Page 27 of More Than My Hometown

“Miss Belle mad is a sight.”

I nod. Yes, yes she is. A former beauty queen, my mama is a true Southern belle and is not to be messed with. She can curse you out, up one side and down the other, all while still smiling, leaving you unsure if you were even insulted. However, when she is mad, you will know it. That woman can stop traffic with a single look.

“I know Hayes Industries is still privately owned, but is there a board? Did the name have to be approved?” Maisey asks.

“The board would be seven of us—well, eight if you include Auggie, but he rarely votes these days. And the board would have to approve if the store was a part of the company.”

“The Booby Trap isn’t part of Hayes?”

“It is in the sense that I own it, and I’m a Hayes, and I have a legal interest in Hayes Industries. But on paper, Hayes Industries has no ownership over the store. I didn’t use Hayes money to purchase it.”

Maisey licks her lips, a subconscious move as she scoots in closer. Confusion is written all over her face, and I know I have a lot more questions to answer. This was not where I saw this morning heading, but maybe we need to get all this out now.

“Why?”

The single-word question slams into me like a wrecking ball. Closing my eyes, I exhale, pushing all the air from my lungs as far as I can. Here goes.

“Needed to prove that I could? I knew that Hayes money was available to me; that’s how Milo got the seed money for Southern Brothers. But I wanted to be able to live up to the family name on my own. Build something. By that point, all my brothers had their businesses figured out and were deep in them. Willa had just won Miss Georgia. I felt like I had something to prove. So I took out a loan, bought the store, and got busy following this business plan drawn out on a napkin.”

She smiles, the pink returning to her cheeks. She’s so fucking cute I can’t stand it. The urge to haul her into me rises in my chest, my hands aching to hold her. To know what her body feels like nestled into mine, curled up together as we watch the sun rise.

“And Auggie was okay with that?”

“My business, my decision. It was a risk, but we talked through the whole thing and he supported me if that’s the route I wanted to go, and I decided it was. Gus tried to argue that meant I wasn’t part of the executive board for a hot minute, but Auggie overruled him there too.”

Maisey chuckles, the little sounds paired with the shake of her head saying that she’s not at all surprised by that part of the story.

“Enough about me. What’s your favorite place you’ve been?” I ask, genuinely curious and fighting back the urge to do something stupid.

Maisey sighs, a dopey smile taking over. “That’s like asking someone’s favorite child. They’re all special in their own way.”

I scoff. I know that is exactly what Miss Belle would say if she was asked if she had a favorite child—that each one of the seven of us was unique and she loved each one of us evenly, for exactly who we are. And overall, I don’t doubt that’s true. But I also know that on any given day, at any given moment, exactly how we rank depends on any number of factors, including how much of a pain in the ass we were each being.

“But…”

“Nicaragua.”

“Why?”

Sighing, she rests against the back of the boat, and I think I fall for her a little more. Watching her like this makes me hate myself even more for missing the last decade of having her by my side.

“It was the first time I was in a more leadership role, which was a fun new challenge. Plus, I really liked the community I was in. It was a smaller city, so still urban, but not so large that it was overwhelming. The whole vibe of it was just so…on point.”

“You were there awhile, right?”

Please don’t let that sound stalkerish…

“Eighteen months. Which was the longest I’d been posted anywhere. Usually my assignments last nine to twelve, sometimes as short as six months.”

I nod, wanting to find the balance of not interrupting, but wanting to ask her something to keep her talking. The sweet melody of her voice fills my veins like a drug.

“Nicaragua was just so…different. Europe was so much fun, and it’s still a dream to get back to Iceland. But being in Central America was a completely different experience.”

“I’ll trust you on that. And wait, Iceland? As in the rival team from the Mighty Ducks?”

Giggling, Maisey nods. “Pretty sure that’s not what they want to be known for, but yes. We hopped over for a couple of days when I was in Austria to see the northern lights and it was the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. I instantly fell in love and put it at the top of my request list. I’ve been holding out hope for years that a contract would become available there, but nothing ever has. You’d love it.”

“Why?”