by LuAnn McLane
“Nicolina, I made Tristan McMillan an offer for Whisper’s Edge,” Mitch said to her. “He wanted to propose another joint venture to me but I decided that I’d like to have the land to myself. The riverfront property will only go up in value if we sit on it.” Mitch paused as if listening, and then said, “Yes, I already discussed a marina and restaurant and maybe even a microbrewery with him, but Nicolina, I don’t know. With the Wedding Row shops still not fully rented out I want to move a little bit slowly.” He paused again. “Yes, the bakery will be opening in a couple of weeks and I’m hoping to have a photography studio and wedding boutique in place soon. I know it will help your business thrive too but you’re already stretched to the limit. Sweetie, you truly need a personal assistant.” He sighed. “I know…I know, but Bella is away at Logan’s baseball games too much. We’ll chat over a bottle of red tonight.” After another pause he said, “No, Tristan is going to mull the offer over and give me an answer in a day or two.” Silence, and then, “I love you too.”
For a moment Ben just sat there while the realization that Tristan wasn’t remotely who he represented himself to be slowly sank in. Ben ground his teeth together. Kate was going to be pissed.
And Savannah was going to be devastated.
Ben absently munched on the pickle while he decided what to do with the information. After a few minutes he knew he was going to have to break the news to Kate. And he’d better not cross paths with Tristan McMillan, or the hot-shot lawyer pretending to be a hero to a bunch of trusting senior citizens would get a much-deserved roundhouse to the jaw.
After polishing off what little he could of his meal, Ben paid his tab and left Sunny a hefty tip after she worried once more that he was unhappy with his meal or service.
But he drove back to Whisper’s Edge with a heavy heart for so many reasons. After parking his truck in his driveway he started slowing strolling toward the office. This wasn’t going to be easy. As he passed through the neighborhood, smiles and waves came his way. Little did they know that their community was at risk, and Ben felt another shot of anger toward Tristan McMillan.
“Hey there, Ben!”
Ben looked over to see Clovis Camden motion for him to cross the street. “Hi, Clovis.” Ben forced a smile.
“Where you been keepin’ yourself?”
“Ah, been busy.”
Clovis leaned on his rake. “How about coming over tonight for some brats and beer and baseball? Clyde is making some of his killer tater salad. I’ll be doing the grillin’. I don’t do any of that girly kitchen stuff.”
“Ah, sounds good but I have to pass,” Ben said, but he truly appreciated the offer. “I’ve got some paperwork to do.”
“If you change your mind, let me know,” Clovis said. “The invitation will remain open.”
“Thanks.”
“We’ve been missing ya playin’ horseshoes.”
“I’ve been really busy,” Ben lied. “I’ll try to make it this week.”
“Okay,” Clovis said and swiped a hand across his forehead. “Whew,” he said and, to Ben’s horror, swayed just a bit.
“Clovis, are you feeling okay?”
“Aw, just this danged heat.” He swiped at his forehead again. “I’ll be fine in a minute.”
Ben wasn’t having it. “Let’s get you inside where it’s cooler.” He was truly worried.
“I need to finish this yard work,” he said with a stubborn lift of his chin.
“The weeds can wait, Clovis.”
“Once I start a job, I like to finish.”
Luckily, Willie and Miss Patty came walking by and overheard the exchange. “Hey there, is everything all right?” Miss Patty hurried across the lawn, followed closely by Willie.
“Clovis had a dizzy spell,” Ben explained.
“I’m fine, I tell ya!” Clovis puffed out his chest with male pride that would have had Ben grinning if he hadn’t been so concerned.
Miss Patty shushed him. “Don’t be so danged stubborn, Clovis Camden. Have you hydrated? And I don’t mean beer.”
“Do you always have to be so bossy?” Clovis grumbled, but if Ben wasn’t mistaken there just might be a bit of a spark between those two.
Miss Patty pressed her lips together. “I’ll take that as a big fat no!” She grabbed him by the elbow. “Let’s get you inside. Where’s Clyde?”
“Grocery shoppin’. He’s making some tater salad later. It’s surprisingly tasty.”
“Do you have this handled?” Ben asked hopefully and got a nod from Miss Patty.
“I’ll take care of the stubborn old coot.”
“I’m not an old coot. And that dog isn’t coming in my house,” he grumbled.
“You’re as stubborn as the day is long,” Miss Patty shot back as they entered the neat little house. Willie followed them.
Ben made a mental note to check on Clovis later and then felt another flash of anger at Tristan McMillan. The residents might gripe at one another from time to time but they were a community and cared about one another as friends and neighbors. Some of them had kids or grandkids that came over to check in on them from time to time, but many of them were on their own. They depended upon one another. Where would they go if Whisper’s Edge was shut down?
Ben was thinking so hard on the subject that he forgot to be nervous about swooping in and kissing Kate until he found himself on the front steps to the office. The door was usually unlocked during the day for residents to come and go if they needed assistance for any reason. Ben normally entered without knocking, but when he got to the doorway of Kate’s office and was about to make his presence known, his pulse kicked into high gear and he stopped in his tracks.
Intent on whatever she was doing, Kate failed to look up and notice him standing there like a lovesick fool. She swiveled in her seat in order to peck on the keyboard while peering intently at the monitor, giving Ben a view of her profile. Even wearing her crazy polka-dotted reading glasses, she looked gorgeous to Ben. Just last week, before everything had gone to hell in a handbasket, he’d bought a half dozen of the glasses for her since she was forever looking for them, most often finding them perched on top of her head.
Kate typed for a minute and then made a growling sound. “Whew!” She sighed, picked up a magazine, and started fanning her flushed face, even though the room was, as always, as cold as a meat locker.
As she fanned her face he noticed a bracelet dangling from her wrist. Ben narrowed his eyes.
Wait a minute.
Was it the coral and turquoise bracelet that he’d bought her? The sun caught the silver heart-shaped charm. Well damn…He must have made some kind of noise, because she suddenly stopped fanning and looked over in his direction. When her eyes widened in surprise, he said, “You’re wearing the bracelet.”
“Isn’t that why you gave it to me?” she asked with false innocence.
“So…do you like it?”
“No.” She rubbed the charm with her thumb and fingertip. “I love it,” she admitted softly.
Ben took a step into the room. “Why didn’t you call and tell me?”
She pushed her glasses up on top of her head. “I was waiting for you to show up.”
“So that’s all I had to do? Show up?”
She nodded.
Ben shoved his fingers through his hair. “So, I haven’t been able to eat or sleep and all I had to do was walk through the door and everything would be just peachy?”
She nodded again. “I had a change of heart after I finally opened the gift. I realized that I was wrong. I want to be serious. Committed…”
“My emotions are warring with being really relieved and super pissed. I’m leaning toward super pissed.”
This time she pressed her lips together as if warding off her own emotions.
“Kate, for the love of God, why didn’t you call me or come over and put me out of my misery? Why did you choose to put me through hell?”
“I wanted you to come back after me, Ben.�
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His anger rose. “So this was a game to you?”
She tossed the magazine down. “I don’t play games,” she replied hotly.
“It sure feels like it.”
“Look, in my lifetime I’ve been disappointed by those I loved and trusted the most. I needed to be sure. I figured that if you gave up that easily then your words were…hollow. I wanted for you to show how much you wanted me in your life.”
“Great. So this wasn’t a game but a test?” He voice sounded tight and strained but he couldn’t help it. Ben was on the verge of shouting, something he almost never did.
“It wasn’t easy for me not to call you.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Ben took a step closer. When he saw the dark circles beneath her eyes some of his hot anger cooled. “In other words you were scared.”
“No, petrified.” She fingered the charm as if gathering strength from the silver heart. “But right now my plan seems shallow and mean.” She blinked as if warding off tears.
“Ah, Kate.” Ben softened. “You are neither of those things. But what if I hadn’t shown up?”
“I had a backup plan.” She grinned slightly.
“And what was that?”
“I was going to fake a leaky faucet or some such nonsense. Come up with a reason to call you.”
Ben felt the tension leave his body. “I’m trying to stay pissed, especially since your devious plan, test, whatever it was worked like a charm.”
“And?”
He sighed. “It isn’t working. All I want to do is kiss you.”
Kate pushed back her chair and walked over to him. She put her arms around his neck and said, “Then do it.”
“After what you put me through, I shouldn’t make it so damned easy on you,” he growled but he dipped his head and captured her lips with his. Ben felt her tremble and held her tightly. After pulling his mouth from hers he said, “I love you, Kate. I missed you and I’m miserable without you in my life. You lifted me out of a deep depression and gave me back the will to live…to laugh.” He reached down and touched the silver charm. “Strength,” he read softly. “We’re both strong individuals but even stronger together.”
“I agree.” She looked into his eyes. “And I do love you, Ben. With all my heart.” She pressed her palms to his cheeks. “I’m so sorry for the way I reacted. I want to explain…”
“You don’t have to be sorry. We both have some pain in our past. I understand.” He kissed her again and hugged her like he was never letting her go…because he wasn’t. “But you are my future.”
“Oh, Ben!” When her smile trembled with emotion Ben dipped his head and captured her lips with his and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. But there was a tomorrow. Lots of them and Ben wasn’t going to waste one more minute without her in his life. But when he finally pulled back he frowned. “Unfortunately, I have some disturbing news to tell you.”
Her eyes widened at his solemn expression. “Should I sit down?”
“Yeah, I think you should,” he admitted. They took a seat on the sofa against the far wall. “I’m not one to listen in on other people’s business, but I overheard Mitch Monroe talking on the phone. From what I gathered, Tristan McMillan is selling Whisper’s Edge to him for future development.” Ben relayed the conversation he’d overheard.
Kate put a hand to her mouth. “Why, that little weasel!”
“My thoughts exactly,” Ben said darkly. “Now, mind you, I don’t know if it’s a done deal and I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but Tristan certainly had other intentions for this property other than to make improvements.”
“I had my doubts at first, but he sure won me over and had me fooled.”
“He had us all fooled, Kate.”
“That explains why he called earlier and said he’d be out of town for a few days. He must be finalizing the deal!” Kate shook her head slowly. “My God, Savannah is going to be simply devastated.”
“Are you going to tell her?”
“I’m going to have to,” she replied tearfully. “Oh…God.”
“What?”
“It’s Savannah’s thirtieth birthday this coming weekend, remember? I met with some of the residents last night, and, Ben, it’s been a huge secret but they’re sending her to Maui! It’s her ultimate dream destination. She’s talked about it forever.”
“You’re kidding? How did I not know this? I mean I knew they were saving for a gift, but Hawaii?”
“Only a few people know. Otherwise, keeping it a secret would have been nearly impossible.” Kate shook her head. “And we were going to send Tristan with her as an added surprise. I was working out the last-minute details when you walked in.”
“Where is the money coming from?”
“Well, this has been in the works for quite a while. The Camden brothers own a time share in Florida that they switched out for a condo on Maui. All they would take as payment is the maintenance fee. Miss Patty has a granddaughter who is a flight attendant, and she’s getting buddy passes. The rest of the money came from the residents pooling their resources for the past few months. But all they know is that it was for a present, not the details.” She grinned. “It added up fairly quickly. The hard part has been keeping it a big secret. Not an easy feat around here, but they’ve all chipped in. Joy is a seasoned traveler, and she’s been to Maui several times. She helped put together a few fun extras like an overnight stay in Hana, whale watching, a sunset cruise, a luau,…that sort of thing. Since Savannah was going to be traveling by herself we planned lots of excursions where she would be with people. Ben, it’s a really awesome vacation but having Tristan along was going to make it so much more fun for her. And now this!” She raised her hands in the air. “What am I going to do? I know there’s the bigger picture at stake but for now I don’t want her birthday to be ruined. To think I’d grown to trust that boy and encouraged Savannah to not be afraid to follow her heart. I was so wrong.”
Ben winced. “Let’s think this through.” He reached for one of her hands and gave it a gentle squeeze, wanting her to know she wasn’t in this alone.
“You know these residents treat Savannah like the family she never had. This is her home. This is just horrible for everyone.”
“I say you get her out of here before Tristan comes back. Can you possibly move her departure up a few days?” He paused for a moment and then an idea hit him. “Hey, why don’t you go with her instead of Tristan?”
“We both can’t be gone from Whisper’s Edge at the same time.”
Ben sighed. “Well, I’d get her out of here before she finds out about Tristan’s plans. Savannah needs to be able to enjoy her trip and not ruin the fun the residents will have giving it to her. She can deal with the rest of the mess as it unfolds.”
Kate nodded. “I agree. Let’s work on it.” She smiled and rubbed her hand up his arm. “Together.”
“I like the sound of that. Look, whatever happens to Whisper’s Edge, we’ll deal with it as a team.” He leaned down and sealed his promise with a kiss.
24
Cry Me a River
SAVANNAH OPENED THE DOOR TO THE COMMUNITY CENTER and sighed. With the Hoedown Throw Down the next day she should have been excited. Everything, from Jeff singing to the catered roasted pig, was in place. Joy headed up a team to decorate, and the community center had been transformed into a barn-dance atmosphere—from the red-and-white-checkered tablecloths dotted with terracotta pots of fresh flowers to the decorative bales of hay. Miss Patty was in charge of desserts, and a table was already starting to fill up with homemade pies, cupcakes, and cookies. Savannah peeled back the plastic wrap from a plate of snickerdoodles and was about to pick one up, but the sweet treat suddenly held no appeal and she put the wrap back in place.
Savannah knew why.
Although the past week had been busy, time had crawled by like molasses on a cold winter day. She missed Tristan something fierce. She’d spoken with him on the phon
e every evening, but he couldn’t be sure that he’d be back in time for the dance although he promised to do everything in his power to do so.
His phone call telling her that he had to leave Cricket Creek to go to Cincinnati to help his mother with a real estate contract had come as a big disappointment after they’d finally expressed their feelings to each other. The timing couldn’t be worse. While she believed him, a lingering sense of unease hovered over her like a dark cloud. Maybe he would go home and decide to move back to Cincinnati. Maybe he would see his sophisticated friends and realize that there was a big social gap between them after all. Maybe absence wouldn’t make his heart grow fonder but bring him to his senses!
A few other maybes filtered into her brain, leaving Savannah feeling lost and uncertain.
But then she chided herself. Tristan had insisted that their backgrounds didn’t matter. He loved her. He’d said so at the end of each phone call. Although she hadn’t mentioned her birthday, maybe Kate had told him and he was going to come home with a big surprise? Oh, so many maybes…
And Savannah knew that even though no one had said a peep about her birthday that something must be in the works. She could just feel it. A buzz of excitement was in the air, and there were times when Savannah would walk in and the room would suddenly go silent, as if they had been talking about her. There was no way the Whisper’s Edge residents would forget her thirtieth birthday. Kate had casually brought it up last week, and there had been a sparkle in her eye that said something big was going down. Otherwise they would already be fighting over who was having her over for dinner on her big day. Although she had insisted that she didn’t want a big party, Savannah had to admit that thirty was hitting her pretty hard. Her bucket list didn’t have hardly anything crossed off of it, and the years were slipping by. Thirty suddenly seemed…old.
“Stop it,” Savannah said and stomped her foot like a little kid. “Everything in your life is finally going right and you’re being nothing but a great big scaredy cat.”
“Who are you talking to?”