Too Sweet to Be Good

by K. M. Jackson

  Liv looked at the court, then back at Drea, giving her a hard nudge.

  “Ouch! All that dough kneading is making you strong as all get out!”

  “Good. Just so you know it.” Liv laughed, then her voice grew serious as her brown eyes softened. “Look, whatever you’re doing to yourself, stop. I can feel you beating yourself up and you need to quit it. You’ve been doing great at the shop and what you’re doing right now with Mrs. Betty is important work.”

  “Important part-time work,” Drea said.

  “What does that matter?”

  Drea looked at her sister, not hiding the surprise from her eyes or her voice. “Who are you and what have you done with my sister? You’re the same one who last year wouldn’t stop hounding me about being selfish and getting my life together.”

  “So?”

  “So how is this getting my life together?”

  Liv tilted her head. “How is it not? And how is it selfish? Look what you’re doing for Mrs. Betty. Plus, you’re getting paid, right? And getting paid a good penny for a skill you excel at.” Drea opened her mouth to protest, but Liv held up her hand.

  “Stop right there. Don’t with the downplay. Not to mention you’re using skills you were trained in.”

  When Drea frowned at this Liv went on. “Don’t you remember after graduating with your arts degree and your first Broadway disappointments how you were ready to throw in the towel, so you decided to get certified first as a nail tech, then after that, what was it? Your stint as a bounce aerobics trainer.”

  “Don’t remind me. I still get a rebound headache when I think of those back-to-back classes.”

  “But,” Liv continued, “you enjoyed your design and decorating courses. And you excelled at set design. That and acting were the things I saw bring out the most passion in you. And come on, stop beating yourself up. You are a fighter; it may not be in the traditional sense, but you trying so many things in order to realize your one true dream is something I’ve come to admire.”

  Drea pulled back and gave Liv a shocked look. “Don’t tell me you’re complimenting my flightiness now.”

  Liv shook her head. “I wouldn’t go that far. Just take it for what it is in the moment, dear sister. But come on and quit it with the beating yourself up. That’s not your role in this relationship. Remember? You’re the star of the family. I’m the one who’s good in the kitchen.”

  Drea laughed for the first time in a while, feeling like her sister had truly said something that cut to the core of who they were. “Listen,” Liv continued, “I can admit when I’m wrong, especially since it’s so rare.”

  “There she is,” Drea said with a nod, and Liv laughed.

  “No, seriously, last year you helped me so much by not only calling me on my bull, but also giving me free rein to learn my heart myself, and I’m grateful for it. Now I must call you on yours, though you may not be ready to hear it. Nothing you’re doing right now is selfish. You’ve given freely to Aunt Joyce and now you’re helping Mrs. Betty.”

  “But I’m getting lots more back in return,” Drea said.

  “And what’s wrong with that?” Liv countered. “Is there some sort of life score card that I don’t know about that says relationships can’t be mutual give and take and in order for us to be worthy of happiness we also have to have more in the giving or suffering column? I truly don’t think it works like that.” Liv looked out at the court and caught Clayton just as he made a basket and Hope walked into the gym, her girls’ club meeting letting out. She smiled. “I maybe used to think that way, but thankfully now I know a little better.”

  Drea didn’t know what to do with her sister. She’d changed so much from the uptight, corporate woman who’d driven with her to Sugar Lake the year before, fighting over food and the radio the whole way. She looked out at the men playing on the court. No, she didn’t know, but she sure hoped that Clayton Morris did, because if he messed up this new, wide-eyed Liv, handsome fireman or not, she’d knock his lights out.

  Chapter 15

  I Want My Old Suit Back!

  “I love how you’ve already started organizing these. It makes so much more sense, Alex dear. And I think for you and Kellen’s watch list you must add Mahogany. Diana Ross is simply divine in that,” Mrs. Betty said while waving the film canister in Drea’s face.

  “She and Billy Dee are both perfect,” Drea countered. She, the eager budding fashion designer with stars in her eyes, and he, the handsome, way too serious activist who was completely smitten by her but had no time for what he considered the trivialities of the fashion world.

  Mrs. Betty beamed. “I know they are the perfect ‘opposites attract’ couple. When that movie came out with Diana Ross and all those glittering designer costumes and all that glorious color, I just about lost my mind.” She flipped the film canister over and over in front of her face. “I wonder if this film even runs well now. I bet it’s about darn near worn out. I must have made poor Henry watch this movie no less than fifty times and each time to me was like the first.”

  Drea loved seeing the exuberance on the older woman’s face, and in unison, they looked at each other and mimicked famous lines from the film. Both put on their best Diana cadences. Each cascading into a fit of giggles when it was over, but Drea froze when her eyes hit the doorway and landed on Kellen’s once again annoyed, openmouthed expression as he waved his cell phone.

  “What is happening here?” he said to the two of them. “With all the construction you’ve already got going on with those guys downstairs, I would’ve expected this room to be completely cleared out, but instead, you two are up here having a fine game of let’s make believe.”

  “And hello to you too, my dear grandson,” Mrs. Betty said, her voice soft and unfazed as she straightened her blouse and looked at Kellen stoically.

  He rolled his eyes and walked fully into the storeroom, giving his grandmother a smile, though tight, and coming to kiss her on the cheek. “I apologize, Grandmother. Good afternoon. Looks like you two are enjoying yourselves up in here,” he said, his voice softer than his looks.

  “Funny you say that with a smile, but you don’t make it sound like a compliment at all,” Drea said.

  He looked at her. “And your point is?”

  Mrs. Betty let out a huff. “Really, you two, I swear you try the patience of Job. Kellen, you have to admit we have done quite a job in here so far today.

  “The storage room is almost cleared, and as you can see, the boxes are already lined up and labeled. They’re just about ready to be filled with whatever it is we have to discard, and with this box over here, you can see we’ll put in the reels that we need to convert for the new equipment we’re looking to get in.”

  “New equipment? Grandmother, we haven’t decided yet on that new equipment and you know how much digital conversion is gonna cost.”

  Mrs. Betty looked at him as if he had just told her water was wet. “And your point is?” she countered perfectly, using the exact same voice he used with Drea just moments before.

  Kellen rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes before looking back at his grandmother and then at Drea. “And this pile, what is this you got going on over here?” he asked.

  “Now, this is the start of the pile that’s the best of all,” Mrs. Betty began, and Drea braced herself for the storm she knew was to come.

  Kellen looked at Drea. “What, I feel like I’m being set up for something.”

  “I wouldn’t say you’re being set up, per se, but maybe getting more of an opportunity to expand your historical horizon.”

  “That’s an absolutely perfect way to put it, Alex dear,” Mrs. Betty said before turning back to Kellen. “This growing pile here contains the kind of movies I think that you and Drea should watch together. It’s also part of the digital conversion box. Consider them expanding your knowledge base on movie history.”

  It was official: His grandmother had lost it. “Have you lost it, Grandmother? In what world do I ha
ve time for this and in what realm is this necessary for me to do? Are we opening a Hollywood cultural historic center here in Sugar Lake?”

  Mrs. Betty’s eyes lit up and Kellen got a knot in his stomach. “Don’t challenge me, Kellen. You joke, but now, that’s a great idea. We could focus on diversity. There is nothing like that in these parts.”

  Kellen let out a long breath. “Grandma, now, I get taking on this fun project and helping you out with it, but there’s absolutely no reason for me to watch these movies. You’ve got Claudine, which I’ve seen already. Mahogany, okay I get it, but no reason for me to watch it now.”

  And to that both Boots and his grandma gasped in unison. Kellen rolled his eyes at the absurdity and somehow cuteness of the combined presence of the both of them. They were truly a dangerous duo. “Then there’s Lady Sings the Blues, and what’s next? The Wiz? Must I take in all of Diana Ross’s entire film career?”

  “Hey, there are plenty of worse ways to spend a day. You act like that’s a punishment. Ms. Ross is queen supreme, no pun intended,” Boots said.

  “You’re not helping here,” he barked her way.

  “I wasn’t trying,” she countered.

  Kellen looked at more of the pile. “What else? Breakfast at Tiffany’s. So now we’re on to the great Ms. Hepburn. Grandmother, is this truly necessary?”

  Drea watched as Mrs. Betty’s face went from hopeful to desolate in the span of Kellen’s short speech. Everything in her told her to stay out of it. Keep her mouth shut. This was their fight to hash out, but unfortunately her wayward tongue started wagging before she could get her brain to stop it from doing so. “Wait a minute! What gives you the right to say what’s necessary and what’s not necessary when it comes to your grandmother’s theater and renovation? Obviously if she thinks this is something that’s important to the success of the center that she’s trying to build, then there must be a perfectly good reason for it, don’t you think? And I would think you being the smart businessman that you are would at least give her the respect that she deserves and the time to hear out what she’s proposing.”

  They both turned toward Drea in unison, with silent, surprised expressions, the five seconds of silence ticking out slowly, like an eternity.

  Finally, Kellen spoke up. “You’re right, Drea. I was rude, and I was wrong.”

  Drea looked around the room, not quite knowing what else to do, but not quite ready to meet Kellen’s eyes. She didn’t know if this was a dream or reality; was the Suit actually admitting to her that she was right and he was wrong? He leaned over and gave her a nudge with his shoulder. “Oh, quit being so dramatic. It’s not that big a deal. So I said you were right about something.” He took out his phone and flipped on the camera, holding it up so that the three of them were in frame. “I, Kellen Kilborn, was insufferably rude to my grandmother today, and for that I am terribly sorry.”

  “And?” Mrs. Betty said as she tilted her head toward Drea.

  Kellen sucked in a breath before letting it out. “And I came to this conclusion,” he blurted out quickly, “thanks to Miss Alexandrea aka Boots Gale, who was right when I was wrong.” He turned toward the two of them. “There, are you happy now?” he asked, clicking the video button off.

  But Mrs. Betty snatched the phone out of his hand and clicked the video button back on. “Just about,” she said, and held the camera up so that once again the three of them were in frame. “I will be when you agree to watch the videos on the must watch list.”

  Kellen sucked in a breath. “Grandmother, I don’t have time to do that, plus the renovation, plus take care of Kilborn Properties’ business. I really am sorry.”

  “Fine, Kellen, you don’t have to watch all of them on the list. Just my top three or four.” She dropped the camera and stared at him. “Please, sweetheart, some of these Grandpa and I haven’t watched in years and I would really like to view them again. Want to join Alex and me?”

  Drea found herself watching with bated breath as she waited for Kellen’s answer; she knew this was important to Mrs. Betty, but for some reason, she could feel how important it was for her to have Kellen there too. But why was it weighing on her so? She gave herself a mental head shake and told herself it was for Mrs. Betty’s sake. Still she wanted to hear his agreement.

  Kellen raised the phone back up. “Yes, Grandmother, sure, I will watch the movies with you. Please understand, you still have the company to consider. I know this is important to you, but I also have to protect our interest too.”

  Mrs. Betty reached up and touched Kellen on the cheek, her eyes and voice soft as she gave him a pat. “Of course, sweetheart, just like I need you to trust me, I have complete faith in you.”

  * * *

  Just when Kellen thought he had a handle on things, having gotten Brent, he hoped, at least temporarily in line and in agreement to stay on the hush about the goings-on here in Sugar Lake with Jamina and the Ronson Group, then something else came along. Of course, Brent made no promises about not looking for outside opportunities in case what he had going with RPG fell through. Not that Kellen could blame him for that. At least the slickster had that much sense. But still, here he was on a night he should be home brainstorming, loading the projector for a movie evening with Boots and his grandmother.

  Ray and his boys were done for the night and just finishing up packing the trucks. The small town felt like it was closing in on Kellen since he was bumping into his past at every turn. Although, when Griffin cornered him the first chance he got when he came in that afternoon, probably thanks to his father and holding on to the contract, he had the good sense to have an apology on his lips. “Mr. Kilborn,” he said. “I’m sorry if I was a little too overzealous over at Jolie’s place. It seems when I have a few too many I don’t know my own mind.”

  Kellen immediately thought of Griffin sitting in his spot breathing all over his ribs, not to mention breathing all over Drea, and felt his temper start to rise again. But he knew that he had nothing to really get angry over. There was nothing going on between him and Boots and there never would be. After everything was done with the theater, and he got this problem cleared up, she would be a part of the history of the Redheart that would linger in the past too. He gave Griffin a long stare before speaking. “Just be sure you keep your wits about you when you’re here on this job. I don’t go for any fooling around with anyone under my employment. And I mean in any way, understood?”

  Griffin swallowed as Kellen saw his nostrils flare for a moment as if he wanted to challenge him, but when Griffin’s eyes shifted, he knew he thought better of it. He nodded and said, “Mr. Kilborn, I understand, and thank you. You know my family’s reputation—we always do a good job.”

  Kellen nodded. “I’m counting on it.”

  As he made his way back downstairs he could see Griffin, once again, huddled talking to Drea. He leaned in close to her ear and she nodded and stepped back away from him; had the conversation earlier been all for nothing? Griffin looked up at him, his eyes going wide for a moment before he stepped back. Drea turned around and met his gaze, then she smiled wide, walking toward him as Griffin slipped off toward the back door.

  “Do you have the movie all set up?” she asked. “You really did such a good thing today by making your grandmother so happy and agreeing to watch the movies with her.”

  “How about you just focus on your work and let me worry about my grandmother’s happiness, okay?” Kellen shot back, the words coming out too quickly and way more harshly than he intended, or she deserved. An apology was on the tip of his tongue, but she spoke first.

  “Fine, Suit. Once again, you’re right, of course. I should focus on my job. Lack of focus has always been one of my few downfalls.” She cleared her throat as she threw her shoulders back, looking at him from under haughty eyes. “Lucky for me, I don’t have many though. How about you get the movie started. Your grandmother’s been kind enough to provide us with snacks and she’s already sitting in the auditorium. You ca
n join us whenever you’re ready.”

  Goodness, one would think she’d been working under the tutelage of his grandmother for way longer than the past couple weeks by the way she had given him such a proper setting down, he thought as he watched her walk away, back strong and full of steel while her long legs carried her away with all the regal elegance of the queen dismissing a peasant outright.

  Though Diana Ross as Billie Holiday was pretty amazing, Kellen was even more mesmerized by the image of watching Drea viewing Ms. Ross on the screen. Though he’d seen the movie back when he was a kid, all his old feelings and more came back as Billy Dee smoothly delivered his line about not letting his arm fall off to a hesitant Diana Ross as Billie Holiday. Kellen fought not to laugh out loud as the memory of his first stunning face to face with Boots and her misquoting of the same words came back to him. She truly was one of a kind and had knocked him completely speechless with her stunning looks and killer attitude. As Billy delivered the line, Kellen looked over past his grandmother to see Drea, her eyes wide and glassy as she murmured the dialogue right along with the actors on screen. In that moment, she looked over and locked gazes with him, giving him the same haughty glare she’d given him earlier.

  Oh crap, he really messed up with that smart-ass comment about just doing her job and staying out of their personal business. Why had he let Griffin get him all riled up and why did he take it out on Boots? He gave his grandmother a glance and noticed her eyes growing sleepy. It was probably for the best. It had been a long day for her and, though she was a tough old bird, he was sure all this extra work was taking a lot out of her. Kellen frowned and looked at the screen. Now thinking it over, he was lucky that his grandmother hadn’t walked up on him while he was giving that smart-alec, mind-your-business line to Drea. She might’ve cuffed him on the top of his head for sure if she had.

  The movie continued as Ms. Ross still dazzled, her voice strong yet vulnerable as she sang about the man she loved coming along someday. And though he tried to keep his eyes focused on the screen, Kellen couldn’t help taking another sidelong glance at Boots, this time catching her wiping tears away as she rocked back and forth in her seat. He looked down at his grandmother again, now snoring lightly, popcorn about to tip over in her hand and careen onto the floor. Kellen let out a sigh and took the popcorn, grabbing a few kernels and stuffing them into his mouth.