently only she could hear went and ruined it.
Bang! Bang!
She jumped. The noise, it seemed, wasn't in her dreams. She threw off her blankets and headed towards the front door, just as the sound of a saw made it to her ears. She banged through the screen door, not entirely surprised to see Wade squatting over her second to bottom stair, a saw in hand and a hammer lying nearby as he sawed a new board he'd nailed onto her porch steps down to size, the old, rotting board wrenched up and thrown aside.
"What are you doing?" she asked, raising her voice to be heard over the saw. Wade continued sawing, not looking up at Zoe. She crossed her arms and waited, half expecting him to cut off a finger. The piece of wood fell to the ground and Wade cut the saw.
"Mornin' Doc," he said, looking up at her with a smirk that told her he knew she was irritated with him. He was met with a welcomed site, despite the scowl on her face. She was wearing one of his favorite pairs of her shorts – small, black and tight – and a tank top, a light cardigan thrown over it.
"Is there a reason you're making enough noise to wake the dead before 8:00 on a Saturday morning?" she asked him.
"I'm fixin' your step," he told her. "Noticed it was loose when I was over here the other day, figured I'd save myself the trouble of having to tote you into town to see Brick about a sprained ankle or a broken leg after you fell all over it in them skyscraper shoes you priss around in."
"Did you miss the part where it's not even 8 AM? And what are you doing up so early anyway? Didn't you work late?"
"Keepin' tabs on me, Doc?" he asked. Zoe gave him a look. Knowing she wasn't much of a morning person, he decided he'd pass on the chance to tease her. "I was gonna go fishin' but it looks like rain. I want to get them leaves raked up on the front lawn before it starts. And besides, fish bite better the day after a good rain."
"Well, thanks," Zoe told him, gesturing toward the step. "I appreciate it. Even if you did find it necessary to wake me up."
"What can I say? I like a high maintenance woman standing over me while I work." Zoe shook her head and turned to go back inside with intentions of burying her head under her pillows and going back to sleep. "Since I'm at it, come here and hold this," Wade said. Zoe turned back to him and saw he was shaking her railing which was incredibly loose.
"Hold what?" she asked, clueless as to what he meant.
"Hold this railing in place," Wade instructed. "I'm gonna nail it back down good. Again, to keep you from killin' yourself." Zoe did as she was instructed and watched him as he expertly secured her railing back in place with a few strategically placed nails.
He'd been around a lot lately. He was always around – at breakfast in the mornings, usually at Lavon's come dinnertime when he wasn't at the Rammer Jammer, moving around at his place, playing his guitar or tinkering with his car. But for the last week or so, he'd been coming up with excuses to drop by her place, things like checking to see if she needed anything from the grocery store since he was headed that way or to tell her the latest gossip around town.
The thing was, she'd almost come to enjoy his company. When he wasn't making suggestive comments, she didn't mind sitting on her sofa with him and a couple of beers or sometimes a glass of wine, listening intently as he retold her the stories he'd heard at the Rammer Jammer. She'd even caught herself sitting on the edge of the pond just two evenings ago, telling him about Brick's latest fallout with his daughters while he caught bait for another one of his fishing trips. She'd sought him out that time, eager to share about her day with him. He always listened and even seemed like he actually cared about her trivial tales of Rose bursting into her office after school furious that Fredrick Dean hadn't spoken to her during homeroom or how Lemon had made a catty comment about her hair that she'd just blown out that morning.
"I think you're good, Doc," Wade said, standing up straight and testing the railing. It didn't move.
"You know, having you as a neighbor is useful sometimes," Zoe commented. Wade opened his mouth to comment but Zoe held up her hand. "Don't even go there," she said. Wade laughed. She'd become good at knowing when one of his lines was on the tip of his tongue.
"Like I said, just thinkin' about what a pain in the ass you'd be on a pair of crutches is enough to persuade me to fix it. You're difficult enough walkin' around here under your own power." Zoe just shook her head and went inside. She returned moments later, now wearing a pair of leggings instead of her shorts and the Wellies she pulled on whenever she was going just about anywhere besides the office.
"Since I'm up, I guess I'll go get breakfast," she said. She started down the stairs. When she reached the one Wade had repaired, she jumped on it several times. Wade raised an eyebrow. "Just making sure it's sturdy." Wade shook his head and grinned. Zoe started across the yard. "You coming?" she called over her shoulder.
"Already ate," Wade answered truthfully, having planned to be on the lake as the sun rose. "I reckon I'll get started on those leaves." He nodded towards the plantation work truck that Zoe hadn't noticed was parked by her house. "Want a ride up to the house?" Zoe changed course and climbed into the truck, waiting for Wade to join her.
"Who made those eggs?" Lavon asked, stifling a yawn as he walked into the kitchen. He was dressed in khakis and a polo, a fedora firmly on his bald head, clearly up to something besides his usual Saturday morning lounging.
"I made them," Zoe said proudly. "All by myself. No burning, no smoke, no nothing. They even taste pretty good. You can have what's left in the pan if you want." Lavon was already pouring a bowl of cereal and turned up his nose at her eggs. "Offensive," Zoe stated. Lavon laughed.
"Your gumbo attempt was enough to deter me from trying anything you cooked unsupervised," he said. "What are you doing up so early on a Saturday anyhow?"
"Wade decided the crack of dawn was an excellent time to fix my loose step and shaky railing," she answered.
"Probably a good idea. Otherwise either me or him would be toting you into town with a broken ankle." Zoe frowned.
"That's what he said." She was slightly offended they didn't think she could maneuver a loose stair. She'd been doing it since she'd moved to Bluebell and besides one unfortunate splinter, she'd faired just fine.
"Excellent minds…" Lavon said, spreading his arms and shrugging.
"I wouldn't go that far," Zole told him with a shake of her head. Lavon laughed and sat down across from her.
"Thanksgiving is Thursday," he mentioned. "I haven't heard of any plans for you to head up north. I figured you'd use the first excuse you came across to head back up to the city."
"You haven't heard anything about it because I won't be going to New York," Zoe told him. "As far as I'm concerned, this Thursday is just like any other Thursday. Except the office is closed so I'm going to sleep incredibly late, wake up, take advantage of online sales and eat a frozen dinner. All in my pajamas. Then I'm going to do the same thing the next day and probably the two after that. Happy Thanksgiving weekend to me."
"That's just sad," Lavon said.
"Thanksgiving is a family holiday. I have no family."
"Now that's a lie and a half," Lavon argued. "Don't think I don't know your momma calls you at least twice a day."
"I'm sorry, did you say my mother? I think I used to have one of those. Then she lied to me for, you know, my entire life. Between a lying mother, a fake father and a dead real father, I have no family."
"You are one bitter New Yorker," Lavon stated.
"Not bitter, just realistic."
"You should talk to your momma," he said. "She's the only one you have."
"Did you miss the no mother part?" Zoe asked. Lavon shook his head. Arguing with her was a lost cause.
"Tell you what, usually it's just Wade and I, a boxed dinner we pick up from Fancies and football. But Didi isn't planning to go home either so she offered to come over and fix dinner and me and Wade are gonna help her. So if you want to join us, you're more than welcome."
"You mean, like, a real Thanksgiving dinner?" Zoe asked. "With turkey and stuffing and yams and pumpkin pie and stuff?"
"Well, yeah."
Zoe looked contemplative. "I haven't had a real Thanksgiving dinner in, like, six years," she said. "I always volunteered to work at the hospital. It beat having to sit through one of my mother's fancy dinner parties she used for schmoozing with potential clients who had alienated their own families in their quests for superstardom. I chose hospital cafeteria food over her catered affairs."
"So you're in?" Lavon asked.
"I'm in," Zoe confirmed. "Although, define what 'help' entails. You're aware of what I do in the kitchen."
"You'll be heavily supervised," Lavon told her. "Didi can cook circles around people in this town and Wade ain't bad either. Me, I'm planning on playing bartender. Just remember the difference between salt and cleanser and we'll already be taking a step in the right direction." Zoe made a face at him. He liked to bring up her gumbo mishap.
"I know Didi can cook. I've had her leftovers you've brought home. But Wade? Okay, he can do burgers. Burgers are a guy kind of thing to cook. And spaghetti isn't hard, unless, apparently, your name is Zoe Hart. I can't buy that he can cook Thanksgiving kind of dishes however. Those aren't your standard meal-time fare," Zoe said.
"Zoe, Wade can cook. And he can cook well."
"He's Wade, Lavon." She just couldn't believe that Wade, the same guy who generally nourished himself on a steady diet of cereal, sandwiches, fried food from the Rammer Jammer and beer, could pull off a sweet potato casserole.
"He can!" Lavon argued. "You've had his gumbo. Gumbo – obviously – ain't for the casual chef." Zoe frowned. Lavon's eyes were big as if he'd realized he'd said something he wasn't supposed to.
"I've never had Wade's gumbo," she said. "I've only had gumbo one time in my entire life and that was…" she trailed off, Wade's voice offering to help her make his uncle's gumbo recipe filling her head. She looked at Lavon. "Wade made my gumbo," she said, disbelieving. Lavon shrugged and stood to take his empty bowl to the sink.
"Lavon Hayes did not say that," he said. "I said nothing about no gumbo. And now Lavon Hayes leaving. He is going up to Mobile to play a round of golf with some former Crimson Tide teammates of mine, far away from any speak of any gumbo." He exited the house and moments later, Zoe heard his Navigator start up. She remained at the kitchen island, pushing around the remaining eggs on her plate and thinking.
Wade had made her gumbo. She had assumed Lavon had done it. Wade had even made her think Lavon had done it, asking about his Mayoral ethics. She wondered why he didn't just tell her, why he didn't fess up to being the one who had spent all night working on it, take the credit he deserved. Zoe recalled how insistent she had been about not needing his help, how determined she was to do things on her own, particularly that day. She guessed she couldn't blame him for keeping it to himself, given how she had behaved.
Eventually, she stood and put her dishes in the dishwasher. It was full, so she started it and wandered over to the window, still nursing her second cup of coffee. Wade was busy raking leaves at the edge of the front yard. She watched him as he worked, his muscles flexing with each pass of the rake, the fallen oak leaves piling up around him.
He wasn't like most guys she'd encountered. She knew she could be difficult when she wanted to be, but he had a way of dealing with her, of letting her throw a tantrum or make a stubborn stance on one subject or another, but stepping in when she was going too far. In a lot of ways she was the gas and he was the brake, always slowing her down before she crashed. Her tendency to overreact didn't faze him and she suspected it even amused him sometimes.
He drove her crazy half the time with his suggestive remarks and cocky grin. He had a swagger about him, a sort of confidence. She was certain he knew how he affected the girls around town, wearing those flannel shirts with the top few button undone, driving around in his muscle car, hiding behind his aviators. She hadn't seen him in action lately but she knew his reputation as the town Casanova, his legendary string of one night stands. He was the guy girls went to when their hearts were broken and they wanted to feel better, if only for a night, or if they had an itch to scratch.
But despite his bad boy swagger, there was another side of him, one that Zoe was starting to realize he didn't show to most people. He was, kind, had a good heart. He'd had to grow up too soon after his mother had died and his father had lost himself to a bottle. She thought that was probably why he was also so protective, having to always look out for his father, help his sister. He was always there when she needed him, whether she knew he needed him or not – or would admit it.
With a sigh, she put her coffee mug in the sink and settled onto the sofa. She flipped through the channels for nearly a half an hour, not impressed by Saturday morning programming. She turned the TV off and intended to go home, find something to occupy her until the day's football games started, but Wade working caught her eye. She wandered over to where he was still raking leaves.
"Would you kill me if I jumped into one of these?" she asked, toeing the edge of the nearest pile.
"Seeing as I've wanted to kill you for less, probably," Wade answered as he raked.
He kept working, shooting her curious glances. She was contemplating the leaves as though they were the most interesting thing she'd ever seen, using the toe of her boots to play with the leaves at the edge of the pile. It was the same way she had contemplated the pond during the last heat wave of the year, dipping her toes in the water, curious but not quite willing to take a chance. He stopped working and leaned on the rake.
"I'm just gonna guess that you've never played in a pile of leaves before," he said. Zoe looked at him.
"I grew up in a high rise in Manhattan and pretty much moved straight into a loft in Soho. There wasn't exactly an abundance of trees." He smirked and propped the rake up against a nearby tree. He set his sight on Zoe and started towards her. Realizing what he was about to do, Zoe took several steps backwards. "I think I'll just…" She turned to run but he was faster. He scooped her up easily and before she knew it, she was buried in a pile of leaves.
"That was not fair," she stated, struggling to sit up in the deep pile as Wade laughed at her.
"You asked for it," he told her, grinning. "That's just sad, never playin' in a pile of leaves. It was one of my favorite things to do when I was a kid. 'Course, then I got to rake 'em all back up but I'd say it was worth it." Zoe smiled despite her initial intention to be mad at him. To most people, it was a causal comment about a childhood memory. To Zoe, it was another piece of Wade's puzzle.
"Help me up," Zoe said, holding out her hands. Wade, still smirking, took her hands. Before he could pull her up, however, Zoe jerked him towards her, bring him crashing down into the leaves next to her. She laughed hard, proud of herself for bringing him down. He pushed himself into a sitting position and looked at her.
"That? That was not fair," he told her. Zoe smiled.
"Neither is this," she answered, moving her arm and causing a flood of leaves to rain down around Wade.
"That's it," he said. Next thing Zoe knew, she could hardly see Wade through the leaves flying around them, both furiously throwing leaves the other's way, demolishing most of Wade's hard work within minutes. Zoe fell back into the leaves, laughing. Wade came down beside her, both gasping for breath.
"You're right," she told him. "That is fun." Wade's smile was genuine as he looked over at her.
"See what you've been missin' out on, livin' in that fancy city of yours?" he asked. To his surprise, Zoe nodded.
"Yeah," she said. "I do." He wasn't expecting that. He was expecting her to counter with how in New York, she could get takeout at 2am and never had the need to drive anywhere. Bluebell had grown on her, whether she would ever admit it or not. "Come here," she said, moving closer to Wade as she fished her phone out of her cardigan's pocket where it had somehow remained throughout their impromptu leaf fight. "I want to prove I played in the leaves in Alabama." She rested her head by his and snapped their picture.
"Look at you, Doc, playin' in leaf piles, skinny dippin'… I'll have you out fishin' with me next thing you know," Wade told her. Zoe shook her head.
"Not a chance, Cowboy," she said. Wade grinned. He liked it when she called him that.
The pair laid there for several minutes, catching their breath and just enjoying the moment of feeling like children again, the real world oddly tucked away from them. Finally, Wade broke the silence.
"Where's the vet this weekend?" he asked. "Out of town again?"
"I think so," Zoe answered. "I, um, I actually broke up with Judson a few days ago." Wade was careful to look curious rather than delighted at her confession.
"You what?" he asked.
"I ended things. He was nice enough and all but it just… I don't know. It wasn't right," Zoe said. "At the risk of sounding like a complete girl, there weren't any sparks, no matter how hard I tried to make them. Besides, he spent more time on his phone than he did with me when we were out on dates and by Thursday evening, he was out of Bluebell faster than Brick is in the waiting room to beat me to a patient. You don't get to say 'I told you so' but I think you and George are right – there's something strange about him. No one is on the phone that much and surely no one goes to visit their family as much as he claims to."
"So it's definitely over?" Wade asked. "Done?" Zoe nodded.
"He tried to change my mind, but we were at Fancies Tuesday night and after his third phone call, something just clicked and I realized I deserved more than a guy who thought it was acceptable to excuse himself to talk on the phone for fifteen minutes at a time while we're supposed to be having dinner." Wade looked at her seriously.
"For what it's worth, he's an idiot," he said. "And not just 'cause he drives a Prius. He was a fool for not treatin' you better. He's probably kickin' himself over losin' you." Zoe smiled.
"Thanks, Wade," she said. He nodded, wishing he had the nerve to ask her to let him show her how she deserved to be treated. Instead, he had to settle for being happy Judson was out of the picture although he wasn't planning to take his eyes off of Zoe until the guy was behind bars and away from her.
"You know, for the record, I know you and Lavon and George all thought Judson was too high maintenance for being a guy, but that's the only kind of guy I've ever really dated back home – guys that have never seen a fishing pole and spend more on hair products than they do on groceries. Y'all are a whole different breed of men down here." Zoe gasped, her eyes wide as she realized what she'd just done. Wade propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her, laughing.
"Dr. Hart – did you just say 'y'all? 'Cause that's what I believe I heard," he said. Zoe nodded, looking horrified.
"I cannot believe I just did that." Wade continued laughing.
"Bluebell's rubbin' off on you," he said.
"I feel like I need to wash my mouth out with soap."
"Aw, come on, Doc. It's just you assimilatin."
"Look at you, using big words," Zoe teased. Wade shrugged.
"I can throw one out here and there," he said. He reached out and plucked a leaf out of her hair. Zoe's eyes fell on the pendant dangling from his necklace. She reached out and took it in her hand, studying it.
"You always wear this," she commented. "I've never seen you without it on." Whether he was working at the Rammer Jammer or fixing the fuse box in the dead of night in nothing but a pair of jeans, she'd noticed he always had that necklace on. She knew there had to be some kind of story behind it. He reached for the pendant, their fingers brushing as Zoe let go of it.
"Momma gave it to me," he said. She noticed the shade of sadness that filled his eyes and willed it away. "Harley diagnosed her and sent her up to Mobile to see some specialists. They told her there was nothing they could do except make her comfortable. She went out that same day and bought this one for me and a pair of angel wings for Meredith. She told us they were meant to protect us but I think she just wanted to make sure we had somethin' to remember her by."
"That's… sweet," Zoe said, reaching out to play with the necklace again. Wade's hand slipped away from the pendant and down her arm before landing in the leaves. Even through her cardigan, Zoe could feel the goose bumps his hand had left with just the lightest of touches.
"Mere don't wear hers much," he said. "She keeps it in her jewelry box, wears it from time to time. She had it wrapped 'round her bouquet when she married Eric and she had it on when both kids were born. It's just habit now, me throwin' this thing on."
Zoe knew it was more than a habit. It had been almost fifteen years since his mother had passed but he still missed her. It made her feel guilty for ignoring her own mother but she was still too angry with her to talk.
"I kind of wish I had something of Harley's," she admitted. "I mean, he traveled all the way to New York for my med school graduation. Even if I had no idea who he was, he made sure he was there for me. I thought he was some crazy old man who was impressed by my speech. It was a good speech, but I never understood what was so impressive about it that he kept sending me postcards with job offers on them every few months."
"Not to point out the obvious, Doc, but don't you have his practice? That was 'bout the most important thing he owned," Wade said.
"That's true," she agreed. She looked around her. They had completely demolished most of the piles of leaves Wade had spent the morning raking up and the sky was heavy with rain. She looked back at him. "I'm going to have to help rake all of this back up, aren't I?" she asked.
"You bet your pretty little New York ass you are," he said, pushing off the ground so he could stand. He offered Zoe his hand. "Come on, girl," he said, pulling her to her feet, their moment broken that quick. "We got some leaves to rake."
See? Lots of fluff and Zoe and Wade.
Thanksgiving is coming up, Judson is out of the picture (or is he?), Zoe is starting to see Wade for the guy he is and Wade, he tells Zoe things he doesn't tell anyone else... Lots going on. I'm hoping to get a couple of updates in this week - heading home to my own version of Bluebell and so there's not much to do but write!
Thanks for reading and reviewing!