Mabe's Burden (17 page)

“
I’m more than fine. A
little sore, but more than fine.”

Her mouth formed an O. She pointed at
the phone. “She’s sore,” she mouthed to Mara.

“
Oh boy,” her sister
remarked. “This could get ugly.”

She told Mabe goodbye, and
disconnected.

Mara shoved a piece of
French toast into her mouth.
Very ugly
indeed
.

Chapter
Fourteen

“
Who were you talking to?”
Aaron’s sleepy voice projected from under his pillow.

“
Meg. She was worried about
me. I really should have let them know I was with you all night.”
Mabe stretched. “I’m not used to having someone to report to when I
don’t come home at night. I should have known better.”

“
They don’t trust
me?”

“
I guess not. Should
I?”

He tossed the pillow to the floor,
propping himself up on both elbows. “Are you serious? After last
night you’re going to play the trust card?”

“
Last night was….” She
searched for the words then sighed. “Wow. It was totally wow. But
you’re forgetting something.”

“
What?” His eyes betrayed
irritation.

“
I barely know you. Your
motivation last night could have purely been to get me drunk, take
advantage of me, and then have me signing papers to sell my bar to
you.”

She was truly astonished at the
expression of hurt on his face. It didn’t last long, but it had
definitely been there.

“
I see.” His tone was sharp.
“Is that what you really think of me? After our romantic dinner,
the foot massage, and my very best sexual performance ever, that’s
what you have to say to me?”

“
Your very best sexual
performance ever?” She raised an eyebrow. She tried to remain
stoic, but she smiled just a little.

Catching on to her teasing, he pulled
her on top of him, kissing her slowly yet deliberately. Mabe felt
guilty for saying she didn’t trust him, but she wasn’t born
yesterday. She had a few things to guard—first her family then her
heart. She had no reason not to trust him, and last night had been
way more than just sex for her. She hoped it had been the same for
him. She’d felt the connection, knew it was something neither one
of them could avoid. Still, he was trying to take Shenanigans away
from her. She wouldn’t allow it. Not even for the man who’d just
given her the most mind-blowing night she’d ever known.

Mabe pushed gently away. “I’ve got to
go. Hope will be up soon fixing breakfast for her guests, and I’d
rather slip out before she sees me.”

“
Why, you ashamed to have
spent the night with me?”

“
No.” She grabbed her dress
and headed for the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came out and
plopped on the bed. “Can you zip me?”

He obliged. “Then why sneak out like
we’ve done something wrong?”

“
I’m not sneaking.” She
stuck her foot into one shoe.

“
What do you call
it?”

“
Making a classy, graceful
exit.” She slipped on the other shoe. “Besides, I’ve got to work
today. Call me later?”

He gazed up at her with sad puppy eyes,
then down to where the sheet covered his erection. “Are you sure
about this? I could make you really happy.”

She laughed. “You keep Mr. Happy right
where he is.” Leaning down, she smacked a kiss on his lips. “I’ll
talk to you later.”

Tiptoeing, Mabe tried to be quiet. When
she reached the foyer, she stopped. Hope was singing to herself in
the kitchen. If she could just slip out the side door without being
seen…

“
Mabe,” Hope said, standing
in the doorway.

She jumped, clasping her hand against
her heart. “Jesus, Hope, you scared me to death.”

“
You’re not staying for
breakfast? She pointed to the hand painted sign in her dining room.
“This
is
a bed and
breakfast. Looks like you enjoyed the bed, so you might as well
stick around for the breakfast part.”

The heat began at the base of her neck
quickly spreading up to her cheeks. “I can’t. I need to get home to
get ready for work.”

Hope put an arm around her shoulders.
“I’m only teasing you, honey. Did you have a good time?”

“
You mean you couldn’t hear
us?”

Hope laughed. “I had Jake put extra
insulation all over this house. Couldn’t hear a bomb go off once
I’m asleep.”

Again, her cheeks burned. “Oh
good.”

Hope raised her eyebrows. “Okay, you
know I’m going to want details.”

She lunged for the door. “Gotta go!
We’ll catch up later.”

She trotted down the side
stairs, striding down the driveway to the road. Her heel caught on
a crack in the sidewalk, She nearly pitched forward onto the same
spot she’d fallen backward a few days ago.
So much for a graceful, classy exit.
Disgusted, she pulled off her shoes, continuing home
barefoot.

She covered the few blocks in record
time. Bursting through the back door, she stopped short when she
saw her small family parked at the kitchen table, chowing down on
French toast. “Oh man, I’m starving. Is there any left?”

“
You can have some of mine,
Aunt Mabe,” Emma piped up.

She crossed the kitchen, kissed the
little girl on top of the head. She grabbed a plate, snagged two
pieces of bacon along with two slices of toast. Smothering the
entire plate with syrup, she sat to enjoy her breakfast.

“
Glad you’re home in one
piece,” Mara commented. “Have a good time?”

She gazed warily at her
sister.
How much can I say in front of the
squirt?
“I did. It was a nice dinner. Hope
cooked for us, which was awesome, by the way. Then we went back to
his place.”

“
Did he try to strong arm
you into selling the pub?” Meg asked.

“
Surprisingly, no. We talked
about it, but I held firm.” She glanced up at her sister, hearing
something in her tone she couldn’t quite place.

“
Humpf
,” Meg grumbled, rising to clear their plates.

“
Wait, Mom, I’m not done,”
Emma protested, but her mother ignored her.

“
What’s wrong with you?”
Mabe asked.

“
Nothing.”

“
Uh oh, I know what
‘nothing’ means. You’re pissed.”

Meg shot her sister a sharp look.
“Language, please,” she reminded, cocking her head toward her
daughterEmma winked at her aunt. Mabe winked back.

“
What’s got your knickers in
a twist this morning?”

Emma giggled.

“
I’m fine. I just don’t know
if I trust that man is all,” Meg said.

Mara gave her anxious sister a shove as
she got up to put her plate in the sink. “Shut up,” she muttered,
under her breath.

Mabe stared at them, confused.
“Yesterday you both were all gung-ho about me going out with him.
Now that I have, you’re acting like I’ve committed some cardinal
sin. Well…technically I guess I have. But that’s my business, isn’t
it?”

“
So? Is he nice?” Mara
asked. “He seems like it.”

She grinned. “He is. I mean how many
men do you know who would bother to wear a tie that matched my
cast?”

Emma clapped her hands.
“Cool.”

“
It sure was, Ems. He’s a
very thoughtful person.”

“
Hmm,” Meg hummed. “I’ve got
to go upstairs to get ready.” She stalked out of the
kitchen.

“
What’s up her butt?” Mabe
asked her sister.

“
Aw, just give her time.
She’s just in a snit.”

“
About Aaron?”

“
Who knows? I think she’s
been kind of moody lately.”

She studied her big sister’s face. She
wasn’t telling the whole story, but she was so happy this morning
she didn’t really care.

“
We need to talk about what
we’re going to do about this loan shark,” Mara stated, her face
grim. “We’ve got to take care of this debt.”

“
I’ve already thought about
it. I’m going to request a meeting with him through Gavin. Then I’m
just going to reason with him. Surely, being a businessman and all,
he’d listen to reason.”

Mara looked skeptical. “I don’t know.
There may be more to this than meets the eye.”

“
Don’t be silly. Da dealt
with these creeps all the time. I’m sure this Toreni fellow will be
reasonable. All I have to do is check with Gavin, make sure the
life insurance is coming in then tell the man he’ll get his money
when I get mine.”

“
I don’t think he’s going to
wait.
And
I don’t
think it’s a good idea for you to meet with him. I don’t think
anybody should meet with him.”

“
I’ll do it somewhere public
with a million witnesses.”

Emma sat at the table, staring
wide-eyed at her aunt. She realized the conversation was not for
little ears. “Hey, you want to watch TV in my room?”

“
You mean it?”

She nodded. “Go ahead, but keep the
volume low so your Mom won’t freak out.”

A smile split the girl’s face. She
winked again and dashed off to the bedroom.

“
Smart thinking,” Mara
complimented. “You’re really good with her. She idolizes
you.”

Mabe forked the last bite of her French
toast into her mouth. “You really think so?”

“
I do.” Mara washed her
plate in the sink.

“
Hmm. I never thought about
having kids. Not something I’m looking forward to it any time
soon.”

“
Yeah, I’m sure Meg wasn’t
either. Then Bam! She has a child and cancer.”

“
Damn, now you’ve gone and
spoiled my good morning.”

“
I’m sorry.” Mara leaned
against the counter, wiping her hands with a dishtowel.

She smiled.

“
What?”

“
Mom used to do that. Stand
there wiping her hands with a dishtowel while she talked to
you.”

Mara looked down. “She did, didn’t she?
Wow, I’m turning into Mom.”

Mabe put an arm around her sister. “I
can certainly think of worse things to turn into.” She leaned her
forehead to Mara’s. She knew they were thinking the same
thing—yeah, they could turn into what their father had
become.

“
You really had a nice time
last night?”

Mabe nodded. “I did.”

Mara squeezed her sister. “I’m glad.
Just keep him at arm’s length for a bit. At least until we get this
whole thing with Toreni settled.”

“
Why? I’m not going to sell
to him. He knows we don’t want to sell. I made sure he
understood.”

“
Still, until we know for
sure he’s on the up and up, just promise me you’ll be
careful.”

“
I don’t get it. What has
you two all up in arms about Aaron all of a sudden?”

Mara’s phone trilled. She glanced at
the caller ID. “Oh, I gotta get this. It’s Jacques.” She grabbed
her phone and moved outside to the porch.

Mabe finished cleaning up
the dishes. She placed the plates in the sink, running them under
hot water before she put them in the dishwasher. Her mind puzzled
through how her sisters were behaving.
Something’s got them all wound up about Aaron. First Meg’s
getting all bent out of shape, now Mara warning me about him.
What’s going on?

She thought back to the night before.
The sex had been more than awesome. She could honestly say she’d
never felt so connected to a man in all her life. He was sweet,
tender, and thoughtful. She’d enjoyed talking to him at dinner, but
what had she really learned about him? Yet, she just couldn’t
ignore the pull from deep within her soul when she was around him.
He fascinated her.

She shook off the gloomy feelings. She
had business to attend to, and standing around in this kitchen
brooding about her—

What would she call it? A
relationship? No, it hadn’t progressed far enough. Friends with
benefits? She shrugged, heading to her room to grab some clothes.
She’d take a shower first, then call Gavin to have him arrange a
meeting with Toreni. After she found out for sure about the life
insurance policy, she’d stop by the bank to inquire about taking
out a loan. She hated to go in debt over her father’s stupidity,
but if it got that piranha off her back, it would be worth
it.
Thirty percent interest, my
foot.

Showered, with her wet hair pulled back
into a thick ponytail, she grabbed her cell phone. Her niece was
still watching some cartoon channel in her room, so she went
downstairs onto the back porch to make her call. The air was
stifling, and the humidity would curl her red locks into a spiral
mess, but she didn’t care. With the cast, it was too difficult to
worry with her hair, so she kept it simple. Emma always seemed
eager to help her pull it back. It struck her how funny it was to
have a niece she was totally enamored with. Fate had played some
horrible tricks on the O’Banyon family, but it had also brought
many blessings.