A Slice of Heaven (20 page)

Ronnie winced when he heard the offer. “I don’t want to lowball Rusty and Dora Jean,” he protested. “They spent their whole lives with this business.”

“Here’s a lesson you need to understand,” Butch responded. “There’s no room for sentiment when it comes to business. I believe in being fair, not idiotic. That offer is thousands more than they paid for this place and thousands more than they have in their pockets right now. Getting out from under any overhead they have should be worth the difference between their asking price and our offer.”

Mary Vaughn met Ronnie’s gaze. To his surprise, she nodded. “He’s right. It’s a good offer.”

“Okay, then,” Ronnie said. “But before you take it to Rusty, let me have a word with your uncle, okay?”

“I’ll be outside filling out the paperwork,” she said.

After she’d gone, Ronnie leveled a look into Butch’s eyes. “I thought you were planning to be a silent partner in this.”

Butch immediately looked chagrined. “You’re absolutely right. I’m so used to taking charge and getting my own way, I got carried away for a minute there. I swear it won’t happen again.”

Ronnie regarded him skeptically.

“Okay, it probably will,” Butch admitted. “But feel free to tell me to butt out. I’ll put that in writing if you need me to. I am not going to try to micromanage this business of yours.”

“I think I will get that in writing,” Ronnie said. “Just to be on the safe side.”

“You’re going to do fine on your own,” Butch told him approvingly. “Now, how about that lunch you promised me? Maybe Mary Vaughn will have some news for us before we’ve finished eating.”

“Don’t you want to take care of all the paperwork on our deal before she presents that offer to the owners?” Ronnie asked.

“I keep my word,” Butch told him. “So do you. We’ll get it all down on paper to keep the lawyers happy, but as far as I’m concerned we have a deal right now that you could take to court.” He scrawled his signature across the bottom of Ronnie’s papers, just below the figure he’d added. “You sign there, too. Then we’ll let the lawyers make it all nice and tidy.”

Ronnie nodded. “I look forward to doing business with you, Butch. I really do. And even though I made a big deal about you being a silent partner, I know I’m going to be turning to you for advice so much you’ll get sick of hearing from me.”

“Couldn’t happen,” Butch assured him. “Nothing I like more than talking business to a guy who’s interested in learning something. Now, let’s tell my niece she can do her thing, then get some lunch. Spending money always makes me hungry.”

Ronnie realized he was starved, as well. “We’ll take my car. Sullivan’s is about a mile from here.”

As they made the quick drive, Ronnie realized he’d never gotten around to filling in Dana Sue on his plans. Once Mary Vaughn made an offer on the hardware store, the news was going to spread like wildfire. He just prayed he’d get to Dana Sue before she tapped in to the Serenity grapevine.

When Dana Sue walked into the kitchen at Sullivan’s through the back entrance, Erik looked at her with surprise. “I didn’t think you were coming in till later.”

“I was getting antsy at home and I think Annie was getting sick of my hovering,” she explained. “I made sure she ate her lunch, then slipped away to check on things here.”

“Your ex is having lunch in the dining room,” Erik said.

“By himself?”

Erik shook his head. “He’s with a man I’ve never seen before, and about five minutes ago, Mary Vaughn joined them.”

Dana Sue bristled. She’d known Mary Vaughn most of her life. Usually they got along, but ever since Mary Vaughn’s divorce from Howard Lewis, Jr., the mayor’s son, she had been on the prowl. Lately she’d been living with her boss, but rumor had it that the relationship was already in trouble. The last few times they’d eaten at Sullivan’s, the tension was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Dana Sue had a sudden image of Mary Vaughn making Ronnie her next target. She didn’t like it. With Dana Sue telling anyone who’d listen that she didn’t want Ronnie back, Mary Vaughn would see him as fair game.

“I’ll be back,” she said tightly, stalking into the dining room and scanning the crowd until her gaze caught Ronnie’s. He gave her a distracted wave, then turned back to listen intently to whatever Mary Vaughn was saying. Dana Sue had a sudden urge to plunge a butcher knife straight into the woman’s heart. Or maybe into Ronnie’s.

Her reaction was so intense, it scared her. Not because she thought she would ever act on it, but because she’d even
thought
such a thing. It meant Ronnie was starting to matter to her again. It also meant she still didn’t trust him.

Cursing herself for being a fool, she ignored the temptation to bust up their little party, and headed for her office and shut the door. At least she’d had the presence of mind not to slam it and let Ronnie and everyone else know she was annoyed. Inside, she buried her face in her hands.

“Idiot, idiot, idiot,” she muttered. It was obvious she could not get involved with Ronnie again, not without turning into some kind of suspicious shrew. Not for the first time, she prayed he would solve the problem for her by leaving town. Yet that thought made her unbearably sad.

She forced herself to return phone calls and concentrate on the pile of paperwork on her desk. She’d been at it for an hour when the door to her office opened and Ronnie poked his head in. There was an excitement in his expression she hadn’t seen in years. If it had anything at all to do with Mary Vaughn, Dana Sue would have to kill them both, she thought direly.

“Is this a good time?” he asked, then came in without waiting for an answer. He looked around for a place to sit, shook his head at the clutter, pushed a stack of catalogs aside and perched on the edge of her desk, his knee nudging her thigh.

“What?” she asked impatiently. Damn. The man always made her so blasted jittery.

“I thought you ought to know what I’m planning before word spreads all over town,” he said at last.

“Your departure?” she inquired hopefully.

“I told you that wasn’t happening.”

“You’ve said a lot of things over the years, then had a change of heart. Forsaking all others was one of them,” she said, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

“Old news,” he said blithely.

“But not forgotten,” she said. “Look, I’m busy. Just tell me whatever’s on your mind and go away.”

“I just bought the old hardware store,” he announced, as if it were no more important than buying a new pair of jeans.

Dana Sue stared at him, stunned. “The hardware store? Why?”

“I’m going to open it again,” he explained.

“Are you crazy? They closed it because the big chains were killing them.”

“They closed it because Dora Jean couldn’t handle it after Rusty got sick,” he corrected. “And I imagine he got sick from the stress of trying to figure out how to compete with the big chains, so you’re probably half-right.”

“What makes you think you can do any better? And where’d you get that kind of money, anyway? I thought you kept on working construction after you left here. Did you buy a winning lottery ticket I never heard about? And what does Mary Vaughn have to do with this? Please tell me she’s not your partner.” Then Dana Sue really
would
have to kill one of them.

Ronnie held up his hand. “Hey, one thing at a time. There’s going to be a lot of building in this area over the next few years. I’ve been working construction since I left here, and because of that, I think I know how to deal with these developers and contractors who are going to be swarming all over the place. If I provide them with what they need at a competitive price, and give them the convenience of being a little closer by, especially with fuel costs being so high, I’ll do just fine. And getting another business on Main Street going again will make a contribution to the town. As for the money, I have a backer. My boss, Butch Thompson, from over in Beaufort, sees real potential in the idea. He’s partnering with me to do this. And Mary Vaughn is handling the sale of the store. That’s it. Oh, she’s also Butch’s niece, but I had no idea about that till a couple of hours ago. Have I covered everything?”

Astonished, Dana Sue could only stare. It was a far more ambitious plan than she would ever have envisioned for Ronnie, and it required a long-term commitment, one she’d thought him incapable of making. Obviously he intended to prove her wrong.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” he asked eventually.

“I still think you’re crazy,” she said at last, but there wasn’t as much conviction in her tone. Truthfully, she rather admired his audacity.

“Why? You’ve made a success of this restaurant when everyone told you fine dining was the last thing anyone in town cared about. You, Helen and Maddie have created something terrific with The Corner Spa. Half the men in town are grumbling because you won’t let them in there. Why shouldn’t I be part of Serenity’s revitalization, too?”

“Because owning a business sounds so…so stodgy and traditional,” she said eventually. “You’ll be tied down.”

Ronnie grinned. “You scared I’m not going to knock your socks off with my wicked unpredictability anymore, sugar?”

She met his gaze. “Maybe,” she said, though the truth was far more complicated than that.

He stood up, pressed a kiss to her mouth that pretty much made mincemeat of her fear, then headed out the door. Just when she was beginning to catch her breath, he stuck his head back in.

“Have I mentioned lately that I love you?” He winked. “Just thought you should know.” He started to leave once more, then turned back. “Fall festival’s tomorrow. I think we should go. I’ll be by at nine to pick up you and Annie.”

And then he was gone, leaving Dana Sue’s head spinning and her resolve to avoid him in tatters.

F
or the first time since Ronnie had come back to Serenity, Dana Sue was scared—really scared—that he was going to make good on his threat to stay. Buying the hardware store, starting a business—those weren’t whims. They took money and commitment. Neither were things she’d associated with Ronnie, at least not recently. She’d made herself forget about the many years they’d been together when he
had
been faithful, in favor of remembering the one night when he hadn’t been.

Punching in Helen’s number after Ronnie left her office, she managed to catch her friend between meetings.

“Can we get together tonight?” she asked. “Your house.”

“Sure,” Helen said at once. “You want to tell me what’s going on? You sound a little desperate. Why my place? Shouldn’t you be sticking close to Annie?”

“I’ll make sure someone’s with Annie, but I don’t want her to hear any of this,” Dana Sue said. “I need advice.”

“Is Maddie coming, too?”

“I’m calling her next. I wanted to make sure you were available.” She needed both their perspectives if she was ever to make sense of her own mixed emotions—Maddie’s romanticized version of her relationship with Ronnie and Helen’s far more skeptical one. “Seven-thirty okay?”

“Fine with me,” Helen said. “My client’s here, so I need to run. I’ll see you tonight.”

Five minutes later, Dana Sue also had Maddie’s agreement to meet her at Helen’s, and a commitment that Ty and Cal would drop in on Annie, bring her favorite Chinese takeout for dinner and make sure she ate every bite on the menu plan. Satisfied, Dana Sue sat back and tried to relax. There was nothing she could do to stop Ronnie from buying the hardware store or restarting a hardware business on Main Street, but maybe Helen and Maddie could tell her how to avoid falling for this latest evidence that her ex-husband was a changed man. She needed to know tonight, so she could be prepared for spending an entire day with him at the fall festival tomorrow, a command performance she could see no way around if she wasn’t to disappoint Annie.

Focusing now on this grand scheme of his, she tried to recall a single time in all the years she’d known him that Ronnie had so much as hinted that he wanted to operate his own company. He’d always been perfectly content to work construction jobs that brought in good money, but didn’t tie him down.

Of course, he could have said the same thing about her. She’d worked in various restaurants from time to time, waiting tables in some, working as a hostess in others, then finally gravitating toward the kitchen, which had felt right from the first moment she’d tried it. She’d literally learned the business from the ground up and finally found a way to capitalize on all the years she’d spent in the kitchen with her grandmother and mother making old-fashioned Southern dishes for family gatherings. Dana Sue was a self-taught chef who’d developed not only her instincts about food, but a head for business.

If she hadn’t split up with Ronnie, she doubted she would ever have found the courage to strike out on her own and open Sullivan’s. It was only after Helen and Maddie encouraged her to take a chance, worked with her on her business plan and helped her to secure the loans that she’d finally trusted herself enough to try. The success that had followed had been beyond her wildest hopes and dreams. Why shouldn’t Ronnie be ready for the same kind of risks and potential rewards? And why did she find it so disconcerting?

Those were the questions Dana Sue asked Helen and Maddie when they were all settled on Helen’s patio that evening. She and Helen had margaritas, their drink of choice for serious discussions, while Maddie sipped a nonalcoholic frozen fruit drink since she was still nursing the baby.

“He’s really going to do it?” Maddie asked, looking delighted. “That’s fantastic. It’s just the shot in the arm Main Street needs. With only Wharton’s in business, it looks so sad now.”

“I think you’re missing my point,” Dana Sue complained. “It means he’s definitely staying.”

Maddie grinned. “And that surprises you? Isn’t that exactly what he’s been telling you since he got here?”

“I didn’t believe him,” Dana Sue admitted, then corrected herself. “I didn’t want to believe him.”

“Or maybe you were scared to believe him,” Maddie suggested, her tone gentle.

Dana Sue shrugged. “That, too.” She turned to Helen. “What’s your take on this?”

“I have to admit, he’s caught me off guard. This plan of his is exciting and ambitious and it just might work. Where’s he getting the money? Does he have it?”

“Apparently so. He said something about his partner being his boss from Beaufort and Mary Vaughn’s uncle.”

Helen regarded her with surprise. “If they were right there, why didn’t you go over to the table to find out what was going on?”

“Mary Vaughn,” she said succinctly. “It was making me a little crazy to see her with Ronnie. Of course, that was before I knew they were talking real estate. But still, I wouldn’t put it past her to set her sights on him.”

Maddie rolled her eyes. “Would you listen to yourself?” she asked impatiently. “You’re making up excuses to keep from grabbing the man, even though you know you want him back. Ronnie’s not interested in Mary Vaughn. He never was, not even when she threw herself at him back in high school. He chose you then and he’s chosen you now. You’re the only one too blind to see it.”

“I’m not sure I believe it, either,” Helen said.

Maddie scowled at her. “Because you’re jaded. You really need to start practicing another kind of law. Divorces are giving you a very cynical outlook when it comes to love. If it keeps up, you’ll never give a relationship even half a chance.”

“I believe Cal loves you,” Helen responded, a defensive note in her voice. “Besides, I’m not the issue here. I think I have good reason to distrust Ronnie’s feelings for Dana Sue. So does she.”

Maddie groaned. “People make mistakes. People regret them. People change. You show me a human being without flaws and I’ll show you the most boring individual in the universe.”

Dana Sue watched Helen struggling to come up with a response to that, and decided to say what she knew the other woman was thinking. “Helen thinks she’s perfect,” she said. “Isn’t that right, sweetie? And we know she’s not boring.”

Helen frowned at her. “Of course I’m not perfect. I’ve made mistakes.”

“Really?” Dana Sue feigned shock. “You have?”

“Okay, stop teasing,” Helen grumbled. “I know nobody’s perfect, but some mistakes are bigger than others and don’t deserve to be forgiven.”

Maddie nudged her with a bare foot. During her pregnancy she’d gotten used to kicking off her shoes because her feet were swelling. Now, she’d told them, she did it for the pure enjoyment of it. “Not your decision to make in this case. It’s up to Dana Sue.” She turned to her. “Do you really want to keep holding on to the anger and resentment?”

“No,” Dana Sue said wearily, then corrected herself. “Yes.”

Maddie smiled. “Which is it?”

“I don’t know, dammit. It’s hard holding on to it, especially when he’s being so sweet, but letting go is scary.”

“Living is scary,” Maddie reminded her. “The only time it’s not is when you stop taking risks.” She leaned forward. “I certainly can’t guarantee you that Ronnie will never hurt you again. I doubt he could guarantee you that, either. But is the bland, safe existence you’ve had since he left a good trade-off for the excitement and unpredictability of being with him?”

“My life isn’t bland or safe,” Dana Sue protested. “I started my restaurant. I’ve made new friends. We opened the health club. Life’s been pretty darn good with him gone.”

“That’s right,” Helen chimed in. “A woman doesn’t have to have a man around to lead a satisfying life.”

“Of course not,” Maddie agreed. “But I’m here to tell you that all those achievements are a thousand times better if there’s someone to share them with, someone who’ll rub your back late at night or listen to you when things are going wrong.” She gave Dana Sue a penetrating look. “Can you honestly tell me that it hasn’t been easier to cope with what happened to Annie because Ronnie’s here to help and to share the anguish and worry?”

“He’s been incredibly supportive,” Dana Sue conceded grudgingly. “And yes, it’s been nice to know I’m not in this alone.”

“But you’re still afraid to start counting on him,” Maddie guessed.

Dana Sue nodded.

“Then don’t,” Maddie advised. “Take it one day at a time. It’s not as if he’s asked you to marry him again. All he’s asking for is another chance to prove that things can be different. Can’t you give him that much?”

It sounded so reasonable when Maddie said it. One day at a time. No big deal. But there was a flaw in that. A big one. Dana Sue was still in love with him. Every day she let Ronnie back into her life, every second she spent with him, took her closer to the point of no return.

And if Ronnie let her down yet again, this time she wasn’t sure she’d bounce back.

Besides, she thought, there was Annie to consider. If Dana Sue and Ronnie tried to make it work and failed, their daughter would be devastated a second time.

“I can’t take the chance,” Dana Sue said miserably. “It’s not just about me and what I want. Annie almost died because of what happened between me and her dad. I don’t think she would survive if Ronnie and I got back together and things didn’t work out.”

Not even the eternally optimistic Maddie seemed able to come up with a response to that. And because she couldn’t, Dana Sue knew she was making the right decision. No matter how much she might want things to be different, she couldn’t let Ronnie back into her life. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean she could keep him out of Annie’s. Which meant Dana Sue was going to have to find some way to build a wall around her heart.

The annual fall festival had been moved from the town square to the park since Ronnie had gone away. Once, it had been as much a boon to the local businesses as it was to the artists, produce vendors and food booths. But with the changing times the city fathers deemed it pointless to keep the event downtown, with only Wharton’s left to benefit. And, Annie had told Ronnie, there was a lot more room in the park for the increasing number of people who came to town for the festivities.

“Dad, there’s Sarah. Can I spend some time walking around with her and Raylene?” Annie begged just as soon as they arrived.

Ronnie cast a glance at Dana Sue, trying to gauge her reaction. She’d obviously come along grudgingly this morning, and he anticipated that any minute she was going to start making excuses to head for Sullivan’s. If Annie left the two of them alone, it was going to make it that much easier for Dana Sue to take off. Still, he refused to use Annie to keep Dana Sue around.

“It’s up to your mom,” he said at last.

Dana Sue looked surprised, but nodded. “Go,” she told Annie. “But you have to find your dad and me before lunch. We’re all going to eat together.”

Annie groaned. “You’re going to watch me today, too?”

“You know the rules,” Ronnie said. “But you can have Sarah and Raylene join us, if you want.”

Annie’s sullen expression faded. “Cool! Okay, I’ll meet you at noon by the gazebo—that’s where all the food booths are.”

After she’d run off, he glanced at Dana Sue and saw her studying him with a thoughtful expression. “You handled that very well.”

“By reminding her of the rules?” he asked.

“No, by including her friends for lunch. I wish I’d thought of that.”

He grinned. “You were probably too distracted by the prospect of spending a couple of hours all alone with me. You afraid I’ll do something outrageous right out here in public, sugar?”

Dana Sue shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past you.”

“Sorry, darlin’, I intend to be on my best behavior. I don’t want to give you any excuses for bolting.”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you,” she said, her face turning somber.

Ronnie knew that expression. It meant he wasn’t going to like whatever it was she had to say. The only way around that would be to keep her from saying it.

“Not till we’ve looked at all the art,” he said, reaching for her hand and drawing her toward the first booth.

“Ronnie,” she said, a protest obviously on the tip of her tongue.

“It’s the fall festival,” he said. “The weather’s gorgeous. Not a cloud in the sky. We’re surrounded by folks we know. Annie’s getting back to her old self. So, no serious conversations allowed today.” He gestured toward the watercolors on display. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re impossible,” she muttered, but she turned her attention to the art. “Pretty, but bland.”

“My thought, too. Do you suppose Maddie’s mom has a booth this year? I think a couple of Paula Vreeland botanical prints would be lovely in the foyer at Sullivan’s.”

Dana Sue regarded him with a startled look. “You know, you’re absolutely right. I can’t imagine why I never thought of that. When we opened, I decorated on a shoestring, but I can afford more now, and they’d be perfect against the dark-green wall just inside the door.”

Ronnie winked at her. “See, contrary to popular opinion, I do have a tasteful bone in my body.”

As they strolled among the vendors in search of Maddie’s mom, who’d built a national reputation for her art and a local reputation for her eccentricities, Ronnie kept Dana Sue’s hand tucked in his. For once, she didn’t try to pull away.

The instant Paula Vreeland spotted them, she cut off a conversation she was having with the artist at the next booth and came out to greet them. “Ronnie, it’s good to see you back in town,” she said. “And to see you with Dana Sue.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Vreeland. You’re even more beautiful than you were when I left,” he said. “And just in case you’re not aware of it, your art is all over the place in Beaufort. I can’t tell you how many homes I visited that had one of your paintings on the wall.”

“And Ronnie thinks I’ve shown an amazing lack of good sense by not having a few prints hanging in the foyer at Sullivan’s,” Dana Sue stated. “For once I actually agree with something he has to say.”

“Take a look around,” Paula Vreeland said. “And if you don’t find what you want here, come by my studio next week. I have more there. I usually don’t bring the originals here, because the cost is prohibitive for this crowd, but with the discount I’ll give you, you could afford to buy them for Sullivan’s.”