More Than Words

by Daphne Abbott

  As a woman who’s struggled with accepting her size and a bunch of other mental health problems, I promise I will always write heroines and heros that feel like real people with real problems. I will never shy away from difficult topics, but I will always treat them with compassion and care.

  I am a fan of romance first and an author second. I love meeting and talking with fellow romance enthusiasts. If you have questions, concerns or comments, you can contact me directly through my website and I’d be happy to connect with you.

  Also Available

  In the Air Tonight an eagle Creek Novella

  .

  Olivia

  A war was brewing in the basement of St. Jude’s Catholic Church, and I found myself literally smack dab in the middle. I watched in stunned silence as sides were chosen, fingers were pointed, and accusations were hurled. Words I was sure should not be said in a church basement rang through the space like battle cries.

  I sat to the side of the room in between my two best friends Lucy and Ruby and watched the spectacle in stunned silence. The Ladies’ Auxiliary meeting had never been so lively. At least, it hadn’t in the short time I’d taken my Great Aunt’s position as board member. Most weeks we discussed charity drives, community outreach, veteran support, or youth programs.

  Today it was chaos.

  “I bet the old bird is laughing in her grave right, Olivia?” Lucy asked with a chuckle. “Rose did love to stir the pot.”

  “Who would have thought a donation would cause a fight?” Ruby wondered aloud.

  “Rose,” I replied. “She knew every button and secret, she’d stir the pot just because she was bored. She may have said this money was a gift to the town, but it’s going to be anything but. And I’m sure she knew that.”

  Orthopedic shoes squeaked on the linoleum tile as the combatants lined up in the center of the room to hurl their insults. More than one of the advisories leaned heavily on a walker, and even poor Mrs. Weaver in her wheelchair rolled up to battle.

  “... your lemon bars are drier than your vagina…”

  “You’ve been a pain in my ass since you got married to that dentist and got all uppity…”

  “... wouldn’t know good taste if it bit you in that fat ass…”

  The amount of venom the ladies of Eagle Creek were spewing at each other would have made a sailor blush. At one point I’m pretty sure I saw my second grade teacher spit on the face of the deacon’s wife all while me, my friends, and a handful of younger women watched the argument in fascination.

  “I think I just heard the pre-school teacher call the kindergarten teacher a whore,” Lucy said in a whisper.

  “Not just a whore,” added Ruby. “A flat-chested, pock-marked, disease-ridden whore.”

  “I didn’t think my mother knew those kinds of words,” Lucy muttered as we watched Melanie Mason get in the face of Kitty Van Wyck and compare the woman’s cooking to toxic sludge.

  “It’s going to come to blows soon,” I said.

  Ruby snorted. “Let it. Some of these women could use a fall from their high horses.”

  Ruby was the daughter of one of the town’s most infamous citizens and had first hand knowledge of how dark some prejudices ran in the small north woods town. I reached out and gave her shoulder a quick squeeze—just a brief touch, Ruby wasn’t the affectionate kind—and scooted back my chair so I could see both her and Lucy at the same time. “As much as I love an entitled bitch getting what’s coming to her, I don’t feel like dealing with a physical altercation. So we’re going to need a plan.”

  “Ida seems to be one of the leaders,” Ruby said and pointed her friend and neighbor. “I could maybe get to her and calm her down.”

  “Mmm, yeah, I like that idea. Cut off the head of the snake by neutralizing the generals,” said Lucy. “So that makes the other ring leader…”

  “Mary Beth MacPherson,” I said, keeping my eyes on the cool looking blonde in the twinset that was squaring up with the tiny cotton-headed Ida.

  “Fuck,” Lucy swore. “Of course it would be her and her group. Can’t swing a bat near a discussion of spending town money without hitting her.”

  Ruby snorted. “If she has her way, the money will go to building a new country club.”

  “Or a spa.” I agreed. “Which would have been Rose’s worst nightmare.”

  Both my friends nodded and turned back to watch the argument some more. The noise in the tiny church basement bounced off the concrete walls and made my ears ring. I could feel a headache forming behind my eyes, and my god-damned shoes were too tight.

  Enough was enough.

  “You two take Ida and her cohorts and round them up,” I said as I stood and smoothed a hand over my hair, tucking in pieces that had escaped the twist after a long day of showing houses to a couple from out of town. “I’ll take on Mary Beth and her crew.”

  I ignored the whispered protests of my friends and wove my way through the arguing grannies and cussing Karens to get to the center of the battle. Ida and Mary Beth stood at the center of the room glaring at each other, while their friends and allies fired insults across the line. Neither of the leaders said a word, instead they glared silently at each other.

  The silence was what made my knees tremble. I’d been on the opposite end of both of these women’s disapproval, and even as an adult they both had the ability to intimidate me. As I walked through the crowd with Ruby and Lucy behind me, the smaller fights started to break up. Women of all ages, sizes, incomes, and backgrounds watched the three of us make our way through the bodies to the center of the storm.

  I heard whispers swirl around us like gnats. Some good, others questioning either my or my friends’ reputations. I was the daughter of the Mayor, a member of one of the oldest families in the area, I knew what it was like to feel the pressure of eyes and expectations on you. I didn’t let them bother me.

  “Mary Beth,” I said in a falsely light voice. “I’m so glad you’re taking an active interest in Rose’s gift.”

  Mary Beth’s eyes narrowed, but not a line appeared on her pale face. “Olivia, you know I take an active interest in the improvement of our town.”

  I was well aware of the type of “improvements” the MacPhearson family supported. “That’s excellent, since Rose was adamant that her gift be used for the betterment of the entire town. It’s also why she elected a board to oversee the dispersal.”

  “A board? Is that what we’re calling Ida and her gang?” Mary Beth’s mouth curled in a grimace. “It’s hardly an official board for the town.”

  “And for good reason. Rose didn’t want your poison infecting the project,” Ida said from behind me.

  The curl of disgust deepened before Mary Beth smoothed her features into her faux calm veneer, I expected more insults to be hurled but the room had gone quiet. “You know the importance of keeping the integrity of this town. The importance of remaining a family friendly space, that gives out visitors a much needed reprieve from the stress of the city.”

  My stomach rolled at her words. To an outsider, those words would seem innocuous. Who wouldn’t want their small tourist town to be welcoming to the families that visited? But I was fluent in the type of subtext Mary Beth MacPhearson spewed, all while she kept a clean and wholesome smile on her face. I’d been married to her only son for three years. We’d made the stupid mistake to get married right after we graduated college and came back to Eagle Creek from the small state school in Green Bay. I understood everything she meant, everything she didn’t say.

  I couldn’t let her see how much her presence revolted me because I needed to get her out of this meeting as quickly and quietly as possible. Then I needed to make sure that she’d keep her evil tentacles out of my aunt’s money. So a swallowed past the bile that crept up my throat and used the best weapon at my disposal.

  “I’ll talk to the mayor a
bout the board. Let him know your concerns.” I turned and flashed my realtor smile at her friends. “Rose wanted the town to benefit from her fight, and I intend to see that through.”

  The women behind Mary Beth and her main group of friends seemed mollified by my statement. I knew most of them wouldn’t risk crossing me. I was after all the mayor’s daughter and the primary benefactor to my aunt’s vast estate. I’d inherited not only the majority of her money but her Victorian mansion on Lake Dorset. I was going to turn the house into a wedding venue and a plant nursery. My status in the town was only going to continue to increase, I was not someone most people would want as an enemy.

  Even if I was not as cutthroat as my ex-mother-in-law, I knew exactly how to play her game. I deepened my smile and even held out a hand for Mary Beth to shake. “I’ll be sure to mention you to the board when they begin creating the project committees.”

  She had nothing else, no other course, and she knew it. So Mary Beth sniffed and shook my hand with a limp wrist. “See that you do,” she said, then she spun on her heel and stalked out of the room with her trio of friends hot on her heels.

  Once they were gone, the tension in the room decreased dramatically. Ruby and Lucy talked Ida and Melanie down to a reasonable level and the four women slowly went through the crowd, putting out the last of the fires of rebellion. There were a few flare-ups and a couple more insults shouted loud enough to echo through the hall and set my teeth on edge once more. But in the end, we managed to get everyone back in their seats and resume the Auxiliary meeting within ten minutes.

  I could feel eyes boring into the back of my head as I sat in the front row and watched the leaders go through their agenda. I didn’t listen to the topics at hand, Luce would catch me up later, I was too busy plotting. I was the heiress to an unexpected fortune and needed to make sure that it got spent exactly as my aunt intended.

  I needed an expert.

  The March evening air was damp and cold when we left the basement later that night. Lucy and Ruby had hung back to help clear the space, and I felt bad for escaping early, but the stress of the meeting had taken its toll on me. As I dug through my massive shoulder bag for the keys to my car, I fought back the anxiety that wanted to crawl up my throat again.

  “Olivia?”

  I turned to my left and saw Pam Waite, one of the women from Ida’s side, standing a few feet away. Pam and her husband Jim owned the campgrounds and several rental properties in the area. I’d helped them purchase a few of the houses they owned as well as helped them list their cabins on rental sites. We were friendly, if not friends, so her nervous demeanor concerned me.

  I gave up the search for the keys and tossed the bag on the hood of my car before turning fully to Pam. “Pam, what can I do for you?” I asked and gave her a genuine smile.

  “I just wanted—” She stopped, wrapped her arms tighter over her chest, then started again, “That scene in the meeting tonight--”

  “It was awful, and I promise it will not be tolerated once we start board meetings for the dispersal of the funds,” I said, moving closer so she could see my expression clearly. “I’m sorry that happened, but I can promise that type of scene will not happen again.”

  Pam laughed. “Olivia, you were always such an independent little thing when you were little. Not much has changed, has it?”

  I grinned. “Nope.”

  Pam nodded, and finally her face didn’t look so worried. “Good. I know this money was Rose’s way of helping the town increase our tourism, but I’m worried people like the MacPhearsons and their friends will try to bend and twist this gift to suit their own selfish priorities.”

  “I’m familiar with the MacPhearsons and their goals, Pam. You don’t need to worry about me being swayed by them.”

  “I know you won’t, but I am worried they’ll make your life hell while you ignore them. So I thought, maybe, you’d need more support than what you have on the board now,” she said.

  “I agree. I’ll need to find some more help than what we have here in town. Rose wanted to preserve the history of the town and it’s citizens, so I was thinking a historian would maybe be helpful,” I replied. “Or maybe an author to write a full history of the area. I haven’t really had time to decide, we just read the will last week.”

  Pam nodded. “Those are wonderful ideas, Olivia. But—well, I think—I think I have one more suggestion.”

  “Oh?” I smiled. “What’s that?”

  “My son, Declan. I know he hasn’t been around much since high school. He went off to college in Rhode Island and stayed in the Northeast after graduation. Became an architect if you didn’t know.”

  My skin tightened, and I felt every cell in my body come to life, Of course I knew Declan Waite and his profession. It was impossible not to know who and what Declan was in our small town. He was the pride of Eagle Creek. The small-town boy, who’d gotten a full ride to the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, had become one of the youngest partners at a famous firm before quitting to start his own company.

  But his notoriety didn’t become legend until he started his internet channel, documenting all his historical renovations. The channel had hundred of millions of subscribers, was frequently featured in the press, and was rumored to have several networks interested in purchasing the rights. Everyone in town was fascinated by our local celebrity.

  Even me, even though he’d broken my heart.

  “I think Declan could help not only renovate the buildings, but he can use his internet show to bring attention to the project. We’d get free publicity to show off all the wonderful improvements,” Pam said.

  I realized she must have been talking while I’d taken a spin down memory lane, so I jumped to respond. “You’re right. It would make a lot of sense to contact Deck about the job. We don’t have a solid plan yet, but even if he just consulted and gave us ideas, that would be great.”

  “I’m sure he’d love to help,” Pam said with a wide smile. I was just as sure he would turn us down flat, but I let her have her moment. “I’ll call him tomorrow if that’s okay with you?”

  “Sure,” I agreed. “You could give him the details from the flyer we handed out tonight. That’s the most detailed explanation I have right now.”

  Pam nodded. “Sure, I’ll have Jake scan it or fax it to Deck.”

  I laughed, but didn’t mention that I doubted Declan owned a fax machine. “Sounds good, Pam. Thanks for offering to talk to Deck. I’ll be in touch with more details some time next week.”

  “Maybe you could contact him too, Olivia. I’m sure you’re friends on Facebook or you Twit at each other?”

  We were friends on social media, had been since our sophomore year in college when one night after a particularly bad fight with my ex Peter, I’d gone on my computer and stalked Declan’s page for hours. To this day his handsome face, boyish smile, and distressingly cut body haunted my social media pages with some regularity.

  “I’ll have to check,” I lied. “You have a nice night, Pam. Sorry again for the scene, but I’m sure it’ll be better next time.”

  “Don’t be sorry. That was the most interesting Auxiliary meeting we had since the one time in the seventies when some of the kids switched the desert with pot brownies.” Pam laughed and shook her head. “I think it’s time we shook some things up around here.

  * * *

  The slap of a magazine hitting the table startled me out of my work haze, and I shoved back my chair to face the intruder. “Nick,” I said as I pulled my headphones from my ears and tried not to sound as startled as I felt. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think we were meeting for another hour.”

  Nick Waite, my friend and general contractor glanced at the watch on his wrist. “Olivia, I’m five minutes late.”

  “Shit.” I flipped my phone over and checked the time. He was right, I’d gotten so absorbed in w
ork that I’d failed to notice. “Sorry about that.”

  Nick frowned but didn’t comment on my distraction. Instead he tapped the magazine on the table and said, “We need to talk about this.”

  “About what?”

  “It’s been months since you inherited this monstrosity of a house, Olivia. I told you when Rose died and passed it on to you that you’d need more help than I can give you.” Nick flipped over the magazine and handed it to me. “You know what you have to do.”

  On the cover of the glossy magazine was Declan Waite. The damn man was suddenly everywhere I looked, and I felt my temper rise as I looked at the cover. I’d gone years without anyone ever saying his name in my presence, and here he was for the second time in 24 hours. Deck’s handsome smile and the way his blue eyes twinkled with mischief were more than I could bear, so I turned the magazine face down on the table.

  “We don’t need that kind of help,” I said and gestured around the kitchen of my newly inherited Victorian manor. “This is mostly cosmetic work, you even said the bones of the place are sound.”

  Nick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Liv, just because the foundation and most of the structure is okay, doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of work to be done here. I’m used to building family homes or small cabins. This place is above my level.”

  I felt my heart rate increase at his words. I knew the renovation of Van Ess House would be a massive undertaking, but Nick had agreed to take on the job, so I assumed he was capable of the work. He had mentioned early on that the house was big compared to most of their jobs, but this was the first time Nick had said it was above his skill level. Had I made a mistake?

  “I have my meeting with the historical society in six weeks,” I said, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. “They’re going to want firm plans on the renovation and addition.”