It had been a slow morning at the boutique. None of the new merchandise Adelia had helped Raylene select had turned up. Customers had been few and far between. Adelia had straightened up all the displays, dusted every surface and looked through half a dozen catalogues for potential new stock. Raylene always took her recommendations seriously, which had given her self-confidence a much-needed boost.
Typically on a day like today, she’d lock up for a ten-minute break and head next door for a pick-me-up cup of coffee, maybe even one of Lynn’s tart lemon-blueberry bars. Ever since her most recent encounter with Gabe, though, she’d grown more skittish than ever about dropping into her friend’s bakery. She and Gabe had an agreement, and while he was rarely at the bakery in the middle of the day, she couldn’t take a chance on running into him, not while this agreed-upon separation of theirs was so new. It would be far too easy to backslide.
At the sound of the bell over the door, she bounced up eagerly and walked into the front of the store.
“It’s just me,” Raylene called out. “I thought you might be ready for a break, so I brought coffee.”
“Thank goodness,” Adelia said, accepting the cup.
Raylene grinned. “Quiet day?”
“You have no idea. It’s as if everyone in town is all shopped out. I suppose that’s to be expected after the crazy busy days we had last week.”
“You should know by now that it’s feast or famine in retail,” Raylene said, not sounding particularly upset by the decline in business.
Adelia couldn’t make herself be so blasé. She’d spent the morning thinking of ways to generate more customers. “Maybe we need to have a sale,” she suggested. “Or send out an announcement about the new lingerie line. We have email addresses for all our customers. I could do that this afternoon.”
“And that is why you’re going to make an excellent business partner,” Raylene said. “Ever since you came to work here, you’ve been coming up with ways to build the business. I hope you know how much I value your input. If you want to do an email blast to our customer base, go for it.”
“I’m going to blunder sooner or later,” Adelia warned.
Raylene laughed. “No doubt about it. You weren’t working here at the time of my great Christmas sweater catastrophe.”
“What was that?” Adelia asked, intrigued.
“I ordered a ton of what I thought were really fun Christmas sweaters before I realized that my customers were looking for style, not things that would be passed around at parties as the year’s worst gifts. I’ll bet you would have steered me away from that disaster.”
“Absolutely,” Adelia said. “This shop has become the fashion trendsetter in town. Those sweaters sound as if they might have been just a bit off the mark.”
“And there’s that diplomatic skill of yours again,” Raylene said, laughing. Her expression sobered as she held Adelia’s gaze.
She studied Adelia over the rim of her own take-out cup of decaf. “Is there some particular reason you’re so jittery today?”
“I’m not jittery,” Adelia said. “I’m bored. It’s ironic really. Before I started working full-time for you, I was on so many committees for the schools that I never had a spare minute. Now it feels as if I’m at loose ends, even when I’m here on days like today.”
“That’s not boredom, my friend,” Raylene said, her eyes twinkling with mirth. “I’m guessing this has something to do with Gabe Franklin.”
Startled by the assessment, Adelia stared at her. “Why on earth would you jump to that conclusion?”
“Because Lynn told me you’ve stopped coming by in the morning to pick up coffee. She has the feeling you’re avoiding him.” Raylene gave her a penetrating look. “Are you? Did the two of you have a fight?”
Adelia sighed. It was useless to try to pretend with Raylene. She’d keep poking and prodding till she got the answers she wanted. In recent months, Adelia had discovered it was something friends did. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about the habit.
“There was no fight,” she told Raylene, then tried to minimize the situation that had left her more shaken than she’d expected to be. “He’s still doing the work at the house. It’s all good.”
“Then why do you sound so unhappy and why is Gabe storming around as if someone stole his favorite power saw?”
Adelia actually took some comfort from hearing that Gabe was no happier than she was. Of course, neither of them had genuinely wanted this separation. They’d just agreed it was for the best.
“I can’t explain Gabe’s moods,” Adelia claimed. “As far as I know, everything’s just fine.”
“I’m not buying it,” Raylene said. “You’re saying all the right words, but the look in your eyes says something else entirely. What really happened between you two? He didn’t cross a line, did he? I certainly know the two of you kissed.”
“Everybody in town knew the two of us kissed,” Adelia said wryly.
“Well, I thought it was something you were into,” Raylene said. “Was I wrong? Gabe wasn’t making unwanted advances, was he? Was he pressuring you?” Indignation immediately laced through her voice.
“Absolutely not,” Adelia said quickly. She certainly didn’t want the full weight of a bunch of riled up women coming down on him, not when he’d done nothing to deserve it. “He’d never do anything like that.”
“And the kids like him okay?” Raylene prodded, clearly determined to find the missing piece to the puzzle she was trying to unravel. “I know Tomas is like his little shadow, but the girls? How do they feel about him?”
Adelia regarded her with exasperation. “You need a hobby, something other than my life.”
“Probably so,” Raylene said unrepentantly. “But for right this second, you’re all I’ve got. Were things okay with Gabe and the kids? You didn’t dump him because of them, did you?”
In a way that’s exactly what had happened, Adelia thought, but she wasn’t prepared to admit it. Instead, she said, “You’re absolutely right that Tomas thinks he hung the moon, or at least he did before Gabe went along with Natalia and Juanita and attended one of their tea parties. He’s struggling a bit with why a real guy would do that.”
Raylene chuckled. “Yeah, that picture made the rounds. I thought it showed a lot about the kind of man Gabe is. Not many men could pull off a tiara and a feather boa and still look sexy as sin.”
“Not many men would be willing to try it just to make a couple of little girls happy,” Adelia commented.
“So, we have a man who puts a blush in your cheeks, is a good role model for your son and makes your girls happy,” Raylene assessed. “I’m not seeing the downside. What am I missing?”
Adelia finally gave up on keeping the situation under wraps. “It was never going to work,” she confided.
Raylene stared at her incredulously. “And you knew that after a couple of weeks and not even one real date? How?”
“It just wasn’t. We have very different ideas about what we want in life. Better to end it before it got started and anyone got hurt, especially my kids.”
Understanding dawned in Raylene’s expression. “Now I get it. You did call it off to protect your kids, just not the way I was talking about.”
Adelia shrugged. “Pretty much.”
“But he’s still at the house. He’s still in their lives on a daily basis. How is this helping to protect them?”
“They won’t get any ideas about the two of us,” Adelia said. They’d miss any displays of affection, any stolen kisses.
“Ah,” Raylene said, nodding. “And what about you? Do you feel all safe and secure now, too?”
“I did what I had to do,” Adelia said defensively. “Gabe agreed with me.”
“Well, that is just plain wrong,” Raylene said.
“How is it wrong to want what’s best for my family, especially after all they’ve gone through with the divorce?”
“Putting your family first is always good,” Raylene agreed. “It’s what mothers do. But smart women know that sometimes what’s best for a happy family is taking care of their own needs, too. Remember that expression, ‘If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy’?”
Adelia smiled. “A simplified slogan isn’t necessarily the best motto for living your life.”
“I think this one has merit,” Raylene said. “Happiness is contagious. Even in the very limited time you and Gabe have been acquainted, I’ve seen a change in you. You were happier, Adelia. Don’t even try to deny it. This job may be giving your self-esteem a boost when it comes to your professional skills, but with Gabe you were rediscovering your worth as a woman.”
Adelia didn’t bother trying to deny it, because she knew it would be a lie. “It wouldn’t have lasted,” she said instead. That wasn’t a lie. It was the inevitable truth.
“Gabe doesn’t do forever,” she revealed to Raylene. “How could I get involved with someone who openly made that clear from the outset? I’ve already been with one man who was incapable of sticking to his wedding vows. Gabe was pretty clear he’d never even take the vows.”
Raylene scowled at the comment. “Don’t you dare compare him to Ernesto. It’s not fair.”
“That’s not what I’m doing. Gabe said—”
Raylene cut her off. “Men say stuff. They even believe it to be true. It gives them an easy out if they decide down the line that they need one. It’s very rare for anyone to fall head over heels in love in a minute. It takes time. People have to get to know each other, to trust each other. Look at Carter and me. We had enough issues and past history to scare off any sane person. But we hung in there. Actually I should say that he did. He was persistent even in the face of all my doubts. In the end, love won out.”
“If it were just me,” Adelia began, unable to keep a wistful note from her voice.
“You’d take the chance,” Raylene said triumphantly. “That right there tells you that you’re giving up too easily.”
“My kids,” she protested.
“Your kids deserve to have a happy mom who has a wonderful man in her life. He’s already won over Tomas, Juanita and Natalia, right?”
“Even Selena has fewer reservations,” Adelia admitted. “That whole tea party thing, even though it was for the benefit of the younger girls, made an impression on her, too, probably because it was such a contrast to anything Ernesto would have done to please her or her sisters.”
“Well, there you go.”
“But if Gabe and I can’t make it, I’ll be dragging them through a whole big drama all over again,” Adelia said. “I can’t do that. I won’t.”
“You’re scared,” Raylene assessed. “And who can blame you? This is a man who flirts, who makes you feel like a woman, who makes you feel alive. That’s scary stuff after too many years of being dismissed as unworthy and competing with a string of mistresses.”
“Okay, yes. I’m finding it hard to trust that Gabe’s even attracted to me, but I swear that is not why I called it quits. It was the sensible thing to do.” She gave her friend a defiant look. “And I’m not changing my mind.”
“Okay, this calls for an intervention by a higher authority,” Raylene said.
Adelia stared at her, surprised. “You think I should pray about it?”
Raylene grinned. “Well, that probably wouldn’t hurt, either, but I was thinking that what you really need is a margarita night with a bunch of women who’ve been there, done just about everything.”
“The Sweet Magnolias,” Adelia guessed, then shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Come with me,” Raylene ordered, pointing to the back room. “Let’s think about this.” She led the way into the tiny office. “Sit.”
“I don’t want to,” Adelia said, then chuckled. “What is wrong with me? I sounded like Selena then, just like a sullen teenager.”
“Want to know what I think?” Raylene asked, then continued without waiting for Adelia’s reply. “I think of all the women I know, nobody deserves the chance to flirt and feel like an attractive woman again more than you do. Ernesto took that skill set away from you. He played havoc with your self-confidence by going after all those other women. You’re entitled to have a little fun. Flirt with Gabe if you want to. Let him make you laugh. Let him make you blush. It doesn’t have to lead to anything more, not if you don’t want it to.”
“I have to concentrate on being a good mom right now,” Adelia argued yet again, even though it seemed her words were falling on deaf ears. Raylene was nothing if not stubborn. “The kids need me more than ever to make sure they feel safe and loved.”
“And who’s supposed to make you feel that way?” Raylene asked.
“Not Gabe Franklin,” Adelia said.
“Maybe not,” Raylene agreed. “But there is a man out there who is right for you. Think of Gabe as practice, if you want to.”
Adelia frowned at the suggestion. “That hardly seems fair.”
“Sweetie, I don’t know Gabe that well yet, but something tells me he can take care of himself. Worry about what you need for a change.”
“And you think what I need is to flirt outrageously?” Adelia asked skeptically.
Raylene gave her wicked grin. “Couldn’t hurt. And if you don’t trust my opinion, then come over to my place tonight. The Sweet Magnolias are getting together for a margarita night. You can run the idea past everyone. And before you get all crazy and say something about the Sweet Magnolias being some secret society, let me assure you that everyone is on board with you joining us. Karen will be there. So will Lynn and Sarah. You’ll know all the others, too. You should at least give us a chance.”
Adelia had to admit that the prospect of forming a bond with other women, many of whom had been through what she’d been through and, in some cases, even worse, held a lot of appeal. She’d already promised herself that if she ever had the chance to get to know them, she’d grab it.
And she needed a night like this, not so much to kick up her heels, but to do something for herself. It had been all about the kids lately, especially the decision to walk away from Gabe before they got too attached or misinterpreted why he was around. It was one thing for Tomas to idolize Gabe as a role model. It would be quite another for him to start thinking of Gabe as potential dad material.
“Okay, I’ll come,” she said at last. “What can I bring?”
“Nothing this time,” Raylene told her. “But next time we’re going to want you to bring one of your mother’s famous Mexican dishes and maybe that secret mole sauce I’ve been hearing so much about.”
Adelia laughed. “Not even I have that recipe, but I’ll talk Mama into making it for us. Maybe Dana Sue can dissect it and figure out the ingredients since she’s such a great chef. My sister-in-law is pretty good at that, but Karen hasn’t been able to figure it out. It’s driving her a little nuts.”
“So, you’ll be there,” Raylene pressed.
“I’ll be there,” Adelia agreed.
“Perfect. I’ll see you tonight around seven,” Raylene said. “If you need someone to stay with the kids, I can send Carrie or Mandy over. Babysitting gigs on margarita nights keep them in pizza money. Or is Selena babysitting them these days?”
“I don’t mind leaving her in charge after school, but nights are another story. I’ll check with my mother. The kids could use a night with their abuela. If she’s not available, I’ll let you know.”
She watched as her boss left the store without asking a single question about anything work related. She’d even left it to Adelia to decide about sending out those email alerts. Surprisingly, that felt wonderful. She realized it demonstrated just how much Raylene trusted her to be on top of things. Being invited to a margarita night was just the icing on the cake.
* * *
“I brought coffee,” Mitch said, settling onto a folding chair across from Gabe. He handed over a supersized to-go cup from the bakery.
“Thanks. To what do I owe this?”
“I thought maybe the caffeine would improve your mood,” Mitch said. “I’ve had half a dozen complaints today that you’re behaving like a bear with a thorn in its paw.”
Gabe studied his cousin with narrowed eyes. “Is that so? Who’s running to you to tattle?”
“Not the point. Is it true? And before you try to deny it, you should probably know that I have to believe it must be true because of all those reliable sources.”
“Then why even ask?”
“Because I wanted to give you a chance to explain.”
Gabe regarded Mitch curiously. “And if I have nothing to say?”
“Then I will be forced to remind you that I am the boss and that I don’t like dissension on my work sites, especially when the man responsible for it is my cousin and my second-in-command.”
“There you go, pulling rank again.”
“Frankly, I don’t like doing it,” Mitch said, looking surprisingly uncomfortable. “I shouldn’t have to.”
Gabe sighed. “No, you shouldn’t. And I’ll apologize to, well, everybody, I guess, since you refuse to be specific about whom I’ve offended.”
“Just correct the attitude,” Mitch suggested. “And talk to me.”
“About what?”
“Whatever put you in this mood.”
Gabe regarded him incredulously. “Do you honestly want to have some long talk about my feelings and that sort of stuff?”
Mitch looked horrified, just as Gabe expected.
“Absolutely not,” Mitch said at once. “Lynn just thought I ought to try to get to the bottom of it.” His eyes narrowed. “She doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that Adelia seems to be making herself scarce at the bakery.”
Gabe avoided his cousin’s penetrating gaze. “I wouldn’t know about that.”
“Because the two of you had some sort of falling out?”
“Mitch, please do not go there. My personal life is just that, personal.”
“So this is about Adelia,” Mitch concluded, looking pleased with himself. Or maybe he was just happy at the proof that his wife had nailed the problem. “Want to talk about that?”
“No!” Gabe said emphatically.
Mitch tried to hide a grin but couldn’t pull it off. “Interesting.”
“Go to blazes!”
His cousin’s laugh echoed through the work site. “And there’s the attitude I’ve been hearing about.”
At Gabe’s sour look, Mitch’s expression sobered. “Okay, here’s the deal. The women are all getting together for one of those Sweet Magnolia things tonight. I imagine they’re going to roast you for whatever you did.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Gabe protested.
“Doesn’t matter. Perception is everything. My point is that when they get together like that, the men play hoops. Frankly, my knees are giving out, but it’s nice to hang out, work up a little sweat and tell tall tales with a bunch of the guys. You’re coming along tonight.”
“Was that an invitation or a command?” Gabe grumbled.
“Call it whatever you want, as long as you’re on the court in the park by seven. Want me to pick you up?”
“I can find it,” Gabe said.
Actually the idea of a little physical exertion sounded good. Maybe if he was sweating hard, gasping for breath and making a few baskets, he could push all the thoughts of Adelia out of his head. Of course, that might be asking an awful lot of a casual basketball game with the guys. He was pretty sure his steamy thoughts about Adelia weren’t going to go away so easily.
* * *
When Gabe turned up at the basketball court that night at seven, he was surprised to find several men he remembered there, including Ronnie Sullivan, who now owned the hardware store on Main Street, high school baseball coach Cal Maddox and Adelia’s brother, Elliott Cruz. A lot of the others were new to town, proving that Serenity had provided a draw to men from very diverse backgrounds. It made him look at the town with a new perspective.
Perhaps most surprising were Travis McDonald, a former pro baseball player who now owned the country music station, his cousin Tom, who was the town manager, and Carter Rollins, the police chief who Mitch said had moved to town from Columbia in search of a quieter place to raise his two sisters after their parents had been killed in an accident. These were men who could have settled anywhere, but they’d chosen Serenity, seen its potential.
Before the game started, Elliott pulled Gabe aside. Expecting a lecture or worse, he tensed. Instead, Elliott merely asked how the work was coming along at Adelia’s.
“The roof’s solid now and the demolition is mostly completed. I’m trying to get all the kids’ rooms painted so they’ll feel settled,” Gabe reported.
A smile tugged at Elliott’s lips. “I’m surprised you’ve had the time to accomplish all that, what with the tea parties you’ve had to attend.”
Gabe groaned. “You saw the picture?”
“Oh yeah,” Elliott confirmed. “Selena sent it to my daughter. Naturally she shared it with her mom and me and heaven knows how many other people.”
Ignoring yet more evidence of how far that blasted picture had spread, Gabe focused on the rest of what Elliott had said. “I didn’t think you and Karen had been married long enough to have a daughter Selena’s age.”
“Daisy’s actually a little younger. She was my stepdaughter, but we started adoption proceedings a while back. She and her brother, Mack, will be my kids officially before long.”
Something in his voice suggested there was a story behind that, but Gabe didn’t pry.
“Are you guys ready to get on the court?” Carter called out. “I, for one, could work off a little steam. I had to deal with the mayor today, and that usually tests my patience.”
“Amen to that,” Tom McDonald said in heartfelt agreement.
The men chose sides and hit the court. It didn’t take long for Gabe to realize that most of them played for blood. He was panting in no time, but he felt as if he was holding his own as he blocked a shot by Travis McDonald, then took the ball down the court and dunked it to score the winning points.
Mitch was bent over, but there was pride in his voice, when he said, “And, gentlemen, that is how it’s done. Now, if you don’t mind, I need water and maybe some oxygen.”
Tom followed Mitch to the bench and sank down beside him, then handed out water bottles all around.
“I hate to admit it,” Ronnie Sullivan said, “but I might be getting too old for this.”
“Join the club,” Mitch said, clearly commiserating with him.
“If you guys suggest we quit this and take up golf, I swear I’m going to have to leave town,” Travis said. “I can’t be surrounded by a bunch of wimps.”
“Say that when you’re my age,” Ronnie countered.
“Or mine,” Mitch said.
Travis shook his head. “Pitiful. Just plain pitiful.”
“Oh, cut them some slack,” Cal suggested. “Old geezers deserve our respect.”
Gabe laughed at the indignant expressions that spread over Ronnie’s face and his cousin’s. Since Mitch was only a couple of years older than Gabe was, he probably shouldn’t be laughing at all.
“Maybe we should change the subject,” Carter said, “before I have to call in deputies to break up a brawl.” He turned to Gabe. “So what’s this I hear about you dating Adelia Hernandez?”
Gabe flushed at suddenly having all the attention focused on him. If they’d been asking about the Main Street renovations or even his work at Adelia’s, it would have been one thing, but this was clearly a trap he’d fallen into.
“I have no idea where you got your information,” he said carefully, only to see Elliott’s expression darken.
“I had the impression you were seeing my sister,” Elliott said.
“Were, past tense,” Gabe said, aware that silence had fallen and all the men were listening attentively to his response. “She and I agreed we should stick to being friends.”
That was a bit of a stretch, but it was better than revealing the truth, that they’d called it off before it really got started, mostly because he’d made it clear they had no long-term future.
“I warned you,” Elliott said, his voice low, his scowl firmly in place.
Gabe leveled an even look on him. “Her decision,” he said quietly. “Ask her if you don’t believe me.”
“Oh, I will,” Elliott assured him. “And if I don’t like the answer—”
“Guys, guys!” Carter said, intervening again. “I think we could all use a time-out and something cold to drink.”
“Beers at my place,” Ronnie said. “Or more water, if that’s your preference. And the pizza will be delivered by the time we get there. I’ve just called the order in to Rosalina’s.”
Gabe turned to Mitch. “Maybe I should take off.”
Mitch shook his head. “No need. These are good men. They’re a little protective of their women, but they’re not unfair. You need to stand your ground.” He held Gabe’s gaze. “That is, if you’ve done nothing wrong.”
Gabe wanted to believe Mitch was right. He’d never had buddies like these men appeared to be. It had been nice to feel like a real part of something, even if it had been a casual basketball game.
He nodded eventually. “I’ll hang out and see what happens.”
After all, he really hadn’t done anything wrong. All he’d done was let himself be tempted for just a minute by a strong, beautiful woman. Not a one of these men, all of whom were happily married from what he knew, could possibly believe that was a crime.