Mischief & Magnolias (Magnolia Branch Book 2)

  Mischief & Magnolias

  A Magnolia Novella

  Kristi Cook

  Love is heavy and light, bright and dark, hot and cold, sick and healthy, asleep and awake—it’s everything except what it is!

  - William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

  Chapter 1

  “You come here and give me a hug!” Laura Grace calls out the second we step into Magnolia Landing’s marble-tiled foyer. “Both of y’all,” she adds, hurrying over to wrap one arm around me, the other around Ryder. She squeezes us both, nearly knocking our heads together. Finally, she releases us and takes a step back, beaming broadly.

  I hear my mom squeal and turn to find her barreling toward us, arms open wide. A second group hug ensues, all four of us this time. “I can’t believe they’re really here,” my mom says, her voice thick. “Our babies are back!”

  “Only for a few weeks,” Ryder says.

  His mom whacks him on the head. “Shush, now! Just let me enjoy this.”

  Ryder looks at me and grins, his eyes dancing and cheeks dimpling, forcing me to avert my gaze and bite my lip to keep from grinning back at him. After all, we’re supposed to be testy with each other—we’ve just been forced to endure a two-hour plane ride plus an hour car ride together, and we’re supposed to despise each other. At least, that’s what our parents think.

  Of course, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

  “Where’s your dad?” Laura Grace glances behind Ryder, looking at the door. His father picked us up at the airport in Memphis and drove us home, a fairly uncomfortable drive where Ryder sat up front with his dad and I’d sat alone in the back seat staring at the back of his head, neither of us saying much as the familiar scenery went by in a blur.

  “He’s waiting out in the car to take Miss Shelby and Jem home,” Ryder answers.

  Laura Grace nods, then glances up at her son with a frown. “How’s your shoulder, honey?”

  I look over to find him rubbing it, something he does a lot without even realizing he’s doing it.

  “Just a little achy,” he says with a shrug. During Columbia’s opening football game of the season, Ryder had taken a hard hit and suffered a partial tear to the rotator cuff on his throwing arm’s shoulder—a season-ending injury. It was horrible—Ryder’s parents had come to the game and I was sitting with them, all excited to see him start but trying to play it cool. He went down in the third quarter, and it was immediately clear that he was badly hurt. Like, really badly. The whole stadium had grown quiet while the trainer tended to him on the field, and he was clearly in pain as they’d helped him to the bench several minutes later.

  Laura Grace stayed in New York for a week after, accompanying him to multiple doctor’s appointments and taking him for a second opinion, then a third. I was freaking out the whole time, wishing I could be there with him, supporting him. Instead, I had to act mildly interested—only as interested a long-time family friend would be, not a girlfriend. Even now, I don’t know much about his treatment or recovery because he doesn’t like to talk about it—something that drives me nuts. We’re a couple, and couples talk about important stuff. That’s part of the deal. Only somehow, Ryder missed the memo.

  Laura Grace shakes her head. “You should have let me upgrade you two to first class. I told you you’d be all cramped in coach.”

  Ryder rolls his eyes. “We were fine in coach, Ma.”

  “Yeah, the middle seat was empty—we had the whole row to ourselves,” I add.

  “Oh, good—a buffer zone between you two,” my mom says with a wink.

  I glance down at my feet, shuffling them uncomfortably as I remember the way we’d cuddled shamelessly the entire flight home. How long are we going to have to lie to them? Probably forever, I decide. Definitely better than the alternative.

  “Well, we should probably get you two home,” Laura Grace says. “I know Brad and Nan are anxious to see Jemma.”

  I nod, because I’m anxious to see them, too—along with my two best friends, Lucy and Morgan. Who am I kidding? I’m looking forward to seeing them all—Mason and Ben and even my douchebag cousin, Tanner. I’ve been away from Magnolia Branch for way too long.

  Don’t get me wrong—I love New York. NYU is awesome and I’ve made so many new friends there. I got lucky in the roommate department—Allie is smart and super sweet, and we get along perfectly, right down to our tastes in music and movies and TV shows. Still, she’ll never replace Lucy and Morgan, who’ve been my best friends since Pre-K. There’s something to be said for shared history, and we’ve got that in spades.

  My mom gives Ryder one more hug, and then ushers me toward the door, Laura Grace following behind. “We’ll see y’all tomorrow for Sunday dinner,” she says. “Lou is making your favorite, Jemma—filet with mushroom gravy.”

  My stomach grumbles at the very thought. “I can’t wait.” Lou’s filet is to die for, and I’ve been subsisting for far too long on a combination of dining hall food, Chipotle, and Starbucks.

  “See you tomorrow,” Ryder grunts in my direction, and I throw him a half wave on my way out.

  Actually, I’ll see him in a few hours when we both sneak out of our houses and meet down by the creek. We’d planned it out on the flight home—some secret shenanigans to look forward to, right beneath our parents’ noses. Terrible, I know, but we’ve barely seen each other the past few weeks, what with finals and end-of-semester papers and projects and all.

  Plus, there’s something romantic and exciting about the clandestine nature of it here at home. We’ve grown accustomed to the whole being-a-couple-in-public thing. Time to spice things up with a little bit of sneaking around. My cheeks grow warm just thinking about it.

  “You look a little flushed, honey,” my mom says, pressing a hand to my forehead. “I hope you’re not coming down with something.” She shakes her head. “All those New York germs.”

  “The germs aren’t any different there,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Anyway, I’m fine. Just tired. I’m probably going to go to bed early tonight.”

  “You girls ready to go?” Mr. Marsden calls out from the driveway, where he’s leaning against his sleek, white Mercedes.

  Five minutes later, we pull up in front of my house where my sister Nan is sitting on the front porch, Beau and Sadie on either side of her, their tails wagging enthusiastically.

  “Hey, it’s Jemma-Jemma-Bo-Bemma!” Nan calls out, running down to greet me. The dogs follow suit, whining as they circle me, whacking me with their tails.

  “Nan-Nan-Bo-Ban!” I lean into her hug. “Ugh, I missed you. How’s your head?”

  “All good,” she answers. “I mean, I’m still getting migraines every so often, but that’s pretty much normal for me.”

  I eye her closely, looking to see if anything looks off. She looks fine, I decide. Healthy, even, and as pretty as ever. I bend down to scratch Beau and Sadie behind their ears. “Well, that sucks. I figured the surgery would have fixed that.”

  “No such luck. But…whatever.” She shrugs. “Could’ve been much worse, right?”

  “Definitely.” It’s been more than a year since Nan’s brain surgery, but I still worry about her. I can’t help it. “Such good doggies,” I coo, kneeling down to pet them. They try to lick my face with their warm tongues, and okay…maybe I let them. Just a little.

  “Daddy!” I stand abruptly as he appears in the doorway and makes his way down the front steps toward me.

  He wraps me in a hug, kissing the top of my head. “Hey, there, Half-Pint. How was the plane ride?”

  I try to mask the smile attempting to creep across my face. Pretending to have not enjoyed a couple
hours of alone time with Ryder is going to be harder than I thought.

  “Eh, it was fine. Not too bad. I’m so glad to be home,” I say, breathing in his familiar scent of freshly sanded wood and sunshine. “I missed you.”

  “Missed you, too,” he answers, his voice thick. “Okay, let’s get your bags and get you inside. Dinner’s almost ready.”

  “You cooked?” I ask, looking up at him in surprise. Daddy has many talents—he makes beautiful furniture by hand, he shoots straight, and he teaches physics like a boss. But he does not cook.

  “I reheated,” he admits with a wry grin.

  “Ah, got it,” I say. “Good, ‘cause I’m starving.”

  “Come on in and eat,” my mom calls out.

  My dad gets my rolling suitcase, and I grab my backpack and heft it onto my shoulder as I follow him inside, Nan trailing behind us.

  As soon as the door shuts behind us and we make our way out of the mudroom, two heads pop up from behind the sofa. “Surprise!”

  Tears spring to my eyes. “Oh, my God! Morgan! Lucy!”

  They surround me, squealing and laughing and jumping up and down as we huddle up and hug. And then we’re all talking at once.

  “Your hair!” I say to Morgan, who’s cut off at least three inches of her thick, blond mane.

  “When do you have to go back?” Lucy asks.

  “How was your trip?” Morgan shouts over her.

  “Come on and eat, girls,” my mom calls out, sticking her head through the doorway that leads to the kitchen. “You can catch up later. The barbecue’s getting cold.”

  “Oh, fine,” I say, grasping their hands in mine. “I can’t believe you’re both here.”

  We eat in record time, and then head upstairs to my room. Which, by the way, I’ve missed terribly. I look around and sigh, amazed by how right it feels to be back in my own personal space with my two best friends. It’s almost as if no time has passed—we’ve picked up right where we left off four months ago.

  I was afraid that I’d be bothered by the fact that they’ve been together this whole time without me—that I’d feel like an outsider now, a third wheel—but it turns out it I needn’t have worried. I enjoy their stories of frat parties and sorority recruitment, but I’m not sorry to have missed them. It sounds like they’ve had a great semester, but so have I.

  Lucy lowers her voice to a near-whisper. “Okay, time to dish—at this point we’ve talked about everything but. What’s going on with you and lover boy next door? Are you two still a thing?”

  “Seriously? I text you both every single day. I would have told you if we’d broken up.”

  “Hey, you never know,” she says with a shrug.

  “Anyway, you almost never mention him,” Morgan puts in.

  I shake my head. “That’s so not true! I mean, I don’t go to school with him so it’s not like I see him every day or anything. But yeah…it’s all good.”

  Morgan sits on my bed, tucking her legs beneath herself. “What’s going on with the whole football thing? I thought he was going to be their starting quarterback?”

  “He was, till that shoulder injury sidelined him. I assume he’ll start again next fall.”

  “You assume he will?” Lucy asks with a frown.

  “I mean, I’m sure he will,” I say, but I’m not really sure. I asked him, and he sidestepped the question. I pressed, and he said he didn’t really want to talk about it. End of story.

  But this is Ryder we’re talking about, and he’s an unbelievable football player. He has to play. He loves it. At least, I think he does. Last I heard, he was gearing up for spring training, working out again with the team.

  But there it is again—that doubt creeping back in. Why doesn’t he want to talk about it? To me, at least?

  Morgan twirls a lock of hair around one finger. “Wow, he must’ve been so bummed.”

  “Yeah,” I murmur. “But…you know…he went to Columbia for stuff besides football. He really loves his classes.”

  Lucy scoots back against the bed’s headboard, propping herself up with a decorative pillow. “That’s good. Do y’all get to spend a lot of time together?”

  “Yeah, on the weekends. Most weekends,” I correct myself. “It was hard during finals. But hey, his roommate lives in Connecticut so he goes home a lot. That helps.”

  Lucy waggles her brows. “I bet it does. Sleepovers!”

  “And your roommate?” Morgan asks. “What’s her name—Allie?”

  “Yeah, she’s from Chicago. She sticks around, which is fine. Our room’s so small Ryder can barely fit inside. His is much nicer, anyway.”

  Morgan shakes her head. “It’s just so hard to imagine—the two of you, living in New York City.”

  “I know, right?” Lucy says.

  “Yeah, it’s still a little surreal. I mean, I’m used to having him right up the road, you know? And seeing him at school every day, and Sunday dinners at Magnolia Landing, and all that sneaking around we had to do.” I shake my head. “And now we’re off on our own—no parents interfering!—but it’s like we’ve got these separate lives for the first time ever. I’ve got friends he doesn’t even know…I guess he does, too. It’s just…I dunno…weird.”

  “It’s only been a few months,” Morgan says. “Just give it time. You’ll get used to it eventually.”

  “If it’s still what you want.” Lucy reaches for my hand and gives it a little squeeze. “It is, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, of course it is. I’m happy. We’re happy.” It’s the truth—we are. That much I know. Morgan’s right, though—it’s just going to take some getting used to. I squeeze her hand back. “Now it’s y’all’s turn. What haven’t you told me about your love lives?”

  Lucy releases my hand. “Girl, there’s nothing to tell.”

  Morgan nods in agreement. “Sad, but true. Nothing. Nada. Well, unless you want to hear about Ben and Rosie.”

  “They’re still dating?” I ask, surprised. No one had mentioned it before now. I just assumed it had been a brief thing that ended months ago.

  “Still dating,” Morgan confirms. “I have to admit, it’s kind of cute. Ben’s such a sweetheart—I hope Rosie knows how lucky she is. I mean, not that I’d ever like him like that. He’s more like a brother to me.”

  “Speaking of brothers…” I say. “How’s Mason? Still as annoying as ever?”

  Morgan folds her arms across her chest. “He joined a band. A band, Jemma. I don’t even know who he is anymore.”

  “A band?” I ask, my voice laced with incredulity. “What kind of band?”

  “A loud one,” Lucy offers. “Really, really loud. Kind of scream-y.”

  “What? That’s so weird. I didn’t think he was into music.”

  Morgan pulls a frown. “I didn’t think he was, either. Not that I’d call what they play music.”

  My phone beeps with a text, and I glance down at the screen.

  How many more minutes till I can see you? I’m dyin’ here.

  My cheeks flush as I glance back up at my friends.

  “Oh, go ahead and answer him,” Lucy says with a wicked grin.

  So I do.

  Give me an hour, okay? I add a heart emoji before I hit send.

  “Let me guess, sneaking out later?” Morgan asks.

  “Maybe,” I say coyly.

  Lucy punches me playfully on the arm. “Any chance you two are going to put your parents out of their misery and tell them what’s going on? As…I dunno…maybe a Christmas present to them or something?”

  I wince. “No way. Not a snowball’s chance in hell.”

  Lucy levels a stare in my direction. “This is cruel and unusual punishment, you know—denying your poor mamas the chance to celebrate this union. They might want to throw a party or organize a parade or something.”

  “Or reserve Rowan Oak for the wedding,” Morgan adds helpfully.

  “Hey, who said anything about a wedding?” I ask, trying my best to sound horrified. Okay,
so maybe I’ve had a daydream or two about marrying Ryder…at Rowan Oak, no less. But no way am I admitting it to them, even if they are my best friends. Nope. Not a chance.

  My phone beeps again, and we all look down in time to see a line of kissy-face emojis flash across the screen.

  Lucy rolls her eyes. “Oh, my God, I think I’m going to barf!”

  “Are you kidding? I think it’s adorable,” Morgan squeals.

  I just grin, because Morgan’s right—it is adorable.

  Chapter 2

  Exactly sixty-three minutes later, I hurry down the path toward the picnic tables by the creek—two of them new, replacing the ones destroyed by Hurricane Paloma last year. The nearly full moon illuminates the sandy trail and reflects off the dark, still water beyond. A peaceful calm descends on me as I take in the familiar sights and sounds. I’ve missed this place. Don’t get me wrong, I love New York. I love the noise, the lights, the constant hustle and bustle, the electric current in the air. But this? This will always be home.

  I knew it the moment I stepped out of the car at Magnolia Landing, the humidity making my hair frizz around my face—I was springing curls, as my sister always calls it. No matter where I travel, no matter where life takes me, I’ll always call Mississippi home.

  There’s no doubt in my mind that New York is where I’m meant to be now—but in five years? Ten? I feel certain that, at some point, I’ll land back here, right where I started. And for the first time in my life, I realize that maybe that’s okay.

  A smile spreads across my face as I spot Ryder’s bulky shadow in the moonlight. He’s standing by the water’s edge, tossing something—likely stones—into the creek. He turns toward me as I approach, and my heart speeds up in response.

  “How’s your shoulder?” I call out to him. “I mean, how is it really?”

  “Hurts worse than I want to admit,” he says with a grimace. Without another word, he wraps me tightly in his embrace. “Mmm, you smell good. You always smell good.”

  I shake my head. “I’m a mess. Still haven’t showered—Lucy and Morgan just left.”