Christmas at Black Cherry Retreat

by Angela Britnell

  Fee stared at the three golden beignets dredged in icing sugar and before she could be tempted pushed two straight onto Tom’s plate. She took a sip of coffee. ‘I miss this so badly sometimes. This is nice and mellow but I still mustn’t drink it all.’

  ‘You’ve got more willpower than I’d have, sweetheart.’ Tom chuckled.

  ‘Pain like stabbing knives in your stomach will do that to you trust me.’ Her dry observation made him wince. ‘Hey, it’s okay.’ Fee squeezed his hand. ‘I’m learning to manage and staying clear of alcohol and the painkillers I used to rely on helps the most.’

  ‘You’re a strong woman.’ His eyes, as dark and decadent as the richest chocolate, rested on her. ‘I already had one plateful of these before you came,’ Tom admitted, picking up a beignet and giving it a rueful smile. ‘It’s time you explained your mysterious text.’

  The swift change of subject threw her for a second and Fee took a small bite of warm doughnut before setting the rest back down on the plate. She fiddled with the paper napkin, screwing it up into a tiny ball and unravelling it again before proceeding to tear it into shreds. Stumbling over her words she told Tom about the meeting at the airport and Allain’s house. Fee didn’t do too badly until she reached the part about her mother and Allain’s reaction to the story about her childhood.

  Tom laid his fingers on her cheek and she leaned into his familiar touch. ‘You’re being too hard on yourself again. None of this is your fault.’ The knot of tension gripping at her stomach eased. ‘I’m not convinced Allain comparing you to your mother was so terrible.’ He smoothed her hair behind her ears and pressed a gentle kiss on her mouth. ‘I’m pretty sure you got most of your beauty from her plus she’s obviously a very focused, independent woman and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.’

  ‘I’ve never thought about it that way before,’ Fee murmured. ‘All I’ve ever seen is the lack of intimacy we have with other people …’ His eyebrows rose and she couldn’t help grinning. ‘I’m not talking about sex.’

  ‘I know, honey, but my wicked mind wouldn’t listen.’ His expression turned serious again. ‘You shouldn’t put yourself down. You might not be at ease around large, close families like mine but you did a damn fine job the other night. Not everyone has to be loud and over-sharing. There’s nothing wrong in being more of an introvert.’ He smiled. ‘Every family needs one or two and it’d be a crazier world than it is if we were all the same.’

  ‘You’re a good man.’ Fee rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. He’d already given her a lot to think about and hadn’t heard half the story yet.

  ‘Caught you.’

  Tom jerked around and a young, blonde woman screamed right in his face, her stunning features marred by hot anger. Curse words sounded the same in any language and he guessed these were in the local Cajun dialect. Everyone around them stopped eating and drinking to stare.

  ‘Excuse me, ma’am. Do we know you?’

  ‘She does.’ The woman pointed an accusing finger at Fee. ‘Are you her accomplice?’

  ‘Accomplice?’ Tom asked. ‘What the heck are you talking about?’ He held out his hand but she didn’t shake it. ‘My name’s Tom Chambers.’

  ‘Would you care to join us, Lisette?’ Fee broke her silence. ‘I’d rather not broadcast our private business.’

  ‘I guess you don’t want everyone knowing you’re a money-grabbing fraud,’ Lisette sniped and pulled out a chair to sit down. She waved away the waiter who was hovering around their table to take her order.

  ‘Tom is my … boyfriend,’ Fee said with a shy smile before glancing at him. ‘This is Lisette Dupre. Allain’s daughter.’

  Daughter? Of all the guesses running through his mind that one hadn’t made the list. ‘Pleased to meet you.’

  ‘I can’t imagine why,’ she snapped. ‘Your little scheme is over. If you think I’ll stand by and let you fleece my poor father when he’s still grieving you can forget it.’

  ‘Lisette came to visit her father last night,’ Fee explained with a tremor in her voice. ‘He, um, explained who I am and it was rather a shock.’ What she didn’t say came through clearly and Tom could only imagine how the volatile girl reacted to the news of an unknown half-sister.

  ‘It’s all a pack of lies and we both know it,’ Lisette interrupted. ‘Papa agreed to a DNA test this morning. I assume you won’t object.’

  ‘Of course not. Why should I?’ Fee’s willingness took the other girl by surprise. ‘I don’t need his money and I’ve managed for nearly forty years without a father and done quite well for myself. Trust me, I don’t have any agenda.’

  ‘I guess we’ll see about that won’t we?’ Lisette pushed her chair back and stood up, glaring at them both. ‘I’ll be staying with my father until you leave.’

  ‘Making sure I don’t steal the silver?’ Fee quipped.

  ‘You won’t be laughing soon,’ Lisette threatened and stormed off.

  Tom waited for Fee to say something – anything rather than the blank stare she was giving him now.

  Chapter Thirty

  ‘I’ll say it again you’re an amazing woman.’ Tom’s warm, open smile brought Fee close to tears. ‘You’ve made yourself the person you are today and no DNA test will change that.’

  The urge to run away from him and the whole mess swept through her and Fee didn’t know how she stayed seated. She’d never intended to upset anyone by coming here. After last night’s debacle Lisette had disappeared upstairs to sleep in her old bedroom. Allain explained the reason Fee hadn’t seen any mention of Lisette when reading about him was because his wife had been fanatical about maintaining their family privacy. Ellen had rarely accompanied him to social events and their daughter was never allowed to. It’d hurt Fee when Allain assured Lisette his relationship with Maddy was unimportant. Part of her understood he was a father protecting his daughter but what about her feelings?

  The last twenty-four hours had shifted her perceptions and made her re-examine what she was doing to Tom.

  This was a man whose reason for living revolved around his large, extended family and who had enough research material on his ancestors to write a book. He’d brought back to life the cabins his forebears built when they settled in Tennessee, and Black Cherry meant everything to him. The idea of him loving a woman who wasn’t sure who both of her parents were and whose idea of a settled home was staying somewhere for more than a couple of weeks was totally crazy and always had been.

  ‘You’re doin’ it again, honey,’ Tom remonstrated. ‘Jumping to conclusions. My brain’s in pretty good workin’ order and I’ll make my own decisions.’

  ‘I didn’t mean …’ her voice trailed away because she couldn’t lie. Everything tumbled out and in a flash the warmth left his face.

  ‘Is that really what you think of me? That I can’t love my family and where I come from and you? That’s bullshit.’ Bitterness laced his words.

  ‘Strong feelings often blind us to the truth, Tom. Don’t get me wrong. Our … relationship has been wonderful. It’s helped me get over a tough time.’

  ‘Glad to hear I’ve been of use.’ She couldn’t blame him for sounding churlish.

  ‘You know that’s not how I meant it.’

  ‘Do I?’

  Fee sucked in an audible breath. ‘Be real, Tom, we have nothing in common. Can you really picture us living happily ever after? The situation with Allain has simply helped clarify things for me.’

  ‘Oh good.’

  ‘Sarcasm doesn’t suit you. You’re too nice.’ She managed a tight smile but he didn’t respond. ‘I’m sorry to have dragged you out here for nothing.’ Big, fat tears filled Fee’s eyes and he pulled out another clean white handkerchief from his jeans pocket and passed it to her.

  ‘Please. No crying. I’m a man and we don’t do tears well.’ He struggled to crack a joke. ‘Anyway if we’re nit-picking you didn’t drag me out here. I came of my own accord because I knew meeting Dupre would be difficult and
wanted to support you.’

  Fee knew she should thank him but could only manage a brief nod. ‘I’d better go or Allain will wonder where I am.’ Tom stared at her in quiet disbelief. ‘Will you go back to Black Cherry today?’

  He tried to read her mind but failed, unable to decide how she wanted him to reply. If you’re not sure what she means ask the woman outright. Turning his grandmother into a Tennessee version of Dear Abby had been a mistake because now he couldn’t get her opinions out of his head.

  ‘Do you want me to?’ Tom couldn’t make it any plainer. He sat back in the chair and sipped his cold coffee. Anything so he might not appear quite as desperate. Fee couldn’t meet his eyes. Good. If I still bother her that much I’ve got a chance.

  ‘It might be for the best.’ Her cool words contrasted with the way her trembling hands clutched at her handbag strap. ‘I’m really sorry, Tom.’ Fee’s voice broke.

  Before he could stop her she pushed the empty chair next to her out of the way and took off running.

  ‘Where have you been?’ Allain hurried out from the kitchen as Fee limped back into the house. ‘We might not be sure I’m your father yet but I can still worry.’ His attempt to joke about their situation made everything worse.

  ‘I’m sorry. I woke early and walked down to the Cafe du Monde.’ She left it at that, wondering if Lisette was back but not comfortable with mentioning their acrimonious meeting to him.

  ‘It’s a long way with a bad knee,’ he commented, ‘and before you ask your mother mentioned your injury and I’ve been reading about you online. Call me nosy if you like but I was curious what kind of woman my … uh, you were.’

  ‘Don’t believe all you read.’ She hated how she either came across as a saint or totally mad. ‘I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to believe everything I’ve seen about you?’

  His warm laugh filled the room. ‘Touché. You got me there, cherie. I usually come across as either a greedy business tyrant or a male version of Mother Teresa for the little bit of charity work I do.’

  “Little bit of charity work” was a complete misnomer. He was a philanthropist on a grand scale but also did a lot behind the scenes which only got revealed when someone broke his request for anonymity. There was a lot to admire about him and remembering the merry-go-round of her mother’s boyfriends Fee couldn’t help hoping Allain did turn out to be her father, even if having Lisette for a half-sister was the price she’d have to pay.

  ‘Did you have any breakfast?’

  ‘I tried the famous beignets and café au lait. They were delicious.’

  ‘Really?’ Allain’s eyebrows rose. ‘Was that a good idea?’

  Why hadn’t she simply said she went out for a walk? She hated being dishonest. ‘I didn’t eat much,’ Fee murmured. ‘I’m rather tired so if you don’t mind I’m going upstairs to rest for a while.’

  ‘No problem, but …’ He shuffled from one foot to the other and couldn’t quite look at her. ‘If you could be downstairs again by ten I’d appreciate it.’ Allain hurried to explain that his doctor was coming to do the DNA test and would have the results back before she left. She hated that he felt awkward about asking her to do something which made complete sense. If Lisette hadn’t demanded it Fee would’ve suggested the test herself.

  She touched his arm. ‘That’s fine. We both need this.’ Fee wanted him to know this wasn’t only for his sake. ‘I’ll see you in a while.’

  Before he could say anything else she left him alone and retreated to her bedroom.

  She wouldn’t be able to lay all of this to rest until she visited her mother. What about Tom? Are you going to pretend he means nothing to you? Fee wasn’t clear what else she’d do when she returned to Black Cherry but meeting Tom’s grandmother would top the list. She’d never been a person to put things off and had soon tracked down Betty Mae Chambers’ phone number. As soon as she said her name and what she wanted Fee could sense the older woman’s satisfaction. Within minutes she received an open invitation to visit. Mission accomplished.

  We have nothing in common, Tom, be real. Do you really picture us living happily ever after?

  If she thought he’d give up easily she was way off base. He’d do whatever it took to prove he loved her.

  Tom’s head spun as his family all tried to speak at the same time. He’d landed back in Pine Ridge in time for Sunday supper and dropped his bombshell in the middle of eating chicken pot pie.

  ‘Sell? You’ve spent ten years restoring the goddamn place,’ Sandy exploded. Thankfully the older kids were outside playing so his brother only received a stern glare from their mother instead of a swat around the head for his bad language. ‘Why’re you doing this?’

  ‘A woman. Always is.’ Mikey’s dry comment cut through the roundabout argument that’d been going on ever since he’d announced his intention to give up Black Cherry.

  ‘Are you doing this for Fee Winter?’ Sandy spat out her name.

  ‘Yes and no.’ He held up his hand to stop them questioning him any more. ‘I only went to Iraq because if I’d have stayed I’d have gone mad with grief. Leaving now is different.’

  His father touched Tom’s shoulder. ‘I’m not convinced you’re making this choice for the right reasons.’

  ‘Maybe I need to see if I can survive outside of this comfortable little bubble we’ve got here. Did you ever think of that?’ Tom pulled away. He meant every word. He thought he’d become too cosy in his quiet life where there were no demands on him and few challenges. Fee had opened his eyes to wanting more.

  ‘What if she turns you down?’ Chloe chimed in, hoisting her youngest child on her shoulder.

  ‘Then I’ll simply do it for me.’ The room went quiet and Tom stared around at them all, waiting for the next smart remark, but no one said a word.

  ‘I’ve got an idea that would give you a break without cutting your ties completely.’ Billy broke the silence. ‘Rayna’s enjoying being at Black Cherry and nobody wants to see the land go out of the family so how about we manage it for you until you’re sure you want to sell?’

  Tom’s mind raced. Although the land belonged to him because of the way his grandfather’s estate was shared up he hadn’t cared for the idea of it going to strangers. ‘But how would you manage? Your job’s in Knoxville.’

  Billy grinned. ‘You’d have to agree to getting phones and internet access put in. I can’t do my accounting work by sending smoke signals. Rayna’s tired of teaching and would be happy to combine looking after the baby with doing the domestic stuff around Black Cherry. I’d fit in the rest and only take on as much work as I needed to.’

  Tom’s father chuckled. ‘Called your bluff, hasn’t he? You’ve got no excuse now.’

  The hollow in his stomach deepened and Tom put on a cocky smile. ‘Of course not. Sounds perfect.’ Everyone joined in the conversation again but he didn’t have much more to say. What if he was making the biggest mistake of his life?

  Chapter Thirty-One

  ‘Oh, hello. I was looking for Tom.’ Fee frowned at the younger, dark-haired man sitting at Tom’s desk. He swung the revolving chair around and scrutinised her closely.

  ‘You must be Ms Winter.’ His soft drawl marked him out as local but she still didn’t have a clue who he was. Getting to his feet the stranger held out his hand. ‘Billy Robbins. Tom’s brother-in-law. I’m married to his sister, Rayna.’

  ‘Right,’ she said, shaking his hand. ‘Is Tom sick?’

  ‘Nope, he’s fine, ma’am. Just gone to Knoxville for the day. I’m getting a touch more practise in for when me and my lovely wife take over for a while next week.’

  Fee’s head spun. ‘Take over? Why, where’s Tom going?’ This time Billy’s intense stare made her shiver.

  ‘Not sure he’s decided yet.’ Billy shrugged. ‘Did you need something?’

  She struggled to think up a good reason for coming in. ‘Um, a light bulb. The one outside my front door isn’t working.’ An absolute lie but the best
she could manage under the circumstances. She had rushed over here with two things pressing on her mind neither of which she could share with this stranger. Fee had been desperate to plead for Tom’s forgiveness over her thoughtless behaviour in New Orleans and to share her devastating news about Allain. When the DNA results revealed he couldn’t be Fee’s father she wasn’t certain who was more shocked.

  ‘No problem. I’ll come on over with you now.’ He grabbed a bunch of keys off the desk and opened a cupboard by the window. ‘I’ll bring a selection of bulbs. Not sure which one we need.’

  None. For a second she almost admitted the truth but slammed her lips shut and gave him a grateful smile. ‘Thanks. I appreciate it.’

  They left the cabin and walked along the path together leaving Fee open to being interrogated in the typical, polite Southern way. All Billy’s questions were hidden under a discreet layer of old-world courtesy. Fee picked her words with extreme care because every answer she made would no doubt be spread around the Chambers family, and by default the whole of Pine Ridge. She raved about the beautiful scenery and talked about her photography while giving nothing personal away.

  ‘You’ve paid for another week. Are you thinking of staying on for the holidays maybe? It sure is pretty here at Christmas.’

  ‘I shouldn’t think so,’ Fee said with a brief laugh as though the idea had never occurred to her. ‘Why? Has anyone enquired about booking my cabin?’

  ‘Not yet. Just thought I’d ask.’

  They reached her cabin and Billy stepped onto the porch to try the light switch. Of course it worked perfectly because there was no reason for it not to.

  ‘Light bulbs are unpredictable things sometimes.’ Like women. The unspoken words made Fee cringe. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’ Billy nodded and half way back down on the path he turned around to shout over his shoulder. ‘I’ll tell Tom you stopped by when he returns.’

  He carried on walking, whistling as he went, and Fee knew she’d been rumbled.

  Tom fiddled with his London plane ticket. He’d bought it to travel on the same day Fee was due to leave but with an open-ended return date. How would she react when he told her? At this moment his priority needed to be hurrying back to Black Cherry so he could take over from Billy. He’d worry about Fee later.