Risqué Renovation [Blue Collar 1] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Nicole Morgan

  A boy on his bicycle whizzed past her car and she jumped, her thoughts returning to the present. She watched him and two other youngsters racing up the street on their bikes. She missed seeing that kind of thing. Where she grew up, kids were everywhere. They’d be outside all day getting dirty and playing as hard as they could until dusk came, and then they’d all whine about having to go inside. On the really hot days, they’d set up lemonade stands and get so excited if they were able to earn enough to buy a single ice cream treat from the Good Humor man.

  St. Helena, like Grand Isle, was worlds apart from Beverly Hills and the glitz and glamour of the most expensive zip code on the west coast. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had lived in St. Helena with her family. Oh, how she missed them. Her mother had always been her best friend, and her father…her protective and loving father. They were the best parents any child could ask for. She only hoped that when she had a child, she’d be half as wonderful to him or her as her parents were to her.

  Patreece looked down at her stomach and gently touched her flat belly. Tears welled up in her eyes and she blinked rapidly, squeezing them away. She didn’t want to let them fall freely. If she did, they wouldn’t stop.

  She shook off the sadness and let out an exasperated sigh. She tugged on the rearview mirror and wiped underneath her eyes. Bags were starting to form from her restless nights. She hadn’t slept well in longer than she could remember. Even when she eventually did fall asleep, the smallest noise would always wake her. She seemed to be always on constant alert, always watching and waiting just in case. Being naïve and far too trusting, she had learned the hard way to never let her guard down, not even for a single second.

  Smoothing her hair back and readjusting her ponytail, she told herself to stop focusing on the past. Her future became her driving force now. All these past months, all the steps she had taken to get here were leading up to this one moment. Back in California, she had merely existed, her daily life filled with paranoia and continuous worry.

  She had long since stopped reaching out to her friends and family. Their constant worry for her and offering up advice that she knew she could never take became all too much. If there had been another way, she would have taken it. In a heartbeat, she would have jumped on the opportunity to have a better life for herself.

  Patreece didn’t need fancy cars, nice clothes or any of the other trappings that came with living in Beverly Hills. She just wanted to feel safe. It shouldn’t have been too much to ask. But even the police couldn’t keep her safe. Money talked in that city. It spoke louder than actual evidence ever did, that was for sure.

  So now she was here. In Grand Isle, Maine, a town with fewer residents than the number of guests that had attended the last party she’d hosted. She’d given up everything for this one and only chance. This place was exactly what she needed. And if a time ever came where she needed protection, she would use her new gun, though she didn’t really know how to do use it yet. She would have to find a shooting range, or see if there were any instructors nearby to help her learn the small piece of metal.

  This fresh start had been exactly what she needed. She didn’t require anything special in life. She wanted to be able to live again, to close her eyes at night without being afraid and to open her windows and allow a gentle breeze through her home.

  Patreece started the car and pulled away from the curb. As she drove down Main Street and took in the sights of the town she’d now call her home, she felt a little bit of the pressure diminish. This town was the exact opposite of everything she had come to know over the past seven years of her life. It may take some getting used to, but she had a feeling she would very soon come to love living here.

  Maybe, just maybe, she hoped, she might even learn how to breathe again.

  Chapter Four

  Kade stepped out of the morning sun and walked into Riley’s Café at ten minutes past eight. The townsfolk were already bustling about the streets in preparation for the Founder’s Day Parade, which was just a few hours away. Afterward, there would be a fair at Grand Isle City Park. It was that very extravaganza that brought him to his parents’ restaurant this morning.

  His parents, Catherine and Joe Riley, had grown up in Grand Isle. They were high school sweethearts and had known each other since they were in grade school. The two had since raised their only son in the only town they’d ever call home and had made a life for themselves they could be proud of. With his father doing the cooking and his mother running the front of the house, the small, forty-seat diner was the heart of the town for so many of its residents.

  Catherine was shouting to Joe, who was in the back kitchen boxing up pies. On any other day, they would be open for business, but all of Grand Isle’s locals knew the Riley family would be far too busy with fair preparations to serve anyone. For as long as Kade could remember, his parents had supplied most of the food for the fair. Most of the townsfolk would bring small side dishes, deserts and whatnot. Rarely did any of those things get eaten, though. The usual gelatin molds and potato salads didn’t hold a candle to the treats his family concocted. Between his mother’s pie recipes and his father’s lobster stew—the best on the planet—there was little reason for anyone not to take full advantage of the Riley fare.

  “Uncle Kade!”

  He turned his head to see the blue-lipped, six-year-old angel who’d stolen his heart long ago when he’d held her for the very first time. Rachael Rawlings was the only daughter of one of his longtime friends, Chuck. A widower and fisherman, Chuck usually had his hands full with the little one, who was just as curious as her old man had been when he was a youngster. The bright-eyed little girl was Kade’s goddaughter and the apple of his eye.

  Kade walked toward her and gave her a pretend look of shock, struggling to hide his grin. The lollipop she was sucking on was turning her lips, tongue and hands blue.

  “Rachael? Little Rachael Rawlings, is that you?”

  The brown-eyed girl in pigtails giggled. “Yes. You know it’s me.”

  She was sitting on the edge of one of the booth tables and Kade couldn’t help but notice how much she resembled her mother. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but Kade could still remember when he, Chuck and his girlfriend Kimberly would hang out in that very booth. They would talk about anything and everything, never knowing then just how precious life was or how quickly it could be taken away.

  “Well, I thought it was you. But I just saw you last week and I swear you’ve grown a whole foot. Didn’t you used to be, like, this tiny?” He held his hands about a foot apart.

  “No! Not since I was a baby, Uncle Kade!”

  The little girl’s laughter was like music to his soul. When Kimberly and Chuck asked Kade to be their child’s godfather, he was honored beyond words. But only after she was born did he understand the enormity of the responsibility and the protectiveness he would feel toward this little blue mess.

  He took a look at his watch. “You sure you’re supposed to be having that lollipop this early in the morning?”

  “Well, your mama said I could.”

  “She did, huh?” He glanced over at his mother, who was barking out orders to all of the volunteers.

  “Uh-huh. She said Daddy was going to be busy setting up the tables at the park so I should just sit here and suck on my lollipop, because what Daddy don’t know won’t hurt him.”

  Kade couldn’t help but chuckle. That certainly did sound like his mother. Sure, she had kept him in line when he was a youngster, but when it came to other people’s children it would seem she had a whole different set of rules.

  “Well, if I were you, I’d wrap up the rest of that lollipop and save it for later. How about I fix you something for breakfast?”

  “Like pancakes? Can we put chocolate chips in them?” she asked excitedly.

  “I think just the pancakes for now, little one. The chocolate chips might just be a bit much after all that sugar you’ve been sucking on.” Kade spun around and bent ov
er. “Now, hop on. I’ll let you help me in the kitchen.”

  She squealed in delight and jumped on his back. Holding her legs securely, he stood up to head back to the kitchen. He turned and froze, coming face-to-face with the lovely Patreece Warren.

  “Who’s ‘at?”

  Ignoring the nosy question Rachael whispered in his ear, Kade greeted Patreece with a smile. “Good morning, Ms. Warren. It’s nice to see you again.”

  “Good morning. I just came by to get some breakfast but had no idea it would be this busy.”

  “It’s the Founder’s Day Parade. It’s a pretty big deal here in Grand Isle. Every June, it’s the same thing. It’s almost as big of a deal as the Fourth of July.”

  “Who’s she?” Rachael asked again.

  “Hello there.” Patreece held out her hand. “My name is Patreece. I just moved here.”

  “I’m Rachael. Rachael Rawlings.”

  “Oh, so she’s not…?”

  “Mine? Oh no, this little munchkin belongs to a friend of mine. I’m her godfather, though, so we’re pretty much a team.”

  “That’s nice.” Patreece looked around the restaurant. “Well, I came here to get some breakfast, but something tells me it’s not my lucky day. I’ll just head on over to the market and pick up a few things.”

  “Do you like pancakes?” Rachael chimed in.

  “Um, actually, I do like pancakes. Why?”

  “Because Uncle Kade is going to make me some now and he makes the best pancakes. He puts little ears and sometimes a tail on them. Then he tells me stories.”

  Great. Way to make me sound cool, kid.

  “Oh really? The best, huh? Do you think he would make some for me, too?” Patreece grinned at him.

  Kade was struck by her smile. It wasn’t the same polite one she’d offered him the day before. This was a genuine one, wide and sincere. It was obvious she had a soft spot for children. Her entire face lit up when she spoke to Rachael.

  “I think he will. Won’t you, Uncle Kade?”

  Rachael patted him on top of his head with the same hand she was using to hold her sucker. The sticky candy stuck to his hair and he winced. Instead of the fresh scent of Irish Spring, he now smelled like blue raspberry.

  “Oops, sorry, Uncle Kade.”

  “Patreece!”

  They all turned to see Janis Michaud heading their way. The normally put-together woman was dressed down in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that had a giant lobster on the front.

  “Hi, Janis. How are you today?” Patreece smiled with her greeting.

  “I’m just fine, thank you for asking. I hope you’re coming to the parade and fair later. It’ll just be perfect. I can introduce you to everyone and I promise you’ll just have a super time.” Janis paused her chattering for a moment and turned toward Rachael and Kade. “Oh, goodness me, did I interrupt something?”

  “Not at all. I was just going to make Ms. Warren and the little one here some pancakes. Would you like some?”

  “Oh, no. Don’t you trouble yourself. I had myself some breakfast before I came in. You go on ahead. But if it’s all right with you, I’m just going to steal Patreece here and introduce her to your mama.”

  Patreece didn’t look comfortable with being fussed over, though she tried to mask it through a polite smile. Kade held back the grin, finding it cute. Maybe that was part of his attraction to her. Yesterday, she had been quite standoffish with him. Then, just minutes ago when she entered the café, she’d reacted much the same way. But once she began talking with Rachael, that stiff and unapproachable demeanor seemed to disappear before his eyes. Her face lit up and every part of her seemed to relax. She no longer acted stiff or uneasy. As quickly as he’d seen her face brighten just minutes before, it was just as quickly replaced with her apprehensiveness once Janis Michaud came over and began to fuss over her. In seconds, Kade watched her go from warm and inviting to a wallflower who looked as if she wanted to slink back into her surroundings.

  “Sure, you go on and show off our new neighbor. I’ll come find her when the pancakes are ready.”

  Kade headed back toward the kitchen with his sticky hair, Rachael in tow. Patreece had given Janis a polite smile as they disappeared into the crowd of volunteers, but Kade could tell she was feeling anything but happy. The woman was an enigma—an odd observation to make after knowing her such a short time, but he sensed there was something different about her.

  He set Rachael down on the counter and went to the cooler for the batter. His mother always had pre-made batter ready, and thankfully, today was no different. He poured some into a small mixing bowl and reached for a whisk. The batter didn’t really need additional mixing, but Rachael loved doing it and he wasn’t about to ruin her fun.

  “Okay, here you go.” He handed her the whisk. “Hold onto the bowl and mix it up just like I taught you.”

  While he waited on the flat top to heat up, he peeked out into the restaurant to see if he could catch a glimpse of Patreece. But there were too many people bustling around, loading their cars up and chattering, and he didn’t see her. After a few minutes, Kade’s little helper had finished mixing the contents of the bowl and he began pouring batter in teddy-bear shapes onto the hot griddle.

  “You know that lady?” Rachael asked.

  Kade turned to her after flipping the large pancake and pouring smaller round ones onto the griddle. “Sort of. I met her yesterday. She bought that old house where Mr. Bryant used to live.”

  “I remember him. He was always nice to me at church.”

  “Yeah, well, Mr. Bryant was a good man. Cheap, but a good man.”

  “He wasn’t cheap. He gave me a quarter once.”

  “Oh yeah? And tell me, little one, why did Mr. Bryant give you a quarter?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I was at the park with Daddy having a picnic. And when I went to throw away some of our trash, a napkin blew away. I chased it down and it landed by his feet on that bench he always used to sit on. When I picked it up, he told me I reminded him of someone. I don’t remember who. Then he handed me a quarter and said I should never forget how much my daddy loves me.”

  Kade may have been a grown man, but even he had his limits and Rachael’s story brought tears to his eyes. He knew exactly what old man Bryant was thinking when he spoke to her.

  Jerry and Connie Bryant had lived in Grand Isle most of their life. They raised children there, and the city park was his beloved wife’s pride and joy. She had started the town’s gardening program and planted the first flowerbeds around the perimeter. But the couple’s three children had never much taken to small-town life. The way Kade always heard it, they were itching to get out of Grand Isle as quickly as they could. Then, one by one, all three of the Bryant children went off to college and found lives of their own. Kade couldn’t recall the last time any of the children came to visit their father. They did attend their mother’s funeral, but even then, they hadn’t stayed long.

  The bench he sat on when Rachael found him was put in by the town after his late wife’s death. Behind it sat a large pine tree, and the shaded area at the far end of the park was eventually dubbed Connie’s Corner. Jerry Bryant may have been a frugal old man, but it was no secret that he put most of his money into maintaining that park in memory of his wife. As Kade thought about Rachael’s story, he realized just how lonely Mr. Bryant must have been.

  “What’s the matter?” Rachael asked him.

  “Oh, nothing. You just got me to thinking, that’s all. Nothing for you to worry about, though.”

  Rachael smiled. “Were you thinking about that lady?”

  “Who? Ms. Warren?”

  “I think she’s pretty.”

  Kade eyed his curious little helper and couldn’t help but grin. She was pretty astute for being only six years old. He dreaded her upcoming teenage years, fearing she might find as much trouble as her dad had when he was younger.

  “You do, huh?”

  “You don’t?”
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  “What? Think she’s pretty?”

  “Yeah? Do you? Come on. You have to. She has such long hair. Do you think it’s as long as Rapunzel’s?”

  He looked up at the ceiling and laughed. “Oh, little one. You are a handful. You know that?”

  “Daddy says I’m just like Mommy.”

  He smiled at her. “You, my little lollipop, are the spitting image of your beautiful mommy. And she is probably looking down right now laughing because you made my hair smell like blue raspberry.”

  “I like it. It makes you smell sweet. Maybe that lady will think so, too. Then she can kiss you and you two can get married.”

  Laughing, Kade said, “Let’s have pancakes first, huh? I don’t need you marrying me off just yet. Besides, I need to stick around a while longer to keep all the boys away from you.”

  Rachael was currently of the mindset that boys had cooties and she wanted nothing to do with any of them, and Kade loved teasing her. A couple minutes later, and after her insistence that she would never marry a boy and always be Daddy’s little girl, they walked out to the front of the café with plates in hand.

  As soon as he walked through the double doors, he saw Patreece standing over in the corner talking to his mother. Catherine had a pleased look on her face and he caught her sending several glances in his direction. His dear mom always had a way of making her thoughts known without uttering a word. The looks she threw in his direction were very telling—she not only liked Ms. Warren, but she liked her for her son as well.

  Oh boy. This should be interesting.

  Catherine Riley prided herself on being quite the little matchmaker. He just prayed she would stay out of his personal life this time. His plans for Patreece Warren were still undetermined, but the one thing he was positive about was that they did not involve his mother.