Warm Nights in Magnolia Bay

by Babette de Jongh

  “Um…” Abby closed the sliding glass door and sat on a chaise by the pool. “Well…”

  “He did!” Reva tittered. “I wanted you to be neighborly, but I didn’t expect you to go quite that far.”

  “Well, okay, yes. You are correct.” Abby cleared her throat. “But that’s not what I wanted to tell you.”

  “Uh-oh. What else?”

  Forget about the broken foot; she’d delayed telling that news long enough that it wasn’t news anymore. They were supposed to take the cast off in another week. “There was a disturbing letter in the mail that I need to tell you about.”

  “Okay.” Reva took an audible, steadying breath. “Tell.”

  “Apparently, someone has complained to the city about Bayside Barn. They’ve circulated a petition, and they’re going to try to rescind your permission to keep farm animals.”

  “Oh.” After that one word, Reva went very quiet. Abby knew that this news hurt Reva’s feelings. Her aunt had always felt like an outsider, and this drove that feeling home like a knife through the heart. “Well, it’s not like they haven’t tried that before.”

  “Edna and Quinn and I are fighting it. All the barn volunteers are, too. We’re circulating our own petition to allow Bayside Barn to stay, and I’m planning an open house to get the community even more involved.”

  “I guess…” Reva sounded lost, bewildered by what certainly felt like an attack. “I guess I’ll have to come home early. Who…” Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat. “Who complained? Was it Mildred, do you think?”

  “Aunt Reva, I really don’t think it was any of the neighbors. I think it’s something bigger than that. I think it’s someone who wants to develop the property behind you.”

  “But…” Reva sputtered, “But Bayside Barn isn’t the only estate that’s adjacent to that land. Why… I mean—”

  “I guess it’s because once Bayside Barn goes, the others will be easy to pick off, one by one. Quinn is going to talk to some of his contacts in the building business and see what he can find out, so try not to worry.”

  “I should… I think I should come home and deal with this myself.”

  Quinn came out onto the patio and handed Abby a cup of coffee before sitting on the end of the chaise. He held out a hand for the phone. “Let me talk to her.” Abby gladly gave up the phone. She hadn’t known what to say anyway. Georgia hopped into her lap, and she stroked the little dog’s fur.

  “Hey, Reva,” he said. “It’s Quinn Lockhart, your new neighbor.” He immediately stood and started pacing while he listened to Reva and then responded. “No, I don’t think so. The next meeting isn’t for another month. Why don’t you hold off at least until then? We’ll keep in touch and let you know of any new developments.…” He paced to the other side of the pool. “No, I don’t think they’ll make any decisions at that meeting. Maybe you should ask Mack, though…”

  As Quinn talked with Reva, Abby closed her eyes and soaked up the sunlight, letting his voice wrap around her while his words drifted from her consciousness. Something soft brushed her arm, and she felt Georgia wiggle with excitement. She opened her eyes, and there stood Wolf! Slowly, Abby reached out, and though Wolf panted with anxiety, he finally let her touch him. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Then he backed away and sat, just out of reach.

  Out of reach again, but at least this time he didn’t disappear.

  Chapter 21

  To celebrate the removal of Abby’s cast, Quinn surprised her with a night on the town in New Orleans. They had even taken the motorcycle—an exhilarating ride, and something she’d never before experienced.

  Now, she clutched his arm as they walked up the stairs of the Saenger Theater, but not because she needed him for support. “This is so exciting!” She hung on to his arm and squeezed. “I can’t believe you got these tickets!” She hadn’t even mentioned the name of her favorite band, but apparently he’d been paying attention.

  She liked a man who paid attention, not only under the sheets but outside them. She gave his bicep another squeeze. His hard-muscled arm felt like a fortress under her fingertips. She didn’t need protection, but if she ever did, she knew where to go.

  After the concert, they had dinner at Muriel’s on Jackson Square, then noodled through the French Quarter. After picking up a couple of five-dollar hurricanes, they walked hand in hand along the paved sidewalk that bordered the Mississippi, then settled on a bench where they could watch the river’s wide brown waters cruise past. “How’s your foot feeling?” Quinn asked. “I’m not tiring you out too much, am I?”

  “My foot’s fine,” she answered, leaning her head against his shoulder. Actually, her foot ached a little, but she wasn’t about to admit that. A horse-drawn carriage clopped along the street; a backup plan for getting back to the parking garage if her foot failed her. “But if I start to feel faint, you might have to take me to the Café Du Monde for a pick-me-up.”

  Quinn smirked. “Beignets and café au lait cures everything, right?”

  “Might not fix everything, but I can attest that sugar and caffeine work for a variety of ailments.”

  Quinn rested his arm along the bench’s metal back, and Abby leaned into the curve of his arm. “This is nice.”

  He brushed her shoulder with his fingertips. “I’m going to miss spending time with you at the farm.”

  A pang of disappointment tugged at Abby’s heart. She had known, of course, that once she got the cast removed, Quinn would go back to doing his thing, and she’d go back to doing hers. But she had gotten used to having him around, and she hoped he felt the same, at least a little. She tipped her head back to look at him. Moonlight—or the streetlight behind them—brushed the strong planes of his face in gold and made his blue eyes shine dark as midnight. She could almost imagine herself saying I love you. “Maybe you could still eat dinner with me and spend the night? At least some of the time? Aunt Reva won’t be back for another four weeks, unless she comes home early for the town hall meeting.”

  He smiled, a gentle softening of his lips. “I’d like that.”

  She snuggled into his side again. “That’s good.”

  A lonely trumpet in the distance played a bluesy jazz tune, and Abby reflected on the strange thought she’d had about saying I love you to Quinn. Did she love him? She loved having him around. She loved having him in her bed. She loved his many good qualities—his work ethic, his kindness to her and the animals at the farm, the love he showed to his son, and even the respect he gave his ex-wife.

  “You’ve gone quiet,” he said. “You’re not worried about the next meeting, are you?”

  “I worry about everything, Quinn.” She even worried about the possibility of falling in love with him. What if she let herself love him? What if she already did? “I even worry about things that most people wish would happen.”

  “Tell me.” He tucked her closer and put his chin on the top of her head. With her head on his chest, she could hear his slow, even breaths, feel his ribs expanding against her side. “Whatever it is, we’ll work it out.”

  He always said that: Whatever it is, we’ll work it out. And whenever he said it, she always felt better. Like nothing that could happen was insurmountable as long as they handled it together. She looked out at the Mississippi River, its whitecaps silver in the moonlight as it churned past, a silent, mysterious sheet of dark water, ever moving toward some unseen end. “I’m worried that I might be falling in love with you, and I don’t know if I want that. I’m not sure I want to be that vulnerable again.”

  His slow, even breathing didn’t change. She could feel his mind turning her words over in his head. “I understand. I feel the same way myself sometimes.” His fingers idly stroked her shoulder, a subconsciously self-soothing motion that soothed her, too. “I wasn’t looking to fall in love, either. In fact…” He gave a little huff of l
aughter. “The timing couldn’t be worse. I mean, shit; I have nothing to offer you. If you had any sense, you’d run screaming.”

  “Not running.” She patted his chest—his gloriously hard-muscled chest—then hugged him tight. “I’m worried about losing my heart, but I’m still right here.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, maybe you’re not running now because the doctor said to take it easy on that foot. But what about two weeks from now?”

  “I don’t see how you can say that you have nothing to offer. You’re a wonderful person, an amazing lover, an exceptional father… You’re even a decent ex-husband, which says a lot to me about your character. And, you’re a hard worker. What else is there that you think would make me run screaming?”

  “I can think of three things offhand.” He tapped a finger on her shoulder. “One: I’m broke as a haint because I’ve spent all my money to buy and renovate that estate.” He tapped another finger. “Two: I’m in financial limbo because I lost my job and my reputation as a contractor when I trusted my business partner and got sold down the river.”

  “It’s not wrong to trust people, Quinn.”

  He looked away from her and gazed out over the Mississippi. “Even if the person I trusted was JP?”Abby gasped.

  “JP?” He was Quinn’s ex-friend and business partner? Quinn had said they’d worked together, but Abby hadn’t snapped to the connection. Of course, it seemed so obvious now. Why had she only just now put all this together? “JP is the ex-business partner who sold you down the river?”

  He closed his eyes. “Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. There just wasn’t a good time to do it.”

  She scooted closer. “It’s okay; I understand. Tell me the third thing.”

  He tapped a third finger. “And three—something I haven’t told you yet, but I think I need to—I had planned to sell the estate to raise enough money to build my own construction business, but this stupid fantasy keeps running through my head, even though it’s the worst possible financial decision I could make.”

  “Yeah?” She snuggled close and ran a hand down his arm. “Tell me about this fantasy.”

  “I can’t stop thinking of keeping the estate and living there—with you, if you’ll have me.”

  “Quinn, I—” The thought of moving in with Quinn took her breath, like jumping from the high dive into cool, deep water on a hot summer’s day. To live with him, and to be living next door to her aunt Reva, made a blossom of hope bloom inside her heart. To have a place, a home, a man to love, and an extended family to depend on… “I don’t know what to say.”

  The seductive pull of that dream made her even more afraid. The bigger the potential prize, the harder the fall when it didn’t happen—or worse, when it happened but then got snatched away.

  “Calm down.” Quinn soothed her by stroking her shoulder again. “I’m not asking—not yet—because unless I can figure out another way to more than recoup my investment, I do need to sell that place, no matter how much I’d like to stay. And I have a lot of shit to work through before I’d ask you to start thinking about forever. I know I said making love would mean the start of something—and it did.” He stroked her shoulder again. “It does. But I have to get right with my past before I can plan my future. Does that make sense?”

  Abby nodded. She felt the same way. She had to let go of past hurts before she could put her heart on the chopping block again.

  * * *

  BAYSIDE BARN OPEN HOUSE TODAY!

  11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

  Welcome, welcome. Come on in!

  Abby zip-tied the brightly colored hand-painted sign to the open gate, along with a half-dozen helium-filled balloons that bopped together and bounced in the hot breeze.

  Quinn and Edna were out right now, putting more signs and balloons in strategic locations to draw in random Sunday drivers and to point the way for people who may have seen the announcement in the Magnolia Bay flyer but weren’t sure of the location. (Out here in the boondocks, some GPS guidance systems tended to fall short.)

  Georgia danced excitedly at Abby’s feet all the way back to the house. She’d been all up in everybody’s business all morning while they were setting up the bouncy house, the popcorn machine, the iced tea and lemonade and water dispensers, and everything else. Crepe paper streamers draped every reachable eave and limb and handrail on the farm, except of course the goat yard fencing, on which anything made of paper would be considered a food item.

  It seemed to Abby that everyone, animals and humans alike, was feeling excitement and anticipation for the day’s fun.

  All except Wolf, poor guy, who was hiding out under the porch. Hopefully, he felt safe there from all the commotion that had been going on since just after dawn. Abby sat in one of the folding chairs that were scattered randomly around the yard and tried to connect with Wolf telepathically. She wasn’t sure she was getting through, but as Reva kept telling her, it didn’t hurt to try. She got the sense that he knew what to expect and planned to stay hidden until the place quieted down, though maybe she was just kidding herself in an effort to feel better about his obvious distress. In case he could hear her, Abby promised that it would all be over before dinnertime, and that she’d save a hamburger patty for him to have as a treat.

  “Abby, hey!” She opened her eyes and saw Sean coming toward her at a slow jog. “Where do you want me?”

  “You want to be in charge of the kiddie rides?” Sunshine and Midnight were saddled for pony rides, their lead ropes tied to a metal round pen at the back of the yard. Their manes and tails were braided with ribbons and flowers, their coats and hooves glossy and clean. Elijah and Miriam were dressed up and saddled, too, wearing flower-bedecked straw hats—with strategically placed holes for their long ears to stick through—and matching bouquets tied to their tails.

  “Sure. I can do that, just tell me what the job entails.”

  Abby explained that he’d be ensuring that parents helped their kiddies on and off the equines and walked beside them for safety during the ride. (Volunteers would lead the animals along the fence line and then back again; it was more about the photo op at the end of the ride than the ride itself.) He’d also have to schedule several minutes between each ride to give the critters time to rest under the shaded awning and drink water from the portable trough.

  “The girls from the high school will be taking turns leading the ponies and donkeys.” Abby tilted her chin toward a clutch of pretty girls standing by the goat yard and petting Gregory, who hadn’t been invited to participate because of his penchant for wandering off in search of adventure. “You’ll have to make sure that the girls take breaks and stay hydrated, too. You think you can handle all that?”

  Sean grinned. “You bet.”

  “Thanks.” Abby glanced at her watch: 10:40 a.m. More than a dozen volunteers had shown up to help, and they all stood around chatting, but when visitors started streaming in, they’d take their places. Abby could tell by the smell of charcoal in the air that Mack was already grilling hot dogs and burgers in the pavilion. The buttery scent of popcorn floated her way, too, reminding her that she’d hardly eaten anything for breakfast.

  Quinn and Edna were back, walking toward Abby with a willowy redhead and a young kid with the same bright hair. Edna waved at Abby and shouted, “Yoo-hoo!”

  Abby met them by the extra-large round pen—this one reinforced with a layer of fence wire—that held the cuddle critters: two spring lambs and a few of the friendliest goats, three of the big Flemish giant bunnies, and an assortment of chickens and ducks. Arnold, the potbellied pig, had managed to squirm out of his bow tie twice and was finally allowed to be naked, but most everyone else wore some sort of adornment; ribbons, flowers, whatever nontoxic folderol they would tolerate (and hopefully refrain from eating). Several extra-large wire crates were lined with hay and placed inside the enclosure so any of the animals who weren�
��t interested in cuddling could decide to take a time-out from the festivities.

  “Abby,” Edna said, “I’d like you to meet Sara Prather and her son, Max. Sara is the editor of the Magnolia Bay newspaper.”

  It wasn’t an actual newspaper—Magnolia Bay didn’t have a local newspaper anymore because it had long since gone bankrupt—but the chamber of commerce issued the small advertising circular that was printed free of charge by a local company and delivered to every address in Magnolia Bay. Aside from the coupons and advertisements from local businesses, it did contain some interesting articles and announcements of the town’s current events. Abby wouldn’t have known any of this if Wolf hadn’t started delivering the paper to her doorstep; she’d have chucked it into the bin after running over it a few times. But since he had, she felt obligated to honor his effort by at least looking, maybe clipping a few coupons to use at the grocery store. She hoped that on some level, he knew that she appreciated his offering.

  Abby shook Sara’s hand. “Hi, Sara. We spoke on the phone. Thanks for advertising this event for us.”

  “It’s what I do,” Sara said, her green eyes smiling. She held up her camera. “Do you mind if I wander around and take pictures today for the flyer?”

  “That’d be great, thanks.” Abby set aside her reluctance to ask for help and asked for what she wanted. “Sara, do you think you could also do a little write-up about Bayside Barn? Let people know how important it is to the community? Maybe tell them where they can sign the petition to help us keep our animals? Mack has said he’ll keep a clipboard of blank petitions at his office.”

  “Of course. There’s one at the chamber of commerce, too.” Sara put a hand on her son’s shoulder to keep him from squirming while the grown-ups talked. “Maybe if you’re not too busy all day long, we can find time for a quick interview?”

  Abby nodded. “I’d love that.”

  “Welcome, Bayside Buddies,” someone screeched from across the yard.