Pies and Prejudice (6 page)

Then and there, Ella Mae made a decision. Unless Sloan was willing to start over with her, to leave behind the city’s temptations and live in his wife’s territory, in Havenwood, then their marriage was over.

“I need to tell him that,” she said. Treading on the rough wooden boards of the narrow wharf that extended into the lake’s shallow water, she sat down at the end, her feet dangling in the water. She created small ripples with her toes
and then dialed the number of the high-rise apartment she’d made into a home, a place of soft colors and comfortable furniture, of unique artwork and the scents of lavender and lemon. Her clothes were there. So were her photographs and recipe cards and beloved cookbook collection. She thought of the dozens of baking tools and costly spices neatly arranged in the small kitchen and of Chewy’s favorite squeak toy. Would she ever see those things again?

“Sweetheart!” Sloan sounded terrible. His voice was thick with misery and fatigue. “You finally called! Where are you?”

Ella Mae fought to keep her voice steady. “I’m in Havenwood, Sloan. I took a bunch of cash from our savings account, bought a plane ticket and a dog carrier, and here I am.”

“Havenwood?” He couldn’t mask his astonishment. “But I thought you and your mother weren’t on speaking terms.”

“We are now. Somewhat. Reba and my aunts welcomed me with open arms. These are my people, Sloan.” Ella Mae swallowed. She was unprepared for how hard it was to say what had to be said. “I don’t want to talk about what happened. Ever. I’m not coming back to Manhattan. Our marriage is over. I’m filing for divorce.”

“You can’t just throw away seven years over
one
mistake! I love you.” He sounded shocked and scared and angry all at once.

Ella Mae closed her eyes and tried to ignore the swell of sorrow washing over her body. “Maybe you do, Sloan, but I deserve a better love than you have to offer.”

Her words lingered heavily, like a full thundercloud, forcing him into silence. Suddenly, the distance between the uptown skyscraper in New York City and the lakeside wharf in the mountains of northwest Georgia stretched far beyond its nine hundred miles.

“So that’s it?” he whispered after a long pause.

“I’m staying in Havenwood,” she answered firmly. “If you’d like to work things out, then come down here.”

Sloan barked out a dry laugh. “What? You want me to leave my job? Our apartment? For how long?”

Ella Mae shrugged, even though she knew her husband couldn’t see the movement. “For good.”

Another laugh. “Come on, honey. I can’t leave the city for a two-horse town. What would I do? Work in the local bank? Spend my evenings at church potlucks? Chitchat with the hicks in line at the post office? That’s not me and it’s not you either.”

The ghost of a smile appeared on Ella Mae’s face. “Actually, this place has always been a part of me. I just turned my back on it, but my roots are here. My family is here. And I’m going to open a pie shop here.”

“Not with my money, you’re not!” Sloan spat out and then immediately softened his tone. “Look, I’ll give you the funds to start a bakery in Manhattan or…maybe the Bronx. Just come back, finish school, and let’s get on with our lives.”

Anger surged through Ella Mae. “You cheated on me, Sloan! You can’t sweep something like that under the rug! Don’t you get it? If you aren’t going to prove that you’d do
anything
to win me back, then we’re done. This is your
only
chance. I have an appointment with an attorney at ten.”

“You can’t ask me to give up my entire life at the snap of your fingers,” he argued.

“Yes, I can! Do you think I could ever step foot in the lobby of our building again? Do you think I could
ever
ride that elevator? And
you
? The idea of you touching me, kissing me, makes me feel sick to my stomach. Do you think that’s all just going to disappear because you said you were sorry?” She was yelling now. “It won’t! You have to earn forgiveness, Sloan! You have to show me that you’re worthy of a second chance!”

Sloan uttered an exasperated sigh. “This is going nowhere. Why don’t you call me later, when you’ve calmed down a little? I can’t talk any sense into you when you’re acting like a hormone-crazed teenager.”

An image of the young and lascivious redheaded twins entwined around Sloan’s naked body flashed through Ella Mae’s mind. “Oh, excuse me, but I thought that was
exactly
the age group that turned you on!” she shouted, snapped the phone closed, and hurled it into the lake.

Chewy barked and dove off the wharf, assuming Ella Mae had tossed a stick into the water for him to retrieve. He struck out in the direction of the splash, his mouth open in a smile of pleasure.

Ella Mae uttered a strangled sound that was part sob, part laugh and then raced to the shore to find her dog a real stick. The pair played in the shallows until Ella Mae’s caffeine addiction drove her back to the house, a wet and happy terrier by her side.

Reba was in the kitchen, reading the Sunday paper as she sipped from her coffee cup. Her hair was in thin rollers and she had yet to apply her false eyelashes. The room smelled of strawberries. “You’re up mighty early,” she said.

“It’s a big day. Real estate deals are going down, I’m filing for divorce, moving into the carriage house, and who knows what else.” Ella Mae poured herself some coffee and joined Reba at the table. She could feel Reba’s eyes on her, studying her.

“It’s gonna be right hard to start over,” she said, passing a carton of half-and-half to Ella Mae. “But you’ve got the guts and the heart to do it.”

Nodding, Ella Mae grabbed Reba’s hand and held it tightly, drawing strength from the smaller, pixielike woman she’d known since infancy.

“Your mama told me you’ll be seein’ August Templeton this mornin’. Now
that’s
a man who looks every inch an esquire. The Templetons have handled the LeFaye family’s legal matters for generations. August’ll take good care of you.” Reba smiled. “There are two things August is especially fond of: sweets and your aunt Delia. You can’t give him Dee, but I reckon you can whip up somethin’ tasty to
take that nice lawyer.” She peered at Ella Mae over the rim of her coffee cup. “Might convince him to give your case extra-special attention.”

“Sounds like a fine idea.” Ella Mae stood up and grabbed eggs, butter, and cream cheese from the refrigerator. She discovered a box of graham crackers in the pantry and began rooting through the cupboards, setting almonds, pure vanilla extract, and sugar onto the counter. She then programmed the oven and tied on one of Reba’s aprons. “I’ll make him a cheesecake tart. While I’m prepping the crust, why don’t you tell me about August and Aunt Dee?”

Reba began flipping through manufacturer coupons, making a pile of those she wanted to keep and the ones she’d dump into the recycle bin. “There’s no story really. August and Delia went to school together. She was a tall, quiet girl. Pretty as a summer’s day. Even back then, she preferred to spend time with animals instead of people.”

“And August?” Ella Mae asked over the growl of the food processor.

Waiting until the sugar, almond slivers, and graham crackers had been pulverized into fine crumbs, Reba said, “He was her opposite in every possible way! Short, round as a meatball, and allergic to everythin’ and anythin’. If it had fur or petals, the boy would turn cherry red and his eyes and nose would leak like a drippin’ tap.”

Ella Mae pulled a face.

Reba laughed. “Make no mistake, August was a proper little gentleman. He carried a hanky and made fun of himself when he had one of his attacks. He was absolutely charmin’ and everybody was fond of him. Still are. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get Dee’s attention.”

After melting butter in the microwave, Ella Mae poured it into the food processor and pulsed the mixture until it was evenly moist. She then pressed the crumbs into a tart pan and placed the crust in the oven. “Poor guy. And he still carries a torch for her?”

“Olympic-sized,” Reba said, neatly ripping out a coupon for paper towels.

Ella Mae spooned cream cheese and sugar into the bowl of the stand mixer. She then added eggs and vanilla and almond extract, only allowing the appliance to mix the contents until they were barely blended. Detaching the bowl, she scraped the sides with a spatula and paused, staring off into the distance.

She imagined her aunt as a lovely young woman dressed in jeans and a plain cotton shirt, her hair in the trademark braid. Reserved and gentle, Dee spent her time volunteering at the animal shelter, begging her mother to adopt yet another homeless kitten or puppy, and taking horseback riding lessons. Quiet and shy, she had been well liked but was the true introvert of the four sisters.

The oven timer chimed and Ella Mae removed the tart pan, inhaling the buttery, almond scent of the cookie crust. She glanced at Chewy, who was stretched out on the tiled floor, and felt a rush of tenderness for her dog. He had adjusted so well to their sudden move and had been such a comfort to her. Ella Mae realized with a jolt of happiness that her terrier hadn’t devoured a single slipper or handbag for days. Still holding on to that warm sensation of affection, she poured the cheesecake filling into the pan and returned it to the oven.

“Was there ever anyone special in Aunt Dee’s life?” she asked, reducing the oven’s temperature so the tart wouldn’t bake too quickly.

Reba kept her eyes fixed on the coupons. “That’s not for me to say, honey. Delia likes to keep her romances close to the chest. Go on to your room now. I’ll listen for the timer while you’re gettin’ gussied up.”

Forty-five minutes later, Ella Mae was seated in August Templeton’s office. Upon entering the reception area of the stately brick townhouse, she’d expected to be led into a dark, wood-paneled room lined with mahogany bookshelves and
hunting prints, but her lawyer’s space was quite surprisingly cozy. The walls were painted a mustard hue and decorated with black-and-white photographs of Havenwood’s historic landmarks. August did possess the clichéd mammoth wood desk, but he didn’t sit behind it, tenting his fingers and looking every inch the southern attorney he was. Instead, he joined Ella Mae in one of the comfortable leather club chairs at the far end of the room, which overlooked the courthouse through the office’s large bay window.

August was impeccably tailored in a seersucker suit, bow tie, and pocket handkerchief. His bald head shone in the midmorning light as brightly as his polished loafers. After he’d taken her hand and gallantly pressed it between both of his own, he asked if she cared for any refreshment.

Declining the offer, Ella Mae settled into a chair and looked at August’s round, dimpled face and his round, compact body and knew that she liked and trusted the fastidious little man. He reminded her of a southern Hercule Poirot.

“It pains me to see you after all this time under these unpleasant circumstances,” August began and gestured at the tart Ella Mae had set on a nearby side table. “Especially when you come bearing gifts. I don’t suppose you recall the last time we met. You were just a pigtailed girl when you accompanied your aunt Delia to my sister’s house.”

Thinking back, Ella Mae vaguely remembered helping Aunt Dee deliver a cat sculpture to a tearful woman living in a peach cottage on the outskirts of town. The woman, whose name escaped Ella Mae, had clearly loved two things, her cat and her flower garden, and had been heartbroken when her furry companion had succumbed to feline leukemia.

“Your sister had lost her cat,” Ella Mae said solemnly, recalling how upset the woman had been.

August produced an indulgent smile. “Bethany was torn in two, but Delia turned Bethany’s cat into a steel angel, and my sister began to recover from her sorrow. Now, my sister has three cats and a whole perennial garden built around
Delia’s sculpture. I’ll always be grateful to her for the kindness she showed Bethany that day.”

A shadow of sadness had crept into August’s brown eyes, and though it was in Ella Mae’s nature to attempt to lighten the mood, she knew that her purpose in meeting with the dapper attorney would prevent her from doing so. “I feel like I’m in the middle of a grieving process too,” she said. “I never saw myself as a divorcée. Divorce is something that happens to other people, not to devoted, reliable, sensible me. I thought things were good between Sloan and me, but it’s over now.” A lump formed in Ella Mae’s throat. “I just don’t know why I wasn’t enough for him.”

August patted her hand. “At the end of the day, you’re only responsible for your own actions, my dear.” He glanced at the notepad resting on his right thigh. “In your voice mail message you, ah, detailed your husband’s infidelity and that you were a legal resident of New York state.” He looked at her, his face kind and sincere. “Therefore, you must hire a New York attorney and file for divorce in that state.”

“I am
not
going back there and I want you to represent me,” Ella Mae stated firmly. “How can I file from Georgia?”

“You’ll have to establish residency here, which will take about six months. But are you certain this is what you want to do? You may change your mind. Perhaps after the initial blow has faded…” Seeing the set of his client’s lips, he trailed off. “Will this be a no-fault divorce?”

Ella Mae shrugged. “Probably, I gave Sloan a chance to fight for me, for us, but he declined. I don’t believe he’s truly sorry and that makes me think he’d cheat on me again. I’m assuming he’d relish the freedom to do as he pleases. All
I
want to do is move forward and find happiness here in Havenwood. My gut is telling me that this is where I’m supposed to be. It’s like I left my dreams in a jar on a shelf in my childhood closet, and now I only need to reach up and open the lid so they can come true.”

Emitting a wistful sigh, August clasped his hands. “What a lovely image. And if that is the case, may I speak on behalf of the entire town by saying that it is an honor and a delight to have you back.” The lawyer beamed at her and then efficiently outlined the steps he would take to begin securing Ella Mae’s liberty.

By the time Ella Mae left her attorney’s office, it was lunchtime. Her mother and aunts planned to meet her at The Porch, a tiny, hole-in-the-wall barbecue restaurant favored by the locals.