Sweet Southern Memories, page 1
sweet southern memories
Magnolia Grove #2
c. a. harms
Copyright © 2024 by C. A. Harms
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, events, and other elements portrayed herein are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons living or dead, locations or events is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, storied in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of the author. If you should do so, legal action may be taken to protect the author and their work.
For more informations regarding permissions please email author at charms0814@gmail.com.
Editing provided by Amy Briggs
Cover Design by Sarah Paige
For all those that have felt as though you’ve hit bottom. Climb, claw, and fight your way to the top.
You are worth it!
contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Epilogue
Bonus Chapter
Another Bonus
Connect with C.A.Harms online
About the Author
Also by C. A. Harms
prologue
. . .
Zoey
Jay: I’m here
Excitement courses through me as I grab my jacket and tiptoe toward the window. Seeing his truck idling a few houses down makes my hands shake with adrenaline. It’s a reaction that happens to me often when it comes to Jayson Lincoln. That heart racing, can barely form a full sentence, would jump through fire just to be near him kind of rush. Everyone says its young love and yeah, maybe it is, but in my opinion, young love feels incredible.
Careful to be as quiet as possible, I lift the window slowly and glance back over my shoulder, holding my breath and listening for any movement outside my bedroom door. My parents are heavy sleepers and for that I am grateful.
I’ve stacked pillows up beneath the covers on my bed to create the appearance I am sleeping peacefully, and my sound machine still plays quietly on my nightstand. The distant sounds of waves washing along the shoreline mixed with the sounds of seagulls always lull me to sleep most nights.
When I am sure I am in the clear I take a deep breath and climb out, positioning my feet securely on the rough brick below.
Our split-level home makes it possible for me to sneak out without disrupting my parents. Their room is located on the opposite side of the house and a half level up, leaving me at almost ground level. Carefully, I slide down and plant my feet on the ground, feeling relieved I made it. Smoothing over my hair, doing my best to correct my disheveled look, I send a message and can’t wipe the smile from my face. The chance of getting caught sneaking out is worth it if it means I get a little time alone with Jayson.
I’ve never been the kind of girl who was boy crazy, but one smile from him and I’m all mush and desire inside.
We were friends before we were more, but from the moment he first said hello, I’d always wanted to be more.
Me: On way!
Tucking my phone in my pocket I hurry toward the trees that line the North side of our house and head in the direction of Jay’s truck.
After clearing the trees, I step onto the sidewalk and feel a pang of disappointment Eric, Jayson’s best friend is with him. He is holding the passenger door open, waiting for me to jump in with a smile on his face. I think he picked up on my disappointment I wouldn’t be alone with Jay and I feel bad. I like Eric, but I was hoping for time alone with Jay.
“Come on, little bit,” he whisper yells. “Your neighbor already peeked out through the blinds. The way I see it, we’ve got minutes before they call the cops. That or he comes out yelling and wakes up your parents.”
My heart rate spikes and I quickly jump inside the truck and slide across the seat, my side colliding with Jayson’s a little harder than I intend. He chuckles and I glance over to find him smiling at me.
“You ready?”
I nod, immediately lost in his dark eyes. The passenger door shuts, Jayson shifts into drive, and we are moving. The second his hand rests upon my thigh, I take a slow deep breath and focus on the road ahead.
I know what they say about being young and thinking you are in love, but I swear Jayson Lincoln has owned my heart since I was six and he made Jimmy Williams apologize to me for ripping my sweater. The boy who was two years older and didn’t owe me a thing, offered me a smile and from that day forward I was in awe of him. He was always sweet, even if he and I ran in different crowds.
Ten years later, I’m up in his truck on my way to the place all the older kids go and I don’t feel nervous. We’ve been here before.
The gravel path we take makes the ride rough as we bounce around the cab of Jayson’s truck, and he holds my leg a little tighter. As I’m leaning in close, the scent of his cologne fills my nose and I try not to make it too obvious I’m breathing him in. I swear to it, I’m gonna buy a bottle of whatever he’s wearing just so I can smell it when he’s not around.
A line of trucks and cars are parked close together with their headlights all pointing to one central location. Several people are gathered in the middle, dancing around and laughing, enjoying their slice of freedom.
Jayson parks and leaves his lights on too, while Eric wastes no time jumping out.
“Hey,” Jayson says. Redirecting my attention, I find him watching me. “You sure you’re okay with this?”
“Yeah,” I reply. Granted, I’ve never snuck out before, but I’d do it all over again just to be with him.
My daddy may not like the idea of me dating an older boy, but Jayson isn’t any boy. He’s my boy. He’s always watching out for me; protective yet adorable about it. I don’t know every single detail of his home life, but I do know he spends a lot of time with his grandparents. Jay had been raised right, with respect and kindness, and it shows in every action he makes. He has a way of making me feel like I’m the only girl he sees.
I notice the way his gaze drops to my lips, and on instinct I lick my lower one. Jayson’s chest rises as he takes a deep breath and I slide a little closer.
“So,” I offer in a low sultry voice that I don’t even recognize myself. “What now?”
“We could join everyone else.” He shrugs though he doesn’t make a move. If I’m not mistaken, he shifts his upper body closer to mine, while glancing between my lips and my eyes, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
I shake my head to answer his suggestion.
“Or we could stay here.” He tries again and instantly I nod which only makes his grin turn into a full-on smile.
“We should.” I turn, crawling over his lap, straddling him. His hands going to my hips I slide closer and a growl escapes his lips.
“Yeah,” he leans in, kissing me softly, “here’s good.”
With the music playing in his old Chevy, and everyone outside blinded by the lights facing them, the two of us get lost in one another. Each kiss better than the last and though I want him to lose control, Jayson never once moves too fast. He’s perfect, every little touch, every soft whispered word, and right there in the middle of the field just outside Magnolia Grove I have fallen in love with Jayson Lincoln, the boy who will forever own my heart.
one
. . .
13 years later
Jayson
I round the bend, opening up the view of Magnolia Grove. The small town, though I’ve been gone from for many years, I still refer to as home. It’s the place that holds all those who are dearest to my heart. It holds so many memories, both good and not so great, but it’s the place and the people within it that molded me into the man I am today.
Regrets, we all have them. Lately mine have overwhelmed me.
I thought there was more out there; thought that a big city could offer me more than a small town ever would, but I’ll accept without pause that I was wrong. There is nothing outside of this quaint little town that makes what I left behind worth it. I walked away from my future, from the life I could have had, and I guess I’d hoped one day it would lead to something more. I hoped that the one person I wanted by my side would follow, but she was, and still is, a small town girl.
But the truth is, everything I’ve ever wanted and exactly what I’ve needed was right here, right where I left it all those years ago.
Turning the corner, my chest grows tight as the funeral home comes into view. My entire body feels my regrets all over
“Jay, there is a place right here waiting for you. Just think of the team you and I would make. Working alongside my grandson, it’s a dream I’ve had since you told me you were accepted into medical school.”
My grandfather’s words whisper through my mind and in this moment, I find it hard to breathe. My emotions take off as I pull into the first available parking space and hang my head. The opportunity has passed, and we all say there will be time, but time gets away from us and then we’re left wishing we’d done things differently. We all feel like we have tomorrow, but the thing is tomorrow is not promised. I wish I could go back to yesterday, or even last month. To a time when Michael Lincoln was still alive because things without him now feel so empty.
“This practice is yours, all you have to do is come home where you belong and claim it.”
I take a slow deep breath, unable to see through the unshed tears which have now pooled in my eyes. So many times I’ve thought next year I’ll go home. Next year I’ll work side by side with the man I’ve admired my entire life. Hell, my grandfather is the reason I became a doctor in the first place. Watching him with his patients, hearing the people of Magnolia Grove speak to him with such respect because he was more than a doctor, he was their friend, and he cared so deeply. They were all his people, but even more than that, they were his family.
The funeral is more for my parents, as my grams could have gone without it. She knows that Gramps would find it stuffy and so unlike his nature. The man found the good in every bad situation and he’d prefer laughing and a celebration over tears. Hell, turn on the music and dance around town square is what I picture he would have wanted. My parents have never been the laid back and free kind. I guess that’s why I connected with my grandfather so well. He was so easy to talk to; being with him was like hanging with a best friend.
Making my way inside the funeral home I am met with half the townspeople, all here to pay their respects. Sympathetic eyes connect with mine and I feel my chest grow tight.
My heart is broken, and the knowledge that Dr. Michael Lincoln is no longer only a phone call away leaves me feeling so lost. He was the very man who I’ve always valued and entrusted even more than my own father. My grandfather and I bonded, me following him around his office, with my own stethoscope he’d bought me when I was five.
The further I make it through the parlor and into the main gathering room, the harder it is to breathe. I can’t look ahead because seeing him makes it all final, and call me a coward, but I need to work up to that finality.
I’m spent. My emotions have gotten the best of me as each member of the Magnolia Grove community has stopped in to pay their respects. Watching my grandmother fall apart, only to pick herself up time and time again, shows how incredibly strong she truly is.
My mother and father sit close to her, and Mattie, my brother and I stand to the side, as people move through the line and tell story after story of times Doc not only took care of them during a trying time but made sure to follow up and offer more than a normal doctor ever would. He never let a patient walk out of his practice only to be forgotten when the next one arrived. They weren’t a number to him; he went above and beyond with each person who walked through his doors.
Doing my best to hold myself together, I try to avoid making eye contact with my grandmother. Its kills me to see the swollen redness of her eyes. I have never been able to see my grams upset and not feel it hit deep.
Lowering my chin to my chest, I focus on one breath after another, willing myself to remain strong. I can fall apart later when I’m alone.
“Don’t look now,” Mattie says from my side, and of course I look. I never understood that saying. Why people insist on telling someone not to look; they should just say look, you need to see this.
Immediately my entire body grows warm as I notice the blonde beauty enter through the double doors. The same blonde beauty I’ve thought of often through the years, the one who is responsible for so many of my great memories here at home.
I’ve managed to miss her the last few times I’ve been in town, but it was more that I didn’t want to see her with her husband, so I steered clear instead. Being reminded of what I’d given up felt more like torture so I avoided any place she might be instead. Not the best way to handle things, but it worked.
Yet here she is…Zoey Harding, or Ward now, but she’ll always be the same sweet, gorgeous girl she was all those years ago. My first love, and if I’m being honest, my only love. Because though I tried to move on, no one has ever compared to my sweet southern girl.
“She’s getting a divorce,” Matthew whispers next to me and I quickly look in his direction to find him smirking at me like he knew I’d react instantly, which I do.
“What?”
“The guys’ a real ass,” he shrugs. “Treats her and her girls like shit.”
I knew she had twins. It killed me to keep tabs, but I guess it’s a form of self-torture. I constantly reminded myself of what I walked away from when I chose the big city life. I spend more time than I could count reminiscing on all the things that could have been mine had I realized what I had right here in Magnolia Grove.
“Didn’t even want the girls, from what I hear,” he adds.
I stare at Mattie in disbelief and he only offers me a nod in return to confirm I’ve heard him correctly. If anyone knows how I feel and have always felt about Zoey, it’s my brother. He has harassed me about it for years and finds joy in it every single time.
I’m just about to ask him for more information when I hear Zoey’s voice and it’s like a kick to the stomach.
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Alice.” I turn just in time to see Zoey lean in and hug my grandmother. “He was such an amazing man, always so good to my girls and to me.” When Zoey pulls back, she places her hands on my grandmother’s cheeks and the two of them share a moment. Witnessing their exchange does something to me and I feel so incredibly raw. “We were all so lucky to have known him, and lucky to have the memories to hold on to.”
My fragile grandmother places her hands over Zoey’s and I close my eyes, my nostrils flaring as emotions coarse through me. Witnessing Zoey comforting my grandmother, the woman that has spent her life taking care of others right alongside my grandfather warms my soul. Zoey is still the same sweet girl I knew all those years ago, only now she is a woman.
“Thank you, Zoey,” Grams whispers.
When she stands, I notice how she glances in my direction, then quickly looks away. Her throat bobs as she swallows hard, and then as if she is sixteen all over again, she worries her hands before her while glancing down at them.
I still remember the very first time I walked up to her. That little girl that glared at the boy before her because he’d just torn her favorite sweater. I know she didn’t need me to defend her, but I wasn’t able to stop myself. Even then at eight, and her six, I felt somehow drawn to her. We were instant friends.
Yet now she shies away from me.
I want nothing more than to reach out and tilt her chin upward, forcing her to stand proud and accept that she is breathtaking.
“Hey, little bit.” Irritation filters through me when Mattie steps in and wraps his arms around her. The action is only to get a rise out of me, I know this, and it works. The difference between now and when we were teens, is I have no business feeling the things I’m currently feeling. Jealousy, ownership, I want to grab my brother’s shoulders and pull him away from her, moving in to take his place.
“It’s good to see you,” he adds, releasing his hold on her and stepping back. I don’t miss the way he glances back at me and winks.
Always the asshole.
“Jayson.” When she says my name, it feels wrong. She never called me Jayson. I was always Jay to her. So formal and detached. I don’t have the right to feel hurt, but it doesn’t stop my chest from aching.
She moves slowly past us, twisting her hands before her.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Zoey whispers. “Wish I wasn’t seeing you again under these circumstances.” She offers me a smile and I know it’s forced. It may have been a while since I last saw a true, genuine Zoey Harding smile, but it’s something that cannot be forgotten easily. She has the kind of smile that reaches her eyes and if you are lucky enough to be in its presence you feel it from head to toe. The smile that lit up the night.
