RILEY WOKE to a sunny room and an empty bed. He brushed his hands against the rumpled sheets and figured Gracie had to be somewhere in the house and that she’d show up here eventually. Then he would grab her and pull her down next to him and have his way with her. Again.
He closed his eyes and smiled at the thought. He liked having her in his bed. He liked how she looked and smelled and how she made him feel. She was good for him, and he couldn’t say that about many people he knew.
“Whatcha smiling at?”
He opened his eyes and saw her approaching. She wore a long T-shirt and, from the way her breasts swayed with each step, very little else.
“You.”
“Yeah?” She sat next to him and brushed the hair off his forehead. “Were you thinking about last night? You were an animal.”
“You weren’t bad yourself.” He turned his head to glance at his left shoulder. “I think you bit me.”
She grinned. “I know I bit you.”
“You left marks.”
“Complaining?”
“Only if you don’t do it again.”
She chuckled, then bent down and brushed her mouth across his.
“You’re violating the three F’s code and soon the three F’s police will come and arrest you. The good news is you won’t have to worry about being a daddy while you’re locked up.” She held out a white plastic stick. “I’m not pregnant.”
He’d forgotten it was time for her to take the test.
He reached for the stick, but she held it out of reach. “I peed on that. I don’t think you want to touch it.”
“Good point.” He studied her face. “You’re sure?”
“Yup. Not just from this.” She waved the test. “But I’ve been getting symptoms. I’ll be getting my period in the next day or so. I’m guessing it’s late because of all the stress in my life. That happens.”
“Are you okay with this?”
Her eyes widened. “I’m completely fine. Be happy. This is what we wanted. Isn’t it?”
“Of course.” An unexpected pregnancy wasn’t a part of his five-year plan.
“We’ve kept using protection after that first time, so no worries.” She stood and tossed the plastic stick into the trash. “I’ve made coffee. I have some eggs if you want. I’ll even scramble them for you.”
He sat up, then grabbed her hand and squeezed her fingers. “I only eat cake.”
She laughed. “You’re my kind of guy. Want to shower first?”
“Thanks.”
RILEY LEFT about thirty minutes later and drove home to change clothes before going to the bank. He’d promised to call later so he and Gracie could figure out their “Pam” strategy. He also had a meeting with Zeke about the campaign and a host of other responsibilities.
But all he could think about was Gracie and the fact that she wasn’t pregnant. A good thing, he told himself. So why wasn’t he more happy? Had he wanted her to be?
No way, he told himself. Then what? He would have had to marry her and be a husband and father. Neither were part of his game plan. He wasn’t the kind of man who settled well in one place and Gracie…
Well, all right, maybe Gracie was the kind of woman that if he had to settle down she would make it okay. But he wasn’t looking for a commitment. Not his thing. He didn’t care.
Except he did care about her. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to her and he was determined to make her life right. He liked being around her.
Interesting, but not important, he told himself. When the election was over, win or lose, he planned on walking away. Nothing about that had changed.
“WE’RE DOING girl bonding,” Alexis said. “Please say you’ll come.”
Gracie wasn’t sure she was in the mood for her family’s definition of togetherness, but she did want to see her mother. They hadn’t spent any time together since clearing the air on their past.
“All right,” she said. “What time?”
“Vivian has a half day today, and Mom and I are taking a long lunch, so say noon? We’re doing a potluck. Do you have any cake?”
“Of course. I’ll bring some. I have tuna salad, too.”
“No thanks.”
Gracie chuckled, then sighed. “Is Vivian’s wedding back on?”
Alexis hesitated. “To be honest, I haven’t a clue, and I’m not sure I want to even know. If we go back and forth one more time, I’m going to have to kill her.”
Gracie could relate to that. “What about Tom? Has she talked to him?”
“I don’t know that, either. I guess we’ll find out. See you in a couple of hours.”
“I’ll be there.”
Gracie hung up the phone, then wandered into the kitchen. Selfishly, she wouldn’t mind if her sister’s wedding was back on simply to have a cake to make. Right now the only thing on her calendar was the cake she was making for free for the historical society. While she planned to give them more than just the sheet cake they’d asked for, the event wasn’t appropriate for something too fancy.
Not that she had her actual design. She’d left that at Pam’s along with all her really good pans. At some point she was going to have to go back and get them, but not today. In the meantime, she would recreate the design and figure out her work schedule. At least now she didn’t have to worry about fitting it in around other cakes.
At a little before twelve, Gracie drove over to her mother’s house. In some ways, she actually felt better about everything. One by one her problems were being resolved. She wasn’t pregnant and she wasn’t fighting with her mother. Now if she could just get her career back on track, she would be pretty darned close to perfect.
She parked behind Alexis’s car. Her sister waited while Gracie collected a pink bakery box from the passenger seat and stepped out.
“How’s it going?” Alexis asked, looking especially happy and cheerful.
“Good. What about you?”
“I’m great. Zeke and I have spent the past few nights talking.” She grinned. “And doing other things. Did Riley tell you about him wanting to do stand-up?”
Gracie nodded. “How do you feel about that?”
“Honestly, I was shocked at first and I pretty much went crazy. Then I thought about it and I realized that Zeke deserves the chance to follow his dreams. Plus I kind of like the idea of being married to someone famous.”
Gracie nodded, as if that made perfect sense to her, even as she realized however much she might want to be emotionally close with her sisters, it was probably never going to happen. And the reason had nothing to do with being raised by her aunt and uncle. Instead it was because they were completely different people.
“After the election, he’s going to quit his job,” Alexis said as she knocked once, then opened the front door. “I’ll be supporting the two of us.”
“You’re kidding.” Gracie couldn’t imagine Alexis taking that on.
“Doing my best to be the supportive wife. He can repay me later with really great jewelry.”
“It’s an interesting plan,” Gracie said as she tried to keep an open mind. While she could appreciate that Alexis wanted to help Zeke out, she wasn’t as comfortable with the payback mentality. But then she’d never been married. Obviously it worked for them.
“You guys made it,” Vivian said as she walked out of the kitchen. “Gracie, is there lots of cake, because I’m doing a real sugar thing right now.”
“A ten-inch triple-layer cake with chocolate filling.”
Vivian sighed. “Perfect.”
Gracie watched as her baby sister took the bakery box, then peeked inside. Somehow Vivian seemed older than when she’d last seen her, and thinner. There were circles under her eyes and a sad set to her mouth.
“What’s up?” Gracie asked.
“The sex thing didn’t work?” Alexis asked with a grin. “Coulda told you that.”
Gracie winced. “Are you okay, Vivian?”
“No, but I will be. This gets better, right? Heartache.”
“Tom will come around,” Alexis said. “A couple of weeks without him getting any and he’ll be yours to command.”
Vivian shrugged. “I don’t think so. He’s been pretty clear about it. Come on. Mom’s in here.”
She led the way into the kitchen where their mother had set four places at the large round table.
“All my girls together,” she said. “This is lovely.”
She hugged them all in turn. When she gathered Gracie close, she whispered, “I’m so glad to see you.”
“Me, too,” Gracie murmured back and was pleased to know she actually meant it.
They sat down. Vivian passed on the sandwiches and salad and cut herself a piece of cake. But instead of eating, she chased crumbs around her plate.
“So what happened with Tom?” Alexis asked as she picked up a chicken salad sandwich and took a bite.
“Not much. We’ve talked a couple of times. He’s standing firm. I just…” She swallowed and looked at Gracie. “I guess you were right. I should have been honest. It’s just I never have been. Not with a guy. I thought being mysterious and unpredictable was the way to keep them interested. Plus Mom, remember how you’d never tell Dad stuff. You’d buy us all new shoes, then make us promise not to say anything for a few weeks.”
Her mother looked at Vivian. “I didn’t want him angry because I’d spent too much money, but that has nothing to do with being honest. Is that what you remember?”
“I was only nine. I don’t remember very much at all.” Vivian turned to Alexis. “Do you tell Zeke everything?”
“Of course not, but that’s different. We’re married.”
Gracie did her best not to react to Alexis. “I wonder if your threatening to call off the wedding time after time made Tom feel that you didn’t love him enough.”
Vivian straightened. “Yes. That’s what he said. He wasn’t sure of my feelings. He was afraid I’d run off every time there was a problem. I wouldn’t. Once we were married, I’d be committed.”
“Maybe he needed proof of that before the wedding,” Gracie said softly.
“I guess.”
“Things will get better,” their mother said. “If you two are meant to be together, you’ll find your way back to each other.”
“I hope so.” Tears filled Vivian’s eyes. “It’s just I miss him so much. Plus, I feel really horrible about everything that’s already paid for. I’m supposed to pick up the wedding dress on Friday. What on earth should I do with it?”
“Keep it,” Alexis said cheerfully. “I told you-he’ll come around.”
“I don’t think so. And even if he does, I don’t think we’d have the same wedding.” Vivian stared at her cake. “He was really angry about how much everything was costing. He said he was going to call you and talk about repaying you for the deposits.”
“He already did,” her mother said.
“You’re kidding. What did you say?”
“That I would handle it, but I appreciated the offer.”
Gracie found herself regretting that the wedding was off. Tom sounded like a great guy and someone who would treat her sister well.
“Keep the dress,” Gracie said. “If you don’t get back together, you can sell it on e-Bay.”
Vivian nodded. “I can. You’re right. I just have to…” She squared her shoulders. “Mom, have you canceled everything already? I mean, I can make some phone calls and stuff.”
“It’s all done, but thanks for asking.”
Vivian shook her head. “No. I need to do something. It’s not right that you had all the work and all the expense. I know I said I’d work to help pay for my wedding dress, but I wasn’t very responsible about it. I really want to commit to working in the store. We’ll come up with a schedule, okay? I’ll promise at least fifteen hours a week until I’ve paid you back.”
“Honey, you don’t have to do that.”
Vivian gave a shaky smile. “I think you’d better let me. It might be the only way I’ll ever grow up.”
“Good point,” her mother said.
Alexis rolled her eyes, but Gracie felt a tugging sensation around her heart. Maybe there was hope for Vivian after all. If she matured, she would certainly have a shot at winning back Tom.
Vivian turned to Gracie. “Maybe you could give me some pointers on getting over the only guy I’ve ever loved. How did you recover from Riley?”
Gracie opened her mouth, then closed it. A month ago, she would have said time and distance. Today, she wasn’t sure she was over Riley, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to be. He was everything she’d ever dreamed of finding in a man with a few bonuses thrown in for good measure.
She blinked. “I’m the wrong person to ask,” she said slowly. “I’m not over him. In fact, I’m in love with him.” She looked at her mother. “Sorry, Mom. I know this isn’t what you wanted.”
“Ha. I’m done caring about those vultures I’ve called friends. If you love him, then I want you two to be happy. Are you?”
“I don’t know. Right now I’m in shock.”
“It’s all because of me,” Alexis said smugly. “I’m the reason they got back together.”
“Is it a good thing?” Vivian asked. “Do you want to be in love with him again? Does he love you?”
“I don’t know,” Gracie said, feeling both shocked and more than a little bubbly. “I think he cares some, but…I don’t know.”
“You’re going to tell him, aren’t you?” her mother asked.
“Sure. Of course. After the election.”
“What?”
The other three Landon women spoke at once.
“I have to wait,” Gracie said. “He’s behind in the polls. I can’t distract him from the election.”
Although if she did and he lost, he couldn’t close the bank and the loans wouldn’t be called.
No! She refused to work like that, dealing behind his back. It was wrong.
“I’m so confused,” she admitted. “I will tell him, but not just yet.”
Vivian eyed her. “What size are you? Want to buy a beautiful but never worn wedding gown?”
Gracie gave a strangled laugh. “Let me get back to you on that one.”
“COME,” RILEY CALLED without looking up from his computer screen. Diane’s distinctive knock meant he always knew when it was her.
“We have been approached by the historical society ticket committee,” she said after she’d stepped into his office.
“They have a whole committee to sell tickets?”
“It’s really only two people, but they like to sound bigger than that.”
He pushed the save button and turned to face his secretary. “Fair enough. How many do they want me to buy?”
Diane pressed her lips together. “Obviously as many as you would like, but I informed them you were not interested in supporting local civic charities and that it was unlikely-”
“I’ll take fifty.”
He had the pleasure of watching Diane’s mouth drop open.
“Excuse me?”
“Fifty tickets,” he said, speaking slowly, as if not sure of her cognitive abilities. “Buy them and pass them out to the staff. I want one, as well. Leave the extras on a table for those interested to take them for family members.”
Her mouth closed and her eyes narrowed. “Why do you care about the historical society?”
“I don’t.”
“But you’re buying tickets. They’re ten dollars each.” He leaned back in his chair and grinned. Ruffling Diane’s prickly tweed-covered feathers was turning out to be a lot of fun. “Maybe your attempts to guilt me into doing things I don’t want to do have worked,” he said.
“I doubt that.”
“Then maybe I want to preserve our historical past.”
“Not even for money.”
He chuckled. If he were sticking around, he would want to give her a raise. “Gracie is baking the cake. Everyone who attends will try it and word will get out that she’s amazing.”
“I see.”
The words were obviously loaded but he couldn’t say with what. “Care to expand on that?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’ll go call the committee?”
“Which half?” One corner of her mouth turned up in an almost smile. Then she excused herself and left his office.
Riley stared at the closed door. He liked Diane. At first she’d simply been efficient, but now she was someone he respected and enjoyed working with. He would miss her when he left. Not that it mattered.
He returned his attention to his computer, but after a few minutes, he shut it down and grabbed his suit jacket. Suddenly the bank president’s office had gotten too small.
He told Diane he was leaving and headed toward the parking lot in the rear. As he approached the double glass door, he saw a woman hurrying toward it. She had a small child by each hand and something about her was familiar.
He held open the door and smiled. “Afternoon.”
“Oh, Mr. Whitefield. How nice to see you.” She nodded. “I’m Becca Jackson. I have the loan for the day-care center in my home.”
“Oh, right. How are you?”
“Great. Busy and tired, but business is wonderful and I love what I do. Thank you again for approving my loan. You’re a lifesaver.”
“My pleasure.”
She stepped into the bank and he moved toward his car. As he walked, he wondered how difficult it would be for her to obtain other financing after the bank closed. She shouldn’t have much of a problem. Of course the new bank would want to go over her profit and loss statements, and as a starting business, she wouldn’t have much in the way of profit.
Not his problem, he told himself and got in his car.
As he drove through town, he found himself noticing different businesses that had loans with the bank. Some would be just fine, but others would never be able to find other funding. Then there were the houses. How many had their loans with him? Ten thousand? Twenty?
He reminded himself he didn’t care. These people were nothing to him. He had a plan, and it wasn’t about staying in Los Lobos. He wanted to destroy everything his uncle had ever cared about. Maybe then he would be able to sleep at night.
He turned into a residential neighborhood and pulled up to the sidewalk. Small, one-story homes lined the street. The lawns were well kept, the trees nearly touched over the center of the street. Families lived here. Babies were born and grew up. Fathers mowed the lawns on Saturday morning.
He’d wanted that once. Years ago, after his dad had walked out, Riley had dreamed about a simple life filled with everyday activities. He’d wanted a house instead of a single wide. Two parents instead of just one. He’d wanted his mom happy, not crying when she thought he was asleep because she couldn’t stretch the money far enough to buy him school supplies or get them cable. Sometimes she’d only made dinner for him, while she went hungry.
He’d hated that more than anything. And his uncle, who could have fixed it all, had simply turned his back on his only sister. The old bastard had even let her die.
Riley wouldn’t forget that-not ever.
He parked the car and turned off the engine. After slipping into his jacket, he walked up to the closest house and knocked on the front door. A woman in her early forties answered.
“Good afternoon,” he said cheerfully. “My name is Riley Whitefield and I’m running for mayor.”
The woman glared at him. “I guess you are. I recognize your picture. If you’re here about the election, you can forget it. I would have voted for you before. I don’t like that weasel Yardley, but compared to you, he’s a saint.”
“Excuse me?” Riley had no idea how he could have offended someone he’d never met. “What changed your mind?”
“Gracie Landon. I don’t actually know her, but I’ve heard all the stories. She was crazy about you. Loved you with her whole heart and you never appreciated it. You still don’t.”
No. This was not happening.
“I can assure you Gracie and I never…” Never what? Slept together? “She’s not pregnant and if she were, I would marry her right away.”
“Oh, sure. That’s romantic. You’ll take her on if your careless behavior screws up her life. Wow. Talk about noble.” She shook her head. “You don’t get it, do you? Gracie is a legend. She loved with a fearlessness we all admire. But you never understood what a gift she offered. You only saw her as a pain in the ass. Well, you’re wrong. Her love is a precious gift and if you’re too stupid to see that, you’re too stupid to be mayor.”