Swan Point

by Sherryl Woods

  “Like I said, it’s a long drive for a meal.”

  “Adelia, I honestly wasn’t suggesting we go off for some intimate overnight rendezvous.” He studied her. “Or am I getting this all wrong? Were you hoping that was exactly what I was suggesting?”

  She blushed furiously. “Don’t mind me. I don’t know what I was thinking. You made the suggestion and I guess I let my imagination run wild.”

  He smiled at that. “Well, I’m certainly open to negotiation. I didn’t think you were ready for anything more than dinner.”

  “I’m not,” she said firmly. “At least I don’t think I am.”

  “But you’re tempted.”

  She didn’t meet his gaze but gave an almost imperceptible nod. “I might be tempted,” she conceded, then buried her face in her hands. “What is wrong with me? Just a few days ago I was telling you we should stop seeing each other and now here I am practically throwing myself at you.”

  “I don’t mind,” he said. “You’re not saying a thing I haven’t fantasized about myself.”

  She glanced up. “You have?”

  “Of course. I’m not sure we wouldn’t be jumping into something we’re not ready for, but I’ve thought about making love to you about a million times since the first night I saw you at Rosalina’s.”

  A tiny self-satisfied smile tugged at her lips. “About a million times, huh?”

  “At least.”

  Her smile spread. “Good to know. Maybe that’ll hold me for now.”

  “So no secret overnights to Charleston?” he asked, not even trying to hide his disappointment.

  “Not just yet,” she said, though she sounded even more intrigued by the possibility.

  Even though he doubted he’d be able to get the idea out of his head so he could sleep tonight, Gabe was glad she’d gone there. She’d taken a tiny step out of her shell by admitting that the thought of sleeping with him had crossed her mind. Actually doing it might take a little longer, but anticipation was going to be half the fun.

  * * *

  Adelia was surprised to find her mother waiting for her in front of the boutique when she arrived the morning after her dinner with Gabe.

  “Mama, what are you doing here so early?” she asked as she led the way inside. “Do you have a wardrobe emergency?”

  Her mother gave her an as-if look. “I came to see you, since I can’t seem to catch up with you in the evening. You dropped the kids off the other night and took off before I could ask you a single question.”

  Adelia smiled. “Did you ever think that maybe that was on purpose?”

  “Of course it was. I know how skilled you are at evading my questions. I tried again last night, but when I called the house, Selena said you were out. Then I heard from my friend that you were with a handsome man at Sullivan’s. Were you on a date?”

  Adelia sighed. It had been too much to hope that her mother would be far removed from the gossip loop. “I was.”

  “With that Gabe Franklin person?”

  “You say that as if you’d never laid eyes on him or as if you disapproved of him,” Adelia said. “Have you suddenly changed your mind? You seemed to like him well enough when he stayed for dinner and you got to cross-examine him to your heart’s content.”

  “That was before,” her mother said.

  “Before what?”

  “Before I thought you were going to jump into something with both feet and parade your indiscretions around town the way Ernesto did.”

  Adelia froze at her words. “Excuse me? You did not just compare what I’m doing with what Ernesto did.”

  At the scathing, furious note in her voice, her mother backtracked at once. “Of course it’s not like that. I just mean that it’s awfully soon after your divorce to be seen all over town with someone. People might make too much of it.”

  “People? Or is this Carolina again? She’s already told me that she thinks I’m making a public spectacle of myself. And Joey said the same thing to Selena.”

  That last had the desired effect. Shock registered in her mother’s eyes. “Joey said something like that to your daughter?”

  Adelia nodded. “Clearly he’s under his mother’s influence.”

  “I’ll speak to Carolina and to Joey,” her mother said with grim determination. “It won’t happen again.”

  “Mama, you can’t control them. Let it go. I’ve dealt with them. I just don’t like hearing the same sort of judgmental comments from you. I thought we’d established a different relationship the past few months.”

  Her mother sighed. “I’m just worried.”

  “About me? I can take care of myself.”

  “I’m not so sure that you can after years of letting Ernesto erode your self-confidence, but actually I’m more worried about your children. They can’t stop talking about Gabe.”

  Now it was Adelia’s turn to sigh. “I know. I worry about that, too. That’s why Gabe and I decided to take a break.”

  “And dinner last night was part of this so-called break?”

  Adelia smiled at her mother’s incredulous expression. “Not exactly. We had second thoughts and decided to keep seeing each other. We’re taking it slowly, though, because of the kids. Neither of us wants them to get the wrong idea.”

  “The wrong idea being that you might have a future with this man?”

  Adelia nodded.

  “That’s a big risk,” her mother warned. “And this time I’m not talking about my grandchildren. Are you ready to take such a risk?”

  Adelia thought of the way Gabe made her feel. “Apparently I am,” she said softly. “I enjoy being with him, Mama. He makes me feel special.”

  Her mother’s expression softened at that. “You deserve that. You are special, and I am so sorry that Ernesto caused you to think otherwise for even a single minute.”

  “Me, too,” Adelia responded. “I’m not deluding myself that this is going to lead to some big thing, but it’s right for me now.”

  “Then I’ll focus my prayers on that,” her mother said. “That Gabe will be exactly what you need in your life right now.”

  Adelia understood what a concession that was for her rigidly moral mother. “Thank you, Mama.”

  “Of course, I might also say a prayer or two that he’ll be wise enough to make an honest woman of you.”

  Adelia laughed and gave her mother a fierce hug. “Of course you will. Thank you for that, too.”

  “Perhaps he’ll join us for Sunday dinner one of these days,” she suggested slyly.

  Adelia choked at that. “No way,” she said. “We are definitely not ready for that.”

  Her mother shrugged. “In time then. I only want what’s best for you, for all my children. Sometimes I credit myself with knowing what that is, but the truth is each of you must decide for yourself. I’m adjusting to that concept.”

  “Keep trying, Mama. I think you’re pretty darn close to getting it exactly right.”

  Her mother looked pleased by that. “Now I’ll leave you to your work.”

  “Not without looking at these new sweaters that just came in,” Adelia told her, leading her to the display. “Feel how soft they are. Pure cashmere.”

  Her mother put a tentative hand on the sweater, then stroked it gently. “It is soft.”

  “And look at this red one,” Adelia encouraged her. “It’s your favorite color.”

  Her mother looked at her, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Now I see why everyone says you have a magic touch as a saleswoman. I’ll take it, even though it’s far too indulgent.”

  “I’ll give you my discount,” Adelia told her, already heading for the register.

  “It’s still an indulgence, but given the joy I’ll get wearing it, it will be worth it.” She touche
d Adelia’s cheek. “And seeing the color here, that makes me even happier.”

  Adelia watched her mother leave, then realized a tear was rolling down her cheek. No matter how grown-up and independent she thought she was, receiving her mother’s unequivocal approval was an unexpected blessing.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Gabe was grabbing a burger at Wharton’s when he overheard one of the men in the booth behind him mention Mitch’s name. He wasn’t in the habit of eavesdropping on conversations, but he couldn’t help it since the tone of the remark had been derogatory. He put his burger down. Though he didn’t turn around, he did tune in.

  “Well, I’m not buying it,” another man responded. “Mitch Franklin is one of the most honorable men in this town. He’d never cheat a customer. And look at what he’s doing for downtown. Main Street’s going to be revitalized once he’s through with the renovations. It’s already showing more signs of life than it’s shown in years.”

  “You can thank Ronnie Sullivan for that,” the other man said. “He bought that old hardware store and got things started.”

  “And Raylene Rollins opened her boutique not long after that,” a third voice added.

  “But she and Mitch bought up all those other neglected properties and are fixing them up,” Mitch’s defender argued. “We’re already hearing from a few businesses that are interested in locating downtown.”

  By now Gabe had recognized that the man who was standing up for his cousin was Howard Lewis, the mayor, one of the town’s biggest boosters and a proponent of improving the economy of Serenity. After a glance over his shoulder Gabe still couldn’t put a name to the other two.

  “If you ask me, whoever’s been spreading those lies has an ax to grind with Mitch,” Howard said. “I’d say it was Ed Morrow, but I thought he’d learned his lesson when he tried it before and most of the town sided with Lynn and Mitch.”

  “I can’t name my source, but it wasn’t Ed,” the first man revealed.

  “That leaves Ernesto Hernandez then,” Howard said, his voice filled with disgust.

  “Makes sense,” the more neutral of the other men said. “I did hear that Mitch tore up the contract he had to do some renovations for Ernesto. I imagine Hernandez didn’t like that one bit. This sure sounds like payback. Walter, you should know better than to listen to anyone like that.”

  “I’m not confirming that my source was Hernandez, but it sounded like he had the facts to back up what he was saying,” Walter said defiantly. “I believe him. I think somebody ought to take a long, hard look at what Franklin’s up to on Main Street. And we all remember that cousin of his, Gabe. The kid was nothing but trouble, and now he’s back here and in the thick of that whole scam.”

  “Walter!” Howard said, casting a warning glance at him. Clearly he’d caught sight of Gabe in the next booth.

  Walter, however, didn’t take the hint. “Who knows how many shortcuts they’re taking with building materials and such?” he continued. “The whole dang thing could fall down a year from now.”

  That brought Gabe out of his seat. Temper barely leashed, he moved swiftly to stand beside their table. He put his hands down and leaned in. First he directed a look at Howard. “Mr. Mayor. Nice to see you,” he said pleasantly.

  Howard looked even more uncomfortable. “Son, no need to get worked up,” he told Gabe, clearly hoping to avoid a scene, no matter how justified he might think Gabe was in causing one. “Walter here didn’t mean anything by what he was saying. And you must have heard me tell him he was way off base.”

  “I did hear what you said, and I appreciate that,” Gabe replied, then turned his attention to the man who’d just been identified as Walter. “But this gentlemen just suggested my cousin and I might be doing something illegal by skirting around regulations or using questionable materials.” He looked the man in the eye. “That is what you were saying, isn’t it?”

  “It’s what I heard,” he said, his face bright red now.

  Gabe gave him an incredulous look. “And you heard this from a man who cheated on his wife and then tried to hire my cousin to renovate his mistress’s house, correct? Did he mention he kept asking for changes and upgrades, then wanted Mitch to shave his costs down to nothing? That’s the kind of man you find believable? What do you suppose that says about you?”

  Walter clearly wasn’t ready to give up yet. “He said he had proof,” he countered, a triumphant note in his voice.

  “Did you see any? Because if you did, it was phony. Mitch doesn’t cut corners. Neither do I. And if I find out you’re spreading those lies, I’ll encourage Mitch to sue you for slander.” He gave him a hard look. “But first I might forget that I’m no longer the town troublemaker and deal with you myself.”

  “Your gripe’s with Hernandez, not me,” Walter responded, though he looked shaken by the threat of a lawsuit or worse, just as Gabe had intended.

  “Oh, believe me, I’ll deal with him,” Gabe said readily. “But you’re the one doing his dirty work by spreading it all over town, so right now I’m concentrating on you. Are we clear?”

  “He won’t be saying another word about this,” Howard promised. “I’ll see to it.”

  “I can speak for myself,” Walter said belligerently.

  “Then do it,” Howard said. “Or I’ll encourage Mitch to sue you myself. I’m not sure I’ll even bother with discouraging Gabe from getting even, either.”

  The two men locked gazes, but it was Walter who blinked first. “Not another word,” he said grudgingly.

  Though Gabe didn’t entirely buy that this would be the end of it, he gave a nod of satisfaction, then turned to Howard. “Thanks for backing me up and for defending Mitch.”

  “No problem,” Howard said, clearly relieved to have the matter settled without a single punch being thrown. “And just so you know, this project of Mitch’s has my full support. The town manager’s, too. Main Street’s already looking better than I ever imagined it could.”

  “It’ll look even better when we’re done,” Gabe said, appreciative of the vote of confidence.

  His appetite gone, he tossed some bills on his own table and left without touching the rest of his burger. Mitch needed to hear about this, but maybe not till after Gabe could have a few words with Ernesto Hernandez.

  * * *

  The carpet in Ernesto’s fancy suite of offices was a light beige. Coming into the suite from a sudden downpour that had left him soaked, Gabe took a certain amount of delight in tracking mud across that pristine carpet as he headed for Ernesto’s office. He waved off the secretary who jumped up and tried to block his path.

  “This won’t take long,” Gabe told her, pushing open the office door without bothering to knock.

  Ernesto had removed his jacket, but that was his only concession to being all alone in his office. He was in another one of those stiff fancy shirts, a silk tie knotted at his throat. Gabe harbored a strong desire to tighten that knot until it made the man squirm. Instead, he took a seat across from Ernesto, settling in as if he had all the time in the world. He couldn’t help hoping that his rain-soaked clothes would ruin the fancy upholstery.

  “How’re you doing, Ernesto?” he inquired casually.

  Ernesto’s eyes narrowed. His secretary hovered uncertainly in the doorway. Apparently aware that anything Gabe was likely to say wouldn’t be anything he’d want the woman to hear, Ernesto waved her off.

  “It’s okay. I’ll handle this,” he said tightly. “Close the door.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked worriedly.

  Ernesto nodded, his gaze never leaving Gabe. “Okay, what do you want?” he demanded when they were alone.

  “I want you to stop spreading lies about Mitch,” Gabe said, his voice quiet but unyielding.

  “No idea what you’re talking about.”


  “Yet another lie,” Gabe said. “But I can refresh your memory if you like. You’ve been telling people that he’s cutting corners, using faulty materials.”

  Ernesto shrugged. “I might have mentioned to a couple of friends that I had my suspicions about the quality of his work. If that happened to get around town, that’s on them.”

  Gabe stood up, then leaned down until he was just inches from Ernesto’s face. Adding this latest offense to everything Ernesto had done to Adelia made him want desperately to plant his fist squarely in Ernesto’s smug face. Only the thought of Adelia’s reaction and the reminder that this man was the father of her children kept him from acting on the impulse.

  “First of all, I think I can safely say that you have no friends in this town, not after what you did to Adelia and your kids. Second, the instant those deliberate lies came out of your mouth, you were guilty of slander. The law has reasonably stiff penalties for that. I think my next stop will be Helen Decatur-Whitney’s office to check into just how long you might rot in jail if we pursue charges.”

  For the first time a tiny hint of panic flickered in Ernesto’s eyes. “Who’s going to believe a man who was in trouble with the law as much as you were in this town?” he said with pure bravado.

  Gabe allowed himself a faint smile. “There’s not a thing on my record but a string of warnings about fighting back against some bullies who were talking about my mom. I may have mishandled things back then, but I was standing up for someone I care about, the same way I’m doing right now. And if you know anything at all about those incidents, you probably also know that I know how to use my fists when I’m worked up. Right this second, I’m getting pretty worked up.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “I suppose you could test me and find out for sure,” Gabe said.

  Suddenly a smirk settled on Ernesto’s face. “I wonder how much time you’ll be spending around my ex-wife and my kids once a judge hears about this. Two can play at this game.”

  Having Adelia and the kids dragged into this fight nearly got the best of Gabe. He wanted desperately to wipe that smug look off Ernesto’s face, but once again he restrained himself. He knew nothing good would come of it.