Chapter Five
The bed was piled with clothes from the closet. Most of the clothes were well worn. Too well worn. Aggie hadn’t updated her wardrobe any more than she had her house. Anita grabbed a black garbage bag and started shoving in the clothes. It was a little sad, but they weren’t in good enough shape to be donated.
She picked up a jacket made of sweatshirt material, the neckline fabric worn through in parts. Red apples were appliqued onto the deep front pockets. The jacket seemed heavier than it should be. What material were those apples made out of, anyway? Anita gathered one of the apples in her hand and realized there was something in the pocket. She reached in and pulled out a roll of twenties.
Money. Twenty twenties. Four hundred bucks.
Anita remembered hearing of instances where elderly people had stashed money in odd places in their homes. Had Aggie done the same? There was the same amount of money in the other pocket. Was there money in other pockets? She dumped out the clothes she’d shoved in the garbage bag and started over. Went through each piece one by one. Almost any garment that had pockets had bills tucked in them. There was money tucked into the toes of every pair of shoes on the floor. Almost two thousand dollars more by the time she’d finished with the closet.
Anita sat cross-legged on the floor, clothes spread out around her. She noticed the slippers peeking out from under the bed. She slid them out, reached in, and pulled out more bills.
Did Aggie hide all her money on purpose? Was this supposed to be a treasure hunt of sorts? Or had she become paranoid or forgetful over the years, withdrawing her money from the bank and tucking it away where she thought it would be safe and then forgetting it was there?
But that didn’t sound like the grandmother who wrote all those notes she left around for Anita to find. She grinned and shook her head. It was a treasure hunt, then.
She fought the urge to tear through drawers. She still had to clean out rooms and get ready for the renovations Noah was going to oversee. She wanted to finish this chore so she could see Noah this afternoon and pick out a new mantel. The treasure hunt would have to take a back seat to the cleaning out. She filled the bag with all the clothes she’d already checked out, then opened the first drawer in the tall dresser.
The first item she saw was a blue and silver metal-beaded bag with a long, dainty chain for a strap. It obviously had something inside. She opened the delicate clasp and found folded hundred dollar bills. Ten of them. Aggie, what did you do?
There was a sticky note with the bills. Yes, there’s more. Keep looking.
Definitely a treasure hunt.
Anita was exhausted by the time she got to the bottom drawer. She’d cleaned the rest of the dresser of clothes and money. When she opened the final drawer, she saw that instead of more clothes, it held photo albums. She sat back on her knees and pulled the first one out.
The first page held six square, glossy, black-and-white photos. The laughing woman in the first picture was a small blonde. It looked like she was standing in front of this house, the lake at her back. The lake breeze had caught the wide skirt of the polka-dot dress, and her hands were trying to hold it down. Anita smiled. This had to be a young Aggie.
She didn’t look like the kind of person who would tell her daughter to get out and never come back.
Anita slammed the cover closed. She couldn’t deal with this right now. She was tired and hungry, and she wanted to see Noah. She glanced at her watch. She didn’t have time now, but some night or early morning, she’d have to sit down with a bottle of wine or a carafe of coffee and go through them all.
She counted the money she’d gathered so far that morning. Over ten thousand dollars. And she had the feeling she would find more money as she searched the house. Aggie probably thought it was one way to make sure Anita went through everything in the house instead of sweeping everything out the door.
Anita had thought she was going to have to pull money out of her July account to cover the renovations, but it looked like Aggie had come through with a great start.
After a quick sandwich, Anita headed for the Colburn and Sons building. She browsed through the showroom again as she headed for the counter stretched across the back. Noah’s cousin, Ginny, was there, and Anita was surprised to be welcomed with a wide smile this time.
“Hi. Good to see you, Anita. Noah said you were going to be coming in. I’ll let him know you’re here.”
Anita waited for the punch line, but none seemed to be coming. “Thanks.”
Ginny was reaching for a phone on the counter when a man walked through the door from the back. At first glance, Anita thought it was Noah, but immediately she knew it wasn’t. Both of this guy’s muscled arms were covered with tattoos. His brown hair had golden streaks, and he looked younger than Noah. This had to be the third brother.
“Ginny, I saw what you put on Facebook. Since when did you become Noah’s campaign manager?”
“Hey, Beck.” The young woman grinned. “Yesterday. Isn’t it cool?”
“Brilliant way to turn yesterday’s fiasco around to positive publicity for Noah’s campaign. Was it your idea for him to go after the reno job on Aggie Swanson’s old place?”
Ginny jabbed him in the ribs and shot Anita a worried glance.
Anita froze. “What fiasco? What publicity?”
“It’s not like it sounds,” Ginny hurried to say.
“I think it’s exactly how it sounds.”
Beck frowned and looked between her and Ginny. “What’s going on?”
“Beckett Colburn, meet Anita Delgado. Aggie’s granddaughter.” Ginny grabbed the phone and pushed a button. “Noah, Anita is here. Noah?”
Noah must have been close by, because he burst through the back door a moment later. He beamed Anita a bright smile. “Hi. Ready to pick out your mantel?”
“Sure.” She crossed her arms. “As soon as you explain what my house has to do with your mayoral campaign.”
He winced. “I was going to tell you about it when I saw you. I didn’t know someone was going to beat me to it.” He glared at his brother and cousin.
“Come on, Noah,” Ginny said. “All she had to do is check out the Facebook page. This morning’s post is getting hundreds of likes. It’s not a secret.”
Anita pulled out her cell phone. “What Facebook page?”
Ginny sheepishly handed her a tablet over the counter, the page already pulled up. It was the village’s page, the header a lovely view of the lakeshore. The first visible post was a photo of Noah. She glanced over at him. “Never seen you in a suit before, salvage man. Looks good on you.”
Anita read out loud the post that went along with it. “Mayoral candidate Noah Colburn respects Lakeside’s past. As an example of what he can do for our community, he’s interested in restoring the historic Swanson house to its former glory. This morning, he announced he was able to convince the new owner to allow him to handle the renovations. Work will begin immediately. He welcomes the community to drive by and witness the restoration.”
Anita scowled at Noah. “You were able to convince me to allow you?”
“Those are my words,” Ginny told her. “Not Noah’s. Don’t blame him. I figured a mayor has to be able to convince people to do what he wants, right?”
“You’re not helping,” Noah said to his cousin. He turned to Anita. “I’m sorry. The publicity angle wasn’t discussed until this morning. I didn’t know about it last night.”
Beckett grinned. “You two were together last night?”
Noah rolled his eyes. “Have you met my little brother? He’s been a pain in my ass since the day he was born.”
“We met. Can we take this conversation somewhere else?”
“Sure.” He held out his hand and led her around the end of the counter. “This way.”
He kept a hold of her hand. She liked the way it felt, so she didn’t tug away until he closed the door of his office behind them. The room was smaller than Carter’s law office, but it was just as neat. She couldn’t notice anything else at the moment, because too many other thoughts were tangled up in her mind.
“Say what you need to say,” Noah said, crossing his arms.
“I expect the truth when I ask you this question.” When he nodded solemnly, she asked, “Did you seduce me in order to get me to agree to let you handle the renovation because you thought it might help you win a political race?”
He closed the space between them. “First of all, we both know who did the seducing last night.” He cupped her jaw, and she shivered with the tingles his touch sent along her skin. “And second, we both know you’re the one who had the ulterior motive.”
She huffed but didn’t pull away. “At least I was upfront about it.”
“Yes, you were. And last night, I was thinking about how much I wanted to get my hands on your place and see what I could do to make it shine again.” He swept a wayward lock of hair back from her face. “If I had an ulterior motive, it was that if you gave me the job, I’d be able to see you a whole lot more.”
Rising up on her toes, she brushed her lips across his. “Can we agree that we both like each other, that we’re attracted to each other in a way that doesn’t have anything to do with the lake house?”
He barked out a short laugh. “I was attracted to you the moment you stepped out of your sexy, little car.”
“I was attracted to you even before I saw you hefting that massive chainsaw like it was a six-pack.”
Noah caught her mouth for a wet kiss. “Are we okay?”
She leaned in for another kiss before she answered. “Yeah, we’re good.”
He tugged her close. His erection pressed hard and heavy against her hip.
Optimism lit her from within. She splayed her palms over his strong back. “Does this mean we’re on?”
“You mean for fun and sex and conversation and companionship?”
“You were paying attention.”
Noah cradled her head in his big hands. “I’d show you how much right here, right now, but I don’t want our first time to be on my desk.”
Ginny shouted her name outside Noah’s office, and Anita groaned. “With your family on the other side of the door?”
“Exactly. I don’t want you to have to worry about being quiet.”
She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Why, salvage man, what makes you think I’m noisy during sex?”
His lips brushed her ear. “Just have a feeling.”
“Come by my place after work and find out for sure.”
“I will.” He grinned and looked the most relaxed she’d seen him. “Ready to find a new mantel?”
“So ready.”
When they stepped out of his office, Ginny was waiting for them. “Anita, I found your Facebook page. Hey, Noah, did you know she’s, like, a famous artist? She’s won awards and stuff.” Ginny turned to Anita. “You’ve won awards and stuff.”
“Now and then.” Which reminded Anita she hadn’t even unpacked any of her art supplies yet, much less thought about actually painting since she’d gotten here. That had to change. But right now, she couldn’t think of anything but picking out a mantel and enjoying sex with Noah tonight.
Ginny’s cheeks grew pink. “Anyway, I can tag you in the campaign posts, and then you should get notified. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine. Thanks for asking. I’m glad it might help Noah.”
“You have a Facebook page?” Noah placed his hand on her back as he led her down a hallway.
She shrugged, savoring his touch on the small of her back. “Doesn’t everyone?”
…
When Anita got home from the salvage yard, she was dirty from crawling around mantels and windows and doors. She’d had a ball. Such amazing workmanship. She lived in a relatively new building, and she’d love to have some of those architectural features in her home. But she’d have to make do with choosing some key features to add to this house. Someone would have a lovely lake home when she was done.
A twinge of sadness made her frown. She’d never planned to keep this house. She couldn’t keep this house. What would she do with it? How could she afford to keep her mom in the excellent memory care facility she’d found for her without the extra money, and without giving up the July trips that nourished her soul?
She pulled into the driveway, looking forward to a long shower before Noah came by. Noah. Her July guy. He’d actually considered taking her on that wide desk of his in his family business. He had some surprises in him.
She couldn’t wait to see how else he might surprise her.
Anita had just stepped out of the car when she heard someone calling out to her. A short, stocky woman with dark hair jogged toward her from the house next door. “Hello? Hello?”
She waited for her neighbor to reach her. Anita recognized her from the salvage company’s showroom. One of the women who’d been gossiping the previous morning. “Hello.”
“I’m so glad I caught you. I’m Cindy Maxwell. My husband and I lived next door to your grandmother for thirty years.”
Anita shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Anita Delgado.”
“I’m so happy to hear that you’re going to be restoring the old house.”
Anita refrained from rolling her eyes. “Yes, I am. If you know anyone who’d like to buy it once the work is done, please let me know.”
“Ethan Bradford hasn’t contacted you yet?”
Where had she heard that name before? “No. I don’t know that name.”
“I’m sure he will soon. I think he wants to buy up all the property around here. I told him no way. He owns the property on the other side of you now. Evelyn Packard left it to her no-good grandson, and he let it go to hell.”
“Oh. Yes, I know the house. I met Noah Colburn when his business was doing some salvage work there.”
“You can’t find a steadier, more down-to-earth man than Noah Colburn.”
“I got that impression.” Anita smothered a grin as she thought about the rock-steady man who had agreed to a month-long fling with her. “He’s coming over in a little while to discuss the renovations. You heard he’s overseeing the entire project?” Might as well get a plug in for the prospective mayor. “I’m afraid I have to get in and clean up before he gets here.”
“Oh, of course. He’s a very handsome man, too.”
Was she trying to play matchmaker? “I noticed. It was very nice meeting you.”
“Same here. Oh, I almost forgot.” Cindy dug into her pocket. “Aggie gave me a spare key, you know, in case. I want to give it back.” She placed it in Anita’s palm. “We should get together for coffee sometime.”
“Sure.” Anita was going to brush her off but then realized she might be able to learn more about her grandmother from Cindy Maxwell. She smiled. “I’d like that.”
…
Noah changed into a white button-down shirt and khaki shorts and slid his feet into canvas deck shoes. Anita said she’d only seen him in jeans and a T-shirt, so he wanted to change it up. He stopped to pick up a bottle of wine before driving over to Anita’s. One of the stalls in the farmer’s market on the corner had some bouquets for sale, and seeing wildflowers on the sign had made him think of her, so he bought one of those, too.
When had he felt such anticipation? He couldn’t remember. Sure, the timing wasn’t the best with the campaign running this month, but that couldn’t be helped.
He’d thought his decision to run for mayor was something he was doing for himself, but that wasn’t the truth. He was doing it for Lakeside, for the future of his kids and the community. All important things. But he wasn’t doing it for himself.
This thing with Anita. This was for him. This one thing. This one time.
He’d enjoyed showing her around Colburn and Sons this afternoon. She’d flirted with him, and he’d found it easy to flirt right back. The little touches between them had grown, and now he wanted more.
Hands full with wine and flowers, he looked forward to having Anita in his arms as soon as possible.
Anita answered the door with a broad smile. She wore a white sleeveless top and a gauzy red skirt that flitted around her ankles. Her feet were bare. The shadows of her nipples tempted his fingers. She’d left her shiny hair down, and he ached to bury his face in the silky strands.
When she saw what he’d brought, she dropped the smile. Without a word, she turned and stalked away. He followed her into the kitchen. “What’s the matter?”
She paced the small kitchen floor, stopped, and pointed at the objects he was holding. “I’m worried you don’t understand what this is.”
“This?” He raised the bottle. “This is wine. These are flowers. Why did seeing them get you so upset?”
“Don’t pretend to misunderstand me. I’m not upset.”
“You sound upset.”
“I just don’t want you to think I expect wine and flowers. This isn’t a romance. This is just a fling.”
She didn’t sound angry, more exasperated, as if she was frustrated he didn’t understand her rules. Well, two could play that game. In fact, there were two of them playing.
Noah dropped the flowers and wine on the counter. “So none of your other men treated you like a man should treat a woman? Did they drop by only to fuck you and then leave?” Her eyes widened, but she didn’t speak. “That’s not me, Anita. If I want to buy you flowers, I’ll buy you flowers. If I want to take you to dinner, we’re damn well going to dinner.” He grasped her shoulders. “If you can’t accept that, I’ll walk back out that door right now.”
“Don’t go.” Her voice was breathless, her hands clenched at her sides.
“You have your rules. I know them. One month, and then we walk away from each other with no regrets, no ties binding us to each other, and no further communication, right?”
She nodded. “And no romance.”
He knew why she was insisting on that. Romance meant emotions. Her mother had taught her that emotions meant disaster. “That’s too bad. You said companionship and conversation, too. I’m not here just to use you for sex.”
She gasped. Was that how her other men had treated her? God, he hoped not.
“Don’t think of it as romance if that word freaks you out. I respect you, Anita. I like you. I want to spend time with you. As much as I can with everything else going on in my life. Romance wasn’t on my mind tonight. I brought the wine because I wanted to reciprocate. The flowers made me think of you, and it made me happy to bring them to you. Is that so wrong?”
Anita shook her head. She was speechless for the first time since he’d met her.
“Do you have a vase for the flowers?”
“God, I don’t know.” At least she had her voice back. “Let me look.”
She started opening and closing cupboard doors until she pulled out a cut-crystal vase.
“Is that money stuffed inside?”
“Yeah. She thought it was funny or something.” Anita passed him the handful of twenties and a sticky note that said, Buy yourself some more flowers.
“She squirrelled away money?”
“All over the place. The cookie jar was crammed full.” She washed out the vase and unwrapped the flowers. “These are beautiful, Noah.”
He shrugged. “They’re wildflowers.”
“Wildflowers made you think of me?” She cleared her throat. “I think that’s lovely. I don’t like it. But it’s lovely.”
“Get used to it for the next month.”
“It’s supposed to be a fun fling.”
“Flowers can be fun.” He pulled a daisy out of the vase and traced the edge of the small white petals down her throat and along her collarbone. She shivered before a shaky chuckle escaped her lips. He caught her lips with his mouth and drank in her laughter.
And when the thought slipped through his mind that he could listen to her laugh forever, he knew he was in trouble.