Beck decided to stop by his parents’ on the way to work. He didn’t feel good about the way he’d left things with them last night.
One step inside the kitchen door, his dad looked up from the paper. “You look like heck, Son.”
“I didn’t get home till late, then I didn’t sleep well.”
“We laid a lot on you last night.”
“Yeah, you did.”
“Sit down and let me fix you some eggs.” His mother hurried to the fridge.
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Yes, I do. I never sent you to school without breakfast, and I’m certainly not sending you off to do a day’s work without food. Now sit.” His mother pointed her spatula, and he sat.
“Where is Pops, by the way?”
“He and Earle Whittaker left on a fishing trip.”
“Earle? I thought he was with Lem.”
“Nope.”
“You let those two go alone? Earle’s nuttier than a fruitcake.”
“They went out to the old fishing cabin. How much trouble can they get into?”
Beck studied him. “I’m assuming that’s a rhetorical question.”
“You’d be right. Besides, your grandfather makes his own decisions, Son.”
“Speakin’ of decisions. You said Pops knows about Tansy putting an offer on his house?”
“Yes, he does. I called him, and we discussed it. He likes Tansy.”
“He always did.”
Not wanting to fight with his folks, he bit back the rest of his words. Instead, he told them about finding Tansy stranded on the side of the road last night. “I’ll call D&J’s today. See what they found.”
“Thank you, honey, for helping her,” his mom said. “I’m sure that wasn’t easy for you.”
“None of this is easy for me—not that it seems to matter to anybody.”
“Son—”
“Let’s give it some time, Dad. See what happens.”
* * *
After he ate, he kissed his mom on the cheek, waved to his dad, and left for work. Outside the lumberyard, dark glasses in place, he rested his hands, fingers laced, on top of his head. He had to get it together. Because right now? Tansy Forbes, without lifting so much as her little finger, was leading him around by the nose.
He scrubbed a hand down his face. He was mad at the world right now about the situation and determined to put an end to it.
Only one way to make that happen.
He put his truck in gear and left the lot.
It was time he had a come-to-Jesus meeting with Tansy. She’d stirred up all this mess, and damned if he was going to lug around some supersized ball of angst without at least having his say. Logistics became the problem, though. He couldn’t drive up to her mother’s house and knock at the door. Nope, this wasn’t the kind of conversation you had in front of someone’s mother or someone’s little girl, and they’d both be at the house.
This talk called for privacy.
But how to arrange that was beyond him. The more he thought about it, the more it burned him. Tansy had already stolen his dreams for the future. He didn’t want her changing Pops’s house and stealing his childhood memories, too. He’d had plenty of time to mull it over while he wasn’t sleeping last night.
Over and over, he’d rehearsed what he’d say, imagined how she’d respond. And always, always, always in these scenarios, she told him she was sorry, that it had always been him she loved, and if her buying his grandfather’s house would cause further pain, she’d take back her offer.
Yeah, in his mind that’s how it worked. In reality? She’d already made her case last night with that whole nobody-will-love-the-house-as-much-as-me thing. Today, she’d probably tell him to go to hell. Well, he had news for her. He’d already been there—and she’d been the driver of that bus.
With her coming back to town? He was perilously close to those raging flames again. It wouldn’t take much…
He turned onto Main and about swallowed his tongue.
What did you know? Maybe lady luck had hitchhiked a ride with him this morning after all.
Tansy Forbes closed the realty office’s door behind her and started down the walk.
He swerved into an empty parking space and leaned across the seat to throw open the passenger door. “Hop in, Red. We need to talk.”
She looked at him warily.
“Well, this looks familiar,” a voice said behind her. “The two of you. Just like old times.”
Tansy turned quickly. “Good morning, Walter.”
She took in his bent posture, the gnarled hand resting on his uniform’s belt. How long had he guarded the customers and staff at Coastal Plains Savings?
“Ms. Gloria said you’d been into the bank yesterday to open an account. Welcome home. I’m glad you’re back.”
Throwing a glance over her shoulder at Beck, she muttered, “That would make one.” Despite last night’s kiss, she couldn’t fool herself. Beck would be much happier if she were gone.
“Pardon?” Old Walter cupped a hand behind his ear. “Hearin’ ain’t as good as it used to be. You’ll bake one? One what?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I said—”
“She’d take one,” Beck put in. “I asked if I could give her a ride, and she said, sure, she’d take one.”
Tansy scowled at him, and he threw her that bad-boy grin that melted the soles of her shoes. Then she reminded herself he was simply putting on a show for Walter.
The grin would disappear the minute the bank guard did.
“Well, you two kids have fun.” Walter threw them a wink and headed on down the street.
“Hop in, Tansy. Don’t make a scene.”
“Me?” Openmouthed, she pointed a finger at her chest.
“Come on, get in.”
“Why do I feel like I’m stepping into a pit of quicksand?” The second she took hold of the door handle, she smelled his heat, his masculinity. With his eyes hidden behind dark glasses, a dark-blond curl falling over his forehead, the man practically stopped her heart.
She’d known last night this confrontation was bound to happen, that Beck wasn’t going to simply roll over. Still, she wasn’t ready. Taking a deep breath, she ran a damp palm along the leg of her rust-colored linen slacks, then set about chewing off the remnants of her lipstick.
The big truck idled smoothly, mirroring its owner’s power.
“I—” She wet her lips. “I understand how upset you are. But what happened between us… Beck, I have a business to start, a home to set up for Gracie. Your grandfather’s house is perfect for both.”
“It is perfect, but it’s not for you. Not anymore.” He whipped off his dark glasses, and his eyes met hers. “It was perfect for neckin’ under that big, old oak tree, away from pryin’ eyes. It was perfect for family Thanksgivings and Christmases. Like I said last night, I always figured you and I would be a family, Tanz, that we’d raise our kids there—make a lifetime of memories in that house.”
Despite herself, tears threatened, and she blinked hard to hold them back. “That’s not fair,” she whispered.
“Fair? You want to talk to me about fair? You sure that’s a discussion you want to be havin’?”
She turned to open the door, but his hand shot out and caught her arm.
“Rent Kitty’s place. It would be a lot easier for everybody.”
“Kitty’s shop isn’t what I want.” Her back stiffened, and she met and held his angry eyes. “I want your grandfather’s house.”
He shook his head. “I don’t get it.”
“What?”
“I’d think our Podunk town would be too small, too tame, too hick for you.”
Hurt coursed through her. This wasn’t the Beck she’d known, but then she wasn’t the woman he’d proposed to, either. They’d both changed. A lot.
“Then maybe you never knew me at all, Beck. I love Misty Bottoms. I always have.”
“Okay, so answer me one question.”
“If I can.”
“Since you’re so dead-set on comin’ home, why work?” His forehead creased in question. “Why not stay home with that beautiful little girl of yours? Your ex is a multimillionaire. That not enough for you?”
Shame filled her. Emerson’s family was wealthy—stinking, filthy rich. But Emerson? He’d lost every cent he’d had. Lost everything he and Tansy had. What he hadn’t left on the craps and roulette tables, they’d spent on his two stints in rehab. He’d lost his job, the house, their savings. His parents refused to help them and blamed her for his problems. Everything had mushroomed; he had no longer made any attempt to hide what he was doing or shield her or Gracie from the rough group he’d fallen into.
With her out of the picture, she hoped his mom and dad would step in and take care of their son. She couldn’t. Not anymore. Nor could she chance a custody battle. Unable to afford the kind of lawyer she’d need in order to fight the Forbes family and loath to wait another day to escape, she’d left without one red cent. She would not, though, explain any of that to Beck or the rest of the town. Still, rumors and half-truths were bound to fly, and she couldn’t blame any of them for that.
Bottom line, though, she had to work to earn a living for her and her daughter. And to do that, she needed Mr. Elliot’s house.
When she said nothing, he growled. “That’s what I thought. By the way, I called the mechanic about your car.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. Your gas cap was off and you had water in your tank. He’ll have it taken care of by late this afternoon.”
“Thanks. I’ll have Mom take me over to pick it up tomorrow morning.”
“You said you filled up at Tommy’s?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll have him stick his tanks today and check for water. So far, nobody else seems to have had any problems.”
“What’s that mean?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Thanks.”
“You can thank me by rescinding your offer on Pops’s place.”
“I can’t do that.” Without another word, she opened her door and got out.
As he disappeared down the street, she wrapped her arms around her waist. Inside, another small part of her heart broke off. She’d hurt him, had hurt them both.
For nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Her life with Emerson had been hell, but nobody would believe that. They’d see the house she’d lived in, the clothes she wore, and think she had it all. But when those things came without love, they didn’t add up to all. They added up to zero.
As she shut the door, she heard a siren and saw Sam in his police car, lights flashing. A strange sight for Misty Bottoms. She prayed no one had had an accident.
* * *
Beck slid over to let Sam pass. He refused to check his rearview mirror. He would not feel bad about Tansy standing alone on the sidewalk.
He’d settled nothing. Tansy’s soft, slightly floral fragrance surrounded him. Swearing, he rolled down his windows to let in fresh air, to carry away the scent of her.
After all this time, after everything that had happened, the woman still got to him. That, in and of itself, was enough to drive him insane. Why couldn’t he let it go? Let her go? She’d belonged to another man, had taken his name, and borne his child.
His cell rang, and he checked the display. Jeeters.
Halfway through the call, he pulled a U-turn and headed toward Ms. Hattie’s. The rest of the mess that was his life right now would have to wait.