“You’re just scared of her,” Jamie snapped.
Shelby gave him a withering look. “Oh please, I’m an adult.”
“So you two will be going to lunch, when, exactly?”
“Jesus Christ,” he finally snapped. “Are you two listening to yourselves?”
“Ryan Ray Tanner, don’t you dare blaspheme in this house.”
The woman still has ears like a bat. “Sorry, Gran.” He leaned forward. “First of all, all of you need to grow up, get over it, and act like adults. Second, is there nothing else for everyone to talk about other than the not-all-that-miraculous return of Helena Wheeler?”
Shelby actually seemed to think about that before shaking her head. “No, not really.”
“Uncle Dave says the new cell tower you’re all gung ho about will give us all brain cancer,” Eli offered with a smirk.
“Jack McCleary got a new job, so he and the family are moving to Birmingham.”
“Max Morris’s dog had a litter of puppies and they’re obviously mutts, so they’re demanding the stud fee back.”
His family was either insane or too insulated and in desperate need of wider experiences. “This is the best y’all can come up with?” he asked.
“I didn’t realize we’d be expected to entertain you today,” Adam said. “And since Shelby won’t let us talk about football, Helena’s about the only thing of interest.”
Jamie leaned toward Adam. “He’s just touchy because he’s developing a little crush on Helena.”
That got everyone’s attention. Gran will kill me if I get Jamie’s blood on the carpet. That realization was probably the only thing keeping Jamie alive after dropping that bombshell. At least he’d said it quietly enough so that his mother hadn’t heard.
Tucker grinned at him. “Oh, that is excellent.”
“Shut up,” he growled.
“Hey, I’m on your side. I don’t really remember her much from before, but I saw her at the store the other day, and she’s hot.”
“She’s a little old for you, don’t you think?” Adam said.
“I like cougars.” Tucker was trying to sound suave and mature but failing miserably, and Ryan didn’t have the patience right now.
Eli shook his head at Tucker. “She’d chew you up and spit you out without breaking a sweat. Don’t even think about it.”
“Thinking never hurt anyone,” Tucker retorted.
“Any thought in your head would die of loneliness.”
A horrified Shelby, who had been doing an excellent goldfish impersonation until now, finally spoke. “Y’all need to hush for a minute. Ryan Tanner, tell me that’s not true.”
“I can’t see how that would possibly be any of your business either way.”
“So you do?” Shelby said.
He was not going to participate in this conversation. Shelby needed to butt right out, and even the smallest comment on his part would have her all up in his business like she had a right to be there. “Anyone have any idea whose dog might have fathered the Morris’s puppies?” he asked conversationally.
But Shelby wasn’t having any of that, and since no one else jumped in to change the subject, he was forced to sit there under Shelby’s increasingly intense stare. Finally she rolled her eyes in disgust. “Fine. Talk about football.” She stood and picked up her plate. “I’m going to eat at the big table.” Then she turned to Ryan. “You’re insane. One day, I hope someone explains to me the allure of the Bad Girl. But this won’t go over well, and you know it.”
When she left, his cousins looked at him with varying degrees of interest and confusion, but he certainly didn’t owe them explanations and he wasn’t going to egg on this conversation by providing any. “So, the scout from Ole Miss . . .”
Adam picked up that conversational ball like a champ, thank goodness, since it was what he wanted to talk about in the first place. But as the meal progressed, Shelby kept sending him long, exasperated looks from across the room. She wasn’t going to let this go, he realized, so he was going to have to come up with some kind of response.
Damn if he knew what that might be, though.
* * *
“You call that working?”
Helena looked up to find Molly behind her, staring at her laptop screen with undisguised interest. Not that Helena was surprised. The smorgasbord of bare chests, washboard abs, and smoldering eyes above sexy stubbled jaws should interest any red-blooded woman. “It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.”
“I am in the wrong business.”
“Every job has its perks, and this is mine. Can you believe that my subscription to this site of gorgeous men is tax-deductible as a business expense?”
“If you tell me you get to bill by the hour for browsing, I might close up shop and go into business with you.” Molly refilled Helena’s coffee cup, then set the pot back on the counter. Helena was averaging at least an hour or two in Latte Dah every day, working her way through Molly’s drink menu while she tried to keep up with her clients. There was something about Latte Dah that inspired her—probably that it was one of the few places in town that held no memories, good or bad, for her. Even though she could work at the house now that the Internet was hooked up, that lack of constant déjà vu let her mind work freely here. Plus, she enjoyed getting out for the short walk, fresh air, good coffee, and Molly’s company.
Molly sat next to her. “So why are you downloading soft-core porn in my family-friendly establishment?”
“I’m putting together a media package for a small romance publisher—bookmarks, banner ads, all kinds of stuff—and I’m looking for pictures that complement their covers. Such pretty, pretty men to sort through. The real problem is not getting carried away in the search and losing hours ogling and drooling. Check this one out.” She clicked open her favorite picture from today’s search and turned the screen toward Molly.
Molly’s low appreciative whistle was coupled with a quick fanning of her face. “I’m suddenly feeling a bit overwarm.” She leaned a little closer to the screen. “That’s got to be fake. There are no men who really look like that. Are there?” she added a little hopefully.
It was a bad time for Molly to be asking that question, since Helena had compared those abs to Ryan’s abs about twenty times too many already today, and Ryan’s abs were holding their own pretty darn well. They lived in a beach community for goodness’ sake, and the human body was constantly on display. Surely people had seen Ryan shirtless at some point, so his assets couldn’t be that much of a secret. But if Molly wasn’t already familiar with Mayor Tanner’s six-pack, Helena wasn’t going to bring it up. “It takes a combination of good genes and a real commitment to the gym to get those kinds of results.”
“I hate to add to the outrageous and artificial definitions of beauty our society has created, but . . . damn.” She fanned herself again. “I just want to lick him like an ice-cream cone.”
“Right there with you.” The model’s abs, not Ryan’s. Really. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the completely inappropriate image of her doing exactly that from flashing through her brain in high-def, Technicolor detail. What the hell is wrong with me?
“You sure you don’t need an assistant?”
“It’s not all sexy men, sadly,” she confessed. “Next on my list is a brochure for a small beauty-products company—just pictures of soap and nature. That’s not nearly as exciting.”
“I’m not sure I could handle that much eye candy on a daily basis, anyway.” Molly lowered her voice even though Latte Dah was empty except for the two of them. “A girl can buy only so many batteries before people start asking questions.”
“Molly!”
She just grinned and shrugged, unrepentant. “A girl’s gotta make do where she can. I love Magnolia Beach, but the singles’ scene is almost nonexistent.”
“That
’s a shame.”
“It really is. Everyone talks about how Magnolia Beach is a great place for families, and I totally agree, but getting to the family is the hard part. Especially for imports.”
“See, I think it would be easier. It’s hard to see someone in a romantic light when you’ve known them since elementary school.”
“But familiarity can help, too.” Molly seemed to think for a minute. “I think I need to have a talk with Ryan.”
“Ryan? Why?”
“As mayor, he’s trying to keep Magnolia Beach relevant and moving forward. We need new blood and a reason for people to stay in order for that to happen. Single people are just as important to the overall health of a town as families.”
That was very astute. “You’re right. You know, maybe you should run for the city council.”
“Bite your tongue.”
“Why? You’re smart, involved. . . . You’d be an asset.”
“Yes, but I lack tact.”
Cute little perky Molly? “I can’t believe that’s true.”
“You haven’t seen me mad or frustrated yet. I’ve been to council meetings where I was about to lose it and go off like a cannon, and I was just participating in back-row democracy.”
“So what you’re saying is that you have a low tolerance for bullshit.”
Molly nodded. “And whining. And mindless complaining about minor stuff. Oh my God, you would not believe the great ‘how to properly light a flagpole’ debate that raged last year. I don’t know how Ryan handles it.”
“That’s the job he signed up for. He must like stuff like that.”
“I think it frustrates him, too. But it’s because he really cares, and crap like that is really just a waste of time. He’s done some amazing things that have really turned Magnolia Beach around. And that was before he was even elected mayor.”
“Good for him.” She didn’t mean to sound sarcastic, but it came out that way regardless.
“Don’t grump. Ryan has big ideas for ways to improve Magnolia Beach, and he ran for mayor so he could implement those plans.”
“That had to go over well. Magnolia Beach as a whole doesn’t like change.”
“It didn’t help. He had to really fight to get elected.”
“You’re kidding me. Ryan’s ‘Mr. Popularity.’”
“Oh, people like him, but they thought he was too young. Ageism is a real thing.”
“I can see that. But it’s probably more an issue of voting for someone to run your town when you remember them as that dumbass kid who was messing around one Fourth of July and accidentally set off the big fireworks show ten hours early.”
Eyes wide, Molly asked, “Ryan did that?”
“No, that was actually me,” she admitted, “but Ryan did manage to drive one of the parade floats into Heron Bay the next year.”
Molly laughed. “I don’t remember that coming up in the campaign.”
“I’m surprised.”
“They were a little too busy arguing about a lodging tax increase on rental properties that Ryan wanted to use for infrastructure improvements. Dr. Crawford said it would have a negative effect on tourism.”
“Dr. Crawford? The dentist?” When Molly nodded, Helena laughed. “He’s got to be a hundred years old by now.”
“And according to him, his age gave him wisdom that Ryan didn’t have.”
“But Ryan still won.”
“Yes, and he’s been proven right. Not only was there no negative effect on tourism overall, but the additions of Wi-Fi and the new pier have proven popular, and last year we were able to hire our first full-time firefighters and EMTs. Better quality of life, improved safety, and more jobs. All good things.”
Helena had to admit that was pretty impressive. “That must make him a pretty popular mayor now.”
“Of course, but he still gets pushback from the community, particularly the older population, but he says that’s to be expected. Just between you and me, though, he’s winning them over, too. The old men huff and puff because they don’t want him to get too cocky.”
That, she could believe. “How do you know all of this?”
Molly rolled her eyes. “I run a coffee shop. You wouldn’t believe all the stuff I overhear in here.”
“The thought kinda scares me.”
Molly just laughed. “How’s the work going at your place?”
“Good. Ryan seems to have it under control, so I’m feeling a little less stressed over the whole thing.”
“Ryan’s a good mayor and a good guy. If he says it’s under control, you can believe it.” Molly tossed that statement out almost as an aside, as her interest had been caught by Helena’s screen again. Molly reached over and scrolled down a bit. “Oh my. Isn’t he pretty?”
Helena was glad for the distraction. Molly was certainly a Ryan fan, but Helena couldn’t tell how deep that appreciation went. Maybe Molly wasn’t crushing on Tate after all. Or could she have a thing for both Tate and Ryan? Magnolia Beach did have rather slim pickings when it came to single men, so maybe Molly was hedging her bets, exploring an interest in more than one of Magnolia Beach’s most eligible.
That kind of bothered her. And on several levels, not just out of loyalty to Tate. And since she hadn’t seen Tate’s abs in the last decade, she had no real clue what condition they were in. He was fit and firm, that much she knew, but how fit and how firm were questions she couldn’t answer. But Molly’s interest in the hotties on her screen made steering the conversation away from Mayor Tanner much easier. “So how many truly eligible bachelors is Magnolia Beach boasting these days? Feel free to set arbitrary standards and not include all the single men, just the quality ones.”
“You looking for names?” A small sly smile curved up the corners of Molly’s mouth. “Suggestions, maybe?”
“Oh, no, no, no. Just an estimate of the number.”
“Why?”
“I’m curious. You at least have to have a top-ten list.” Molly’s look turned uncomfortable, so she retreated as gracefully as possible. “Ryan accused me of poaching Tate from the dating pool, and I was just wondering how big that pool was.”
“So, you and Tate . . . ?”
“Are just friends. That’s all. And I know there’s probably going to be gossip because we’re spending time together, so feel free to correct anyone who’s speculating.”
She was hoping for some kind of reaction from Molly about the nature of her relationship with Tate, but it was hard to tell. For Molly to be so open and friendly, she certainly was hard to read on this topic. And while she’d been happy enough to discuss her battery needs, she’d shut down when it turned to specific men. Interesting. That might be a look of relief on her face, but Helena couldn’t say for sure, and she wasn’t clear what else she could ask that wouldn’t cross a line. So she changed the subject. “Hey, could I get another lemon bar?”
“Sure.”
“At this rate, none of my clothes are going to fit.”
“Not that I’m saying you need to, but I run almost every day. You’re welcome to come with me anytime you’d like.”
“Maybe one day. I’m pulling a lot of late nights right now, what with the work on the house and my job. . . .”
“That reminds me. If you need help, please give me a call. I can paint, pack boxes, whatever you need.”
“That’s sweet, but . . .”
“I’m just being neighborly. Your grandmother is a great lady and a loyal customer. It’d be my pleasure to help out.”
Hadn’t she just been bemoaning the lack of a circle of friends to help her through this? It seemed she might be building one. “That’s sweet of you. And thanks. As soon as I figure out what I need, I’ll call. Maybe plan a painting party.” I can invite Tate, too. That brought back a memory that made her giggle.
“What?�
�
“The last time I got hold of paint, Tate and I took it up the water tower.”
Molly nodded, impressed. “That takes guts. I’m afraid of heights.”
“Me, too, actually, but it seemed worth it at the time.”
“It always does. That’s the problem with being a teenager. Stupid stuff seems so smart at the time.”
“Oh yeah. Full development of my frontal lobe was the greatest gift of my twenties.”
“Amen,” Molly said. “I’m living proof God watches out for idiots and children. In a less kind world, I’d be in jail or dead.”
Helena lifted her coffee cup. “Indeed.”
“By the way, did you see the high school yesterday?”
“I did. That was impressive work. I imagine it took some time to accomplish, too, so I’m surprised no one got caught.”
Molly shrugged. “Oh, they’ll round up the usual suspects, put on some pressure, see who confesses.”
“I know how that goes.”
Molly gave her a stern look. “Do you have an alibi?”
“Ugh. I hadn’t thought of that. Anyway, everyone in Magnolia Beach knows toilet paper isn’t my style.”
“I was always an instant-mashed-potato girl myself,” Molly declared. “Delay in the gratification, but better chance of artistic display.”
“With some added breathing room to get away as well. The timing’s so tricky, though, especially if they don’t have a sprinkler system. I never could quite get that right, so if you did, my hat’s off to you.”
Molly nodded regally. “Why, thank you.”
Something to Prove Page 9
