Embraceable You (Irish Hearts Series)

by Mary Tate Engels

  Dana paused as if thinking. "No, I don’t think so."

  Silence from Siena.

  "Honest baby, I swear, that’s the truth."

  "Okay, Dana. I’m going out on a limb here to trust you."

  "Don't you want to tell me about the new business? And the mermaids?"

  "Not now. I have too much to do right now. Have a happy tattoo, Dana."

  "I'm going to blog about it. You might want to read – "

  Siena had heard enough. She closed the phone and muttered so the cats alone could hear. "That's exactly why I don't want to tell you anything that might make it to the freekin' Internet!"

  * * *

  Zach paced the floor of his room before picking up his phone and punching the numbers. "Hey David, we’ve hit a snag."

  "What’s up, man?"

  "It’s not going to go down as soon as we’d hoped."

  "What’s wrong? The old lady causing trouble?"

  "Naw . . . she’s . . . ah, not the problem." He let him mind wander to Siena, the woman who gave him an erection just thinking about her.

  "What then?"

  "Just a little delay, that’s all. I’ll get back to you on this when it clears up."

  "Hey, I thought we had a deal, man."

  "Yeah, yeah, we do. Just give me a little time, here."

  "We don’t have much time. We need to get it done when the weather turns good."

  "Oh yeah, yeah. Plenty of time for that."

  "Listen, you’re the man, so use your power. There’s always the power of imminent domain."

  Zach forced his words through his teeth. "Damn it! I don’t need some out-of-work contractor telling me how to do my job."

  "Hey man, we’re friends, right? You just get back to me and tell me when to start. I’ll be there."

  Zach cut the connection and started gathering things. Two shirts – white, cuffed and pressed slick. Two pairs of slacks – the kind with sharp creases. Ties that matched – power red. He reached for a jacket – tweed, not the casual leather with brass zippers.

  He sighed. Maybe it was time to act like the mayor, not a bully out to get his way, no matter what or who gets in his way.

  Chapter Fifteen

  While Siena's relationship with Zach ebbed and flowed on waves of emotion, her friendship with Claire blossomed over the weeks. Their thirty-plus year age difference presented few barriers. Claire was the sensible, stable person that Siena needed in her mother. And what did Siena give Claire? Maybe it was her ideas and enthusiasm for what could be, for possibilities. Right now, that's all she was going on – possibilities.

  She just hoped she wasn’t going too far, too fast for the Lacy Ladies and Haven's Point. There were no guarantees that any of this would work. It was risky, something that most folks around here resisted. And there were plenty of times when she just wanted to quit and go back to her nothing life in Boston. Like now.

  With a freshly baked loaf of cranberry-banana bread in hand, Siena headed for Claire’s. She needed to talk this out. She wasn't looking for solutions, just a good old-fashioned airing. Between Zach’s unreasonableness, Dana’s new tattoo and other rebellions, and her loan refusal, Siena could happily quit this nonsense and become a baker, mixing unusual and wonderful concoctions that everyone would love. There was some degree of satisfaction, as Goldie attested, in simply making other people happy with food.

  But that wasn’t really Siena's dream. Since ending her job so abruptly, she had come to see that creating her own business would give her the greatest satisfaction. And meeting the challenge of a new and improved Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon was what she wanted to do. Right now. She needed to do this. And even though her business was far from established, she was catching the "entrepreneur bug." It would be hers.

  Maybe Claire had some recommendation, like a banker in Portland or Bangor. Maybe Siena’s ambitions were too much for a town like Haven’s Point, especially since she had no assets, money or clout. Worse yet, she was a woman with no money or clout. What would she do if Claire’s best advice were to stop this nonsense, fold up her tent and ride out of town? Would Claire be honest – and blunt, if necessary? Zach certainly held nothing back when it came to her business prospects in this town.

  Claire’s gothic home was a reminder of a by-gone era with gingerbread eves and tall dormer windows curtained with lace. From the spacious wraparound front porch, you could see the boats bobbing in the harbor. The city of Haven’s Point hugged the shoreline in a curve of the bay. Beyond the bay's expanse, the Atlantic Ocean stretched out forever, all the way to Ireland as the locals liked to say. The whole scene was Christmas-card beautiful. Siena knew, in her heart, that this town was definitely worth trying to salvage. But were her ideas the right ones to make that happen?

  Or were Zach’s?

  "Come on in, dear. Too cold to linger out there." Claire flung the door open before Siena had a chance to ring the bell.

  Siena handed Claire the warm bread. "Here. Maybe you can serve it to your bridge club."

  "Oh dear, more baking? Must be troubles you can’t handle." Claire laughed and closed the door quickly against the force of the wind. "How are things going? Have you talked to your mother lately? How is she? And where, dare I ask?"

  Siena sat on a bench in the entryway and began removing her boots. "Dana’s been through Charleston and Savanna, blogging all the way down the coast. Now she's in Key West. Blogging her heart out. Kinda cute, actually."

  "Wait a minute. Back up there. Blogging?"

  "It's like a journal online. Dana's doing a travelogue of her view from the back of a Harley, writing about the towns, restaurants, and general attractions of the places she's going through." Siena paused. "It's a pretty good idea. They're paying for advertising on her page. It's like she's got a job."

  "Well, that's a good thing, right?"

  Siena shrugged. "She also got a tattoo – first one ever. Can you believe it! Nearly forty and she and Chaz got matching tattoos. Says they are having a blast together."

  "And that’s the most important part. Seems like everybody goes through a tattoo stage. Especially when they’re young." Claire motioned Siena into the kitchen and started fixing tea. "In the end, she's doing okay. So, let her go, dearie."

  Siena hung her coat on a rack and followed Claire in her multicolored striped sock-feet. "I guess so, but . . . she’s beyond the young rebellion stage, don’t you think? She’s too old to act like this."

  "Really? Staying young starts with a young mind. Sounds like she’s got that."

  "Um-hum, she's more like a teen. I asked her to stop by and get Aunt Addie’s ashes, since she’s traveling in Florida. Seems that Kay is going to Michigan for the summer for the wedding of her granddaughter and to visit relatives. She won’t be back here until July or maybe August. I thought Dana should bring the ashes back for a proper service. But it’s something she absolutely refuses to do." Surprisingly, Siena felt sudden tears.

  "Why?" Claire poured them tea, then motioned to sit at the round oak table.

  "She claims it's too hard. That if she held the ashes, it would mean that Aunt Addie has actually passed on and isn't coming back."

  "No dear. Why the tears? You can have ashes shipped, you know. People do it all the time."

  "Seems disrespectful." Siena tried to keep her anger at bay. "Just because it's something Dana doesn't want to do. All she wants now is to write her crazy blog and do beach yoga. Which means it’s free for any and all who want to join-in. They do down-dog in the sand. And who knows what else."

  Claire cleared her throat. "Now, listen. She raised you, didn't she? Provided a home and loving arms and cookies and --" she flicked one hand, "all those things that mothers do."

  Siena nodded reluctantly. "Yes, sort of. With a lot of help from Aunt Addie. At this point, I just want her to grow up. That's all I want from her."

  "Well, my dear, that’s entirely up to her. Not you. Sounds like she doesn’t want to grow up. We all have choices, y
ou know."

  Siena grew silent. She walked to the window where she could see a few snowflakes swirling in the wind. "I guess you’re right, Claire."

  "Your mother’s not a bad person, Siena. She’s exploring her youth. She never got to do crazy, fun things that teenagers do because she was so very young when she had you. That meant heavy responsibilities before she was ready. You've got to admit, there’s no doubting her love."

  "Oh yeah, she’s all about love." Siena rolled her eyes. "In all of its many meanings."

  "And that’s not all bad. Let Dana do her beach yoga and be happy with Chaz. I want you to come on in and see what I’m doing with this old house. Your inspiration, my love."

  Siena laughed to herself as she followed Claire into the parlor. How could she be anyone's inspiration when her life was such a mess?

  Claire presented the freshly painted room with one hand extended. A stained glass window featuring two mermaids gleamed in the sunlight. "You’ve inspired me to open a B&B in this big old house. It’s one way to get laughter flowing here again. After my girls left and Daniel died, I just let myself slip into a hole. If it weren’t for Addie, I’d still be sleeping until noon and taking a nap at three. Now I have something to look forward to, besides the vast wealth we’re going to accumulate from the lace." She hooted at the idea.

  "Claire, a B&B can be a lot of work."

  "I’m up to it. Otherwise, I’ll hire help. Zoey is helping me with the redecorating and updating the style. The first thing we did was to scrub this mermaid window clean and clear. I, like all the rest in town, painted it over and tried to hide everything. But now, isn’t it beautiful?"

  An unavoidable smile lit Siena’s face and lifted her spirits as a pale blue light drifted from the stained glass. "It’s fantastic. Another of Luciano’s?"

  "Yes of course. He left a whole pod of them around town. Mine is smaller than Addie’s but his amazing artistic flair is there. He must have put them in at least ten houses in Haven’s Point. I think he knew, even then, that they would catch on and be a great asset for us someday."

  Siena crossed her arms, as if to defend what she was about to say. "You know this isn’t going to set well with the town. No one likes them, even Zach. Everyone seems to think they’re bad luck."

  "And you know what I say about that? Bull-hockey! Everyone’s wrong! I love this art and the idea of beautiful, happy mermaids everywhere. I’ve hidden this marvelous creation long enough."

  "Why did everyone agree to hide them?"

  Claire shrugged. "Gutless wonders, we were. No one wanted to take on the fight when Walt and his cronies declared them indecent and immoral. And when Zach’s father died while out in that boat with the mermaid foremast – none of the other lobster boats had one like that – why they claimed the mermaids really were bad luck and led him to his death." She snapped her fingers. "Instant, tragic proof."

  "That’s just crazy. Weren’t they – the mermaid myths – derived from seasick sailors watching dolphins swimming with the boats? They hallucinated about women of the sea!"

  "Who knows? Mermaids go back to medieval times, in all the ancient sea stories." Claire walked to the doorway and looked out over the bay. "Dolphins used to frolic right out there in our bay. I could see them from here. But now they’re long gone. Don’t know what drove them away. At any rate, with all the fuss, I think Addie was embarrassed. And after Luciano died, she had no more fight left." Claire turned back to face Siena with tears in her eyes. "We should have stood up for Addie then. I’m sorry we didn’t."

  "I think I can understand. Sometimes you figure the fight is too much. I’m about there, right now."

  "Oh, now that doesn’t sound like you, Siena. I thought you’d be excited to hear I’m doing my part by opening a B&B in this old Victorian."

  "I think it's great, Claire. What prompted that decision?"

  "You gave me the idea. I realized I needed to get outside my comfort zone, open up the doors, and share this beautiful old house. When I learned about your new project with Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon and saw your enthusiasm, I realized I needed to do something more. Zoey has a great eye for decorating, doesn't she? And that girl can wield a mad paintbrush. Look at the difference color makes."

  "Love it." Siena could see the plot unfolding now. Zoey was doing everything she could to counter her brother, even if it meant assisting those who opposed Zach’s grand plans. Maybe he didn’t care if Claire opened a B&B, but he certainly did care if Siena opened a lingerie shop. And Zoey lent a helping hand to both.

  Claire was enthusiastic. "Zoey has offered to help me with some computer stuff in my new business. Something about making reservations online. And she's going to pull George into it, to make sure it's all correct."

  Siena nodded. "George is a computer genius. And Zoey has a world of ideas. Put them together and they're magic. Look what they did with our Heart's Desire pillows on Valentine's Day."

  "She's got ideas all right. But I don't know about George. Anybody who writes about creatures from the sea…" She clicked her tongue against her teeth and shook her head.

  "Apparently people love his books. As I said, genius."

  Claire changed the subject. "I just love this color, don't you? Zoey found it. Something called Melon Moon. I wanted something different from that awful pinky color that we used to love. Mauve is out; melon is in. And we moved about a ton of knick-knacks and stuff that I collected over the years. I could stock an antique store with all stuff we packed away. And I may, yet."

  "I’m really impressed with what you and Zoey have done."

  "Come, let’s finish our cuppa tea. And try out your banana bread. Smells luscious." Claire brought out a pair of teacups decorated with hand-painted shamrocks. "These cups are part of a tea set that belonged to my blessed mother in Ireland."

  Siena turned the cup over and read the maker's mark. "Belleek? Why, they're beautiful."

  "Yes, indeed. Make in Ireland. I brought them over when I married Mr. Fairchild and have hardly used them since. But I'm not leaving them in the closet any longer. I’m going to bring them out when my friends come to call. And when I serve high tea to my B&B clients."

  "You called him Mr. Fairchild?"

  "In the beginning, I did. Because I barely knew him."

  "You married someone you barely knew?" Siena couldn't imagine.

  Claire shrugged. "It was an arrangement of sorts. I'll tell you about it someday. Believe me, after we'd been to the marriage bed together, I decided it was time to call him Danny." She giggled.

  "The marriage bed…" Siena laughed and ran a finger lightly over the cup’s thin edge. "I like the idea of taking something old and making it valuable and usable again. Like this beautiful Victorian house. And my aunt's business."

  Claire poured their tea. "Ah, you’re so much like Addie. She was always popping up with a non-traditional idea. And it was fun." She sighed heavily. "I miss her so much."

  "Yes. I wish I could discuss the shop with her."

  "She’d tell you to go for it. Time for Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon."

  "I spoke to a garment company in South Carolina last week," Siena said. "They will make lingerie to our specifications. And they agreed to utilize all our hand-made lace in the products. They suggested making sachet pillows and tiny tooth fairy pillows for kids. Isn’t that a cute idea? And to make elegant wedding gift pillowcases decorated with lace. And lacy night gowns."

  "I think it’s so clever that you’re exploring ways to use our lace. But my dear, we made lace-edged pillowcases and nightgowns back in my youth. It was part of our so-called dowry."

  "Dowry? I haven't heard that word in ages. Did you have a dowry, Claire?"

  "In a strange way, yes. My father made sure of it before he died. Plus, I inherited this Belleek tea set and my blessed Da's fiddle. Oh, all that happened so many years ago. For now, we have to figure out how to make a profit from our lace instead of having it wasting away in a box. Sounds like you've got us on the ri
ght track."

  "Sure hope so. If only… "

  Claire squeezed her hand. "The Lacy Ladies will be thrilled with your news. Right now, they're trying to fill those Heart's Desire pillow orders from Valentine's Day." Claire laughed and waved both hands. "Things are changing around here, Siena. I’ve had calls from at least ten women who want to join our lace-makers. So we've put them to work."

  "Providing local jobs. That's a good thing." Siena wondered what would happen to them if she couldn't afford to open her shop.

  "I'm so excited that women from all around, even neighboring towns have heard about what we’re doing. And they want to be a part of it. Be part of the solution, not the problem. Isn’t that what businessmen say?"

  Siena looked down. "But what if… "

  Claire smiled happily. "Do not worry about objections from the Fairchild's, Siena. I'll handle them, myself. I want them to know how you've inspired everyone, and to thank you for bringing hope back to Haven’s Point. You are the spark of new blood that Addie often talked about. We’re on the verge of something big, I can just feel it."

  Siena pushed away and walked to the window. She felt like a fraud, especially with all of Claire's accolades. "Claire, I’m afraid I may not be able to do any of the things that I’ve promised. Y'see, the local bank refused my business loan application. So I'm going to try Portland. I wondered if you knew anyone there, a bank that --"

  Claire tossed her head. "Well, you just go right back down there and talk to my nephew, Rich Fairchild. Tell him – "

  Siena turned around and raised one hand. "I did. He took great pleasure in telling me ‘no’. He thought I was on the wrong track with the new, improved Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon. The old one was just fine, thank you. I'm sure he was highly embarrassed by the lingerie photos I showed him. I can't go back to him."

  Claire looked stunned. "What an ass! Does he understand that this is part of a new business drive to enliven the town and give us all a stronger financial base?"