Hotter than Texas (Pecan Creek) (29 page)

“A float.” Sugar sat down on a stool. “I don’t know how to build a parade float. Anyway, how do you know every business in town is making one?”

“Because of my job,” Lucy said importantly. “I work for some ladies who run their own businesses, and they’re building a float. I’m supposed to be their princess, but I’d rather be a princess for us. I know all about building a float now.” Lucy beamed. “We’d do it
secretly
. And that would be the launch of our business!”

Maggie shrugged. “It would light a great bonfire under the last shreds of our dignity and reputation in Pecan Creek. If we’re supposed to be a hush-hush enterprise, goodness knows ol’ Vivian would really get tense if we had a float.”

“True.” Sugar considered that. “Is the advertising value worth annoying the in-crowd?”

Lucy slid onto a stool. “Sugar, here’s where we’re going wrong. The ladies I work for all sell items with a slant on sexy. They just don’t
talk
about the sexy factor. It’s where I got the idea to sex up your nuts. Don’t you know sex sells?”

Sugar looked at her. “How do they advertise their product?”

“They call their businesses soft-focus things like, well, they just don’t ever say anything that offends. While all the time they sell items you normally wouldn’t consider acceptable for everyday conversation.”

“Are you suggesting we change the name of our business? Because, to be honest, I’m not certain the name is what gets Vivian’s goat. I’m pretty sure it’s just me,” Sugar said.

“No.” Lucy shook her head. “Vivian is all about Pecan Creek. She’s about keeping it pure. I can’t say she’s wrong about that. I get Vivian now,” Lucy said. “I get why she decorated this joint the way she did, and why she wants everything to be sexless.” Lucy grinned. “Vivian is a protective heroine.”

“Balls,” Maggie said. “Vivian is a shrew. Only I think she never got tamed or something. Clearly
The Taming Of The Shrew
was one Hollywood theme she stayed away from in her decorating scheme.” Maggie felt around in the pocket of her purple pants for a pack of cigarettes, realized she no longer smoked and went for a cup of hot black coffee from the Mr. Coffeemaker instead.

“What would we change the name of our business to?” Sugar asked. “To be socially acceptable?”

“I don’t know about socially acceptable,” Lucy said. “I think we’re pretty much toast here, after the dead guy showed up in one of Viv’s designer bedrooms. Plus you’re staying at Jake’s, and word I hear on that through my employers is that Vivian is fit to be tied.” She smiled hugely. “For once, you’re the one in the family who’s causing waves.”

“I wish I cared, but—” Sugar considered her sister. “I don’t think we have time to design a float, even if we dared to scandalize the town.”

Lucy smiled. “I’ll work morning and night on it.”

“What about your job?” Maggie asked.

“I’m ready to turn in my notice. As a learning experience, it was great. I think your nuts are going to take off, and I think you’re going to need me to help you. Keep things running.” Lucy grinned. “As you know, I’ve always been the organizer in this family.”

Maggie tossed a nut at her. Lucy caught it in midair.

“I’d quit while I was ahead,” Maggie told her. “Bragging on your org skills isn’t going to convince your sister to throw caution to the wind.”

“Hello!” Jake yelled through the front doorway.

“We’re in the kitchen!” Lucy called back. “Be nice,” she said to Sugar. “He’s trying to make up for everything, and Bobby says you’ve been giving Jake nine miles of rough road.”

Sugar blushed as Jake walked into the kitchen. She hoped Jake hadn’t heard Lucy’s comments.

“Hi, Jake,” Maggie said perkily.

“Ladies.” He lifted his hat to the room at large, his gaze on Sugar. She felt that nervous zap she always got whenever Jake was around and wished it would zap off. “I came by to check on the workmen.”

Lucy’s room would be new from top to bottom. Jake had the bed hauled off, and every stick of furniture had gone to a family shelter in town.

Lucy beamed at Jake in her gotta-tease-big-brother way. “You’re going to be so surprised when you see the new décor.”

Jake grinned and ruffled her hair. “I like surprises.”

“Good. Because you’re going to get one.” She went out with a handful of nuts. Paris followed, hoping one might fall her way.

“Opportunistic hound,” Jake said. “Hello, Maggie. Sugar.” He bussed Maggie, who beamed, and nodded at Sugar, who tried not to notice he didn’t get near her. “Do you mind if I head upstairs?”

Sugar shook her head. “Help yourself.”

He looked at her. “Are we okay?”

She shrugged. “Good enough.” What else could she say? “Thanks for letting me stay at your house.” Sugar took a deep breath. “Now that Lucy’s room has been completely knocked back to the studs practically, I’ll be okay staying here from now on.”

She thought his face fell a bit. “All right,” Jake said. “You’re welcome any time.”

“Thanks.” She turned away for a moment, then had to know. “Jake, did they ever find out anything about the man in Lucy’s bed?”

He nodded. “After checking Lucy’s blog—which is actually quite amusing, by the way, really commercial and attention-getting—the authorities traced him back to his home town. Turns out he was a pervert, and I guess Lucy’s tales of erotic pecans were just too much to resist. He wanted to meet her.”

Maggie sucked in a breath. Sugar turned to look at her mother. “Are you all right, Mom?”

Maggie nodded, patted her pockets again for a cigarette. “You know, I think I’ll get out my mother’s old recipe for mimosas,” she said to Jake. “Maybe a Bloody Mary. You want one, Jake?”

“Sure. I’m always game for a good kick in my day.” He looked at Sugar. “The guy had a massive infarction. Who knows if it was from the excitement of breaking and entering or just old, perverted age.”

Maggie turned around from the drinks she was mixing. Sugar saw her mother’s hands were trembling. “I do hate that word,” she said.

Sugar stared at her mother. “What word?”

Maggie blinked. “You know. Pervert.”

“Oh. God, Mom. It’s all right. Here, let me mix those for you.”

“I’ll do it,” Jake said. “I spend a good bit of time mixing drinks at my place.” He helped Maggie over to a wicker chair in the kitchen. “I’m sorry, Maggie. If anybody should be aware of what language to avoid around the gentler sex, it’s me.”

Sugar knelt at her mother’s knees. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Maggie said briskly. “Hormone surge.”

“Nothing a stiff Bloody Mary won’t fix,” Jake said, going over to the counter and finishing what Maggie had started.

Sugar looked at her mother. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” Maggie said. “It was just hard knowing some nasty man snuck into my daughter’s bed.”

Maggie said she was fine, but she still trembled. Jake handed her the “stiffener”, and Maggie drained it on the spot.

“More where that came from,” Jake said cheerfully. “Coming right up.”

“Nope,” Maggie said, getting up. “At this hour of the day, a lady limits herself to one. I’m going to take a walk in the grove.”

She went off, and Jake shrugged at Sugar before heading out of the kitchen.

“Jake.”

He turned around. “Yes?”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“Caring.” Sugar thought about everything she knew today that she hadn’t known before, and decided maybe it was better to throw caution to the wind. “I need your help.”

“Name it, gorgeous.”

Sugar pondered her options, then took the leap.

“We’re going to enter a secret float in the Christmas parade. I’m sure there’s paperwork involved, and at the end of that paperwork is probably a council of Pillars, namely your mother, that approves everything.”

He nodded. “True.”

“We want our float to be top secret. I’d like for you to figure out a way to file our paperwork without us getting blowback from your mother.”

He leaned against the counter, looking sexy as sin. Sugar allowed herself to bask in his devil-may-care smile for a moment. “Can’t do it, babe.”

“Won’t do it.” She looked at him with attitude.

“Right.” He grinned. “I’d like to help you another way.”

“That’s new,” Sugar said, not about to let him off the hook.

“Yeah, well. Never let it be said that old dogs aren’t happy to learn new tricks.” He took one of her curls between his fingers, tugged lightly on it. “Here’s the deal. The billboard into town was reserved for two months, November and December, to maximize holiday traffic into PC.”

She nodded. “Which has nothing to do with me, as you’ve pointed out several times.”

He grinned, tapping her finger. “I think this time it might. What would you think about all that traffic running through Texas checking out your business in January?”

“The deadest month for retail in the year?” Sugar asked. “Are you cutting me a deal?”

“How about January and February?” Jake said. “A Valentine campaign for pecans would probably be successful.”

She narrowed her gaze. “How much?”

“On the house.” He grinned, and Sugar felt herself get a little weak in the knees, which she ignored. Made herself ignore a little more. It was difficult when a man looked that good in worn blue jeans, black work boots, untucked flannel shirt and a dark Stetson crowning his eyes.

“On the house? Why would you do that for us?”

He shrugged. “To compensate you for your troubles. To thank you for not suing me over the dead perv guy.” He glanced around to make sure Maggie wasn’t nearby to overhear him use the terminology she didn’t want to hear.

“Why would we sue? He came to see Lucy.”

“Tenants always sue. Could be the locks weren’t good enough; could be any excuse.” Jake glanced upstairs. “But mainly, I’m just trying to lure you into staying in my life, Sugar Cassavechia.”

“Really,” Sugar said, her voice flat.

“Hell, yeah,” Jake said, leaning over and kissing her a fast one on the lips; then he jogged up the stairs to check on the workmen.

Sugar touched her lips. Born salesman, yes, he was.

But oh my goodness, the man made her crazy for him. Absolutely nuts.

Chapter Twenty-One

Two weeks before the parade—which was scheduled the day before the kids got out of school for Thanksgiving break—the Cassavechias stood in Jake’s barn, staring at their secret float.

“Vivian’s going to poop her proper drawers,” Lucy observed.

Maggie laughed. “It will do her good. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when we pull out in front of Santa Claus.”

Sugar walked around the float. It burst with silver streamers and huge white and red and green pecan trees. Instead of throwing candy, they would toss tiny Hotter than Hell Nuts bags to the crowd. The bags were tied off with little pink-and-silver ribbons. She and Lucy would be the float “queens”, each of them dressing in red velvet skirts—very short in Lucy’s case—and before the day was over, their family business would no longer be secret.

“Bobby did a great job on the trees,” Sugar said. “You didn’t tell me he was such an amazing builder.”

“He’s wonderful with his hands.” Lucy beamed as she looked at the lights strung around the trees. “I think I’ve finally found the man of my dreams.”

Sugar looked at her sister. She had never thought to hear those words come out of her sister’s mouth. “That’s awesome, Lucy.”

“Funny thing is, I can see myself living in Pecan Creek.” Lucy scattered some more glitter over the float. “I like it here. I even like ol’ Vivian.”

“You do?” Sugar and Maggie said in unison.

Lucy shrugged. “She doesn’t bother me. I get her. I figured her out, and then I realized I kind of admired her.”

Sugar and Maggie sank onto a couple of hay bales. “She’s done nothing but be annoying to you since we got here,” Sugar pointed out.

Lucy put some more red paint on the letters that spelled
Hotter than Hell Nuts
on the side of the float in huge, can’t-miss glory. “Yeah, I don’t care. The military prepared me for blowhards.” She beamed at her artwork. “I love this float. It rocks.”

Maggie looked at the float. “I’m a bit nervous.”

“Don’t be.” Lucy hugged her mother. “You let Vivian intimidate you, and I always thought you couldn’t be intimidated by anyone.”

“I’m at the age where I don’t like waves.” Maggie stuck a hand through her puffed hair. “I know she’s got it in for my girls, and that makes me mad.”

Lucy sat down by Maggie and Sugar. “Let me tell you how I see ol’ fire-breathing Viv. Viv admires good-hearted hos.”

Sugar turned to stare at her sister. “Good-hearted hos?”

“Yeah. Ladies who do what they have to do to survive. The first clue to Vivian’s soul is the décor in our house.” Lucy grinned. “You have two rooms that are an ode to good-hearted hos, Belle Watling of
Gone with the Wind
, and Mona Stangley, Dolly Parton’s character in
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
. Neither one of those ladies was from the acceptable side of society, but both of them were very admirable characters. And they were pillars of their communities, albeit perhaps not from the right side of the tracks. But everyone knew they were doing good.” Lucy looked at them. “Vivian admires good-hearted hos because she saw herself as doing what she had to do to raise Jake after his father abandoned them. Hence, her own version of the Chicken Ranch in Pecan Creek. Only she couldn’t let it seem as if she was one of those kinds of women, so she pulled the reins tight on the town and makes sure everyone toes the line of purity and honesty. It’s pretty clever, if you think about it, even if she’s doing it subconsciously. It shows she has a good heart, underneath all the iron-fist-in-the-lacy-glove stuff.”