Tansy had no idea how much guff Lamont Elliot had taken from Beck, but he’d made it happen. She’d closed on her house at the end of Main Street.
Exhilaration surged through her. The phenomenal house was hers, all hers. For the first time ever, she didn’t have to answer to anyone and could do exactly as she pleased. She’d sink or soar, but it would be her doing.
Tansy’d left Pops and his old pal Kemper sharing a celebratory glass of bourbon after she’d traded a check for closing papers and a second key. She and Gracie had a home of their own and a brand-new chapter in their life.
Raising the house key to her lips, Tansy kissed it. Then she lifted her eyes to the sky. “Thank you, Dad, for making today possible. You’re still taking care of me.” Tears blinded her, and she swiped at them. “I’m so sorry you never got to meet Gracie Bella.”
A lump in her throat, Tansy slid behind the wheel and rolled down the window. A beautiful rainbow arched across the sky. Her father telling her all would be well?
A sense of peace settled over her, and she didn’t doubt for a minute that things would be better.
It was all coming together.
Yesterday, the bank had called to tell her she’d been approved for the renovation and start-up loan. Ethan Cooper had asked her to come in and sign the papers. Although her nerves had been on high alert over the idea of being responsible for repayment, she felt almost giddy. All by herself, she’d procured the loan. Coastal Plains Savings and Trust had deemed her worthy.
While the gift from her father meant she’d have a far lighter load, she’d still needed the loan.
Jenni Beth was keeping her busy with wedding and party cakes. They had one very special wedding coming up: Cole and Jenni Beth’s. They’d begun tossing around ideas for the cake. It had to be her most incredible to date because her best friend deserved no less.
If only Beck could be happy for her. He’d always known what he wanted. Her? She’d gone to college because it had been expected. Then, she’d veered off course and strayed from the path.
This time, she had to get it right.
She started up her SUV, turned onto Old Church Street, and drove to the periwinkle blue railroad car. Flowers bloomed out front and welcomed customers to stop by and browse.
Tansy pulled up to the curb. For starters, she’d buy herself a celebratory bouquet or maybe a plant she could transfer outside when it quit blooming. Kind of a housewarming gift to herself.
As she stepped inside the shop, she breathed deeply, inhaling the heady floral fragrance.
“I did it, Cricket.” She waved the papers. “The house is mine!”
“That’s fantastic!” Cricket crushed Tansy in a hug.
“I want flowers, lots of flowers. I want a bouquet for my mom to thank her for everything she’s done, one for Gracie—it’ll be her first—and one for myself for sticking to my guns. And one to take to the cemetery. For my dad.” She shut down the tears before they could start again. “This house—oh, Cricket, Gracie and I are going to be so happy there.”
“Yes, you will.” Cricket hugged her again.
“Am I crazy? I’ve never worked a day in my life, and now I’ve bought a big old house and plan to start my own business.”
Cricket put a hand on each of Tansy’s arms. “I know exactly how you feel. Well, you have a daughter, so that’s an added responsibility I didn’t have, but when I came into town and bought both a house and this shop? Whew!”
“Yeah, and you’ve made it.”
Cricket smiled. “I have.”
“What if I open and no one comes?”
“You sound so much like me it’s scary. That was my biggest fear. I’d throw this wonderful grand opening, and no one would show.”
“But they did,” Tansy said.
“And they will for you, too. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” She bit her lip. “I know when you first met me—”
“Forget that. Please.” Cricket waved a dismissive hand. “I didn’t know you then. What happened between you and Beck is in the past. Come on.” She pulled her toward the cooler. “Pick what you want, and I’ll make the arrangements especially for you.”
Cricket’s words echoed in her head. In the past.
Forcing her smile back in place, she drooled over the flowers. As they picked through the choices, she asked, “You sell fountains, don’t you?”
“I have a couple in stock, but I can order anything you want.”
“I’d like to put one outside the dining room window, in full view from inside.”
Cricket nodded. “I have one in my backyard and absolutely love it, especially at night. Sam and I spend a lot of evenings curled up in one of the chairs back there, doing nothing, saying nothing. Simply enjoying the magic of the evening and the night sky. For a city boy, he’s really come around.”
Tansy grinned, glad the two of them had found each other. City and country. So different, yet they melded very well. While they finished remodeling the old house Sam inherited from his aunt, they were living in Cricket’s smaller home.
“Why don’t you and Gracie come for a visit after work today? I’ll show you my fountain and what I’ve done in the yard. I’m actually going to hate leaving that little house.” She sighed. “Lots of great memories there.”
“I can only imagine.”
The two looked at each other and broke out laughing.
“Frog Pond Lane has been very good to Sam and me.”
* * *
Tansy stopped by the post office to change her address. 321 Main Street, Misty Bottoms, Georgia. Her face hurt from smiling.
Odette, the postmistress, took her filled-in card. “What’s goin’ on with your aunt?”
Tansy’s smile faltered. “Coralee?”
“You got another?”
“No.”
“She’s gettin’ padded manila envelopes by the dozen. All from guys.”
“Seriously?” Not good, not good, not good.
“Oh yeah.”
Tansy thanked her and left.
Though she was itching to stop by her new house, she drove instead to her aunt’s. Halfway down the street, she came to an abrupt stop. One entire side of the house was covered in blue tarps.
By the time she reached Coralee’s driveway, her paint-smeared aunt was leaning on the mailbox.
“Tansy, nice to see you! Did you close on your house?”
“This morning!”
“I’m so damn proud of you! I’d give you a hug, but…” She opened her arms wide, showing off the paint splatters.
“Aunt Coralee, are you up to something?”
“Me?” She tapped a vivid purple fingernail to her chest.
“Why is your house tarped?”
“Havin’ it fumigated.”
Tansy groaned. “You only have one side tarped. To fumigate, you tent the entire house.”
“It’ll be fine, dear. It’s a new process. Did you bring me anything wonderful from that kitchen of yours?”
“I have a few cupcakes. I tried a new recipe this morning while I was waiting to sign the papers.”
She grabbed them from the SUV, and she and her aunt sat in lawn chairs and ate them in comfortable silence.
“These are good, sweetheart. You should include them on your menu.”
“I think I will.” After a beat, she said, “God help me, but I have to ask. What’s with all the manila envelopes from guys?”
“That damn Odette! Somebody needs to staple her lips shut.”
Tansy winced.
“It’s business, Tansy, pure and simple. You’re a businesswoman now. You should understand.”
A total nonanswer, and all she’d get.
* * *
She hadn’t talked to Beck since…since the kiss. Since their blowout. But she was worried about Coralee, worried enough to risk the wrath of Beck. Today wasn’t the day she’d have chosen to bait him again, but it was what it was.
Driving straight to the lumberyard, Tansy said a quick prayer that Beck would be in a better mood today, a little more inclined to play nice—not that she could blame him for last time.
She walked through the front door, smelled the familiar scent of fresh lumber, and stopped for a longing look at a tile she’d love in her new kitchen. It was way, way, way out of her price range.
Reaching Beck’s office, she knocked at the open door.
His hair slightly mussed, a pencil tucked behind his ear, he glanced up from the open folder in front of him. “Tansy.”
“Beck.”
A muscle worked in his jaw. “I’m not gonna apologize.”
“I don’t expect you to.”
“Okay, so what brings you here today?”
“Has Coralee bought any pesticides from you lately?”
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Think I’ve got the beginning of a headache. To answer your question, no, she hasn’t.”
“Have you driven past her house lately?”
“Yes, I have. Several customers asked me what was going on, so I drove over to see. When I asked her about the tarps, she told me she’d rented them. I offered to help with any problem she might have, and she told me to mind my own business.” He spread his hands. “She’s your aunt.”
Tansy dropped into a chair across from him.
“But…” Beck raised one finger. “She bought a lot of paint.”
“Paint?” She groaned.
“Yep.”
“God-awful colors again?”
“Actually, no, and she bought small amounts of a whole lot of colors.”
“I saw some of those colors. She was wearing them on her clothes and face.” She chewed on her thumbnail. “What do you think she’s up to?”
“I haven’t a clue.”
“There’s more.” She filled him in on her trip to the post office and all the padded envelopes her aunt was receiving. “You don’t suppose—” Tansy felt the heat rush through her, knew her neck and face had turned red. “Coralee wouldn’t be getting some kind of, you know, pictures in them, would she?”
“Pictures?”
“Porno.”
Beck laughed. “Sugar, I doubt that very much. Your aunt is a lot of things but into porno? No.”
“You’re sure?”
“No. I’m not sure of anything anymore.” He leaned back in his chair and studied her. When his eyes met hers, they were intent, serious. “Women are a mystery to me, Tansy. Y’all do things that baffle me. Things I don’t see comin’.”
“Beck—”
“I’m speakin’ in generalities, Red. Nothin’ personal.”
“Hmmm.” Then she jumped up. “What’s this?” She walked to a framed certificate on the wall, traced her finger over it. “Beck?”
He looked embarrassed. “Figured it didn’t hurt to have a college degree.”
“But you let me think you hadn’t gone. When did you?”
“I took a few night classes in Savannah, finished the rest online.” His mouth grew tight. “Does that piece of paper make me good enough for you now?”
“Beck!”
“Don’t ‘Beck’ me.”
“You’ve got everything backward.” She spoke quietly.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m the one who’s not good enough. It’s always been that way.”
“Tansy…”
Not trusting her voice, she simply shook her head.
“You know what? Maybe it’s time we both take the high road and let bygones be bygones.” His voice, hard and impersonal, belied his words. “The Chamber of Commerce meets every second Tuesday of the month in the Coastal Plains’ social room. I’ll look forward to seeing you there, Tansy.”
One hand on the door, she said, “I think I’ll leave now.”
“You always do. Close the door on your way out, would you?”
So much for the high road, she thought.
She wanted to slam the door, forced herself to close it softly. Proud of herself, she made it to her vehicle before the first teardrop fell.
* * *
Doubts and insecurities bounced around in her mind—about Beck, about her new business. No matter how she swatted at them, they continued to dive-bomb her.
Well, all the more reason for a night out.
Tansy decided to take Cricket up on her offer to check out her backyard and fountain. She and Gracie made a quick stop at their house on Main, though, because Gracie wanted another look at her new room. She and Grandma had been checking out paint samples.
“I like this one.” Gracie held up the cotton-candy-pink swatch.
“Okay. Lay it on the windowsill so I buy the right color.”
Tansy watched her daughter lay the strip down, carefully straightening it, her tongue on her upper lip in concentration.
“What do you say we visit the Dairy Queen and pick up a container of soft serve to take to Cricket’s?”
Gracie clapped. “That’s a good idea!”
They’d almost reached the ice cream vendor when Gracie cried out, “I forgot Penny at our new house.”
“Are you sure you didn’t leave her at Grandma’s?”
“No.” Tansy heard the beginning of tears in her daughter’s voice. “I wanted to show her where she’d be sleeping. I need her, Mama!”
Penny. The raggedy pig was Gracie’s favorite stuffed toy.
“How about we get her tomorrow?”
“No, I need her now.”
“Okay, okay.” Tansy picked up the ice cream, then made a U-turn and headed back to the house.
They hunted high and low, but the pig wasn’t in Gracie’s room or anywhere else. She thought of someone sneaking into Jenni Beth’s carriage house. Had someone been in here? She almost laughed. Stupid. There was nothing here—except a little girl’s stuffed pig.
Still, it was time to leave.
“Come on, sweetheart. I’ll bet Penny’s waiting at Grandma’s for us.”
“Okay.” But Gracie’s lashes glistened with tears.
“Let’s go see Cricket’s garden.”
She turned on the DVD player with one of Gracie’s favorite movies, and her daughter got lost in it. Penny was forgotten—at least momentarily.
The evening was beautiful. She lowered the windows and let the soft, cool air blow through her hair. Low Country smells filled the car. Green vegetation, flowers from Ms. Esmeralda’s garden as they passed, a slight tang of salt from the nearby marshes.
She turned onto Frog Pond Lane. How many hot, lazy summer days had they spent swimming in the pond at the far end of the road? She and Jenni Beth and her brother, Wes. Cole and Beck. Luanna and Les came a lot, too. So did Moose and his girlfriend, who was now his wife and the mother to his two little boys.
Back when they’d all been innocent, before insanity and death had rocked their worlds.
She was glad Cricket and Sam would be settling in his aunt’s house. It would be a good place to start their lives together.
When she pulled into the drive, Gracie asked, “Are we here, Mama?”
“Yes, honey, we are.”
“I like Cricket, even if she does have a funny name.” She giggled. “We found a cricket out in Grandma’s yard yesterday.” Her expression turned serious as she met her mother’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “I watched it hop for a while, but I didn’t hurt it.”
“Good girl.” Her sweet, sensitive child.
When they showed up at Cricket’s door, Sam answered, still in uniform, which for him meant a uniform shirt and snug jeans. He’d told her he hadn’t worn a full uniform since his rookie days and didn’t intend to ever again.
Sheriff Jimmy Don needed the whole I’m-in-charge wardrobe; he didn’t.
Hobo, the stray dog Sam had adopted, ripped around a corner and came to a skidding stop. Then, with a doggy grin, he gave Gracie a big, slurping kiss.
Giggling, she threw her arms around him. “I like doggies.”
“They grow on you,” Sam admitted.
“Does he do tricks?”
Sam reached down and cradled the dog’s muzzle. “Hobo, get your ball.”
With that, the old dog tore off for the living room.
Gracie wiped at her face, then studied Sam with big eyes. “You gonna shoot somebody?”
“No, ma’am.” He knelt down to her height, his hand over his service revolver. “In fact, I’m putting this away right now. Two beautiful women come calling? That’s a special day.” He nodded toward the bag in her hand. “What have you got there?”
“Dairy Queen!” she shouted. “Mama said we could all have some.”
“Sweet! Come on in!” He ushered them inside. “Give me a minute.”
As he left the room, Cricket stepped out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dish towel. “Did I hear you come bearin’ gifts?”
Gracie shook her head. “Nope, but we have ice cream.”
Tansy had to hand it to Cricket. She covered her laugh very well.
“Guess we should eat this before it melts, huh?” A weaponless, T-shirted Sam headed back toward them. “Why don’t you ladies head out to the garden and take a peek while I dish it up?”
Hobo, a ragged green tennis ball in his mouth, nudged Sam’s leg. He wrestled it from him and tossed the ball through the open back door. The chase was on.
When they stepped into the backyard, Tansy gasped. The entire yard was fantastic.
Beside her, Gracie took her hand. “It’s so pretty, Mama.” Her voice was tiny and reverent.
“It is, honey.” She stared at Cricket. “You did this all by yourself?”
“No. I’d like to take credit for it, but Mrs. Michaels, the woman who lived here before me, loved flowers and gardening as much as I do. She’d already done a lot of this. I added a few touches.” Cricket turned on the white fairy lights.
“Oooohhh.” Gracie put a hand over her mouth. “Mama,” she whispered. “Do you think fairies live here?”
“They might.”
“Do you think they’ll come out so I can see them?”
“I don’t know.”
She turned her big, brown eyes toward Cricket, one small hand patting Hobo’s head. “Have you ever seen them?”
“No, but sometimes, at night, when it’s really, really quiet, I can hear them.”
“I wanna hear them. I can be very, very quiet.” Gracie moved to the stone bench and hoisted herself onto its edge.
Sam came out carrying a tray loaded with dishes of ice cream. He eyed the dog. “None for you.”
“Cricket said the fairies talk sometimes,” Gracie said quietly.
The man didn’t bat an eye. “They sure do.”
“Have you heard them, too?” Her eyes couldn’t have grown any bigger.
The big, bad former New York City detective nodded solemnly, and Tansy understood perfectly why Cricket had fallen head over heels in love with him.
They ate and chatted. Hobo, worn out from all the excitement, snored at Sam’s feet. Pretty soon, Gracie laid her head in Tansy’s lap and, within minutes, she, too, fell asleep.
“Looks like we won’t hear any fairies tonight,” Sam said.
“No.” Tansy brushed the hair back from her daughter’s face. “But I’ll bet she dreams of them.”
* * *
How had she ever thought she was in control of anything? After that peaceful interlude in Cricket’s garden, everything had snowballed till Tansy didn’t know which end was up. The beautiful house she’d bought just a week before now looked more like a construction site than a home.
This was temporary, she reminded herself, and would pass. And when it did? Excitement bubbled up inside her. When it did, she’d have her dream!
In the meantime, she had an unpleasant task she needed to take care of. She’d rather eat fried gator, but good manners and a good upbringing demanded she stop by the lumberyard to thank Beck.
The two of them still had a hard time playing nice, but despite how he felt about her plans for his grandfather’s place—her house now—he’d sent his crew to do the work and made sure materials got ordered on time. She understood how much that had cost him.
As she made her way down the crowded aisles, she smoothed her black pencil skirt. She’d paired the just-above-the-knee skirt with a black tank top and a single button blazer in a soft melon color. Low black pumps and a silver-and-black beaded necklace completed her ensemble. She hadn’t worn the outfit for him, she assured herself. She’d worn it for her. Because she felt good in it. Because it gave her enough confidence to enter the beast’s lair again.
Her last trip here hadn’t ended as badly as the first—nope, she wouldn’t think about that first encounter. About the kiss or the heat that had burst into flames. That kiss had kept her awake every night since it happened.
Did it keep Beck awake?
Of course it didn’t. It meant nothing to him. He’d used it to punish her, to remind her of what she’d discarded. Well, he’d done a damn fine job. She remembered. Oh boy, did she ever!
The sad truth? She’d never forgotten.
She’d been forced to give him up because of a stupid, rash impulse, but she’d learned from that mistake and had vowed never to make it again. Unfortunately, so had Beck. Their chance at a happy ever after had evaporated.
All of which made these trips to his office so darned hard.
Rather than barging in, she knocked on his closed door and waited this time.
“What?”
She winced at the gruff greeting. “It’s me. Tansy. May I come in?”
She heard footsteps; then he threw the door open.
“If you greet all your customers like that, I’m surprised anyone shops here.”
He stepped aside and waved her in. “Sorry. I was in the middle of something. What can I do for you?”
The formality hurt worse than his anger. He was busy, though. She looked past him at the cluttered desk. Then she smiled and pointed to the container of red gummy candy.
“Swedish fish?”
“Cole buys them for me at some little candy store in Savannah.” He lifted the lid and nudged the jar toward her. “Go ahead. Indulge. It’s good for the soul.” His eyes met and held hers.
She cocked her head, aware they weren’t talking entirely about Swedish fish. If only she dared.
But that wasn’t why she’d come, and truth? She didn’t dare.
“No thanks.” She shook her head. “I won’t keep you long. I stopped by to thank you. Even though you don’t agree with what I’m doing, you’ve stepped up and I appreciate it. Without your help, I’m not sure any of this would be happening. I’m grateful, Beck.”
“You’re wrong, Tansy. I don’t have a problem with your plans. It’s the location.”
“Touché.” She toyed with her jacket button. “Still, thank you.”
“Anything else you need?”
“For the house?”
The room went totally still except for the ticking of the wall clock. Tansy was certain Beck could hear her heart racing.
“Yeah,” he finally said. “For the house.”
“No.”
* * *
The meeting, as short as it had been, had given her a doozy of a headache. What she wouldn’t give for a good masseuse. Her muscles were so tense she could have bounced a quarter off any one of them.
Since no massage loomed in her future, she’d work off her nerves.
Pulling into her drive, she grabbed the duffel bag that held her work clothes. There was still a lot to finish up, so she’d pitch in wherever she could.
She walked inside, and Charlie nodded toward the dining room. “Is that what you’ve been hunting?”
There sat Penny the Pig. “Thank you! Gracie has been driving me crazy looking for the thing. Where did you find it?”
“Out in the backyard. Right under Gracie’s bedroom window. My guess is she fell out.”
She nodded. “I’d better add screens to my to-do list.”
“I think the Elliots had them. Maybe stored somewhere?”
“I’ll check. Thanks.” She held up the filthy stuffed animal. “I think Penny needs a good bath.”
“Yeah, she got rained on a couple times.”
She ran upstairs and changed her clothes, then worked like a dog, sanding, painting, and even using the nail gun without too much damage. When the workers left and things quieted down, she fixed a cup of coffee and put together a new, much smaller list of things she still needed for the house, including those screens.
Time to call it a day.
Grabbing Penny, she headed out the door.
Halfway to the preschool, Tansy remembered her mother’s monthly card game with the girls was tonight at the Brysons’. Maybe she and Gracie should eat out before they headed home. She wasn’t sure she had the energy to fix even mac and cheese. Hell-bent on driving Beck from her mind, she’d attacked the renovations full force, and now her body was crying foul.
The instant she opened the school’s door, though, and saw her daughter, all that slipped away.
“Mama!” Gracie threw herself into Tansy’s arms.
Tansy reached into her huge purse and brought out the dirty stuffed pig.
“Penny! You found her, Mama?”
“Charlie found her playing outside in the backyard. We’ll have to be careful about the windows upstairs. I think maybe she fell out. But she showed up today. Guess she missed you.”
“I missed her, too.” Gracie gave the stuffed pig a big kiss and hugged her tightly.
They gathered up her sweater, backpack, and her day’s drawings and stepped out into the late afternoon.
“I thought we’d eat out tonight. Where do you want to go, sweetie?”
“Ms. Dee-Ann’s. She makes me grilled cheese samiches when Grandma and I go there.”
“Sandwich,” Tansy corrected, stressing the d sound.
“That what I said. Samich.” Gracie twirled on the tips of her toes. “Can we go there?”
“To the diner?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Works for me.”
After parking on Main Street, Tansy looked down at her faded jeans and pale blue sweater. Shouldn’t she change out of her work clothes before they went in to Dee-Ann’s? What she really wanted to do was grab a bite with Gracie, then go home and soak in the tub for about an hour with a glass of wine. And that’s exactly what she was going to do.
Gracie, on the other hand, had on a cute, little long-sleeved tunic top and leggings in a pretty shade of green. Tansy’s mom’s doing.
She also had bare feet when Tansy opened the back door.
“What happened to your shoes, baby?”
“I took them off.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, put them back on, and we’ll go get that grilled cheese.”
“’Kay, Mama.”
* * *
Beck had spent an endless day putting out one fire after another, and Tansy’s visit hadn’t helped. She set him on edge and made him want things he couldn’t have. He’d snapped and snarled his way through the morning. After that, he’d locked his office door and immersed himself in paperwork, hoping it might clear his head.
It hadn’t.
Time to head home.
He’d skipped lunch and was ravenous! But he didn’t want to go home and play pick and lose with his refrigerator, nor did he want to barge in on his parents. He’d stop in town and pick something up, then take it home to eat while he caught the Falcons game he’d recorded over the weekend but still hadn’t found time to watch. Maybe he’d hit Dee-Ann’s for a burger and a piece of her pecan pie. Nobody made it better—except maybe his mother, but since he wasn’t going to his parents’ tonight, he’d settle for the next best thing and be perfectly happy.
His fingers had already curled around the doorknob when he spotted them. Gracie Bella and Tansy sat in one of the left-hand booths, coloring. Gracie had practically crawled into Tansy’s lap, her upper body wormed under her mom’s arm.
Gracie’s tongue stuck out between those Cupid-bow lips as she concentrated, a raggedy stuffed pig on the table beside her. Tansy said something to her, and the little girl put a hand over her mouth and giggled.
Redhead and brunette. Curly hair and straight. At first blush, mother and daughter looked nothing alike. Until they raised their heads and a person saw that square jaw and porcelain skin. The sharp mind and inquisitive eyes. Times two.
They hadn’t seen him yet.
So, a quick change of plans. He’d pick up something at the BiLo deli.
He dropped his hand, started to turn, and wondered what the hell he was doing.
Over the course of their comings and goings, he and Tansy were bound to run into each other. He couldn’t keep turning tail every time they did. His grandfather’s story popped into mind. Possibilities.
Sweat popped out on his brow.
Mustering up the courage to walk in, he felt a hand drop on his shoulder.
Sam, looking very official in his uniform shirt and wearing his MBPD ball cap, a gun holstered on his hip, stood behind him.
“You going in?”
Beck nodded.
Sam tipped his head toward Tansy’s booth. “You want company?”
“Yeah, I do. As pathetic as that is.”
“Thought you might. Gonna cost you a piece of pie and a cup of coffee, though.”
Beck narrowed his eyes. “You still on duty?”
“For another”—Sam checked his watch—“fifteen minutes. Then I get to go home to that sexy little cousin of yours.”
“I don’t even want to think about that.” He took off his dark glasses and slid them into his shirt pocket. “Pie and coffee doesn’t come under the heading of bribing an officer of the law, does it?”
“Nope. Just two pals who will soon be related sitting down over a meal—or, in my case, dessert.”
“Actually, I was gonna do take-out.”
“Can’t now.” He jerked his head toward Tansy. “It’ll look like you’re on the run.”
“You’re right.” Beck tugged the door and that damn bell jangled overhead. Tansy looked up, met his eyes, and quickly bent her head over the coloring book.
Gracie snuggled closer. “I’m hungry, Mama.”
“Our food’s comin’, honey. Give Dee-Ann time to fix it.”
“’Kay.” That little tongue came out again, her red crayon busy.
“How ’bout we sit over there?” Beck tipped his head toward the far side of the diner.
“That’s good.” He held up a finger. “One minute.”
Sam strode across the room to say hello to Tansy and her daughter.
While they talked, Dee-Ann came out with dinner for the table next to them, and Sam said his good-byes and joined Beck.
Beck, already seated in the booth, stared at him. “Why’d you do that?”
“Because I like her.” Sam’s brow rose. “Despite the history between you two, I’m impressed with the way she’s tackled all this. Can’t be easy, with a kid and all.”
“No, I don’t suppose it is.”
“Beck!” Gracie scrambled out of the booth and flew across the room. “I didn’t see you.”
“Well, I saw you! Thought you were gonna stand me up!”
“Huh?”
“Never mind.” He scooped her in his arms and gave her a big cheek smooch.
She laughed and kissed him back. “Your face is scratchy!”
“Yeah, it is.”
Over the little girl’s head, Beck saw Tansy watching, her eyes sad. He’d like to go over there and lay a hot one on her, but that wasn’t in the cards.
“What are you up to, sweetie?”
“Waitin’ for Dee-Ann to make me a grilled cheese samich.”
“Oooh, she makes the best.”
“Uh-huh. What’s she makin’ you?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“’Cause you just got here?”
“Yep.”
“Wanna come sit with me and Mama?” She looked at Sam. “You can come too.” To Beck she said, “We went to Sam’s house last night. He’s got fairies in his garden. I wanted to hear them talk but I fell asleep.”
“You did?”
She nodded. “But Mama said maybe we could go back.”
“You’re welcome anytime, Gracie,” Sam said.
“Okay. I gotta go now. I don’t want Mama to be lonely.”
“Take good care of her,” Beck said.
“I will.”
With that, she took off across the room toward her mother.
“Take a good hard look at Tansy,” Sam said.
“I saw her when we came in.”
“I know you did. But I want you to look again. Is that the same relaxed woman you spotted before you opened the door and walked in? Be honest, at least with yourself.”
Beck studied her. No, she wasn’t relaxed anymore. Her forehead was creased with worry, her body rigid. Tension radiated from her.
When he’d stood outside looking in, she and Gracie had been having fun. They’d been carefree. Now Tansy looked brittle enough to break in two. Did he do that to her?
Of course he did. And it made him feel like hell. Beating up on an underdog didn’t do much for him and never had.
He’d always thought himself the victim in this whole scenario. Maybe, just maybe, there’d been two victims.
His gaze strayed from Tansy to Gracie Bella. Make that three.
“Maybe I ought to leave.”
“Maybe you ought to make peace with the situation.”
Dee-Ann took their orders, then sailed off to the back to nag the cook.
Luanna, who’d graduated with Tansy, carried her and Gracie’s food to them. The little girl instantly rose to her knees so she could reach.
Beck watched as Tansy cut her daughter’s sandwich into quarters, then put a dollop of ketchup on the plate for her french fries. As the little girl dug into her meal, Tansy dipped a fork into the side dressing and took a small bite of her salad.
“Why’s she eatin’ that?”
“What? The salad?”
“Yeah. She’s thin as a willow branch. She needs food. Protein.”
“She needs somebody to take care of her. My guess is that ex-husband of hers didn’t.”
* * *
Luanna slid his burger in front of him and set a huge piece of cherry pie by Sam. “There you go, boys. Need anything else?”
“Maybe a refill on my coffee, Luanna.”
“Sure thing, Sam. You okay, Beck?”
Beck bit back his answer. He was so far from okay, he didn’t figure he’d ever get there again.
His problem.
“Everything’s great, sugar. Thanks.”
He looked up to find Sam watching him.
“You lie really well.”
He told Sam, in no uncertain terms, what he could do.
Sam threw back his head and laughed. “Might be interesting to give that a try.”
Across the room, Gracie giggled again, and Beck’s gaze drifted back to the pair. Cute little girl, beautiful mama.
It was killing him to stay away from the construction, to let someone else’s hands reshape the old house. And he couldn’t stay away from Tansy. Sick puppy that it made him, he had to spend some time with her.
Tomorrow was booked. Day after, he’d strap on his tool belt and head over to 321 Main Street.