Swan Point

by Sherryl Woods

  “You’re probably right,” Adelia said, trying to resign herself to accept reality. “And I certainly don’t want to turn my son into some sort of sissy who’s scared of his own shadow, but I’m not sure if I can live with my heart in my throat every time I walk into my own yard.”

  “The roof is done now, right? The worst is over.”

  Adelia laughed at her friend’s naive comment. “And now the demolition starts inside. Oh, boy! Sledgehammers and saws. Fun stuff.” She shuddered at the thought. “Okay, enough about me. Are you okay? Are you getting enough sleep?”

  “No, and Mitch has noticed. He’s caught me napping when he comes home at night, but so far he’s pretending not to see it. I know he’s just waiting for me to say something, and that almost makes it worse. He’s so blasted determined to let me make my own decisions.”

  “How is that a bad thing?”

  “Because I’m stubborn,” Lynn said, her expression rueful. “I almost wish he’d take this one decision out of my hands and tell me I need to cut back or hire help or something.”

  “But he wants you to reach that conclusion on your own,” Adelia said.

  Lynn nodded. “When we were first dating, I really appreciated his letting me get back on my feet on my own. I needed to know I was strong enough to handle things.”

  “But now you wouldn’t mind leaning on him just a little?” Adelia guessed.

  “Something like that,” Lynn said. “I know he’d step up in a heartbeat if I told him I needed help, but to me that feels like conceding defeat.”

  Adelia understood the dilemma. “It’s not, you know. It’s being smart. You’re having a baby. If you want a healthy baby, you can’t wear yourself out.”

  “But I wasn’t this tired when I was pregnant with Lexie and Jeremy,” Lynn complained. “Do you think there’s something wrong with me?”

  Since there was real worry in her voice, Adelia held back a chuckle. “Nothing more than that you’re a few years older now,” she said gently. “And trying to run a demanding business.”

  Lynn gave her a chagrined look. “Oh, that.”

  “You’re not Superwoman. You’re just human.”

  “But I want Mitch to think I’m Superwoman,” she said plaintively.

  Adelia did laugh at that. “Honey, I think he knows better, and you know what’s best about that?”

  “What?”

  “He’s crazy in love with you, anyway.”

  Lynn’s expression brightened at last. “He really is, isn’t he?”

  “Seems that way to all of us watching the two of you enviously.”

  “You envy me?” Lynn asked, looking surprised.

  “Of course. You’re my role model. You went through a crappy marriage just like me, and look at you now. You have your own very successful business. Your kids are happy again. You have a baby on the way. And then there’s Mitch, who adores you. It can’t get much better than that.”

  “I predict you’ll have all that, too,” Lynn said. “Your kids are already doing better. They come by after school every now and then on their way to see you next door. They’re chattering away with their friends and laughing. It’s really good to see.”

  “All of them except Selena,” Adelia corrected. “I think it’s going to take a while for her to get over what her father did.”

  “But she will,” Lynn said. “And I have it on good authority that Raylene is considering making you a half owner in the boutique. Your life is definitely turning around.”

  Adelia regarded Lynn with surprise. “Raylene told you about that?”

  “She mentioned it. She said it made a lot of sense, that she’d be making a decision once the baby’s here and she sees how demanding he or she is.” Her eyes narrowed. “She also said you seemed hesitant. Why?”

  “Only because I don’t have the money to invest right now,” Adelia admitted. “Well, mostly that, anyway.”

  “Trust me, that’s the least of your worries,” Lynn said as if it were of no significance at all. “The Sweet Magnolias have a way of making things happen. They did that for me. They did it way back with The Corner Spa, when Helen and Dana Sue put up the cash and Maddie put in the sweat equity. Your own brother got his interest in Fit for Anything the same way.”

  “I know about that, but I don’t want to feel beholden to anyone,” Adelia told her. “After being under Ernesto’s thumb all those years, I want to make my own way.”

  “Accepting a helping hand does not make you beholden,” Lynn corrected. “I had to learn that lesson myself. You’ll find ways to pay it forward. We all have. If Raylene brings this up again once the baby’s here, don’t even hesitate, Adelia. You’ve earned the right to be more than just an incredibly good salesclerk.”

  When Adelia remained silent, Lynn studied her intently. “You said it was mostly about the money. What’s the rest?”

  “I know that so far my instincts about the business have been pretty decent—” Adelia began.

  “More than pretty decent to hear Raylene tell it,” Lynn said.

  “But I’m not really experienced,” Adelia said. “Not with running a company, that’s for sure.”

  Lynn laughed. “Honey, do you think any of us had a ton of experience when we got started? Dana Sue knew she could cook, but she’d never run a restaurant. Look at Sullivan’s now. It’s listed in guidebooks all over as one of the best in the state. As for The Corner Spa, when Helen, Maddie and Dana Sue opened it, they didn’t even like to exercise. They just believed this town needed a gym that catered to pampering women. This bakery’s the same for me. I’m flying by the seat of my pants most of the time. You’ll be just fine, the same as the rest of us.”

  Apparently satisfied with her pep talk, Lynn stood up then. “Break’s over. At least for me,” she said, pouring more coffee into Adelia’s to-go cup. “I’ve got cookies in the oven that should be ready.”

  “And I need to get to work,” Adelia said. “Thanks for the company and for the advice.”

  “Back at you,” Lynn said. “Maybe one of these days you and Gabe will come over for dinner.”

  Adelia immediately frowned at the suggestion. “I’m not sure... I mean we’re not...”

  Lynn grinned. “I’m no fortune-teller, but I predict one of these days you will be all those things you can’t bring yourself to say,” she said confidently.

  “What things?”

  “Dating. A couple.” She laughed at Adelia’s expression. “I know,” she soothed. “Now I get why everybody had so much fun listening to me protest that there was nothing between Mitch and me.”

  Adelia couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so she took her coffee refill and left. While it was great to have someone she could bounce her worries off of, in some ways she was leaving with more on her mind than she’d had before.

  * * *

  Gabe studied Ernesto Hernandez and wondered how a woman like Adelia could have given him the time of day, much less years of her life. Successful people in Serenity dressed well enough, but none of them put on the show that Ernesto did with his fancy watch, Italian shoes and a suit that had evidently been custom-tailored. His silk-blend shirt even had monogrammed cuffs, for goodness’ sake. Most men in town figured they were dressed well enough if there was a little starch in their collars when they got their oxford cloth shirts back from the laundry.

  “I gave you a budget for sprucing up this kitchen,” Ernesto complained to Mitch. “Now you want to charge me double what we agreed on.”

  Gabe watched as his cousin struggled to hold on to his temper. Gabe wondered if Mitch would be able to pull it off. The pulsing vein in his forehead seemed to be working overtime. Gabe was tempted to step in and help him out, but this was Mitch’s company and his call.

  “It’s not a matter of wanting to charge
you double,” Mitch corrected, his voice surprisingly quiet. “I have to charge you double because you’ve upgraded everything we talked about. You’re the one who decided only granite countertops would do and that the appliances ought to be stainless steel.”

  Ernesto sighed. “Not me. That’s all Kendra.”

  “If you’re going to let her start calling the shots, then you have to pay for the changes,” Mitch said. “Or we can go back to the original plan and stay on budget.”

  “We’re selling the blasted house. I don’t know why she even cares,” Ernesto grumbled.

  Without ever having laid eyes on Kendra, Gabe had his own theory. He had a hunch the woman wanted the house upgraded her way just in case things didn’t work out with Ernesto. If he’d cheated on his wife, he was likely to cheat on her. She wanted a nice place to go home to, that is, if the relationship even lasted long enough for her to move out. The woman might have the morals of an alley cat, but she was clearly smart enough to see Ernesto for the lousy bet he was.

  Mitch sat at the kitchen table, his gaze on Ernesto. “What’s it going to be?” he asked eventually.

  “Do the upgrades,” Ernesto said after a pause.

  Mitch nodded and pushed a piece of paper in his direction. “Then I’m going to need you to sign this change order.”

  Ernesto frowned. “My word’s not good enough.”

  Now there was a minefield, Gabe thought as he awaited Mitch’s reply.

  “It’s standard procedure to have a change order when the original contract is amended in any way.”

  Ernesto glanced toward Gabe. “Are witnesses necessary, too?” he inquired sourly.

  “Gabe’s my second-in-command,” Mitch said easily. “He oversees a lot of the work. It’s just smart business to have him aware of any changes we’re making.”

  Ernesto’s frown deepened. “You’re the man I hired. I thought you were overseeing this yourself. That’s the impression Mary Vaughn gave me.”

  “I oversee all my company’s work,” Mitch explained patiently. “And I stand behind it. But I learned to delegate a long time ago. Gabe’s taking over a lot of the details and he’s very good at what he does.”

  “No way,” Ernesto said heatedly. “I won’t have a man who’s been hanging around with my wife in charge of a job I’m paying for.”

  Gabe stilled at his words. Instinctively his hands balled into fists. Just like the old days, he was ready for a fight. Only out of respect for Adelia and Mitch did he manage to control the urge to use them.

  “Excuse me,” he said softly. “Are you referring to Adelia? Isn’t she your ex-wife?”

  “Technically,” Ernesto said, not looking one bit happy about the concession to reality. “But she’s bound to influence how you feel about me. I know she doesn’t hesitate to tell everyone how mistreated she was, even after I gave her everything she could possibly need.”

  “Except fidelity and respect,” Gabe snapped before he could stop himself. He glanced at Mitch. “Sorry.”

  Mitch sat back, barely restraining a smile. “Not a problem,” he said, clearly happy to let Gabe say all the things he’d managed to keep himself from saying.

  Ernesto stood up and squared his shoulders, radiating indignation. He scowled down at Mitch. “Are you going to let him speak to a client in such a disrespectful way?”

  Mitch stood up, as well. He might not be wearing outrageously expensive business attire, but he towered over Ernesto. There was little question who was the more intimidating presence in the room.

  “I believe you started it,” he said calmly. “I don’t think this is going to work out, Mr. Hernandez. I’ll return your deposit. Get another company to do the job.”

  “I’ll sue you for breach of contract,” Ernesto warned.

  “Try it,” Mitch said, waving the unsigned change order under his nose. “You wanted to make changes to that contract but didn’t want to pay for them. That nullifies the contract. I’m pretty sure Helen Decatur-Whitney can counter any claim you want to make. She did a pretty good job for your wife in the divorce. Do you really want to tangle with her again?”

  “Get out!” Ernesto said. “I want you off my property.”

  “I don’t believe the property is yours,” Gabe said as they were on their way out. “And if your girlfriend is even half as smart as I think she must be since she convinced you to do all these fancy renovations for her, eventually you’ll be the one who’s escorted from it by the police.”

  Ernesto blinked at Gabe’s words. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Gabe grinned, surprisingly satisfied to let words win this particular battle. “Sure I do. I always recognize a good con when I see one. Now you have yourself a nice day.”

  Mitch didn’t say a word until they were in his truck and on their way back to town. Gabe studied him, worried that he’d gone too far and cost his cousin this job.

  “I’ll go back and apologize if you want me to,” he offered. Then he added, “Though I’d probably choke on the words.”

  Mitch chuckled then. “No, absolutely not. You said everything I’d been dying to say. I told you days ago I didn’t want to do this job. Thanks to you, Ernesto finally gave me the perfect way out.”

  “Then you’re not furious with me for what I said back there?”

  “Nope. I just wish I’d guessed what his girlfriend was up to the way you did. I never look for devious motives.”

  “Because you’re a nice guy,” Gabe told him. “You never see the bad in anyone. Me, I’ve seen more than my share of good cons over the years.”

  “Do you really think his girlfriend is just after a sugar daddy to fix up her house before she calls it quits?”

  Gabe shrugged. “I’ve never laid eyes on her, so who knows, but I can’t imagine she thinks the man who cheated so openly on Adelia would be a good bet for a long and happy life. I imagine she’ll take him for whatever she can, then shed very few tears when she sends him on his way.”

  “Well, apparently Ernesto just realized that’s a real possibility, too, because he looked pretty shaken when you said it.” Mitch glanced over at him. “Seemed to me as if he knew there might be more to your relationship with Adelia than renovating her house for her. Any thoughts about how he knew that?”

  Gabe barely contained a groan. That kiss was going to haunt them forever. “There might have been a little talk around town recently,” he said eventually.

  “About the kiss,” Mitch suggested, his amusement plain.

  “Yes, about the kiss,” Gabe responded ruefully. “Apparently that’s been a hot topic.”

  “It certainly has been at my house,” Mitch said. “Lynn’s convinced she should start polishing the silver.”

  Gabe stared at him. “Why would she do that?”

  “Wedding shower,” Mitch said, then chuckled when Gabe’s jaw dropped. “You might want to hold off on any more kissing in public if you want to limit that kind of speculation.”

  “It was a stupid kiss,” Gabe grumbled. “Nobody caught us naked.”

  Mitch’s expression sobered at once. “Well, let’s hope when the two of you do get naked, it won’t be in the middle of Main Street.”

  “Nobody’s getting naked,” Gabe retorted.

  Mitch laughed then. “Yet,” he corrected. “Never say never, Gabe. Sooner or later you’ll wind up eating those words.”

  Gabe was very much afraid he was probably right about that. Getting naked with Adelia was on his mind way too much lately. It had been ever since he’d discovered the power of a single kiss.

  * * *

  Gabe was atop a ladder painting Natalia and Juanita’s room with pale pink on the walls and lavender on the ceiling when Adelia got home from work.

  She stood in the bedroom doorway, a smile on her face
. “Don’t you look cute all splattered with pink and purple. Very princessy.”

  Gabe gave her a disgruntled look. “You should have seen me with the tiara on my head.”

  Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

  “They thought we ought to have a tea party before I started painting. Juanita persuaded me to wear this shiny tiara thing. She said something about princesses always being in charge and I had to do what they said. Since I wanted to get this room finished sometime before midnight, I cooperated.”

  Adelia tried to swallow a laugh, but she couldn’t pull it off. A giggle slipped out. “I am so, so sorry I missed that.”

  “I believe there are pictures,” he said, his expression disgruntled but his eyes twinkling. “Selena actually smiled while she was snapping them. I consider that worth it.”

  He climbed down from the ladder and crossed the room in three long strides. “And because of all that, I think I earned this.”

  He leaned in and stole a kiss. It didn’t last more than a heartbeat, but it tripped her heart into overdrive.

  He winked at her. “Thanks.”

  He climbed back on the ladder and went back to work while Adelia still struggled to catch her breath. When she remained silent, he turned back around.

  “You okay?” he asked eventually.

  “You just caught me by surprise,” she said. “Again.”

  “Well, I’ve been told that kisses in the middle of Main Street stir up too much talk, so this is my last resort.” He grinned. “Since I doubt you came up here just in case I decided to lose my head and kiss you, was there something on your mind? Or were you just checking on today’s progress?”

  “I came looking for you because I heard you told off my ex-husband this morning. And that he fired Mitch because of it. I didn’t even know Mitch was working for him.”

  Gabe suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Mitch only took the job because Mary Vaughn somehow tricked him into it. If you know Mary Vaughn at all, you can understand how that sort of thing can happen. She’s sneaky. Mitch didn’t realize Ernesto was the client until it was too late to back out. And technically Ernesto didn’t fire Mitch. Mitch fired him. Pretty happily, I might add.”