Enjoy!
Book Seventeen: Sweet Georgia Honey
Midnight Train
"... he's leaving… on that midnight train to Georgia." Mercedes sang under her breath as she walked down a dirt road. Her and her father had argued like this since she was ten. It was something about her that struck a chord in him when she hit that age, her mother always told her that she was the mirror image of his mother.
Sweet Georgia Honey Jones.
That's what everyone called her, Sweet Georgia Honey Jones. She was a lounge singer and the most beautiful woman known to man. That's how her grandfather described her, bold and beautiful and sugar sweet like raw honey.
She hated that she looked so much like her and it only got worse as she got older. People who knew her grandmother would make backhanded jokes about her wildness, saying she was just like Sweet Georgia. They would lose their minds once they found out she could sing just like her.
At first her father was overjoyed there was another singer in the family but he slowly grew to resent that it was her. His time with his mother, according to him, was hell which is why he came to live with his father. He said she would be out all night and always kept different men around but Mercedes wasn't entirely sure how true that was because of how in love her grandpa was with Georgia.
She'd heard the rumors that her grandma was promiscuous and had a string of men to this day in love with her but none were like her grandpa. Judd Jones was alive and well, and let Roz tell it, the sexiest man over seventy. It was gross really, women still pinning after her grandpa because she just saw him as this really cool old man. Sure he still went out to bars, smoked weed and had a new girlfriend every week but to her he was just pop pop.
She was very used to women stopping her and her siblings to ask about him and they all hated it but sometimes Mercedes would entertain them. It always tickled her when the woman would get angry after she made up some crazy story about their grandfather. What made it even more entertaining was their grandfather later playing along with whatever story she'd told them.
Looking up she spotted the familiar colonial home and smiled before picking up the pace when she saw her grandfather sitting on his porch. He lived on a few acres in the large house alone but that was more by choice than anything.
She smiled as she walked up on the porch. "Hey pop pop." She said, hugging the older man.
Judd smiled at his granddaughter. "Hey Honey-girl." He replied, his dark eyes sparkling. He was the only person that called her Honey-girl, he also made it very clear that he hated when anyone else tried to call her that. "What you done now?"
Mercedes huffed, sitting in the rocking chair next to the older man. "Daddy came to the club again… I was singing." She answered.
Judd chuckled, shaking his head. "One day that boy goin' to have a heart attack 'cause of you."
"It's not even my fault! He acts like I'm out here having sex with every man that looks at me."
The older man nodded. "Well are ya?"
Mercedes looked at her grandfather with wide eyes. "No! I… I've only had sex like three times." She admitted.
She was always very honest with her grandpa because he never judged her. Sure she was wild and flirtatious but she wasn't the slut everyone assumed she was. She barely even entertained men but whenever she got the urge she would string a few of them along. She wasn't who her father painted her out to be and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't just stop being herself.
She was wild and loved her body. She loved showing off her curves, singing sexy songs and flirting… it just was who she was and her parents trying to change that was wrong. She hated being compared against her siblings because they weren't like her. Hell she knew that but for some reason her parents couldn't grasp the concept that she was different.
"Hmp. Well, have you told them that?"
Mercedes furrowed her brows, looking down. "Yes and no… indirectly but even if I tried to do it now it wouldn't matter. He kicked me out again."
Judd shook his head. "That boy ain't got the good sense God gave him. I told him to send you to that school but he was just hell bent on makin' you prove somethin."
"Wait, what school?"
Waving his hand, he looked off in the distance. "That high school up in California. Ya grandma put away some money for you and your sisters but that damn boy of mine…"
Mecedes shook her head, trying to understand what he was telling her. "California… California? Are you sure, I didn't apply for any schools there."
"I may be old but I ain't lost my mind… yet." He replied, chuckling. "It was years ago, some scout came or somethin' like that. Heard you singing down at Roz's."
Realization hit her when she figured out when he was talking about. She felt her face grow cold and her heart racing. Her breathing became shallow and her head began to spin, her father had been keeping that from her since she was sixteen years old.
"Why would he do that?" She asked herself before looking up at her grandpa, eyes watering. "Why would he do that to me? He really hates me that much?"
Judd winced, he hated seeing any of his grandkids hurt but there was no way of dancing around it any longer. "He don't hate you, he hates the person you look like and that's a lot on me."
"I didn't even know her and I'm being blamed for something I had no control over."
The old man gently grabbed her face, looking at her. "Sometimes people be so lost in their own grief they forget the world keeps spinning."
Mercedes's lip trembled. "He hates grandma and he hates me cause I'm just like her."
Judd shook his head. "No, he don't hate you. That boy loved his moma something fierce but he couldn't keep her… she really wasn't mine either. Your free nature is what he hates."
Tears slowly overflowed and began to trickle down her cheeks. "I don't think that's it, pop pop. I can't control it sometimes… I like it too much."
He smiled. "You get that from me not her, Sweet Georgia wasn't even trying to give me the time of day but I was a man on a mission… and like a crazy fool I fell in love with that wild thang."
Mercedes sniffled, smiling. "Is that why I'm your favorite?"
"Absolutely, that and because you come visit me but I feel like you needed more than this conversation."
"He kicked me out, said I can't come back…" She said, looking down. "Can I stay in the attic?"
Judd wiped her tear stained face, his old hands shaking slightly. "It'll cost ya."
She smiled. "I only got three monies."
"Three monies it is Honey."
Sam couldn't take his eyes off the woman at the bar. She had dark, glossy hair that cascaded down her back, and her skin glowed in the cool light of the room. Her doe-shaped eyes flashed with mischief as she sang seductively. When she suddenly darted away, Sam felt like a string between them had snapped, and he knew he wouldn't be able to rest until he found her.
He made his way back home but before he could get far enough to inquire about the mysterious woman, his phone started ringing — it was his fling from New York. The thought of having some form of remote intimacy crossed his mind, but he quickly abandoned it when he remembered his grandparents' bedroom was just next door.
"You make it okay?" His grandmother asked.
Sam smiled, offering her a warm smile. "Yes ma'am. Roz asked about grandpa and told me to give you this." He answered, handing over a thick brown envelope.
His grandmother looked at him for a moment before taking the envelope. "So there wasn't any trouble then?"
"No ma'am, no trouble at all." Sam said as he took a seat. "Where'd Stevie and Pop go?" He asked, noticing his father and brother were nowhere to be seen.
"Stevie and your dad went to Shelley's for some food." His grandmother replied, setting the envelope aside and slowly standing from her seat. "Roz called when you left, you know?"
Sam looked at his grandmother nervously. "Oh?"
"Mhm. And you listen to me when I say, stay away from that Jones girl. Her grandmother has a reputation that followed her to the grave and that fast gal is close to getting her own reputation started." She warned.
Sam felt his stomach drop. "What do you mean by that?" He asked, feeling apprehensive.
His grandmother sighed before meeting his gaze. "That girl is trouble, Sam. She's wild and reckless and I know you don't want to hear it but she ain't no good for you. You need to keep your distance if you know what's best for ya."
Sam was silent for a moment, taking in his grandmother's words. He knew deep down she was right, but he couldn't help the longing he felt when he looked at the woman.
"I have no intentions of seeking her out." He replied.
His grandmother smiled, satisfied with his answer. She reached out and tousled his hair like she used to when he was a child. "Good. Now come on, let's go find your dad and Stevie and get you something to eat."
They made their way out the door and down the street, passing by storefronts and restaurants until they came to a small diner tucked away off the main street. His father and brother were already seated at a table near the window, laughing over menus as they waited for Sam and his grandmother to join them.
"It's been two weeks, don't you think you should at least tell me why you kicked her out again?" Ann said, walking behind her husband as he prepared to leave for work.
"No I don't, she's wherever she wants to be and it's going to stay that way." Malcolm replied, pouring a cup of coffee. "I'm done talking about this."
Ann sighed heavily. "Well I'm not, I don't understand why you are like this with her… i get that she's a little wild but we're not innocent in this- maybe we should have let her-"
Malcolm slammed his mug down looking at his wife. "Mercedes is our child and she will live by our rules. She didn't listen when I told her to stay away from that damn bar, there are consequences to her recklessness. She needs to grow up!" He growled.
Ann flinched, his roar echoing in the walls of their small kitchen. "And how is abandoning her going to help her grow up, Malcolm?" she challenged, her voice barely whispering above the ticking clock on the wall.
"By realizing that actions have consequences," Malcolm retorted, the vehemence in his eyes sparking a fire that Ann had not seen in years. He grabbed his overcoat from the back of the chair and stormed towards the front door.
"But we're her parents, Mal!" Ann shouted after him. "We're supposed to guide her when she stumbles, not kick her while she's down!"
The slamming of the front door was answer enough. The silence that followed was a stark contrast to the heated argument that had just transpired. Ann slumped onto a chair, rubbing her temple as if trying to wash away the throbbing headache.
Her mind wandered to Mercedes—her fiery spirit wild as a summer storm, her laughter infectious, her heart so loving
yet equally reckless. There was no doubting Mercedes was a force to be reckoned with, but that strength had its consequences. Malcolm saw it as a rebellion, a flagrant disobedience to their authority. But Ann... she saw her baby girl, testing her wings, yearning for freedom while being tethered by the fears of her parents.
A soft sigh escaped Ann's lips as she brought her hand down from her temple, her gaze lost in the empty cup before her. She saw herself in Mercedes, the young version of herself who also had a fire burning inside of her, a side she hid for so long.
"There must be another way," Ann whispered to herself. The words pasted on her lips like a bitter truth she couldn't swallow. "I can't just stand by and watch."
She grabbed her phone deciding to call Roz to find out what really happened at the bar that caused him to react the way that he did.
Mercedes sat at the retro diner, stirring her straw around in her creamy milkshake as she bobbed her head to the upbeat music playing on the jukebox. Her long, glossy hair swayed with each nod of her head, catching the light and reflecting it in a dazzling array of colors. "Merce, you there?" Her friend's voice broke through her trance.
Mercedes blinked, furrowing her brows in confusion. "Huh? Oh, yeah I think you should sit on his face." She blurted out, earning confused looks from her friends.
"Bitch, we moved along from that topic." Jane scolded playfully, shaking her head and laughing.
"Right, we're talking about Roz's showcase… we asked if you wanted to sing with us?" Dawne chimed in, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
Mercedes sighed, shrugging nonchalantly. "Do you guys think I'm wild?" She asked, suddenly feeling unsure.
Her friends shared a knowing look before turning their attention back to her. "Define wild," Jane said.
"I found out my dad prevented me from going to a performing arts school because I was too wild in high school." Mercedes confided.
Dawne wiggled excitedly in her seat. "I mean, you kinda are wild but you've always been that way."
Jane nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we've known you our whole lives…you're just you."
She pointed her spoon at Mercedes. "You're not someone who can be tamed or confined to a small, dull existence. You are someone who belongs to the open sky, who needs to spread her wings and fly. So yeah, you're wild, but not in a destructive way."
Mercedes was quiet for a moment, swirling the straw in her milkshake again. A small smile began to play on her lips as she turned her gaze back towards her friends. "I remember you two sneaking out of your houses with me in the middle of the night to catch that concert three towns over," she reminded them.
Dawne snorted. "Yeah, and I remember how we sprinted like mad when the cops showed up," Dawne giggled at the memory.
"And Jane! When we tried to hitchhike our way back home and ended up getting a ride on a milk truck!" Mercedes joined in, remembering their shared escapades.
Jane hit the table lightly with a laugh so contagious that it had the surrounding patrons throwing glances their way. "Oh gosh, that smell! I can never forget it, it lingered for days," she chuckled.
"See?" Mercedes pointed at them, her eyes sparkling like a star-lit night sky. "You're both just as wild as I am."
"But our families didn't label us as such," Dawne countered thoughtfully, her fingers idly tracing the rim of her nearly empty milkshake glass. "Maybe there's more to it than just your 'wildness', you know?"
Silence fell over their booth in the corner of the diner, each one of them lost in their thoughts. The jukebox continued to play its merry tunes, oblivious to the seriousness of their conversation.
"You're probably right," Mercedes agreed after a while, her voice taking on a somber note. "I guess I've always been the black sheep, the one who doesn't conform. Maybe that's why dad can't stand me."
"Mercedes, don't say that," Jane admonished, shaking her head. "We all know how much you and your father are alike. It's probably why you two butt heads so often. But that doesn't mean he can't stand you. He just doesn't understand you."
"And the only way he will is if you talk to him," Dawne added, her voice gentle yet firm.
Mercedes sighed heavily, stirring her straw again. "He wouldn't listen, he never does."
"But have you tried?" Jane asked, leaning forward on the table and looking Mercedes straight in the eye. "I mean really tried? Not just throwing words at each other in the heat of an argument but a genuine conversation?"Mercedes hesitated before shaking her head mutely.
"Then maybe it's time you did," Dawne pressed further.
"But what if he still doesn't understand?" Mercedes asked softly, her gaze downcast.
"Well then," Jane said, her voice sincere and steady, "he's the one missing out on knowing the wonderful human being his daughter is."
Dawne nodded in agreement, squeezing Mercedes's hand in a comforting gesture. "And you'll know that you did everything you could. After all, we can't control how others think or feel."
Mercedes looked at her friends, tears glossing her eyes as she mulled over their words. They were right, she knew they were. But confronting her father... that was something she'd been avoiding for years.
"But...what if he doesn't want to listen?" Mercedes asked, her voice barely audible.
"Then you leave him with his ignorance," Dawne said, her voice carrying a hint of steel. "But I think you owe it to yourself to try, Merce."
Mercedes picked up a napkin and started nervously twisting it between her fingers. "I guess," she mumbled, her eyes downcast.
"You know," Dawne began, her voice calm and soothing, "your wildness isn't something to be ashamed of. It's what makes you who you are. You're passionate and free-spirited and we love you for it."
Mercedes couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips. Even in serious moments like these, her two best friends always had a way of making things feel a little lighter. She glanced around the vintage diner, at the red vinyl booths, the shining chrome of the bar stools and soda machines, the black-and-white checkered floor. Suddenly, she felt nostalgic.
"Do you think we could pull off old school for the Roz's showcase?" She asked, happily shifting the subject.
Jane and Dawne exchanged surprised glances before bursting into laughter. "Old school, you say?" Jane managed to chuckle out amid her mirth.
"You trying to turn us into the Supremes or something?" Dawne joked, shaking her head at the thought.
Mercedes joined in the laughter, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She was grateful for the change of atmosphere - it felt good to laugh again after such a heavy conversation. Despite the concerns that lingered in the back of her mind, she found herself caught up in the sudden excitement of their new idea.
"Why not? We all have pretty good pipes." Mercedes pointed out with a grin, already visualizing them on stage.
"Well, I guess we could give it a try," Dawne conceded after a moment of thought. Her eyes were sparkling with anticipation now, reflecting the excitement that had quickly spread across their table.
"Hey, it might even be fun," Jane agreed, sounding more excited by the minute. "And who knows? We might just blow everyone away at Roz's."
The three of them began responding enthusiastically, the table soon filled with sketches of sequined dresses, high hairdos and vintage microphones. The laughter and chatter brought a comforting sense of normalcy back to their evening, causing Mercedes's earlier troubles to fade into the background momentarily.
Outside, Sam stood with his little brother Stevie, peering in through the window of the diner. His gaze landed on the girl from the bar, her head thrown back in laughter at something one of her friends had said. The sight of her made him shift, reminding him just how much she got while she was singing.. He knew that he promised his grandmother not to seek her out but this didn't count...did it?
"Come on, let's go inside," Sam suggested to Stevie, disguising his real motive with an encouraging smile.
As they entered through the glass door, the bell above the entrance chimed, announcing their arrival. Mercedes looked up at the sound before smirking. There, in the diner entrance stood the mysterious stranger from the bar who she had teased while singing a few weeks ago. She felt a strange fluttering in her stomach as their eyes locked before returning her attention back to her friends.
Sam couldn't help but feel a pang of trepidation, but he was also determined. He stole a quick glance in the woman's direction before leading his brother towards the counter. The neon lights of the diner reflected off the smooth surface of the counter as they took their seats.
The smell of fried food and coffee filled Sam's nostrils, but his attention was elsewhere. He could hear her loud laughter mixing with her friends' and it brought a smile to his face. it was infectious and he wanted to know if he could made her laugh like that.
Stevie nudged him, tearing him away from his thoughts. "What are we getting?" he asked, his blue eyes wide in anticipation.
Barely glancing at the menu, Sam replied, "How about burgers and shakes?" He was still half-listening to her conversation, trying hard not to appear too obvious.
As their order arrived, he watched as she got up from her booth. She looked stunning as she navigated her way through the diner, her laughter still echoing in his ears. His heart pounded in his chest as he realized she was heading toward him. Had she noticed him? Was she coming to say hello?
Instead, she breezed past Sam's booth and headed straight for the jukebox. She bent down slightly, her fingers grazing the selection buttons as she hummed along to a song only she could hear.
Sam couldn't help but watch her, utterly entranced. He admired her from a distance, noting the way her hair fell around her shoulders and the way her eyes lit up as she found a song she liked. Any lingering doubts he had about seeking her out were quickly disappearing.
Back at the table, Jane and Dawne watched the exchange with amused smiles on their faces. "Are you going to introduce yourself?" Jane asked when Mercedes returned to the table.
Mercedes scoffed, rolling her eyes at Jane's implication. "We don't even know each other," She leaned back in the booth, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "Besides, he's just some guy I saw at Roz's."
Jane and Dawne shared a knowing look. "You never know, Merce," Dawne said carefully, leaning forward to fix her friend with a steady gaze. "He's been staring at you since he walked in. What did you do to him?"
Mercedes smirked, looking over her shoulder catching his eyes again before rolling her eyes looking back to her friends. "I didn't do anything that I don't normally do." She shrugged dismissively but couldn't help sneaking another glance at the boy who now held his little brother's hand and whispered something in his ear.
"So, let me get this straight," Jane said, casually plucking a French fry from the basket between them. "You teased him until he couldn't take it anymore?"
"Well, technically all I did was sing... not my fault he got hooked," Mercedes replied with a hint of sarcasm.
"Uh huh, and how long ago was that? He's still practically drooling over you," Dawne chimed in with a playful smirk.
"Must be the song choice," Mercedes shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not like I can control how other people react."
Jane and Dawne exchanged another look, their amusement clearly showing.
"Don't you think you should—you know—say hi or something?" Jane suggested, her smile practically glowing.
"Why?" Mercedes asked, feigning shock as she tugged at a loose thread on her skirt. "You two seem to be having a lot of fun with this." She tried to keep the sarcasm thick in her voice, but couldn't completely mask the curiosity that her friends' teasing elicited.
"But what if he actually wants to get to know you?" Dawne asked, leaning back against the booth, her eyes fixed on Mercedes.
Mercedes raised an eyebrow. "Why would he?"
Dawne shrugged, her lips curling into a mysterious smirk. "Maybe he sees something in you that you don't."
"Oh, please," Mercedes laughingly chastised, her cheeks glowing a soft pink against her dark skin.
Meanwhile, Sam had just managed to convince Stevie to go play a few games on the arcade machine near the entrance, freeing him up to approach the vivacious woman who had captivated his attention. Taking a deep breath and squaring his shoulders, he approached her table.
"Hello," he greeted the trio with a charming smile, his focus clearly fixed on Mercedes.
Jane and Dawne both grinned wickedly as they excused themselves from the table with the pretense of getting more napkins, leaving Sam and Mercedes alone.
Mercedes looked at him with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "Do I know you?" she asked coyly.
"No. But I'd like to," Sam responded in a tone that was both lighthearted and sincere. Her smile grew wider, more genuine, and it was as though the diner had emptied of all other people.
"Well, Mr...?" She paused, expecting him to fill the void with his name.
"Sam," he supplied, his gaze never leaving hers. "And you're Mercedes." She lifted an eyebrow in response, intrigued to hear her own name in his voice. "I heard your friends call you that," he quickly explained.
"I see," she said teasingly, "You were eavesdropping."
"Can't blame a guy for being curious," Sam retorted lightly, raising an arm to scratch at the back of his neck—a nervous gesture that didn't escape Mercedes' notice.
"No, I guess you can't," Mercedes agreed, her smile softening. She took a moment to study him, noting his charmingly disheveled hair and the warmth radiating from his green eyes. He seemed different from the men she usually encountered: more genuine, more vulnerable. It was both refreshing and intriguing.
"And what's your curiosity telling you now?" she asked, leaning back against the booth and crossing her arms over her chest in a relaxed manner that belied her growing interest.
Sam shrugged, a sheepish grin playing on his lips. "That maybe I should have listened to my grandmother's advice about not seeking you out."
Surprise flickered across Mercedes' face before she broke into a laugh, the sound ringing out clear and melodious in the bustling diner. "So, you're breaking promises for me already?" she teased, her dark eyes sparkling with mirth.
"Certain ones seem worth breaking," Sam responded, matching her playful tone.
Mercedes felt a thrill go through her as she studied him. This wasn't the first time she'd been flirted with, but there was something different about Sam that she couldn't quite put her finger on. His confidence was quiet, not boastful, and his sincerity rang clear. She found herself genuinely interested in the man standing before her.
"Well, Sam," she started, tilting her head to the side as she looked him up and down, "I must say I'm intrigued."
Sam's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah?" His voice was hopeful, his green eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Mercedes nodded, her smile widening. "Yeah. But... you're going to have to work for it."
Intrigued by her challenge, Sam squared his shoulders and nodded. "I can do that."
She flashed him a flirtatious grin, then nodded towards his table where his little brother Stevie was patiently waiting for his return. "Your brother's waiting," She reminded him.
Sam turned around to see him standing there before looking back at her. "Seems so... I assume asking for your number would be a moot point."
"You assumed right." She answered, smirking.
He nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Then I'll have to give you mine."
Mercedes shrugged nonchalantly. "You're quite persistent, aren't you?" She asked playfully.
"But I don't need it," she added quickly, halting Sam before he could dig out his phone from his pocket. She paused, her eyes dancing with mischief as she toyed with the edge of her coffee cup. "How about this? If you're still interested... meet me at Roz's bar after the showcase."
Sam blinked. "Showcase?"
Mercedes nodded, her smile widening at his surprised expression. "Yeah, it's in a week. No pressure, though," she added, her tone light but there was a challenge in her voice that intrigued him even more.
"The showcase, huh?" Sam repeated, scratching his chin thoughtfully. His interest was piqued not just by Mercedes' potential attendance but also by the idea of the event itself.
"Yep," Mercedes confirmed, tracing a pattern on the condensation on her water glass as she looked at him through her lashes. "You'll find it interesting, I promise," she added, her smile mysterious and alluring.
Sam looked into her eyes and nodded, "Alright, I'll be there."
"Good." She replied, her smile widening. Mercedes knew she had him hooked now. "See you then." As Sam went back to join his little brother, Mercedes turned to her friends who had just returned to the table. Their grins were almost too wide for their faces.
"Don't even think about teasing me," she joked, anticipating their reactions.
Sam is but a sheep among wolves lol!