Til There Was U

by Dianne Castell

  He downed the rest of the beer and crushed the can in his hands. He wasn’t quite the wimp Ryan thought. “What if she refuses? What if she doesn’t want anything to do with me ever? Not that I blame her.”

  He raked his hair again and looked at Ryan. “I can’t imagine life without Thelma. She believes in me, least she did. It was never about how much money I could spend on her or what I could buy for her. It was always about us, the things we did together, the fun and excitement. She cared for me. I still care for her. Dammit, Ryan, I want Thelma back.”

  Ryan pulled off another can, popped the top and slipped it in Conrad’s hand. “All she can do is tell you to go to hell, and from what I see you’re already there. Make it business and prove you’re a different man. Then you can start courting her again and see what happens.”

  Conrad nodded. “It’ll take a while. I’ve got to get her to trust me.” He chugged back the beer, then studied Ryan. “Why the hell are you being so damn helpful? Thought you’d hate my guts after what I did.”

  “Only some of your guts. Thelma hasn’t completely given up on you, and that’s good enough for me.”

  Conrad looked at him from the corner of his eyes. A twinkle of hope sparked. “She . . . She told you that?”

  “Hell no. The fact that you’re still drawing breath is what tells me. But if I were you, I wouldn’t cross her again .. . unless you’ve got a death wish.”

  Conrad nodded slowly as if considering the statement. “Mind if I sit a spell and wait for her? She’s got to come home sometime, and she’s bound to be a little sloshed. Maybe I can get her to listen to me if her reflexes are down.”

  “Least it’ll give you time to duck when she swings.” Ryan stood and toed the rest of the beers over to Conrad. “If you’re serious about saving the dry dock, I bet Dad knows a couple of guys who might be willing to give you a chance if he says so. Your family had a good name on the river for a long time, Conrad. That counts for something. The Mississippi Miss needs her hull gone over and gaskets replaced. I’ll bring her around in a day or two.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  “Thelma’s the one I’m thinking about here.”

  Conrad gave him a tired half grin. “Me, too.”

  “Well, now’s your chance because she’s heading this way.” He nodded at Conrad. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”

  Conrad took another long drink as the screen door banged closed behind Ryan. Thelma came up the drive and stopped at the bottom of the steps. She gave him a defiant stare, hands fisted, ready for a fight. Not a great beginning to redemption by Conrad.

  “What the hell are you doing here dirtying up my steps?”

  “Waiting for you.”

  “I almost blew you to kingdom come once today. Wasn’t that enough warning for you to stay away from me?”

  She had a sassy jut to her hip, but hurt lingered deep in her eyes. He could see it even in the dark. His insides contracted. He had put that hurt there, and by God, he’d take it away no matter what. How could he hurt Thelma? She was a lot of things—lover, companion, cook—but most of all she’d been his best friend, not wanting anything from him except just being himself. “I have a business proposition for you.”

  She smacked her palm to her forehead. “Dear Lord, please save me from that! You’re nothing but a con man.” She started for the side door around back.

  “I want to sell you Hastings House for half its appraised value.”

  She stopped and turned. “Why in the world would you do a thing like that?”

  “Because you love that house as much as I do and I know you’ll take care of it. And I need the money to rebuild the dry dock. I can borrow some, but I need cash up front. Will you buy it?”

  “And where the heck will you live?”

  “At the dock. My grandpappy lived there when he first started out, and I can, too. There’s a little apartment over the office that we use for storage now. I can live there; it’s all I need.”

  Her brow furrowed. “I don’t trust you, Conrad. I don’t trust you one smidgen. You’ve got something up your slimy sleeve besides your slimy arm. You’re determined to swindle me out of my money no matter what it takes.”

  “Please, Thelma.” He came down the steps. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything, I’m going to rebuild the business, and then I’m going to ask you to marry me.”

  “Right.” Her tone was sarcastic, but her eyes glazed with tears.

  “I swear to God it’s true. Every word. It’s going to take a little while. I already fired my office managers who were bleeding me dry. Now I’ve got to get the business back that I’ve lost. Ryan’s bringing over one of his tugs, and if I can get good workers and do a first-rate job, the word will get out. Slowly, but it will happen.”

  He shrugged. “I used to help out at the docks when I was in high school. Bet I can still handle a welding torch.”

  “And burn the place to the ground.” She glared. “And even if you didn’t, then what? You marry me and get your big house back?”

  “It’s yours forever. If you’re not in it, I don’t want it. I’ll sign any papers you want. Do whatever it takes to make you trust me.”

  Her brows drew together, “You’re really going to weld?”

  “Watch me.”

  “Finish the patio?”

  “Absolutely. Your chin’s quivering. Don’t cry, Thelma. No one else would notice that you’re going to cry, but I do. I’ve gotten to know you so well, maybe even better than you know yourself. While some part of me wanted your money, the rest of me fell head over heels in love with you. Every wonderful inch of you.” He wagged his brows. “I think some part of me’s always been attracted to you. That’s why I was willing to go along with Arthur’s idea in the first place.”

  “You are so full of bull crap.”

  “I’m going to make you believe in me as much as I believe in you. I’m going to impress you, steal your heart, and we’re going to live happily ever after.”

  He planted a quick kiss on her cheek and started for his truck, feeling more content than he had in years. He had a purpose, a real goal. He wasn’t a jerk with a credit card running around trying to impress everyone. He had Thelma waiting in the wings. What more could he ask for?

  “I think you’re a horse’s ass, Conrad Hastings,” Thelma called after him.

  “I’m sure you do, my dear, but I’m going to change your mind because we love each other and we belong together. I messed it up, and now I’m going to fix it.”

  ———

  Effie finished printing out the last of the proposal for the mall as the sunset faded from gold and blues to grays and blacks outside the dining room window. She took a sip of iced tea and sat back in the mahogany chair, the fax machine grinding through the stack of papers, shipping the proposal to San Diego. “Thank the Lord for electronic devices and time zones. Nine here, six in California. What a deal.”

  Ryan sat across the dining room table littered with blueprints and notes. “It took all day to finalize the project on time, but we did it. You know this was a good thing. Made us remember how much we like our jobs and don’t want to risk losing them.”

  He meant it as an explanation for not taking this fling any further, she was sure of it. The reason why they’d always be just business partners.

  Everything for the job. But some part of her wondered ... what if? What if Ryan was the man she saw here all the time? What if he wasn’t the job? What if he was a son, a brother, a friend and a musician part of the time and work didn’t rule his life? What if work didn’t rule hers? What if the job wasn’t everything? “Do you ever consider staying here?”

  He took another long drink of iced tea. “Never crossed my mind. What would I do? I’m an architect. I design malls, airports, office buildings, the big stuff. Nothing like that’s happening on the Landing. Nothing period happens here. Bonnie’s the biggest news since Grant quartered troops at Hastings House.”

  “Is that bad?�
��

  “Not if this is what you want to do with your life. Run tugs, marry, have kids. Suits Dad, not me or Keefe or Quaid.”

  “Sally likes it here well enough.”

  “She got burnt out on Wall Street. Was promised a big promotion with an investment firm, then got passed over. The bastards lied to her to get her customers, then cut her out of the picture. They used her to get what they wanted. The stress nearly killed her, so she moved back. Who knows how long she’ll stay.”

  “She looks content, and Rory’s happy here.”

  “He made O’Fallon Transport what it is. This is his home, and he’d like it even more if he could find Mimi.”

  Ryan stood and walked to the window. “That PI should be here any minute. Hope we have some luck finding those guys looking for Mimi. Then we can ask them why they’re looking for her. I wonder what she’s gotten herself into. If she’s half the woman Dad and Thelma say she is, she wouldn’t have left Bonnie unless things were bad.”

  “Then we better be careful there’s no connection between the mom and babe. That could put Bonnie in danger.” Apprehension settled like a boulder in her stomach. “Last night Sally and Thelma and I might have mentioned Mimi and Rory and Bonnie.”

  Ryan shrugged. “Thelma knows the score, and I think Sally’s put two-and-two together by now. It’s not like you told anyone who wasn’t already in the know.”

  Effie bit her lip. “Demar was there.”

  Ryan’s eyes met hers through the dim light. “Shit.”

  “I didn’t think about it ‘til now. Fallout from Wild Turkey and a short-circuiting brain. And then he was outside in the alley talking about Mimi.”

  “I’ll tell that PI guy what’s going on. Just because we don’t like Demar doesn’t mean he’s trouble.”

  “Except he was talking about Mimi.”

  “Damn. Not good. Sally doesn’t need another person using her, and this sounds like trouble for Dad. Maybe Demar will show up tonight. I’ll find out what’s going on.”

  “I’ll help Thelma with Bonnie tonight. With Conrad out of the picture she can use a little company.”

  A car door slammed outside, and Max went into barking mode. “Bet that’s your PI guy,” Effie said. “You save him from Mean Max, and I’ll get Rory-”

  Ryan left the room as Thelma came in, and Effie asked, “How are you doing? I haven’t seen much of you today with working on the mall project.”

  “I’ve got a situation. Conrad wants to sell me Hastings House cheap so he can rebuild the dry dock. I’m thinking about turning the place into a bed and breakfast to cover taxes and upkeep. Ida Landon’s done that with Ivy Acres down the road. Course, she’s not doing all that well because the woman can’t boil water. But I think I could make it work.”

  “If you serve up pecan pie, you’ll make a killing. What does Conrad think of your idea?”

  Thelma batted her eyes and rolled her shoulders. “Honey, I don’t rightly know what that man thinks, and I don’t care. Conrad’s got his life, least for the moment, and I got mine. Besides, it’s the only way I can afford Hastings House, cheap or not. The upkeep and taxes will eat me alive. I figure with Demar’s company fixing up the town and building a residential area more folks will be coming here and needing a place to stay. Besides my pies I see homemade scones, Southern Comfort tea and ghost tours in the woods searching for Grant.” She grinned. “’Bout time that Yankee did us some good around here.” She winked. “So what do you think?”

  Rory hurried into the dining room and handed Thelma the baby monitor. “I think that child of mine has the temperament of a grizzly. The only thing that sounds good is that blasted monitor not making any noise. I got her down, but Lord knows for how long. Try giving her a bottle if she wakes up and take her for a walk down by the river. The stroller’s around by the side door. I had to tighten a wheel that wobbled loose.” He stopped and grinned. “Sweet Pea sure loves the sound oi the river.”

  “Just like her daddy.” Effie kissed Rory on the cheek and took his hand. “Good luck on finding Mimi tonight.”

  “I’ve got to find her fast. Things are getting worse instead of better.” He left the room, his footsteps sounding in the hall. The front door opened, letting in a triangle shaft of light from the porch light, then closed.

  Effie studied the carnage on the dining room table. “What a mess.”

  Thelma set the monitor on the table and picked up a blueprint. “I’ll roll these and put them into the tubes. You sort through the papers and figure out what you want to do with them. You must really like being an architect to put so much time into it.”

  Effie picked up a handful of paper, noticing Ryan’s notes on the side. She knew his handwriting as well as her own. “While other girls played with Barbie I played with her dream house. Added a bath, porch, sunroom Jacuzzi and solar panels for heating. Melted the plastic roof off.”

  Thelma laughed and turned on more lights as night claimed the earth. She picked up another blueprint as the baby monitor suddenly squawked to life. “That child never sleeps and has one powerful set of lungs on her.” Thelma said to Effie, “You get a bottle. I’ll head upstairs.”

  Effie made the trip from fridge to nursery in record time and handed Thelma the bottle as she rocked a wailing Bonnie. “Here you go, little bit,” Thelma said over the bawling. “Yum, yum.”

  Bonnie slurped, and Thelma wagged her head. “I swear that child has some appetite. Reminds me of Ryan and Keefe when they were babes.”

  “What’s Keefe like. Just like Ryan?”

  “Ever hear of Sins and Secrets? He’s Lex Zandor, the sexiest, hottest hunk on daytime television. The network had one of those reality contests where a woman won a weekend with him? Caused a riot right there in New York City when some of the women thought they should get picked and didn’t. Called in the police and riot squad. Lord have mercy! I think he’s coming home next week to escape.”

  Effie chuckled. “I can’t imagine Ryan on a soap.”

  “Keefe’s loved theater all his life and is having a grand old time in New York ... ‘til that contest came along. All those gals running after him? And the press, I don’t know how he puts up with it all.”

  She burped Bonnie. “We’ll go for that walk now. A full tummy and the sound of the tows should put little bit here back to sleep soon enough.”

  Effie yawned. “Don’t know about you, but I could use an early night.”

  “Because of the work or the man? What’s going on between you two anyway?”

  Effie leaned against the crib and looked out the window to the near moonless night. “Absolutely nothing.”

  “You haven’t been just designing malls since you’ve been here. I can tell that much. So, what in the world’s keeping you two apart?”

  “The mall, a corner office, gym membership, a Lexus, a healthy 40 IK.”

  Thelma hoisted Bonnie to her shoulder, then carried her downstairs, and Effie followed to the side door as she continued, “And you need those things? Seems to me you’re pretty content with wearing my old blouses, rolled-up shorts, your hair pulled back into a ponytail and walking more than driving while you’re here.”

  “Things are different here. I’m different. So is Ryan.”

  “Is this a good different we’re talking about or a bad one?”

  “It’s bad for business and careers but.. .” Effie opened the side door and held the stroller as Thelma strapped Bonnie in. Thelma stood and faced Effie. “The answer’s plain as the nose on your face, Effie Wilson. You gotta stay here and get Ryan to do the same.”

  “That is not ever going to happen. Living on the Landing is the last thing on his to-do list.” Effie pushed the stroller down the walkway, bumping over the bricks ‘til they headed into the grass toward the dim light coming off the dock below the cliff. “Dark as a graveyard out there.”

  “See, now you have to stay here. You’re starting to talk river talk. If you go back to California, they’ll make fun of you, ruin yo
ur self-esteem.” Thelma glanced back at the house. “Wasn’t that front porch light on when Rory left? He always leaves it on.”

  “Burnt out. We’ll change it tomorrow.”

  They headed deeper into the shadows. “Where’s Max? He’s always wanting someone to throw that yellow ball of his.” Thelma stopped. “Things aren’t right. All of a sudden I got a real bad feeling crawling up my back.”

  They both looked to the house, and someone darted across the drive and hid behind the magnolia by the porch. Effie felt ice form in her veins and whispered, “We’ve got visitors and not the good kind.”

  Another man ran from behind an oak tree and stepped up onto the porch. He opened the front door and went inside. Effie grabbed Thelma’s arm as she sucked in a quick breath. “I think he’s got a gun. Burglars?”

  “Never had burglars at the Landing before. Nothing to steal. And I bet twenty-to-one he’s tracking mud into my clean house.” Thelma nodded to the end of the drive. “A car I don’t recognize. What do you think they all want? What’s going on here?”

  “We did this, last night at Slim’s. We let it slip in our drunken state that Bonnie was Rory’s and Mimi’s, remember? And Demar was there.”

  “After many, many shots of Wild Turkey remembering is out of the question, that’s the point. Besides, the Conrad issue sort of occupied my brain, what was left of it. But I believe you. They’re after the baby. But what’s Demar got to do with this?”

  “Good question.” She nodded at the house. “They must not have seen us come out the side door. We can’t go to town for help. Whoever is in that car will see us. We’ll go to the docks. There’s a phone.”

  “When they realize we’ve gone they’ll start looking around. Somehow they knew we were home alone.”

  Effie swore. “I hate when guys think I’m the weak little woman and they can steamroll right over me.”

  “Look around, girl. We are weak little women. . . though truth be told I’m not so little.”

  Staying in the shadows of the oaks, they made for the road that led down to the docks. Thelma stopped. “I hear a whimper. Max?”