Flirting with Disaster

by Sherryl Woods

  Nadine wasn’t sure whether she was more stunned that George even knew who Dr. Phil was, much less was quoting him, or that he had the insight to understand what had gone wrong in her relationships. Over time her expectations had sunk lower than a pig’s belly; it had only taken a winsome smile to charm her and a kind word to make her think she’d finally found the right man.

  “You’re probably onto something,” she told George. “And you know what’s really funny? It’s Josh who’s helped me to turn things around in terms of how I think about myself. When I came back here looking for a handout so I could get back on my feet, he insisted on me working on Amanda’s house. I’ve made some real friends the last couple of months and discovered what I’m capable of.”

  She grinned at George. “I even stood up to someone who needed to be told a thing or two. When that house is finished and I move on, I don’t think I’ll ever sell myself short again.”

  George regarded her with unmistakable dismay. “What are you talking about, Nadine? You can’t move on. You just said yourself that you’ve made real friends here. Why would you leave?”

  “Because it’s what I do,” she said simply, accepting that some patterns were never likely to change. She didn’t know anything about putting down roots. Neither, sadly, did Josh, which was why she despaired of him finding happiness with Maggie, who was all about roots and family history, even though she hadn’t found the right man yet.

  George grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “It’s what you used to do,” he said emphatically. “Now you stay and make things work right here.”

  “Josh isn’t going to want me underfoot forever,” she protested.

  George shook his head. “You don’t have to live with your son,” he said impatiently. “We’ll find you your own place.”

  “And how do you propose I pay for it?”

  “If you need a job, we’ll find one for you.”

  He said it with such confidence that Nadine almost believed it was a real possibility. Would she want to stay even if she could? She peered through the doorway into the main room of the gallery and spotted Amanda, Caleb, Josh and Maggie. Even Juliette Forsythe had been kind to her earlier today and thanked her for pulling together all these people to help Maggie. She and Juliette couldn’t have had more dissimilar backgrounds, but this romance blossoming between their kids gave them something in common.

  “Well?” George prodded. “Are you going to forget about this ridiculous idea of leaving town?”

  She studied him curiously. “Why does it matter so much to you whether I go or stay? I thought I was nothing but a thorn in your side.”

  The question seemed to fluster him. “Isn’t that obvious?”

  “Not to me. I just told you, I’m the one whose instincts about men can’t be trusted.”

  He leaned forward then and pressed a kiss to her lips, then sat back. “Does that tell you anything?”

  She looked into his eyes and saw uncertainty and hope and determination. It was a heady combination, especially coming from a man whose respectability couldn’t be questioned. “Why me, George?”

  “Why not you?” he countered in a way that bolstered her self-respect by several notches.

  Indeed, Nadine thought, why not her? There was promise in that kiss, but she’d learned not to trust promises.

  “I don’t suppose I have to make any decisions right away,” she told him. “It’ll be weeks before the house is finished.”

  “Then I’ll just have to pull out all the stops and see what I can come up with to persuade you to stay,” he said. “I used to be real good at closing business deals. I’m a little out of practice, but let’s see what I can accomplish in the romance department. I imagine I can get the hang of it.”

  She touched his cheek. He hadn’t shaved this morning and the slightly disreputable look suited him. He didn’t seem nearly as intimidating as he usually did. “It’ll certainly be flattering to have you try.”

  Maggie was arguing with Josh about his technique for removing the paint from Great-Grandmother Juliette’s desk when she spotted Nadine and George emerging from her office looking flushed and awfully pleased with themselves. “Will you look at those two?” she murmured.

  Josh turned to follow the direction of her gaze. “Dammit, not again!”

  She frowned at his reaction. “You don’t approve of your mother and George getting friendly?”

  “I don’t imagine it matters whether I approve or not. Nadine will do whatever the hell she wants to do and wind up getting hurt yet again. No man with a background like George Winslow’s is going to be serious about Nadine.”

  “You’re not giving her or George much credit,” Maggie chided.

  “Look, I can’t blame George for latching on to whatever she’s offering. Even I can see Nadine’s appeal, though saying that about my own mother makes me cringe. It’s Nadine. Why the hell hasn’t she learned anything after all these years and all these mistakes? Why would she set herself up for heartache?”

  “I think she’s brave,” Maggie said wistfully.

  “Why? Because she repeatedly sets out to get her heart broken?”

  “No, she repeatedly opens herself up to the possibility of love. You ought to admire that. Aren’t you the one who accused me of being too closed off and not letting anybody in? Your mother’s the exact opposite. Maybe she could teach me a thing or two.”

  “If you’re looking for lessons, find somebody who’s actually in a successful relationship,” Josh advised. “Dinah, maybe. She and Cord seem ecstatic.”

  “They are disgustingly ecstatic,” Maggie confirmed. “I’m not sure anybody can copy that.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Don’t you even want to try?”

  “Do you?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I think they’ve got a one-in-a-million thing, though.” he said. “The rest of us are probably doomed to ordinary.”

  Maggie poked him in the ribs. “Are you saying sex with me is ordinary?”

  “There you go mixing up sex and love again,” he accused. “Two different things.”

  “Not always,” Maggie said, again wistful. Sometimes lately, she had a feeling both were within her grasp if only she were brave enough to reach out and grab on tight. She couldn’t help wondering if Josh ever felt the same way, but she was too scared to ask.

  Instead, she forced her attention back to the desk. “I think we should send this down to Savannah to a professional furniture-restoration expert I know.”

  Josh sighed heavily. “What is it you think I do for a living?”

  “Build things,” she said, mostly because she knew it annoyed him to have his expertise diminished that way.

  “I do historic renovation,” he corrected patiently. “If you don’t trust me, ask Cord. He seems to believe I’m reasonably skilled at what I do.”

  “You renovate buildings,” she retorted. “We’re talking about my great-grandmother’s antique desk. I don’t want to take any chances.”

  Josh rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. We’ll take it to Savannah.”

  She regarded him with surprise. The capitulation was almost too easy. “Just like that? You’re caving in?”

  He shrugged. “I know the desk has great sentimental value to you. If you’d feel better having it restored by someone you know and trust, it’s okay with me,” he said magnanimously. “We can drive it down tomorrow. I have some people I need to see down there anyway.” He grinned at her. “Maybe this expert of yours can teach me some new techniques while we’re at it. I’m always open to new ideas.”

  “He probably could,” she said. “But you don’t have to go. I can borrow a truck and take the desk down myself.”

  “Like I said, I have people I need to see in Savannah. Cord’s been bugging me to get down there. Maybe you and I can stay over, have a great meal, walk along the river. I know a fantastic B&B on the waterfront—or there’s one I’ve stayed at in town that has a room in the carriage house out back. You
decide.”

  She regarded him suspiciously. “Since when have you spent a lot of time hanging out in fancy B&B’s in Savannah?”

  “Even a guy like me knows a little something about romancing a lady in style,” he claimed.

  “So you’ve stayed in these places with other women,” Maggie said slowly, fighting the desire to slug him for past sins, as ridiculous as that would be. He might decide to start asking questions about her past and she definitely didn’t want to go there.

  “Does it matter whether I’ve stayed there before?” he asked.

  “I think it does,” she admitted. “I don’t want to stay in some room where you’ve had a romantic tryst with another woman. I’ll find us a place to stay.”

  “Fine. Suits me. You probably have better taste than I do. This way I won’t have to listen to you complain about my choice.”

  Maggie wasn’t sure she appreciated the suggestion that she might be too judgmental or picky, but she let the comment pass. “What time do you want to leave?”

  “I’ll pick you up early, say, around seven. We can stop for breakfast on the way down.”

  “If we’re going that early, why not come back tomorrow night?” she asked.

  “And miss the chance to romance you in some classy place? I don’t think so.”

  Something didn’t feel quite right about this whole excursion, but Maggie couldn’t put her finger on it. Josh was saying all the right things, letting her have her own way. How could she argue with any of that?

  “I’ll be ready at seven,” she said finally.

  But between now and then, she was going to do her best to figure out just what Josh was up to.

  Josh was pretty darn proud of himself. His little scheme had worked like a charm. He’d known from the outset of their conversation that Maggie would never in a million years let him lay a finger on her precious antique desk, no matter how qualified he might be to do the work. He’d seized the opportunity to get her out of town. Now all he had to do was entice her to stay there for more than one night—or at least until Detective Ryan had Brian safely in custody.

  He’d had a couple of bad minutes when she’d questioned why they were staying at all. Once he had her in that room, though, he figured he could persuade her that there was no big hurry to get back. He’d stay in touch with Detective Ryan till Brian was behind bars before letting Maggie budge from Savannah.

  Unfortunately, so far the police were having a hard time tracking the man down. If he was behind the destruction at the gallery, he’d wisely beat a hasty retreat out of Charleston once he’d accomplished his mission and wrecked the place. The cops had his apartment under surveillance 24/7. They’d assured Josh they would catch the man the minute he came back to town.

  Meantime, Josh intended to keep Maggie otherwise occupied. She’d already started getting impatient that Brian wasn’t locked up. Any second now Josh expected her to insist on looking for the man herself. The thought of Maggie and Ellie forming their own posse sent a shiver of alarm through him.

  Relieved to be postponing such a potential calamity, he arrived at her place promptly at seven with the desk already in the back of the truck, wrapped in several blankets to keep it from sustaining any more damage on the trip to Savannah. He’d tossed his bag in the back of the truck, as well.

  When Maggie opened the door, she gave him one of those long, lingering looks that might have raised the temperature of his blood ten degrees if there hadn’t been so much suspicion behind it.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I’m not entirely sure.”

  “Did something happen?”

  “No, not yet, anyway.”

  “Am I supposed to have the faintest idea what you’re talking about?”

  “You’re up to something, Josh. I just can’t figure out what it is.”

  “Me? I’m driving you to Savannah. What’s so mysterious about that?”

  Her expression remained puzzled. “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I will.”

  He shook his head. “Well, be sure to keep me posted.”

  “Oh, you can rest assured I will,” she said.

  “You know, Maggie, not everything in life is some big plot or conspiracy.”

  “No, not everything,” she agreed. “But with you, I can’t be sure.”

  He chuckled. “Maybe I just want to be alone with you someplace romantic. How dastardly is that?”

  “I wish I believed that’s all this trip is about,” she said, crawling into the truck.

  “If you’re so suspicious of my motives, why are you going?”

  “So I can have my way with you, of course,” she said sweetly. “Why should I miss out on that just because I don’t trust you entirely?”

  “Why indeed?” Josh muttered. The workings of her mind would never cease to amaze him.

  He stole a glance at her as he pulled onto the highway. “Tell me again how a woman from Charleston, which is loaded with people who are experts in restoring antiques, wound up using someone in Savannah?”

  “Geoffrey Latham used to be in Charleston. Then he met someone and fell in love. Since his family disapproved, they set up shop in Savannah.”

  “Are we talking a gay couple here?” Josh asked.

  She frowned at the question. “Does it matter?”

  “To me? No. I was just wondering why his family objected. Sexual orientation seemed like the most logical reason.”

  “Well, you happen to be right, but there could have been dozens of other reasons.”

  “Such as?”

  “Class is very important to some people in Charleston,” she began.

  “To your family?” he inquired, then held his breath. He’d been getting along with the Forsythes, but he doubted he was their idea of a good candidate for a son-in-law.

  “To some degree, I suppose.”

  Josh felt a knot form in his gut. “So you figure you’re slumming with me? Is this thing with us still about driving your mama crazy?”

  “I don’t go slumming,” she said indignantly. “I choose my friends and my lovers because I enjoy their company, not because of who they are or how much money they have.”

  “But you can’t deny that having your mama get all riled up is a nice bonus,” Josh said.

  “Okay, yes, sometimes that has been a factor,” she admitted. “I’m not very proud of that.”

  “How about this time?” Josh pressed, unable to let the subject drop, even though he was hating every one of her answers.

  “If that’s what you and I were about, I’d be flaunting you under her nose, not running off to Savannah with you.”

  “Come on, sugar, you don’t have to flaunt anything. You know she’ll get wind of this. It’s not like people don’t know we’re going.”

  “How could anyone possibly know? Have you been bragging?”

  “No, I have not been bragging,” he said with exasperation. “But there were a lot of people around when we made these plans. I had to tell Cord I was going to be away a couple of days. I’d be willing to bet you told Dinah, to say nothing of Ellie and Vicki, since they must be covering for you at the gallery.”

  “Okay, yes, but what does that have to do with my mother finding out?”

  “Did you swear them all to secrecy?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Then odds are, your mother will find out. She’ll call the store looking for you or she’ll talk to Dinah. Whoever she speaks to will innocently mention that you and I are away together.” He slanted a look at her. “Will she freak out?”

  Maggie hesitated. “I honestly don’t know.”

  “Maybe that’s not even the important question,” Josh said thoughtfully.

  “What is, then?”

  “Do you care if she flips out?”

  “Truthfully, I don’t care what she thinks.”

  Josh couldn’t hide his skepticism. “Really?”

  “Really,” she said flatly. “This is not about my mother.�
��

  “Since when?”

  “Since I realized a few days ago that there didn’t seem to be anything I could do that scared you off,” she said wryly. “Now it’s all about me and whether or not understanding that will send me running for the hills.”

  That was an unexpected twist. Josh wasn’t sure how he felt about it. He met her gaze briefly. “Come to any conclusions about that yet?”

  “Nope. The jury’s still out.”

  “You realize this is dangerous new turf for both of us,” he teased.

  “Tell me about it.”

  He liked the way her willingness to court danger made him feel. “I’ll do what I can to make it worth your while.”

  “I’m counting on that,” she said. “Which is why I made a reservation for an early check-in. I thought we might want to get started on that part right away.”

  Josh laughed. “Darlin’ you surely are full of surprises.”

  “Something you should probably keep in mind.”

  “Oh, believe me, it’s not something I’m likely to forget.”

  In fact, he had a hunch Maggie was capable of taking him on more nail-biting roller-coaster rides than any woman he’d ever met.

  20

  It was two days before they even considered emerging from the hotel room Maggie had reserved for them in Savannah. It was a good thing she’d instinctively chosen a place that had outstanding room service.

  Wednesday morning they were lingering over fresh strawberries and Belgian waffles when she sat back with a contented sigh. “As amazing as this has been, we probably should deliver that desk to Geoffrey before he wonders what happened to me. He knows I’m in town and I’m beginning to run out of excuses for not getting it over to his shop.”

  “Maybe you should just tell him the truth,” Josh suggested. “That you’re having yourself a wild fling.”

  Judging from his expression, he spoke only partially in jest.

  “As interesting as I’m sure he’d find that,” Maggie said dryly, “I think maybe discretion would be better. He still knows a lot of people in Charleston.”

  “You ashamed of what we’ve been up to?” Josh inquired, his voice edged with tension.