Beck swore a drummer had taken up permanent residence in his head, and his chest hurt. Jeez, he felt like he’d been run over—by a beautiful witch driving an SUV. Make that a beautiful, unsettling witch. Shouldn’t the calendar have had a warning note on today’s date? Beware the ides of September.
Why had she really come back?
He shook his head and smiled ruefully. Stupid, stupid question. She’d divorced a multimillionaire. Guess she could do whatever she damn well pleased, wherever she pleased. And didn’t that just suck dust?
Why now? He’d been honest with Cole. He was over her and had been for a long time. Still, it didn’t sit well to have her moving home.
He hit his Bluetooth button when his cell rang and barked, “What?”
“Something crawl up your butt this morning?” his cousin’s fiancé asked.
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, something did, Sam. Rather, someone.” He rubbed a hand over his forehead. Shake it off, he told himself. “How’s my favorite cousin?”
“Cricket’s wonderful as always. Those rose-colored glasses she has permanently affixed to her face guarantee it.”
Despite himself, Beck laughed. “Yeah, you got that right.”
Cricket had moved back to Misty Bottoms and opened a flower-and-garden center, then fell in love with Sam DeLuca, a New York City detective who’d come to town for some R & R. Now he was a small-town deputy—and loving it.
“What can I do for you, Sam? This an official or unofficial call?”
“Official. Seems a couple kids got to tossing a football around and put the pigskin through old Mrs. Macy’s window.”
“Oh boy. I had her for eighth-grade math. Those kids picked the wrong person to mess with. She’s got a tongue sharp as those Ginsu knives they sell on TV at Christmas and a temper to match.”
Sam chuckled. “It took me all of three seconds to figure that out. Anyway, I managed to talk her out of pressing charges, but only if I can get a new window installed before nightfall. You up to playing hero? Saving a couple kids from the slammer?”
Beck glanced into the rearview mirror and looked into his own eyes. A little sweaty labor and a go-round with Mrs. Macy might be exactly what he needed. The job would let him work off some steam. “I’ll head over now and measure her window, then pick up what I need at the store. We should have the right size in stock. If not, I’ll rush order it and nail some plywood in place till it comes in.”
Actually, he had a well-hidden soft spot for his former teacher. He’d left his backpack in her classroom one afternoon. When he’d returned for it, she was still there, with Wilson Potts. Poor as dirt, Wilson’s beat-up shoes stayed together with only a wish and a prayer. While Beck peeked through the door’s window, Mrs. Macy handed Wilson a brand-spankin’-new pair along with new jeans and a T-shirt.
Beck had slipped back down the hall with no one the wiser.
And the next day, when the homework he’d left in that backpack wasn’t finished, he took the tongue-lashing she laid on him without a single complaint.
He’d let the kids or their folks pay for the window and materials, but he’d eat the labor himself. A little paying it forward.
* * *
More excited than she’d been in a long time, ideas bouncing around in her head, Tansy drove on automatic pilot the rest of the way to her mom’s. When the tidy, ranch-style house came into view, though, her mind jerked back to the present. The future would save for later.
“Grandma’s!”
“Yes, honey, we’re here. Finally.”
As she turned into the drive, the front door opened and her mother stepped out. Tansy smiled. Her mother, dark-blond hair cut stylishly short, looked chic in a sleeveless dress, the elongated top black, the skirt wide black-and-white bands. Low-heeled black pumps completed her outfit.
Tansy, in her dark-green silk top and fitted slacks to match, felt road weary and rumpled.
Having just turned fifty-two, Rexanna Calhoun was still young and attractive. For the first time, Tansy wondered if her mom might be dating, if she’d consider marriage again. The idea rattled her. She wanted her mother happy, she really did. But Daddy…
The thought evaporated when her mother opened the SUV’s back door to hug her granddaughter. Through the happy confusion of unbuckling Gracie, she asked, “How was the trip?”
“Great. Uneventful.”
“Wonderful. I prayed you’d have no rain and no problems.”
“Your prayers were answered, Mom.” Unless you included me not running into Beck Elliot, Tansy mentally added as she slid from the front seat.
Inside her childhood home, Puddles, her mother’s gray tabby, greeted them, winding in and out of their legs and purring wildly. Gracie dropped on her belly right in the center of the hallway to give the cat a kiss and a hug. Tansy and her mom skirted the little girl and carried in the first of the bags.
Surrounded by familiar furniture and doodads, Tansy relaxed for the first time in way too long. Gracie, cooped up for hours in the car, hit the backyard like a whirling dervish.
Once she was out of earshot, Tansy said, “I’ve been thinking a lot lately.” She reached for her mother’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? For what?”
“For making such a mess of everything. I let you and Daddy down.”
“Never.” Rexanna’s voice, usually so quiet and soft with that heavy Southern drawl, turned hard and determined. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again. Since the day we found out I was carrying you, Daddy and I loved you with all our hearts. Nothing you’ve done, nothing you ever could do, would change that.”
“But—”
“But nothin’. You are our pride and joy, Tansy. Forever. And not just because I birthed you, but because you’ve earned it.”
“I got pregnant before I walked down the aisle.”
“Yes, and because of that, you blessed me with the most precious grandbaby on the face of this earth.”
“I’m divorced, Mom.” Her voice grew small. “There’s never been a divorce in our family. Until now. Until me.”
“You are divorced, and the only thing I have to say about that is thank God!” Rexanna dropped her voice. “That nincompoop might be the father of that darlin’ little girl out there,” she said, tipping her head toward the backyard, “but as far as I’m concerned, Emerson Forbes doesn’t deserve to see either you or her ever again. The man’s a toad—a toad you left a prince for, I feel obliged to add.”
A surprised laugh erupted from Tansy. “He’s not a toad. Unfortunately, on the outside anyway, he’s attractive…and knows it. As to being a nincompoop? At the very least. And Beck? A prince? Seriously?” Tansy set her purse beside her overnighter. “Mom, does Beck visit you?”
Her mother looked sheepish. “Yes, he does.”
“Mom.” She drew out the word.
“Beck did nothing wrong, honey.”
“You’re right.” She threw up her hands. “It was me. All my fault.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
“Emerson took advantage of you at a very vulnerable time.”
“There were two of us involved, Mom. Whatever the circumstances, I participated.”
Her mother blushed. “TMI, sweetie. Still…after your daddy died, Beck came around from time to time to see if I needed anything, and sometimes I did—the bathroom door started to stick, the back porch roof sprung a leak, that kind of thing.”
“You told me everything was fine.”
“And it was, but occasionally I owed that to Beck. He refused to charge me anything more than a batch of his favorite oatmeal raisin cookies.”
“I could have paid someone to do the work, Mom.”
“Why should you do that? Beck’s a good man, and he’s extremely handy when it comes to home repairs. It’s how he earns his living. He’s also the son of one of my best friends. Here in Misty Bottoms, that’s how it’s done.” She tipped her head. “Have you forgotten your roots so quickly?”
Tansy said nothing. Without a voice raised, she’d been well and thoroughly chastised. Her mother was right. Misty Bottoms, small town that it was, took care of its own.
“Now, want a cup of coffee?” Mom hopped to her feet, changing the subject. “I just brewed a fresh pot.”
“I’d love that.” Tears misted her vision. “I love you.”
“And I love you right back!”
After a heartfelt hug, her mother busied herself at the counter.
Watching her, Tansy made a decision. “I’m going to do something else that’s crazy, Mom.”
“Is it something you want to do?”
“Yes.”
“Good. About time you did what you want.”
“Well, this is a doozy.” She paused for a heartbeat, let out her breath in a huff. “I want to buy Lamont Elliot’s house.”
Coffee sloshed over the edge of the cup Rexanna had just filled. “Tansy—”
“Gracie and I can live upstairs, and the downstairs is absolutely perfect for my new business.”
“Beck will have a fit.”
“Yes, he probably will.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
Tansy shook her head. “No, I’m not. I’ve already hurt him enough. But I have to live my own life. Do what’s best for Gracie and me.” She straightened her shoulders. “I forgot that for far too long. I lived my life around Emerson’s needs. No more, Mom. I’m taking back my own life.”
“Oh, honey.” Coffee forgotten, Rexanna pulled her daughter into another tight embrace. “I’ll be forever sorry I didn’t stop you from marrying that odious man. I should have brought you home with me.”
“I wouldn’t have come.”
“I know.”
“But I learned a valuable lesson.” She peeked into the backyard at the little girl on the swing. “And I have Gracie.” She turned back to her. “I’m home now. Home to stay.”
“You say that, but already you’re making plans to move out.”
“To start my own home right here in Misty Bottoms. We’ll go to Gracie’s school plays together and sit in the stands to watch the soccer games she’ll be the MVP of. It’ll be great!”
Her mother laughed and, for that brief space of time, life was nothing but good.
* * *
Slowly, Tansy sank onto the edge of her bed. The cover was new, but the walls were still the pale lavender she’d fallen in love with standing in the paint aisle at Elliot’s Lumberyard. That had been her junior year of high school. Beck preferred forest green, but she’d held out for lavender. A sad smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she glanced at the deep-green lampshade, the green in the drapes she’d begged her mother to buy. A little bit of Beck.
She’d loved him so much. Just the thought of him had been enough to set her heart pounding. How many nights had she lain in this very bed and dreamed of the day she’d share her nights with Beck?
When she’d left for college and he’d stayed home to help with the family business, she’d been devastated. Pops had just lost his NeeNee, and Beck had an obligation and responsibility to the family. But it had broken her heart to drive away alone when they’d planned to go together.
He’d promised to wait; she’d promised to return.
She’d broken that promise. After her father’s funeral, she’d met Emerson, and everything had changed.
Water under the bridge.
Dragging her suitcase to the closet, she hung up the few things she’d brought with her.
While Gracie, Puddles, and her mother played in the backyard, Tansy gave her friend Quinlyn a quick call. A Realtor now, her name had been on the for-sale sign at the Elliot home. After Tansy explained her plans, they agreed to meet the next day. There were no available properties on Main Street, but they’d take a peek at a building several blocks off it and at another on Old Church Street. They’d also look at the Elliot homestead.
She knew where her heart lay, but she owed it to herself to make sure it was the right choice. A lot rode on this. She had to use her head, not only her heart and emotions. Because of that, she’d also consider Kitty’s present location. She didn’t want to rent, but Howard wasn’t a spring chicken anymore, and maybe he’d consider selling the place to her.
If she did that, though, she and Gracie would still have to find a place to live. As much as she loved her mother, as much as she’d missed her, Tansy couldn’t see herself living under the same roof permanently. She and Gracie needed their own home. If they couldn’t live above the business, that meant two mortgages and two properties to maintain. The mere idea of that made her headache return.
The topper, though, was that if she set up shop in Kitty’s place, it would always be just that. Kitty’s Kakes and Bakery. It wouldn’t matter if she ran the store for the next fifty years. Misty Bottomers would continue to think of it as Kitty’s. She wanted it to be hers. Tansy’s Sweet Dreams.
So rather than waste Quinlyn’s time, she’d cross Kitty’s off the list. It wasn’t what she wanted. And by darn, her mom was right. It was past time she started standing up for herself again. Time she had a little of what she wanted. Time to stop bowing to the pressure of what she felt others thought she should do.
Folding the last of her lingerie, she placed it in the dresser drawer.
Right now? She’d join the others in the backyard for a game of hide-and-seek. Fitting since she’d been hiding too long. It was about time she was found.