Chapter Five
Patreece had been stuck in conversation with Catherine Riley for only a minute by the time she realized the woman could talk like nobody’s business. In a way, she sort of reminded Patreece of her mother. After welcoming her to the community with a warm hug, Catherine had been all too delighted to hear that her son was cooking Patreece pancakes. Catherine raved about what a thoughtful and considerate young man Kade was, going so far as to say he would make some woman very lucky. Patreece hadn’t missed the hint. In fact, she thought it was sweet of her to try dropping the hint of what a good man her son was. Catherine struck Patreece as the type of woman who wanted lots of grandbabies and saw no shame in helping the process along.
“Pancakes are ready.” Kade held up a plate and motioned toward the opposite corner booth.
“I’ll be right there,” she called back.
As Catherine continued to talk, Patreece looked around the small restaurant at all of the people working together. Oddly, she’d never witnessed anything like it before. Back in Beverly Hills, there were several parties or some sort of society event every month. It was rare that she didn’t have some sort of function to attend. Each one was always more glamorous than the last, and the highest attention to detail was paid, regardless of the cost. Still, in all those years and after attending hundreds of parties, she couldn’t ever recall seeing a group of her supposed friends get together and do something as a team. That was why they had hired help. The idea that any one of them might have actually had to lift a finger in order to make something happen would have been thought of as absurd. Watching everyone in Grand Isle made her realize just how far away from her old life she was.
She peered around Catherine’s shoulder. Little Rachael and Kade were already shoveling large bites of pancake into their mouths. Kade had apparently said something funny, because Rachael laughed so hard she spit her pancake onto him. Patreece had to bite back her laughter so Catherine wouldn’t think her rude, though it took a lot of restraint to pull it off. The sight was something to behold, and even more adorable when Rachael laughed all that much harder once she realized what she had done, effectively spitting more pancake onto her uncle.
“Patreece?”
It wasn’t until she’d heard her name that she even realized that she even realized that Catherine was speaking to her.
“I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
Catherine looked over her shoulder toward her son and then turned back and offered Patreece a sly grin. “Oh, nothing. Don’t you worry about me. I’m just an old busybody who could talk your ear off for hours, if you let me.”
“Not at all, Catherine. It’s been nice chatting with you.”
“All right, then. I guess I’d better not keep you. Now remember, you promised to come to the fair later and I don’t take kindly to people standing me up, so I expect you to be there.”
“Understood. I will be there.” Patreece nodded and smiled. She had no doubt the woman would come to her house and drag her to the park if she didn’t show. Besides, the people she had met so far seemed nice, and it was a beautiful day. She really had no reason to fight the invitation.
After saying good-bye to both her and Janis, who were heading out to set some things up at the park, Patreece made her way over to join the sweet little girl and the man Rachael called her uncle. Yesterday, Patreece had felt uneasy about being around Kade. Seeing the gentle way he behaved with Rachael made him seem just a little less scary.
“Wow. Those pancakes look really good.”
“Wait until you taste them. They’re so good,” Rachael answered with a mouth full of food.
“Good enough to wear, huh?” she teased as she sat down next to Rachael.
“Oh, ha-ha. You wanna change seats and sit across from the little monster who cannot remember to close her mouth while she chews?” Kade asked.
“Oh no. That’s quite all right. I think I’ll stay right here next to my new friend. Besides, I want to have a good seat for story time.”
“Yeah! Story time!” Rachael bounced in her seat.
Kade wiped his mouth with a napkin and then set it in his lap. “You had to remind her, didn’t you?”
“Come on, Uncle Kade. Tell one of your stories,” Rachael begged him.
“Well, I probably would have, but I can’t now.”
“Why not?” she asked him with a pouty face.
“Because someone was a little monster and ate up all of her bear before I was able to tell it.” Kade reached across the table and tickled under her arms.
Rachael wiggled in her seat and laughed hysterically.
Patreece sat there watching them. It was sweet seeing this massive man turn into putty with this little girl. There was a genuine love there and it made her wonder if Kade had children of his own. He definitely seemed as if he’d be a good father. Not at all like her ex-husband.
As soon as the thought of her ex entered her mind, she quickly pushed it aside, tucking the memories into a far corner of her brain in hopes they’d never show themselves again. She hated how easily she could be distracted by recollections of her past. Her only hope was that in time, those scars would eventually start to fade away and allow her the opportunity to breathe without the constant worry.
“So you like the pancakes?” Kade asked.
“Mmm… They’re very good. I’m sorry. I should have said something sooner. Thank you so much for making them.”
“No problem. I was going back there anyway.”
Patreece was intrigued by the almost bashful way he deflected her gratitude. Yesterday he had struck her as the type of man who was incredibly charming, one who no doubt received loads of compliments and could handle them easily. He surprised her by acting the complete opposite. Was there more to this Superman contractor than met the eye?
Like her, did he have hidden layers? Characteristics that she’d find out once she dug a little deeper and got to know him a little better? She was still getting used to people calling her Patreece. This new identity of hers was proving to be a challenge, one for which she wasn’t entirely prepared. Earlier, when Janis had been introducing Patreece to some friends, she heard someone call out for Sandra. On instinct, she had turned around. Luckily, Janis hadn’t caught on to Patreece’s slip—not that the agent would have noticed it as one. Still, the lapse in judgment irked her. She needed to be more careful from there on out or she would start raising suspicion, and that was the last thing she wanted or needed.
She took a bite of pancake and noticed Kade watching her. He may seem harmless on the surface, but his vibrant blue eyes that pierced her reminded her that looks could be deceiving. He may have only been joking with Rachael. But now she saw something in them that unsettled her. Those weren’t the eyes of a loving uncle. Those were the eyes of a man.
She swallowed her pancake past the knotted ball of nerves that had seemed to lodge in her throat. She needed to slow down. Just twenty-four hours ago she’d set foot in Grand Isle, and already she owned a home and had made friends with just about everyone within shouting distance. Now the charming and seemingly harmless contractor was leering at her with a look that didn’t just warn of an attraction, it downright promised it.
Abruptly, she set down her fork and stood from the table. “I’m sorry. I just realized I left some clothes in the washer. I need to go. I’ll see you all later. Good-bye, Rachael. It was very nice meeting you, sweetie.”
Patreece didn’t wait for either of them to respond. She all but ran from the café and got into her car. The way her adrenaline was pumping, she wished she would have walked to the restaurant. If she needed to walk home, maybe she could run off some of her fear.
The few-minute drive to her home seemed to take forever. The roads seemed longer, narrower and almost seemed to drift off into the distance as she tried to navigate while taking shallow, rapid breaths. She was having a panic attack again. It had been months since she’d had one back in Beverly Hills.
She was than
kful she’d had the forethought to go to her pharmacy and get a three-month supply of Xanax shortly before she’d left. With high hopes, she’d had no intention of needing it. She’d told herself she was stronger and wouldn’t need it. She had even hoped the day would eventually come when she could throw them away and no longer be dependent on medicine to help her fight her fears. If this morning had taught her anything, though, it was that she had a long way to go before she was whole again. A long way to go before she felt free to breathe again.
A very long way.
Chapter Six
Kade took a seat on the makeshift bench his parents had provided. The couple of two-by-fours sitting on top of cinder blocks may not have been the most comfortable seats in the park, but his feet were already aching only three hours into the fair. After he’d left the café with Rachael, he’d met up with all the other volunteers at the park to help with setup at the pie stand. For the past several years, Riley’s Café, along with some help from a few locals, had sponsored a bake sale. With a certain amount of pies set aside, they sold them to help generate funds for their community. Every dollar made went to the local schools. Grand Isle wasn’t like some of the larger cities that could rely on big grants to buy computers for their children’s educations. They had to get a little creative with their fundraising. And what better way to do it than with pies? Grand Isle might be known for its fishing and the gorgeous view, but the townsfolk loved to eat. The continuous lines at the fair proved that theory tenfold.
Once he’d finished helping his parents set up the pie stand, he’d raced over to Main Street to give a hand to Chuck, who was still helping out with things still needing to be done for the fair. Kade had agreed to drive Rachael and two of her school friends in the parade, with the kids riding in the back of Chuck’s decorated pick-up. Though, Kade hadn’t known quite what he was getting himself into when he agreed to lend that hand.
The truck looked a mess, with a few dozen plastic flowers scattered about the exterior in no real pattern. According to her father, Rachael and her friends had spent hours the night before taping them all on, and neither Chuck nor Kade had the heart to burst their bubble. Just seeing her proud of her creation was enough for Kade and Chuck. He kept his mouth shut and drove that old Dodge down Main Street as if it was the most beautifully decorated parade car there ever was. He didn’t even bat an eye when one of the flowers flew off and hit Rachael in the forehead.
Not long after the parade, Chuck had met up with them and taken his little princess off Kade’s hands. He loved his goddaughter immensely, but she sure knew how to wear him out. That kid had more stamina than the Energizer Bunny. He had no idea how Chuck managed to do it day in and day out. It made him respect Chuck that much more for raising the little one all on his own.
Sometimes it was hard to believe Kim was no longer with them. She’d grown up on these same streets, getting dirty and playing on the beaches like a tomboy. It wasn’t until her teenage years that she started to change and all the boys began to take notice. He’d even had a crush on her at one time. It didn’t take long to figure out who she had eyes for, though. Chuck Rawlings was the object of her affections and he had no problem filling the role of boyfriend.
Every one of their old gang of friends had been jealous as hell when Chuck started going steady with Kimberly Murphy. Kade, on the other hand, was happy for his friend. Those two fit together like no others he’d seen before, except for maybe his own parents, so much so that he had teased the two relentlessly for being more like an old married couple than young newlyweds starting out.
Kade glanced over in Chuck’s direction and watched as he lifted Rachael onto his shoulders. Kade couldn’t help but feel sorry for his old friend at times. Chuck and Kim hadn’t been granted the gift of growing old together. The cancer had swept in and taken her from her family so fast the treatments hadn’t stood a chance. Rachael was Chuck’s whole world now. And in some ways, she was Kade’s as well. He didn’t see as much of his goddaughter as he should. Work kept him pretty busy at times. Still, no matter what was going on, a smile from that little girl could lift the doom and gloom off of even the darkest of days.
“Well, there you are, son. You doing okay? Seems as if you got something on your mind.”
Kade turned to see his father standing a few feet away under the shade of a tree. His old man looked a little ragged, his T-shirt covered with several stained handprints and his hair all askew.
“Hey, Dad. How’s things over at the pie stand?”
“Chaos as usual. You know your mama. She talks as loud as a lioness roars and faster than a cackling hen. I love her, but man oh man, I don’t know where she gets her energy.”
Kade laughed. “Driving you crazy, huh?”
“Nah. You know me. After a while, I just tune her out. Janis was over there, too, but once her sister Shirley showed up, I figured it was best to step away and take a break from it all.”
“Yeah, well, you better not be gone too long. You know Mom. She’ll be hollering for you in no time at all.”
“You just shush. Don’t be jinxing me. Now move on over and make some room for your old man. I gotta rest my aching bones.”
He slid to his right and made room for his dad. From where he stood, Kade could see the entrance to the park from the streets. He’d been trying to keep an eye out for Patreece ever since her abrupt exit from the café earlier that day. He knew she’d caught him staring at her. It wasn’t something he’d planned. When she was eating, he just sort of found himself lost in what he saw, from her radiant skin and the way it shimmered against the sunlight coming through the window, to the way her eyes held those tiny sparkles of…he didn’t even know what. One minute he’d been talking and the next he was transfixed by the beautiful lady sitting before him.
It became obvious real quick that she didn’t care for men ogling her. He imagined she’d had it happen more than a time or two. Still, he hadn’t meant to make her so nervous that she would fly out of the café as if he had the bubonic plague or some other horrific disease. Even poor Rachael had seemed saddened by Patreece’s sudden and rushed departure. He’d explained it away well enough, saying she probably had a lot to do getting settled in her new home. What he didn’t tell Rachael was that he knew Patreece had been lying when she quickly offered up the laundry excuse. Old man Bryant had his laundry sent out and never replaced the broken washer he kept down in the cellar. Unless Patreece had stashed a Barbie-sized appliance in her car, she hadn’t left any laundry in the washing machine. That much he was sure of.
“So, what’s her name?” his dad asked.
“Huh?”
“Oh come on now, son. You think I was always this old? Only one thing ever made this old man stare off into space like that, and that was your mama. So who is she?”
Kade did his best to contain his laughter. His old man was as astute as his mother was. It was a trait he wasn’t always sure he liked them having. Lord knew it never served him well in his younger days when he was out raising hell with his friends. Now that he was older he was beginning to appreciate the wisdom they could offer if he needed it. That was if he actually did need it, which he didn’t think he did in this case. Sure, Kade was attracted to their town’s newest resident, but there seemed to be a lot more than met the eye with that woman. He wasn’t certain how far he was willing to dig in order to find out who was hidden beneath that tough exterior.
“What makes you think there’s a woman?”
“Too many tools in your workshop finally cause you to go deaf? I just told you why. You going to tell me or am I going to have to get the dirt from your mama?”
Kade shook his head, grinning. “There’s no dirt to get, Dad. I’m a big boy now, not the teenager who used to give you so many headaches. Sometimes I just think and let my mind wander.”
“Mmm-hmm… And sometimes your mama talks just a little.”
“Joe! Joe Riley, what are you doing over here? And you!” Kade’s mother walked up to t
hem and pointed her finger toward Kade. “I’ve been looking all over for the two of you. You two men think you can just sit on your hides while we women are over there doing all the work?”
“Well, actually—”
“I don’t need your sarcasm either, young man. You’re not too old for me to put you over my knee.”
Kade burst out laughing. “Actually, Mom, I think I just might be. Besides, I’m a foot taller than you are. How exactly do you plan on putting me over your knee?”
“Don’t you try me, Kade William Riley. You may think you’re all grown up, but your mama can still whoop your ass if she wants to.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I give.”
Kade and his father followed her back to the pie booth like obedient workers. They both knew she couldn’t hurt a fly and her bark was much worse than her bite. Nevertheless, it was pretty funny to see her get all fired up.
For over an hour, Kade stood in the sweltering heat and helped his mother and the Michaud sisters peddle their philanthropic pies. He didn’t know how they managed to keep up their energy all day. On his watch, it looked to be about an hour past “beer thirty.” As the dinner hour approached, he hoped his mother would give him a break and allow him to enjoy some of the food and goodies that would be served.
Things were starting to slow down and the tyrannical trio began to lay off him and his father. Just as he was about to take that long-needed break, he saw his old friend, Jack Saunders, motioning for Kade to come and join him.
He made his way across the lawn, scanning the crowd of familiar faces for Patreece along the way. It was disappointing that she hadn’t come to the parade or any of the fair festivities. He knew there was a possibility he might have caused her to change her plans. Still, he was holding onto hope she would show.
The fireworks display would begin after dark, and while he wasn’t foolish enough to think she was game for snuggling close to him under the colorful display, he would settle for her just showing up, as long as he got to see her eyes light up as she looked up into the fiery lights. Something told him those pretty little windows to her soul would twinkle right before his very eyes.
Risqué Renovation [Blue Collar 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 4
