Can't Fool Me Twice: Sweet Contemporary Romance: Belles in the City Book 1 (16 page)

Dante realized he was being dismissed, but that was just fine. He'd find some time to stop by Miss Lucille's house before Sunny and Twila left to make sure he knew what was needed.

On his way back to the office, he got several phone calls, one of them from his realtor. "I don't have to tell you this, I'm sure, but you have a couple of dynamos working for you."

"I know, right?"

"A mother-daughter team with that much energy can set this town on its ear."

Dante laughed. "I'm sure you called me for a reason. What's up?"

"I wanted to let you know that all of the paperwork is done, and you're good to go. He gave me a couple of sets of keys, but you'll need to get those locks changed since I don't think that's been done since the last tenants were there."

"Anything else I need to know about?"

"Tyrone agrees that you serve some of the best food he's tasted in New York. In fact he said it tastes like his mother's cooking, and I even caught him talking with a southern twang. Did you know he's from Louisiana?"

"How would I have known?" Dante tried to imagine Tyrone speaking with anything but his heavy New York accent. "I had no idea."

"I think the food might have made him homesick. I'm glad you agreed to feed him. Between those delicious fried vegetables and Twila's charm, he didn't stand a chance."

"What did you think?" Dante asked.

"About what?"

"Did you like the food?"

"Of course I did." Stan snickered. "How could I not like it? In fact, I'm planning on bringing my wife there soon."

"Good. Let me know, and maybe I'll meet you there."

After Dante got off the phone, he smiled. He used to consider things like this just pure luck, but things had changed over the past several months, and he knew it was something completely different. He'd not only started praying, he'd actually picked up his Bible more and had conversations with Judd about a relationship with the Lord. He took a deep breath, slowly let it out, and prayed.
Dear Lord, thank You for blessing me with so many wonderful things lately. And thank You for bringing Sunny and Twila into my life. When I first met Sunny, I had no idea how I'd been so lucky, but now I know it wasn't luck. It was Your guiding hand that led me to her and the rest of her friends.

After he opened his eyes, he felt a sense of peace wash over him. God's guiding hand would always be there, and all Dante needed to do was trust in His wisdom and guidance. Judd had warned him that being a Christian didn't mean everything would be all rosy, but his life would ultimately have much more meaning.

It took a lot of will power to stay away from the diner, but Dante had seen that is presence was distracting. He didn't mind helping out, though, so he could justify being there on busy days.

Finally, after several days of being in the office, checking on the new Harlem location, lining up decorators, and letting vendors know he'd be increasing orders for Bubba's Home Cookin', he decided it was time to pay the original location a visit. When he walked in, everything was humming along quite smoothly. In fact, Sunny barely glanced up when she spotted him. He waved, and she smiled, and then she quickly got back to talking to her customers.

He walked back to the kitchen just in time to see his two top cooks looking at something in a pan, their heads together, smiling. He cleared his throat to get their attention.

They both glanced up. Twila was the first to acknowledge him.

"Hey there, Dante. Wanna try this new concoction we just made up?" Without waiting for a response, she picked up a spoon, scooped something from the pan, and held it out to him.

"What is it?" It smelled good. He could see tomatoes, corn, and okra.

"Beef and pork gumbo," Riley said. "We've had a few customers request something besides seafood and chicken in gumbo, so we came up with what we thought might be a winner. "Give it a taste and let us know what you think."

Riley had always been so territorial, Dante was amazed he'd shared his space with Twila. But then Twila had clearly captured his heart, so it shouldn't have been a surprise.

He blew on it before putting it into his mouth. The perfect blend of vegetables, meat, and spices sent his senses on overdrive. "I'm not sure what I think. I'll need another taste."

Twila laughed. "Good, isn't it?"

"It is. Seriously, can you fix me a small bowl of this stuff? And we need to add it to the menu ASAP."

Riley and Twila exchanged a glance before Twila spoke up again. "We were thinking this could be a special every once in a while, or we might just offer it as an alternative to the seafood gumbo."

"We can talk about that later," Dante said. "But when you and Sunny aren't busy, I'd like to discuss your trip."

Twila nodded. "I won't be busy for another hour or so, and Sunny will probably be able to talk in a few minutes."

"Why don't you get us a table in the corner?" Dante gestured toward the door. "I'll tell Sunny we'll wait for her there."

After he told Sunny, he joined Twila who had already brought a pot of coffee and three mugs. "Sugar, cream, or straight up?"

"A little sugar."

She smiled and prepared his coffee. "So what brought you here? I hope you didn't change your mind about letting us go to South Carolina."

"No, of course not. But I've been thinking." Dante saw Sunny coming toward them, so he waited for her to sit. "Do you think you'll have some time to do me a favor while you're there?"

The women looked at each other before turning to him, both nodding. "I think we can manage that. What do you need?"

"I've been thinking about featuring regional items from various southern cities, and since there's such a strong art community in Charleston, it makes sense to start with them."

Twila put down her coffee mug, propped her elbow on the table, and leaned forward. "What do you have in mind?"

"It's just a germ of an idea, and we're somewhat limited on space …" He had a vision that was difficult to explain, so he paused to try to pull up a mental picture he could describe. "It wouldn't be difficult to hang paintings on the walls. And as I recall, there are some beautiful baskets made by South Carolina natives."

Sunny nodded. "I think you're talking about sweetgrass baskets."

"Yeah, that's it. We can buy them from the vendors and sell them in the store. We might even be able to host the artists if they want to visit. It would just be something extra to enhance the customer experience." He shrugged. "And maybe bring more customers."

Twila laughed. "More customers? Where are you plannin' to put 'em? We're swamped as it is."

"Good point. I'd still like to do it."

Sunny continued looking at him with a noncommittal expression, while Twila clearly liked the concept. "I think it's a great idea. In fact, I just happen to know a few people back home who might want to do this."

"Let me work out some of the details," Dante said. "I'd like to feature a different area each month. Do you think you'll have room in your car to bring back some of those baskets?"

Twila nodded. "I think I can manage. How many do you want?"

Dante leaned over and pulled out a wad of bills. "As many as you can get for a couple thousand dollars."

"Mama?" Sunny's voice was softer than usual. "Remember that woman who always gives sweetgrass basket demonstrations at the festivals? She has some of the best designs."

Dante nodded. "If you can contact her, that would be great."

"Okay." Twila took the money. "I'm sure she'll appreciate the business."

"Make sure we have her order information in case we sell out."

Twila nodded. "That's easy enough."

"I'll understand if you're not able to do this, though." Dante leaned back. "Don't worry if you find that you don't have enough time."

"We'll have time." Twila glanced at Sunny before turning back to him. "Oh, by the way. Bethann said she can spend a couple of nights with Miss Lucille. Would you mind checking on her on days when she can't be there?"

"My pleasure." He thought for a moment. "I'll even bring her some food from here."

"She'll think she died and went to heaven." Sunny laughed. "Try to go light on the fried food, though."

Twila lifted her pointer finger. "And be on the lookout for pizza boxes. That woman loves pizza more than anyone I know."

Sunny nodded. "If we let her get away with it, she'd have it for breakfast, lunch, and supper."

"I'll search for hidden pizza boxes. If you want to leave me a list of things to do while I'm there, I'll do my best."

"Just spend a little time with her so she doesn't get too lonely." Twila made a face. "She's such a people person, I can't imagine what she did before Bethann and my daughter moved in with her."

Dante remembered what Judd had said. "I heard she called people and found excuses to get them to visit."

Sunny stood up. "Looks like Estelle has her hands full. I need to get back to work."

"Before you go …" Dante pulled a sheet of paper from his wallet. "I've already booked your flight." He handed it to Sunny.

She glanced down at it and back up at him. "And it's already paid for?"

He nodded. "Yes, this is a business trip as far as I'm concerned, so you shouldn't have to cover the cost."

"Well, I'll be." Mama grinned. "Now I can use that money I saved for somethin' nice for Miss Lucille."

"Why don't you get yourself something nice?" Dante asked.

"There's nothin' I really want, except to see the look on Miss Lucille's face when she's surprised."

"Thanks, Dante." Sunny shot him a smile before turning around and walking toward the front of the dining room.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Twila leveled Dante with a serious look. "My daughter will come around one of these days. I just hope you have the patience to wait."

Dante tilted his head and gave her a closed-mouth smile. "Come around?"

She nodded. "I know she's been skittish. Her old boyfriend really did a number on her, and she's afraid of falling in love again, especially after she found out you used to be a love-'em-and-leave-'em kind of guy."

Okay, so that explained her behavior. The only person who knew about his old reputation and also knew Sunny was his brother Anthony.

A week later, Sunny and Mama were on their way to the airport to board a plane for Charleston. "That sure was nice for Dante to buy our tickets, wasn't it?"

Sunny nodded but wouldn't look directly at Mama. She knew what this was all about, and she didn't want to go there.

"I mean, he didn't have to."

"I know." Sunny sighed. "But like he said, this is a business trip too."

"You do realize that not all businessmen are this generous, right? If they thought their employees would pay their own way, they'd let 'em do it."

"Okay, so Dante is generous and nice."

"And you like him." Mama placed her hand on Sunny's shoulder, tipped her head to the side, and held the look until Sunny looked back. "Admit it."

"Yes, I do like him. He's a nice boss."

"He means more than that to you, and you know it. In fact, I think you've gone and fallen in love. I know he has."

Finally, Sunny let out a deep sigh. "Mama, I'm not about to let some silly feelings make me do something I'll later regret. I have a great job, and if I give in to the chemistry …" Mama's smug look was annoying. "Yes, there is chemistry between us, but that's all. When … or should I say if I fall for someone, I have to have the confidence that he won't get tired of me and take off."

"Sweetie, falling for someone is wonderful, but it doesn't come with that kind of guarantee." Mama's voice had softened and taken on more of a comforting tone. "The key to giving a romantic relationship the best chance is to find someone who loves the Lord as much as you do."

"How about Riley?"

"The first thing I asked him after I felt that tummy flutter for him was where he stood with God."

Sunny laughed. "Now that was brave."

"Maybe so, but walking with the Lord gives me the confidence to ask that kind of question. At my age, there's no point in wasting time with what you call silly feelings if we're not on the same page with our faith."

"Dante has been going to church lately," Sunny admitted, "and I see him praying, even when he doesn't know I'm looking."

"Then you should be able to come right out and discuss it without worrying."

"But he's still my boss."

"And your problem is?"

Sunny chuckled. "You don't let up, do you?"

"Not when my daughter's happiness is at stake. I want what's best for you."

"You think Dante is what's best for me?"

Mama shrugged. "I have no way of knowing. Only you can decide that. What I want is for you to live life without fear of a repeat of what happened with Chase."

"How can I not?"

"Dante is nothing like Chase."

"How would you know?" Sunny challenged.

"Okay, so tell me how he's like Chase."

Sunny really didn't want to get into this with Mama, but it looked like she had no choice. "He's a ladies' man."

Mama folded her arms. "If that's true, I don't blame you for keeping your distance. A handsome, generous ladies' man and a gorgeous, good-hearted woman never make a good match."

"I know, right?"
Finally.

"Right. Trust is essential in a relationship, and if you can't trust a man, how good can the relationship be?"

"I didn't say I didn't trust him." Summer squirmed as she tried to think of the right words to explain how she felt about Dante.

Mama shook her head. "Well, if he's a ladies' man, and you trust him, I don't think I did my job of teachin' you how to pick the right kind of guy."

Sunny let out a low, throaty sound of frustration.

"There you go, growling like you used to do when you were a teenager."

Sometimes Mama brought out the worst in Sunny. "Look, Mama, I really don't want to discuss my feelings for Dante anymore. I like him as a boss, and there's nothing else …" She paused. "There shouldn't be anything else goin' on between us, okay?"

"Fine." Mama lifted her hands and let them fall back to her lap. "If that's the way you want it, I understand. Just remember that I'm here if you want to open up and talk about how you really feel."

Sunny decided it was time to change the topic altogether. "Have you thought about when we should go find some baskets?"

"I'm thinkin maybe the day after tomorrow. Tonight we'll need to start getting everything packed up. Tomorrow I'll have to talk to the manager of the mobile home park and see if she has any buyers."

"So you've decided to sell?"

Mama shrugged and began to fidget with the edge of her blouse. "Riley and I were talking, and he said he'd really like for me to stick around New York and see if I like it. When we discussed the mobile home, he said that I might as well sell it. If I decided I don't like New York and decide to move back to Charleston, I can either buy another one or rent an apartment until I figure out what I need to do."

Sunny knew that Mama was always a little bit restless. "You're not really happy in Charleston, are you?"

"Not really. It has so many memories that I'd rather forget. I'm not talkin' about memories of you. Those are good ones. It's just that …" She shot Sunny a helpless look. "After your daddy left, everything was such a struggle with payin' the bills, making sure you were looked after, and then after you were gone, the loneliness."

"Oh, Mama, I didn't realize it was that bad. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." Mama patted her hand. "Look how you turned out, and now I'm livin' in the most electrifying city in the entire universe."

Sunny laughed. "I don't know about that."

"I've always thought it would be fun to just pick up and go somewhere exciting. And now I've gone and done it. I have to admit, I find it exhilarating."

"I know exactly what you mean. I feel the same way."

After their plane landed, they took a cab to the mobile home park. It looked quite a bit more rundown than Sunny remembered.

"Home sweet home," Mama said as she unlocked the door.

As they walked inside, Sunny took a long look around. Everything was neat and orderly but tattered. The threadbare sofa was the one she'd spent many evenings sitting on, doing homework, watching TV, or reading books. Back when she and Chase were together, they even sat on it and smooched when Mama wasn't looking.

"I wonder if I should try to sell or rent it furnished."

"If not, what will you do with all this stuff?"

Mama shook her head. "I don't know. I highly doubt Goodwill will want any of it." She pointed to Sunny's old bedroom that was at the opposite end of the house from her own. "Why don't you go see if there's anything you want? I kept a few of the things you had in the closet, just in case. I'll go look for some boxes over by the dumpster while you do that."

"Okay."

A few minutes later, Mama returned with an armload of boxes that had been broken down. She opened a cabinet filled with odds and ends and pulled out a roll of packing tape. "As soon as we get these packed, one of us can go get some more boxes."

"I'll do it."

They started packing the kitchen first. "Ouch!" Mama rubbed her chest.

Sunny turned around and faced Mama. "What happened?"

"I jammed the corner of the box into my chest when I reached up for another stack of dishes."

"Be careful, Mama. I don't want you gettin' hurt."

They continued packing the kitchen and then worked their way toward the small living room. Sunny enjoyed the chatter. She had never seen Mama this carefree before.

Before they went to bed, they counted the boxes, and there were only a dozen—mostly memorabilia that Mama wanted to keep. Sunny didn't need anything she'd left behind, so they took that as well as most of Mama's other belongings to the closest thrift store.

*

Dante couldn't shake his thoughts about what his brother had done to him, so as soon as he finished working, he went to Anthony's office and knocked on the closed door. The light was on, so he was pretty sure he was still in there.

"Come on in."

Dante turned the knob and pushed open the door. Anthony glanced up, smiling, but the smile quickly faded when he looked at Dante.

"Whoa, what's the matter with you?"

"I can't believe what you said to Sunny. A ladies' man? Really?"

"What are you talking about, Dante?" Anthony stood up and put his hands on his hips.

"You told Sunny I was a ladies' man."

"Yes, because it's true." Anthony looked confused. "What's the problem with that?"

"I'm a changed man."

Anthony laughed. "Okay, so you're a changed man now. But that doesn't change the past." He rubbed the back of his neck, and then his eyebrows shot up. "You're upset because you think Sunny isn't interested in being with a ladies' man?"

"That's right."

"I don't think that bothers most women. In fact, I think they like the chase."

"Not Sunny."

"Sit down, bro. Sounds like you need to vent."

Dante needed to do more than vent, but he sat, folded his arms, and crossed his legs. "This whole thing is so frustrating. Just when I think I might have made some headway, she freezes and pushes me away."

"You're still in love with her, aren't you?"

"Absolutely. You don't ask a woman to marry you and get over her rejection like it was nothing."

"You're still holding onto that?" Anthony's surprised expression deepened. "She's obviously not into you. Let it go, bro."

"I think she is into me."

"Then what's the problem? You've always had a way with the ladies. Charm her socks off like you used to with anyone you set your sights on."

Annoyance flooded Dante, but he took a couple of deep breaths to keep from letting his brother have it. He always knew that Anthony had always gotten what he wanted. He was all about business, and his family came in second. His wife accepted it because Anthony's success allowed her to do the things she wanted to do, but deep down, Dante knew they weren't really happy. And he also knew that the only thing that could bring them true joy and contentment was committing their hearts to the Lord. They occasionally went to church, but not regularly. Anthony actually admitted that they did it to be seen more than anything else.

"Since you're clearly not talking, I should get back to work." Anthony turned to his computer monitor, dismissing Dante.

"Wait a minute," Dante said. "Before you do that, I have a question for you."

Anthony looked back at Dante. "Shoot."

"When was the last time you read your Bible?"

"What kind of question is that?" Anthony let out a nervous laugh. "Are you serious?"

Dante held his brother's gaze. "I'm very serious. Do you ever read your Bible?"

"Who does that?" Anthony shook his head. "That's what the pastor or priest does. It's his job to tell us what's in there."

Dante stood up and leaned over Anthony's desk. "No, it's really not his job. You have a family, bro, and it's
your
job to make sure they get the spiritual teaching they need."

"Are you preaching at me?" Anthony gave Dante a disdainful look. "I was afraid that might happen now that you're hanging out with all those churchy people. I'm not sure I like what they're doing to you."

As anger rose in Dante's chest, he fought hard not to lash out. He and Anthony had had more than their share of disagreements in the past, and this was a doozy. But this wasn't one he needed allow to escalate. What he needed to do now was be an example and show Christ-like behavior.

"Anthony, you know I love you."

Dante could tell Anthony was uncomfortable by the way he squirmed and glanced around. "Yeah, yeah, blah-blah-blah."

"No, seriously, family is very important to me, and I know you have my best interest at heart. I've started going to a church that is very real, with people who care about each other in a way I've never seen in a church before."

Anthony leaned forward. "Do you really believe those people care about you?" He lifted an eyebrow, showing his skepticism. "Or do they act like it because they want something from you? I mean, think about it. You're a successful businessman, and I'd hate to see them take you to the cleaners."

Dante shook his head. "I've been around long enough to know when people are after my money. No, these people are real. They love the Lord enough to commit their lives to Him."

"I've committed my life to the bottom line, and so far, it's working for me," Anthony reminded him.

"Is it really? Are you truly happy?"

Anthony nodded. "As happy as anyone I know."

"When was the last time you and Christina spent quality time with each other?"

"I got you on this one, bro. She and I got all decked out and went to a charity fundraiser last night." He blew on his fingertips and rubbed them against his sleeve. "We even won one of the baskets in the silent auction."

Dante swallowed hard. He didn't want to insult his brother, but what Anthony had described wasn't exactly the kind of quality time he meant. "Sounds like fun. Maybe next time the two of you can just go somewhere for coffee and just talk."