A/N: Thanks to all you lovely folk that leave reviews - y'all make me smile :) Yeah, I know, Zoe has made the wrong choice, and Wade should have said something, but they'll figure it out, much like they did in canon. Just takes a little time is all ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 8

"How are things going, honey?"

Zoe opened her mouth to answer Harley's question and struggled for words. The truth wasn't really going to work, but she did so hate to lie to him. He was her father, after all, and though they didn't know each other super well yet, she really didn't want to build a foundation of untruths with him.

"Um, things are fine," she said eventually, sure that was close enough to being accurate that she didn't have to feel guilty about it later. "How are things with you?" she tried, hoping to make the latest happenings in his life more of the focus on their latest phone conversation.

It worked, to a certain degree, which was good. Soon, Harley was regaling her with stories of the Bluebell townsfolk - who she had yet to meet but felt like she practically knew already - as well as how he had been working to get Zoe's room ready at the house and all.

Certainly, it made for a much less awkward call than the last couple of times when they checked in with each other. It was coming on for a month now since Zoe stopped having sex with Wade, which meant she didn't have to worry so much if and when her father got to asking her how she was getting along with the people at college. Friends-wise, he was, obviously, pleased to know she was hanging out with Lemon and George, and even Wade, since he had no idea how close they had been for a while. Dating-wise, she had yet to mention Judson, but realised today might be the day when she needed to do that.

"So, that's pretty much all of my news," said Harley in her ear. "Anything interesting you wanna share with me, Zoe?"

"Oh, well, I don't know how interesting it is, but I... I've been on a few dates, with a guy I think you might know, actually," she said awkwardly. "At least, Lemon and George say he's kind of local to you. Not from Bluebell, but still... His name is Judson Lyons."

"Well, of course I know Judson Lyons." Harley sounded as if he was smiling as he made the declaration. "His family have been in the area for generations. Nice people. He's hoping to be a veterinarian, so I heard."

"Yes, he is," Zoe agreed, "and he is nice. Very nice."

She wasn't even sure why she had to grit her teeth when she said those words. Nice was a good thing, it genuinely was. She wouldn't want to date a bad guy, that was for sure. She had seen her mother do enough of that since the divorce. Of course, there ought to be more to a person that just nice, and with Judson, she was struggling to find anything of note, even after several dates and time spent together both in and out of class.

"I'm happy to know you're getting courted by such a fine young man, Zoe," said Harley then, making her want to laugh, though she bit her lip so as not to do so.

She well understood that her father was that much older than her mother, but she suspected use of words such as 'courting' came as much from the Southern gentleman aspect of Harley Wilkes as it did his age. Not that she minded his way of speaking or how kind he was to her all the time. As surprise biological fathers went, she wasn't sure she could ask for better.

"So, not long now until Thanksgiving break," she said, flipping pages in her planner that laid on the desk near her hand. "I actually meant to ask you, were Lemon and George serious when they told me it's called Planksgiving in Bluebell? I mean pirates and a fish-fry all sounds a little strange to me."

The warm chuckle of laughter in her ear was comforting and endearing, until Harley explained that what her new friends had told her was no joke.

"I know it must sound a might strange to a sophisticated young lady with a big city upbringing, but Zoe honey, everything Lemon and George told you is true. I can assure you, they're not the type to make up such things. Now, that Kinsella boy, he's the one you have to watch out for when it comes to practical jokes and such. Not that he's a bad sort, exactly. I would never say as much about him. Wade's just more... let's say free-spirited and prone to foolish behaviour than his friends is all. Of course, he has had his share of hardships. You see much of him around the place?"

"Oh, a little bit, sometimes, I guess." Zoe squirmed, so glad her father could only hear her and not see her in that moment. "He's around, fixing things and stuff. I don't see him so much off campus, since I'm not much for the bars and everything... unless I'm out with Judson, obviously."

Zoe was well aware it probably sounded like she was lying, even though she wasn't, she was just being so awkward and weird about the whole Wade situation. She should be over it by now, and for the most part, she was. They didn't see each other much, and when they did, Lemon, George, Judson, or some combination of the three were usually there too. At those times, it was almost easy to forget that anything ever happened between her and 'the Kinsella boy'.

Unfortunately, every once in a while, he would look at her a certain way, or make some smart-ass comment that would only mean anything at all to her, meant to remind her of the times they shared together in bed, she was certain. More than once, she had considered letting it happen again, sure that if she suggested it, Wade would agree, despite their agreement to stop. She never went there, of course, but oh boy, did she ever think about it sometimes!

"Zoe? You still there?"

"Right here," she told Harley, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, thinking of anything but sex with Wade Kinsella - so not the time for that! "Um, but I should probably be going soon. You know, lots of studying stands between me and Thanksgiving yet."

"I'm so proud of you, Zoe," Harley told her then. "I know I probably have no right to be-"

"You have some right," she promised him. "After all, you're my father. For all I know, I wouldn't be this smart without the help of your DNA."

A small chuckle was followed by a very sincere sounding, "Thank you, Zoe."

The call was soon over after that, with Harley saying he would leave her to her studies, and Zoe promising to call again when she was sure exactly when she would be getting into Bluebell for the break. Putting her cell down on the desk, Zoe stared at her books and heaved a sigh. She really did mean it when she said she had plenty of studying to do, but she absolutely was not in the mood.

Her mind was whirring with too many thoughts, some about Judson, others about Wade, and then, when she tried to get away from that particular area of confusion, she landed up in anxiety central, worrying how the rest of Bluebell would react to her presence. At least she had Lemon and George who already liked her, plus Wade, but she wasn't going near the topic of how much he liked her or not right now.

"Studying," she said firmly, reaching for the first book on the pile and opening it up at the next chapter.

She did her best to concentrate on biology, but mostly, she already knew the things she was reading about and didn't exactly need to concentrate as she moved down the page. That was how her mind started to wander, to all the things she had been hoping to push out of her head with the reading in the first place. Slamming the book shut, she pushed the chair back from her desk, covered her face with her hands, and let out a loud, frustrated sound.

Her cell buzzing with an incoming message got her attention back on her desk and she reached for it, unsure how to feel when she saw Judson's name on the screen. Opening up the text, she sighed on realising it was a long apology as her so-called boyfriend admitted he wouldn't be able to make dinner tonight. Not that it would matter much. Zoe could still go with Lemon and George. It was never supposed to be a double-date as such anyway, more a gathering of friends. There was even talk of Wade coming along, if he wasn't working.

Zoe considered if that was a good idea. If Judson wasn't going, maybe she shouldn't either, especially if there was a chance she might end up alone with Wade at the end of the evening. A naughty kind of smile crept across her lips as she thought how maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing, or at least, it could be the kind of bad that led to very, very good...

"What am I thinking?!" she berated herself in the very next moment, tossing her phone down and getting up to walk away from the desk.

She would never cheat on Judson. That would be way too much like something her mother would do and Zoe had vowed long ago to never have the kind of romantic life that Candice Hart had! Still, she could go to dinner with her friends. Why not? Wade probably wouldn't even be there, and if he was, Zoe was strong enough to resist him... at least, she hoped she was!

The moment Zoe saw the nice restaurant that George and Lemon had selected for their dinner, she felt bad for thinking it was unlikely she would see Wade there. True enough that he really wasn't the type for a fancy place, at least, as far as she knew, he wasn't, but perhaps it was uncharitable to think he wouldn't fit into one to such a degree. Still, she had to admit, if only to herself, that she would feel relieved and much more comfortable if Wade didn't put in an appearance for dinner.

"Zoe Wilkes!"

She turned around and smiled, seeing Lemon waving to her from across the street. At her side, as always, was George Tucker, checking for traffic, then ushering his girlfriend across to the other side where they both greeted Zoe with smiles and hugs.

"Well, look at you," Lemon gushed in that way that only she could. "You always have such fine dresses and everything, and so different to anything I ever see in the stores around here. New York fashion is so interesting."

"Thank you." Zoe smiled politely, at this point used to the fact that some of Lemon's so-called compliments tended to come off a little fake and that she was most likely never going to know which were real and which were not. "You look great too, both of you, obviously," she said, glancing at George in his best pants and button-down. "This looks like a great place," she said of the restaurant then.

"I hope you're right." George nodded, looking up at the eatery himself. "It was actually Judson's recommendation, so it's a real shame he couldn't make it tonight."

"That young man really has some class," Lemon agreed. "And as much as I am happy hanging out at the Rammer Jammer some nights, there are times when a woman wants to be treated like a lady, right, Zoe?"

"Sure." Zoe nodded readily, feeling very much like the third wheel when her friends shared a look and then a kiss. "Um, you know, if you want-"

"Well, look at this. The whole gang's here!"

It was Wade's loud call that cut off her offer to leave the couple to their dinner, which would've been bad enough on its own, but then, Zoe realised, it was actually infinitely worse. Wade wasn't just joining her and George and Lemon for dinner. It appeared he had brought a date along too.

"Wade Kinsella, can't you have a little decorum and not just yell at people in the street like that?" Lemon admonished him with a look.

"Sure, I could, but where's the fun in that?" he asked, smirking terribly.

The girl under his arm laughed as if he just cracked the funniest joke in the whole world. To Zoe, it sounded like breaking glass and nails on a chalk board all at the same time. She was immediately nauseous and all the more so when Wade leaned down to capture the girl's mouth with his own, the two of them looking like they were practically eating each other right there on the sidewalk.

"Okay then," said George, moving to open up the door. "How about we go inside and get some actual food? Ladies?" he offered, encouraging Lemon and Zoe both to enter the restaurant.

Of course, Lemon went right on in, and Zoe did mean to follow behind her straight away. Unfortunately, her attention was taken by Wade and the as yet nameless girl, giggling once more at whatever hilarious thing he just whispered in her ear. She didn't want to be jealous, she knew she had no real reason to be, and yet, Zoe couldn't seem to help the green-eyed monster that woke up screaming inside her chest.

Bad enough seeing Wade flirt up a storm at the Rammer Jammer, she could just about handle that, because it wasn't as if he had completely given up flirting with her either. She was pretty sure he would flirt with a trash can if it had curves and eyelashes. This was different. This was another person in the spot where she had been herself, not in public maybe, but still. It was just different.

"Zoe?"

She turned fast to see George holding the door open yet and looking at her expectantly.

"Sorry," she said, shaking her head and then going on inside.

"Thanks, Tucker," she heard Wade say to his friend as he followed along. "You remember Lily-Anne, right?" he said, presumably of the girl he was holding onto still.

Zoe didn't care to hear anymore. She quickened her pace, eager to get to the table, even more eager to order a good strong drink. Actually, maybe it would be better if she just invented a headache or a homework assignment or both and excused herself from dinner altogether. She genuinely considered it, until she was forced to turn around and found Wade staring at her too intently.

"No Jud tonight, Zoe?" he asked, smirking terribly. "Y'all didn't break up, did ya?"

"We did not," she said haughtily, trying not to even glance at Lily-Anne who was grinning too much and holding onto Wade like he was the grand prize at the county fair. "He's just busy, that's all."

"Too busy to see his best girl?" Wade shook his head. "Well now, that ain't no way to go on. Come on now, if I knew somebody like you was waitin' on me, I'd say to hell with whatever else I had to do. Yes, ma'am. What man with eyes and a brain wouldn't?"

Zoe wanted to be mad at him for dissing Judson, for the groupie hanging off of him, for just being so damn attractive too, if she were honest, but it didn't come easy. In a moment of madness, it actually occurred to her to say what was on her mind. That she missed him. That she really wanted him. That she and Judson were dating, but that her heart wasn't really in it, and they hadn't made it past some tentative making out yet. That Wade could make her feel more with a look than Judson could when he had her practically horizontal on the couch.

Of course, all of that flew out of the window when Lily-Anne leaned up to whisper in Wade's ear, and then, the two of them started half-swallowing each other all over again, at least until Lemon hit out at Wade with her purse and told him to put his date down already.

"This is a fine eating establishment, not Animal Planet," she said snippily.

Though Lily-Anne had the good grace to look at least a little embarrassed, Wade only grinned and told Lemon to take the stick out of her butt already. Zoe turned away from the scene, taking a cleansing breath and hoping that the evening would get better from here on out. She didn't believe it, not for a second, but she hoped all the same.

To Be Continued...