Feels Like Family

by Sherryl Woods

  Dana Sue reached over and took her hand. “You do know that we’ll both be around to support you every single step of the way, don’t you? You and this baby will have a big extended family. If you hit any kind of rough patch, you won’t be in it alone, even if you do decide not to do things in the traditional way. You would be an incredible mom. Annie thinks so, too.”

  “My kids feel the same way,” Maddie added. “They adore you.”

  Helen’s eyes swam with tears for the second time that day. “I know that,” she whispered, swiping at the annoying evidence of what she perceived as weakness. “I guess I never thought I’d find myself in this position. I thought I’d do it all the traditional way. Time just…got away from me.”

  “Well, it’s not too late yet,” Dana Sue said firmly.

  “From a medical standpoint, I know that,” Helen said. “But you touched on something that does worry me. What if something happens to me? Knowing I’m the only parent could make a child feel incredibly insecure.”

  “Which is why your child will always know they can turn to any of us,” Dana Sue reminded her. “Now let’s get down to business. We can stay here all night and go through those lists of yours item by item, if that will help.”

  Already somewhat relieved by their reassurances and their commitment, Helen shook her head. “No, but thanks. I’ll work this out.”

  “Soon,” Maddie said.

  “Soon,” Helen agreed, though she immediately felt the pressure starting to build again. She hated knowing that there was no time to waste, that a decision of this magnitude couldn’t be put off forever.

  Maddie struggled up from the sofa with an assist from Dana Sue. If she was this awkward now at only four and a half months, Helen couldn’t begin to imagine how ungainly she’d be by her ninth month. For some reason the image made Helen want to weep all over again. She did want that for herself. The awkwardness, the belly out to here, the kick of her baby keeping her awake at night.

  It was the aftermath that terrified her—the middle-of-the-night feedings, pacing the floor trying to soothe a crying baby, letting go of a tiny hand on the first day of school, having to make excuses to the court when her child had chicken pox, making sure homework was done, teaching her son or daughter the dangers of alcohol, smoking and premarital sex. The litany of things that could make the difference between raising a happy, well-adjusted child and a kid destined for disaster scared her out of her wits. Despite the accolades from Dana Sue, Maddie and their children, what if she was lousy at all of it? What then?

  “You’re overthinking it again,” Maddie said, interrupting Helen’s thoughts. She tapped her chest. “Listen to what’s in your heart. It won’t steer you wrong.”

  Helen hugged both of them fiercely. “Thank you for not listening to me when I told you to go away.”

  Dana Sue grinned. “Not a problem. We’ve spent a lifetime ignoring your orders. We enjoy it.”

  “That’s true,” Maddie agreed. “Now get some rest. Maybe this will all be clearer to you in the morning.”

  Helen doubted that, but she did feel better for having these two old, and very dear, friends offering her unconditional support. It was the one thing she should have realized she could count on long before tonight.

  6

  Erik had been predisposed to dislike Tess Martinez, mostly because he resented the way Helen had manipulated the whole situation to convince Dana Sue to hire someone else for the kitchen. He also had major reservations about hiring another single mom after the problems they’d been having with Karen.

  Yet he’d discovered it was all but impossible not to like a woman who was little bigger than a bird and whose sheer perkiness and good-natured eagerness to work commanded his respect and approval. After only a few days, he’d grudgingly conceded to himself—though not to Dana Sue and definitely not to Helen—that Tess was a real find.

  Right now, nearly an hour after the restaurant had closed, Tess was hovering beside him, watching every move he made as he finished decorating a wedding cake for a reception Sullivan’s was catering on Saturday.

  “So many flowers,” she whispered reverently. “It’s like a picture.”

  “What was your wedding cake like?” Erik asked.

  “Not so beautiful as this,” she said sadly. “We had no money for such things.”

  Born in the United States, and the daughter of Mexican immigrants who’d come into the country legally to work harvesting sugar in Florida, Tess spoke with a charming mix of Spanish and Southern accents. The family had worked hard, saved their money and had eventually started a small vegetable farm in South Carolina a few miles outside of Serenity. They sold their produce to local grocery stores and restaurants and at weekend farmers’ markets, including the one started last summer in Serenity’s town square. The instant Dana Sue had met Tess, she’d realized that much of Sullivan’s produce came from Tess’s family farm. Erik had known at that moment during the interview that Dana Sue would hire Tess even if the young woman could do nothing more than boil an egg.

  If that alone hadn’t been enough, though, Tess had also told them that her husband, Diego Martinez, had been picked up on a job for not being able to produce a valid green card and been deported back to Mexico before they could establish in court that he was here legally and that, even had he not been, his three-year marriage to Tess would have qualified him to stay.

  Erik had a hunch it was a case Helen would want to be involved in, once she heard the details. Fighting the system to reunite two people in love might be a welcome change from the divorces she usually handled. And lately she seemed to be sticking her nose into all sorts of things that were none of her business, so why not this one?

  In the meantime, though, Tess was struggling to make ends meet with two children under three. She’d tried making it on her own, but after being fired from the diner, she’d moved back home with her family. Though they helped some with child care, they had their own long, hard days in their fields. Tess worked to help them and to put money away for the legal fight to get her husband back to South Carolina. Erik sympathized with her plight, but what had won him over was her quick grasp of any task assigned to her in the kitchen. In less than a week, she’d learned many of the recipes and executed them to perfection.

  “Would you like to do this?” he asked now.

  “Really?” she asked, awestruck. “You would teach me to make a cake so beautiful?”

  “Sure. With the number of catering requests we’re getting for wedding receptions, it would be wonderful to have someone to help out. Dana Sue had to turn down someone just this week because we had a conflict for that date.”

  “I could come in early,” she offered at once. “I should not learn while I am being paid.”

  Erik smiled at her. “I think we can find the time during your regular hours, Tess. I’ll talk it over with Dana Sue and we’ll figure it out.”

  “But I’m willing to be here early,” she said. “Please tell her that, so she doesn’t think I am taking advantage of her.”

  “No one would ever think such a thing,” he assured her. “You work as hard as anyone here. We’re lucky to have found you.”

  A brilliant smile spread across her thin face, which was dominated by large brown eyes that sparkled with humor. “No. I am the lucky one, to have found a job I love. I am so grateful to Karen for recommending me and to you and Dana Sue for giving me a chance. I will not let you down.”

  Erik decided to broach the subject he knew weighed heavily on her mind. “You know, Tess, Dana Sue has a friend who’s an attorney,” he began. “She might be able to help you with Diego’s case.”

  Tess’s eyes immediately filled with regret. “I do not have enough saved yet to hire another lawyer. The last one took my money and did nothing.”

  Erik bristled at the thought of anyone taking advantage of her situation like that. “I’m sure Helen would be glad to work something out with you about the money. In fact, she might even be able to get it
back from this lawyer who did nothing.” He had a hunch Helen would enjoy that.

  “Do you really think so?” Tess said solemnly. Then she glanced at her watch. “I’m late, as usual. My parents will be worried. Do you need me to do anything else before I go?”

  “Not a thing. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “And you will speak to Dana Sue about the cake decorations?”

  “Absolutely,” he promised.

  “Muchas gracias,” she said. “Adios.”

  Tess had been gone only a few minutes when Dana Sue came in. Erik frowned at her. “I thought you’d gone home hours ago.”

  “Paperwork,” she said, pulling up a stool and sitting next to him. “The cake is beautiful. The Lamberts will be thrilled.”

  “Tess thought so, too. She wants to learn how to do this.”

  “She’s eager to learn everything, isn’t she?” Dana Sue said with a smile. “I like her. How about you?”

  “She’s working out a whole lot better than I expected,” he admitted. “And it’s certainly improved the situation with Karen, too. For the past few days she hasn’t looked nearly as stressed out as she did before.”

  “So Karen and Helen did a good thing for us, didn’t they?” she suggested slyly.

  “Yes, Dana Sue. Your friend did us a good deed. Want me to pin a medal on her?”

  “Nope. I just want you to stop keeping her at arm’s length.”

  “I’m not doing that,” Erik argued, though he knew Dana Sue was right. Ever since he’d found Helen in tears, he’d avoided her whenever possible. That hint of vulnerability in such a strong woman had cut right through his defenses. Okay, that and the still-vivid memory of locking lips with her.

  “Have you spent two seconds alone with her since the kiss?” Dana Sue asked.

  “I took her to Wharton’s for a hot-fudge sundae, remember? That was just last week.”

  “Ah, yes, I seem to recall something about you running out the second she started asking you about yourself. Okay, since then? Have you seen her? Asked her out?”

  Erik frowned at her. “The opportunity hasn’t arisen,” he replied. “Which reminds me, have you spoken to Helen about what’s going on with Tess’s husband?”

  Dana Sue shook her head. “I wasn’t sure it was my place. Tess might not want us meddling in her private business.”

  “I think you should. Sounds as if the case might be something Helen could really sink her teeth into, especially if some other lawyer cheated Tess out of a lot of money.”

  Dana Sue regarded him with dismay. “I hadn’t heard about that part. That’s really rotten.”

  “I thought so, too,” he said. “I figured it would get Helen’s dander up.”

  “It would,” Dana Sue agreed. “Why don’t you talk to her?”

  He gave a nonchalant shrug. “You see her. I don’t.”

  “You could,” she countered. “Pick up the phone and call her. Invite her out for coffee to discuss a legal matter, since you’re too chicken to ask her on a real date.”

  Erik scowled at her. “I’m not chicken. I don’t want to date her.”

  “Oh, please,” Dana Sue said scornfully. “Try telling me something I can believe. You’re hot for her and that scares the daylights out of you. What I don’t understand is why.”

  Erik had given that more thought than he probably should have, so he had an answer ready for her. “We’re complete opposites, for one thing. Barracuda attorneys give me hives, for another. The list goes on.”

  “Haven’t you heard? Opposites attract. And Helen’s only a barracuda in the courtroom.”

  “Yeah, I noticed that when I got a pie in my face because she was a little ticked off at me.”

  Dana Sue’s lips twitched. “You have to admit that was pretty unpredictable and funny, especially coming from Helen. She’s usually so darn proper.”

  “Did you see me laughing?”

  “No, I saw you planting a kiss on her, also unpredictable, but way too hot to be even remotely amusing.”

  “Whatever.”

  Dana Sue seemed to be even more tickled by his feigned indifference. “Well, it’s up to you. I think you’re right about Helen being the perfect person to handle that legal case for Tess, but I’m going to leave it up to you.”

  He saw right through her scheme and he wasn’t falling for it. “Come on, Dana Sue. You talk to her.”

  “I don’t think so. Not about that, anyway.”

  “You’d risk letting Tess twist in the wind, just so you can stick it to me and Helen?”

  “I prefer to think of it as motivation for the two of you to get together. I know what a wonderful, compassionate man you are. You won’t let Tess twist in the wind for long. Eventually we’ll all get what we want.”

  “You’re almost as annoying as Helen,” he muttered. “You know that, don’t you?”

  “Of course, I do,” she said cheerfully. “But I suggest you not kiss me to shut me up the way you did her, or Ronnie will have something to say about it.”

  Erik chuckled. “Yeah, I imagine he would. Go home, Dana Sue. It’s late. Get your things and I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “I think I can walk the twenty yards to my car unprotected,” she said.

  “Not on my watch, you won’t, not even in relatively crime-free Serenity,” he said. “Get your purse or whatever. I’ll meet you at the front door.”

  When he’d finally tucked her safely in her car, she rolled down the window. “Helen needs someone like you,” she told him. “Every woman does.”

  “Someone like me? What does that mean?”

  “A knight in shining armor,” she said.

  “I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong man,” he replied. “My suit of armor got tarnished a long time ago.”

  “I’ll buy you some polish first thing in the morning,” she said, “but believe me, the result will only be cosmetic. The truth runs much deeper. Good night, Erik. Sleep well.”

  He stared after her as she drove off into an inky darkness brightened only by a scattering of stars.

  It astounded him that she saw him that way when it was so far from the truth, so far from the way he’d come to view himself ever since that night his wife had died. Even if Dana Sue bought all the polish in the local Piggly Wiggly, he doubted it would be enough.

  Helen sat in the courtroom and looked across the aisle at Jimmy Bob West and Brad Holliday.

  “What excuse do you think they’ll come up with this time to get another postponement?” Caroline Holliday asked her, already sounding resigned to another delay in her divorce proceedings.

  “Actually I was thinking we’d turn the tables on them,” Helen said. “If it’s okay with you, of course.”

  Caroline sat up a little straighter. “What do you have in mind?”

  “I had a detective I use do a little digging around. I think I have enough evidence to show the judge that Brad’s been trying to hide some of his assets from us. I’d like to ask for a continuance so we can find every penny that man has tucked away.”

  Caroline regarded her with amazement. “But they gave us financial statements, and those pretty much matched all the records I had.”

  “Of course they did. They handed over everything they knew they couldn’t hide. Unfortunately for them, there was an interesting little paper trail they weren’t so clever about concealing. Brad’s a partner in some out-of-state real estate ventures that add up to a tidy little sum.”

  “You’re kidding me!” Caroline said, her mood improving considerably. “And I’m entitled to some of that property?”

  “Or the cash from the sale of that property,” Helen said. “And in my experience, if a man works that hard to hide some of his assets, it’s probably only the tip of the iceberg.” She studied the woman next to her, who finally had some color back in her cheeks and a glint of determination in her eyes. “So, do we go for it?”

  “Absolutely,” Caroline told her. “If only so I can see the look on Brad�
�s smug face when he realizes we’re on to him.”

  Helen chuckled. “I’m looking forward to that myself.”

  When the judge entered the courtroom a few minutes later, Helen was on her feet before Jimmy Bob could even shove back his chair.

  “Your Honor,” she began, shooting a quelling look at Jimmy Bob that had him sitting right back down. “We’d like to ask for a continuance.”

  For an instant Brad looked as if he’d just won the lottery. Jimmy Bob, however, was studying her with a narrowed, suspicious gaze. He obviously knew that she was up to something and that it didn’t bode well for his client.

  “I’m sure you plan to explain why,” the judge said. “Especially seeing as how you’ve been against every delay the opposing counsel has sought.”

  “Indeed I will explain,” Helen said. “May I approach the bench? I have some papers here to support my request.”

  She handed one set to the judge, another set to Jimmy Bob. He took one look at the first page and scowled at his client.

  “What is it?” Brad demanded.

  Helen tried not to smirk. “I’ll be happy to explain, if you’ll allow me to, Your Honor.”

  “Be my guest.”

  Helen proceeded to outline the detective’s findings. “These papers lead me to believe that Mr. Holliday has deliberately tried to mislead his wife and this court about the extent of his financial holdings. We’d like time to explore this further so we can be sure that whatever settlement this court ultimately reaches will be based on all the assets and not just those Mr. Holliday has very selectively revealed.”