Something New (Brides of Cedar Bend Book 2) Read online

  “What kind of man lets his lady walk out in the woods alone?” Pops asked with a shake of his head as he stood staring out the window.

  “The thoughtless kind,” Damian muttered.

  Pops grunted. “I’ve told Janet countless times never to leave the house without an umbrella.”

  Damian glanced over at his father, his icy uneasiness returning. “Come on, Pop. Why don’t you go sit down? I’m almost done with the truck then we can head home.”

  “The truck?”

  “Yeah, you remember we have your doctor’s appointment in the morning. Gotta make sure that old thing is strong enough to take us into the city.”

  His father turned to him, a slight frown marring his dark face. “Ain’t no doctor’s office open on Sunday.”

  “Tomorrow’s Monday, Pop.”

  His frown deepened. “Oh, right. Well, I’ll be in the back. Come get me when you’re ready to leave.”

  Damian watched his father silently head back into the office. He could see the confusion his father tried to hide. Lately, he was having trouble remembering even the simplest things. He hoped that those specialty doctors in the city could tell him what was happening to his old man.

  Because whatever it was, was scaring the hell out of them both.

  One

  Two years later…

  “Savvy, do you know what your problem is?”

  Savannah Williams stifled a groaned, but couldn’t bite back her sarcastic response. “I have a nosy sister?”

  “Your problem,” Felicia stressed over the phone, “is that you’re too busy looking for your White Knight when you should be hunting for your Nubian King.”

  Savvy rolled her eyes and tried her best to quell her rising annoyance. She had spent the last twenty minutes listening to her older sister by eight years tell her what she needed to do to land the “right” man.

  “Remind me again how this conversation became all about me? I thought we were talking about Quinn and her wedding.”

  Felicia snorted. “Don’t try to change the subject. We’re talking about you and that fiancé of yours. You know, the one you refuse to bring around. What’s his name again?”

  Savvy’s hand gripped around her steering wheel. “You know his name, Felicia. And I don’t bring him around because you know how you get.”

  “You’ve been engaged to that clown for two years, Savvy. Of course, I’m going to have something to say to him about that. For the life of me, I can’t see why you want to waste your time with him.”

  “Not everyone’s lucky to marry their high school sweetheart, Felicia. Finding a good, honest man is harder than you think.”

  Her sister scoffed. “Um, you live in Atlanta, don’t you? Just throw a stone and you’ll hit yourself a fine, eligible brother. But no, you’d rather let yourself be strung along.”

  Savvy blew out an exasperated breath. There was no way she was discussing Matt with her well-meaning, but blabbermouth of a sister. The last thing she wanted was to have her family know how big a fool she’d been. She would never hear the end of it.

  “Can we change the subject?”

  “Why? You’re damn near pushing thirty and now you’re letting Quinn get married before you? How did that happen?”

  “Marriage is not a competition, Felicia. This is Quinn’s now moment and I’m happy to be her maid-of-honor. When the time comes, she’ll be happy to be mine.”

  “Let’s pray it comes sooner than later, because in this day and age, you either get married or get got.”

  Savvy rolled her eyes. “What does that even mean?”

  “It means you better stop dragging your big feet and find a good man to settle down with. A good, hardworking, God-fearing black man.”

  Here we go again.

  Savvy knew she needed to end the call before her sister went into another tirade about her “unnatural” preference in dating only rich, white men. Just because Matt fell into those two categories didn’t mean that was all she liked in a man.

  “Listen, I have to go. I’m crossing into town now and need to call Quinn.” That was a lie, but Savvy wasn’t above telling a little white lie if it meant preserving her sanity. “I’ll call you later. Kiss the kids for me.”

  “Fine, go. But we’re not done talking about this.”

  Yes, we are.

  “Bye, Felicia.”

  Her sister sucked her teeth. “That’s getting real old, Savvy.”

  She chuckled anyway. “But it’s still funny.”

  Savvy ended the call and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the welcome sign into Cedar Bend coming up ahead.

  Finally.

  She was here.

  She turned on the radio to the oldies station and settled into her seat for the long drive to the Benson mansion. According to her GPS she had several more miles to cover.

  At first, she had been reluctant about making the long trip, but after her broken engagement and losing her adjunct position at the local university, there wasn’t much waiting for her in Atlanta.

  In just three months, she’d undergone a lot of change—both personally and professionally. Between the new clothes and hair, the expensive car, and the determination to finally finish her holistic nutrition book, she had expected a major shift in her attitude and how she felt about her life. But finding stability and focus seemed farther from her grasp.

  With Quinn’s wedding only three weeks away, Savvy hoped to use that time to forget her own chaotic life—and how unlucky in love she was—and focus on being there for her cousin. Only after Quinn’s wedding, would she allow herself to think about what it was she wanted to do next.

  Swooping her long, bone-straight weave to one side of her head, Savvy turned the air conditioner on max. She didn’t realize how hot Virginia could get in May until she felt the sweat sliding down the nape of her neck and into her silk blouse. She waited a few minutes, but only lukewarm air gushed out of the vents.

  “Oh, come on,” she muttered.

  She began fiddling with the buttons until the lights on her dashboard began to dim. Suddenly, the car radio hiccupped then turned off and to her dismay, the car began to slow.

  “Don’t do this to me now, hybrid.”

  Despite her foot on the gas, the car completely shut down on her. She managed to pull it on the shoulder of the road, before throwing it into park.

  Savvy sat in her hot, silent car for a moment, wondering what she had done to warrant this horrible streak of bad luck. Then she scoffed and shook her head at herself. Who was she trying to kid? Of course, this was bound to happen. She was stupid to think she could catch a break.

  New car. New look. New town.

  Same old bullshit.

  Damian Carson watched as his good friend pulled his new wife into his arms and shuffled along the makeshift dance floor. The wedding ceremony had been held behind the groom’s mother’s backyard, but it was still a charming affair.

  Guy and Mya Lawson made a good-looking pair and the expression on their faces as they gazed at each other said they were very much in love. The kind of love that would make the happiest person jealous.

  Damian turned away from the couple and headed to the buffet table. He didn’t consider himself an envious man, but for a fleeting moment he wanted what his friend had. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman looked at him like that. Hell, he couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman to look at him like that.

  Yet, strangely, he wanted that now.

  Damian shook his head at his whimsical thoughts. This was why single people shouldn’t come to weddings alone, he thought wryly. It made them think things—and want things—that was out of their control. He certainly had no time to think about love or marriage. Right now, he had his father to care for and a business to run. He just had Eric Benson’s wedding to attend then he would be free from going to any more of these and can focus on what really mattered—his father and the shop.

  Damian topped his plate with a ton of his favorite food
s and went back to his table. He fell into his seat just as his cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket. For a moment, panic seized him as he thought about his father and something going wrong at home.

  He fished his phone out of his pocket and was relieved to see it was just Eric’s fiancée calling. For a moment, he thought against answering. These past few weeks, she had been impossibly demanding. He knew she was just nervous about her own upcoming wedding, but Damian wasn’t in the mood for any more wedding talk. Even if he was the best man.

  In the end, he couldn’t ignore his friend’s future wife, no matter how difficult she was becoming.

  “Quinn, right now’s not a good time,” Damian said into the phone.

  “I know and I’m sorry. But I need you to do me a huge favor.”

  “I’m still at Guy’s wedding. Can it wait?”

  “No, actually, it can’t. And you’re the only one I know to call.”

  Damian sighed. He’d never been good at saying no to women, especially to those who needed his help. “What is it?”

  “It’s my cousin’s car. It broke down on her and she’s stranded on the side of the highway. She called roadside assistance, but it’ll be hours before they can get to her.”

  His interest was piqued. “Your cousin Savvy?”

  “Yes, she’s the one I told you about, remember? The one who’s going to be spending a few weeks with me.”

  Damian remembered her, all right. She was a woman hard to forget. The moment Quinn had announced that her cousin would be coming to town to help with the wedding, he had been filled with memories of that stormy summer day.

  It had been years since that day, yet he could still vividly remember how her smooth brown skin had gleamed from the rain and how her shirt had clung to her luscious curves, revealing the small, round shapes of her nipples.

  Damian quickly shook the image away and concentrated on the matter at hand.

  “Where exactly is she?”

  Quinn rattled off the information, and he ended the call. The thought of seeing Savvy again filled him with an unexpected anticipation. Damian turned back toward the dance floor and caught sight of Guy and Mya through the crowd. He considered going to them to say his goodbyes then thought against it.

  Today was their day. He didn’t need to make a grand exit and they were having too much fun to miss his presence, anyway.

  When the large tow truck pulled up in front of her, Savvy breathed a heavy sigh of relief. She had been sitting in her car, baking in the late afternoon sun for longer than she wanted. Even with the windows down there wasn’t enough air to keep her long hair from sticking to the side of her face and neck.

  Savvy grabbed her purse and keys and climbed out of her car. She waited beside it as the driver slowly brought the truck back until he was inches from her front bumper.

  After a few short minutes, he jumped out of the truck and started toward her. She squinted her eyes from the sun, and stared fixedly in his direction. She wasn’t sure who she had expected to come out of that truck, but it hadn’t been this tall, broad shouldered man in a crisp white dress shirt and black slacks.

  She noticed the top two buttons of his shirt were undone and she wondered if he’d worn a tie with his suit. With or without it, he was still sexy. And the way he moved with such confident grace made her wonder if he moved just as fluidly in bed.

  “Really, Savannah,” she muttered to herself, an unexpected heat traveling from her cheeks to the top of her hairline. “Pull yourself together.”

  As he drew near, she tried not to ogle his virile stride and athletic physique. Ignoring him, however, was impossible to do.

  He stopped in front of her and his dark gaze moved over her face, down to the tips of her high-heeled shoes.

  “Savvy?”

  Oh, god.

  Even the deep, rich tenor of his voice was erotically stimulating. Like a body-quivering caress. And he had only said her name.

  Savvy cleared her throat. “Yup, that’s me. You must be Damian?”

  His gaze remained unreadable as he continued to stare at her, though there was a slight downturn in his brows.

  “My cousin Quinn said you were coming, but I didn’t know tow truck drivers rode in style.”

  She hoped to break some of the strained silence between them, but he didn’t even crack a smile. Savvy sighed. It was too hot for this.

  “If you could tow me to the nearest mechanic, I’d appreciate it.”

  “You don’t remember me, do you?”

  She was surprised by the question, then studied him closely. “Have we met?”

  His brows pulled together in a deep scowl. “Two summers ago. It was raining. You were lost. You came into my auto shop.”

  She tilted her head to the side before recognition suddenly came to her and her eyes widened. “Oh, right! Junior, isn’t it?”

  “Damian’s fine.”

  Savvy let her gaze move over him again. Yes, you are. She hadn’t initially recognized him without the full beard and stained overalls. But the tall, dark, and unbelievably handsome man that stood before her now was well-groomed, with a trim beard and mustache framing his strong jawline and sensuous lips nicely. His dark hair was neatly cropped close to his head and his thick brows framed striking dark eyes.

  “You clean up very nice.”

  The corner of his lip curved up. “Nice of you to notice.”

  He said it in a way that made her sound like the shallowest, most pretentious woman around and her face warmed again.

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” she rushed out. “I just meant you look good.”

  “Yeah, I get it. You appreciate nice looking things.” He moved around her and brought his attention to her car. “Now, what seems to be the problem?”

  Savvy blinked at his abruptness and turned to follow him.

  What was his problem?

  She stared at his broad back and shook her head. It doesn’t matter, she reminded herself. She just needed to get her car fixed and then after the wedding, she would be long gone from this place.

  “I don’t know,” she said coming up behind him. “It just stopped on me.”

  “Cars this new don’t just do that. Unless there’s a reason. When was the last time you filled the tank?”

  “I think it still has gas.” Just to be sure, Savvy rushed back into the car and checked the gas meter. If her damn hybrid car had stopped because it simply needed gas, she would die of mortification.

  But to her relief, that wasn’t the case.

  “It has over half a tank.”

  Damian moved to the front of the car and began rolling up his sleeve. “Can you pop the hood?”

  She did as he asked then went to where he stood examining all the car parts. She didn’t know what they were looking at and couldn’t begin to guess. She was just glad nothing was smoking or cracked.

  “When did you last have it serviced?”

  Savvy stared at him blankly. “I don’t know.”

  The truth was she hadn’t brought in her new car for a check-up since she’d pulled it out of the lot six months ago. In between that time, she had made multiple roundtrips from Atlanta to Houston.

  “Well then, I’ll need to bring it to the shop to take a closer look. It’s a hybrid, so I’ll have to put it up on my machine and find out what’s going on inside.”

  “Okay, fine. I just hope you can fix it.”

  He slammed down the hood and gave her a crooked smile. “Don’t worry. I’m very good with my hands.”

  Savvy stared after him as he walked back to his truck, shamelessly wondering just how good he was with those hands.

  Two

  “Do you need to grab anything else from the car before we leave?”

  “No, I think I have everything,” she said in that sweet, southern drawl. “But thank you.”

  Damian nodded and helped her into the truck. He couldn’t keep his gaze from wandering down the length of her. She had a nice figure and a great ass.
The way her skirt hugged around her curves made it hard for him to look anywhere else.

  He continued to admire the view until she settled in then pulled the seatbelt across her body. That small action pulled him from his daze and he shut the door.

  Damian made his way around the driver side, surprised and annoyed by his unrelenting attraction to her. He couldn’t understand it. Not only did she look nothing like the natural beauty he had pulled out of the rain two years ago, she hadn’t even remembered him.

  He tried not to feel too disappointed by that fact. Especially when he hadn’t been looking his best that day. And getting stranded in his shop may not have been the most exciting thing that had happened to her. Just because he remembered every nuance of their encounter, didn’t mean she would.

  Yet still, he hadn’t realized he’d been so…forgettable.

  As Damian started down the highway, he stole a quick glance at her. Despite the new look, she was still very attractive. It just didn’t compare to the natural beauty he knew was buried underneath.

  Then again, what was new to him could very well be normal for her. They had only met for a few minutes, a long time ago. He really didn’t know anything about her and he needed to remind himself of that.

  “So, you’re Eric’s best man?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You two must be good friends.”

  “We are.”

  She paused for a moment and he knew what she was thinking. He and Eric grew up on opposite sides of the track. From an outsider’s perspective, it would look strange that the town mechanic was not only good friends with the mayoral candidate, but was also his best man.

  “You must have known each other long.”

  “You sound surprised.”

  “Well, I guess I thought he would have asked one of his frat brothers or maybe a family member to stand up there with him.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you, but he settled for me,” he said evenly. “I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” she said with a small laugh. “Quinn says you’re a big teddy bear.”