Chapter Six
Grace had to fight back the tears as she left the elementary school. Sherri had walked into her new classroom like a condemned man walking to the noose. Grace had never seen her daughter so lackluster, and it broke her heart.
Theo had simply walked into the classroom, turned to her and said, “I really don’t wanna do this, Mommy.”
Grace had nearly cried then and there, but she managed to kneel and give him a smile and a hug. “I bet you’ll have three new friends by the end of the day. Wanna bet?”
“No. I wanna go to Gran’s.”
“Well, I’ll be back to pick you up from school and take you straight back to Gran’s. I promise. Now you be a good boy and have fun, okay? Mama loves you.”
“I love you, Mommy.”
He seemed like a resigned little soldier marching off to the front lines. Grace hurried outside and cleared the door before the tears escaped. God, she’d never imagined this would all be so hard.
Damn Tad, anyway. Sure, they hadn’t been exactly happy as a couple, but their kids had been, and he’d gone and screwed it all six ways to hell. Grace swiped angrily at the tears and marched to her car. Well, more correctly, his car. But her name was on the title with his, it was paid off and she intended to sell it. Today.
Just as she reached her car, parked along the sidewalk, she spotted an older woman headed her way. “Good morning, Mrs. Irene.” Grace greeted the woman.
“Well, goodness me, Grace Summerfield. Look at you. All grown up. My goodness, you turned out heavier than I figured. I heard you were back. Husband stepping out on you. Guess you didn’t keep that home fire hot enough. Well, it’s like I always—“
Grace had forgotten how much she disliked Irene Dodd. Despite Irene being a longtime friend of her mother’s, Grace just plain didn’t like her. She was catty and rude and rarely had a nice thing to say about anyone.
She’d always been respectful, but today she wasn’t in the mood for Irene’s crap so she politely cut her off. “I’d love to stay and chat but I have a lot to do. Have a nice day now, hear?”
With that, she got into the SUV, started it, and pulled off, headed for her destination and trying not to think about how many people in town Irene had gossiped to. By now, probably everyone knew that Tad had cheated on her.
Great.
Miller Motors was still open for business, although old Mr. Miller was no longer running it. Now his son, Tom, ran things. There were still a lot of used cars on the lot, but there was now a nice new showroom and plenty of new vehicles to choose from.
Grace found a place to park and walked inside. There was a grouping of chairs off to one side. Two older men were sitting there. She walked over and took a seat as well.
“Good morning,” she greeted the men.
“Morning, young lady.” The heavy-set man with not a hair on his head, but eyebrows as bushy as a squirrel’s tail, greeted her and raised his paper cup of coffee. “They just put on a fresh pot.”
“Thanks.”
“Say, aren’t you Ida Summerfield’s girl?” the tall skinny man with thick salt-and-pepper hair and a full beard asked.
“Why yes, I am. Grace.”
“Well, I’ll be. You’re the spitting image of your mama at your age. Yes sir, she was a looker, wasn’t she, Earl.”
“Ida Bloom?” Earl asked. “Whew, doggie. I tell you, the Lord outdid Himself when He created that one. Didn’t you try and court her for a minute, Ed?”
“I did, then Grayson Summerfield come home from the Vietnam war, and all bets were off.”
“Yep, yep,” Ed agreed. “You remember how surprised everyone was when he announced he built that greenhouse?”
“Oh, I do, I do indeed. Why we all figured he’d be lookin’ to get into wildcattin’, maybe getting on at the Legacy ranch or something dangerous seeing as how he was one of them Special Forces fellas. You coulda knocked most of us over with a feather when we heard he was building a greenhouse and planning on opening an apothecary business.”
Both men laughed. Grace smiled and listened as they continued to talk about her father and then other people in the town. She didn’t often think about her parents’ past, the young people they’d been. These gentlemen reminded her there was a lot more to her parents than simply being her mom and dad.
“Can I help you?” An attractive man with light brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard walked over to the seating area and addressed her. “Oh, my goodness, Grace Summerfield?”
“Oh, hello, yes. And it’s Finley. Are you— Oh my goodness, is that you, Tom Miller?”
“It is.” He smiled.
“Oh, my.” Grace stood and hugged him. “It’s been so long. And my goodness, you sure got tall. I don’t remember you being that tall when we graduated.”
“I shot up after that. Dad said I must’ve spent the summer standing in fertilizer.”
Grace chuckled. “How is your daddy?”
“Doing well, thanks. So, what brings you to Miller Motors?”
“Well, I have a car I’d like to trade.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place. What kind of car are you trading in today, Grace? And what are you looking for?”
“Well, I’m trading in that black Lincoln Navigator out there.” She pointed in the direction of the SUV. “And I don’t really know what I want, but I always did like pickups, so maybe a truck. But I have two kids, so it needs to have room for them, and the younger one is five, so I guess a truck isn’t a good choice, huh?”
“Actually, a double cab might just do the trick. Why don’t we go have a look-see, and I’ll get the service department to pull your Lincoln in and give it the once-over and get us a price.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Grace fished out the key fob and handed it to Tom. She gave the older gentlemen a smile as she departed with Tom.
Two hours later, Grace drove off the lot in a shiny red double cab truck that was only a year old. She rolled down the windows and turned the volume of the radio up as she headed for the apothecary shop.
For the first time in years, she felt like a real adult. She’d made her own decision without having to ask for the permission of her husband, or what he would term “his input.” She’d picked out what she wanted and gotten it. And it had not cost her one thin dime, as her dad would have said.
Of course, the Navigator she’d traded in was less than six months old and fully loaded, so in terms of trade the dealership probably ended up holding the big end of the stick, but she didn’t care. She had a new red truck, and she loved it.
She found parking on the street, across and down the block from her mother’s store. As she started walking up the block, the smell of coffee drew her through the open double doors of what was labeled Annie’s Bakery on the window.
It was a small place with only six small tables and a counter, but the smells were enough to make her mouth water. Two other people were in line at the counter, so she stepped up behind them.
The dark-haired woman in front of her turned, and Grace felt her expression mirror that of the woman.
“Mysti?” Grace asked at the same moment the woman gasped out “Grace?”
They both laughed. “Oh, my gosh, you look fantastic.” Grace was the first to speak again. “Do you live here?”
“Well first, you look pretty damn great, yourself, Grace and yes, I do. It’s Richard now. Jean Paul and I have been married for nearly ten years. He’s the CFO of the family business, and right now I’m head of HR until we find someone to fill that position.”
“Wow, well, you really do look amazing. But I thought Legacy Ltd. was based in Houston?”
“It was, until recently. We decided to move it back here.”
“That must be a big change for everyone.”
“It’s been a challenge, but it’s all working out. But enough about that. Are you here visiting your mother?”
“Um, more like living with her for a while.”
“Oh? Oh! Oh, I’m sorry, did something happen to your husband?”
“Unfortunately, not.” Grace regretted the words the moment they were out of her mouth. “Oh, I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry. We just—I mean, I—I left Tad.”
“I’m sorry, Grace.” Mysti put a hand on Grace’s arm. “I know from talking with your mother that you have children. They’re adorable, from the photos she has of them. How are they taking it?”
“It’s a—a challenge. But we’ll be fine. They love being with Mama, and you know how she is, she’ll have them spoiled rotten in no time.”
“She’s a good woman, your mother,” Mysti said. “She’s really missed you. I’m glad you’re here—oh shit, I’m not glad your marriage—well hell, let me see how many more times I can stick this foot in my mouth. What I mean to say is that it’s really good to see you and I hope we can get together and catch up. It’s been awhile.”
“I’d really like that.”
“Then give me your number.”
They exchanged phone numbers and chatted about the town and people from high school days who were still around as they placed their orders. The one person who was not mentioned was Beau, and Grace wondered why.
Back out on the street with coffee and two sweet rolls in a bag, Grace made her way straight to the apothecary shop. The moment she opened the door, all the familiar scents assailed her, carrying her back in time. These were the smells she’d known her whole life.
All that was missing was her dad. That thought brought tears to her eyes and she mentally cursed. It seemed like every time she turned around lately, she was tearing up over something.
“Well, hey there, baby girl. What you got there?”
“Something sweet for someone sweet.” Grace recited the words her mother had said to her hundreds of times in her life.
Ida smiled and came out from behind the counter carrying a thick mug. “Well, your timing couldn’t be better. I just made a fresh cup of tea. Let’s sit.”
They sat together at the little table in front of the window. Grace removed the sweet rolls and napkins and took a bite. “Oh, my gosh, this is good.”
“From Annie’s?”
“Umm,” Grace hummed around a mouthful. “I ran into Mysti Legacy—oops, Richard. She looks amazing.”
“Yes, she’s always been just stunning, and her husband is quite handsome.”
“It was good to see her. Oh! I traded Tad’s Lincoln for a truck. A red one. Double cab. The kids are going to love it, and it has plenty of room for bringing things from the greenhouse to the workshop here.”
“A truck?” Ida chuckled. “You always were a country gal at heart. And it sounds like you might be planning on sticking around a while?”
Grace grew serious. She’d not considered whether her mother would want her and the kids there. “Well, I—not if you don’t want me to, Mama. I don’t want to be an imposition, and I know it’s a lot having me and the kids suddenly—“
“Hush, Gracie, just hush. I love having you here and to tell the truth, you showing up now is a godsend. I was going to run an ad for help. I can’t manage the greenhouse and the store all on my own and your daddy would just be so sad if I let the business go.”
“I’ll help. I’d love to help.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am. You know I love this place. And I want to learn about growing the plants and making the oils and tinctures, too. You know all that and I’d really like it if you taught me.”
Ida reached out to take Grace’s hand. “There’s nothing I’d like more. And if you’re really serious, then I’m going to take advantage. I need to do some things in the greenhouse, so how about you hold down the fort here?”
“Okay, but I have to pick up the kids from school.”
“I’ll be back in plenty of time. If you have any questions just call. I’ll keep my phone on me.”
“Okay.”
They finished their sweet rolls, and then Ida washed out her mug and left. Grace wandered around the shop, touching things and remembering. She was so lost in thought she didn’t hear the door open, didn’t realize she wasn’t alone until she heard someone speak her name.
“Grace?”
Grace whirled around. When her eyes beheld the man standing inside the door, time seemed to stand still.
Beau Legacy.
It seemed like every bit of the air had suddenly been sucked out of the room because she was having a damn hard time drawing a breath. She’d secretly kept track of Beau online and had seen photos of him from time to time, but no photo could do justice to the real thing.
Why couldn’t he have gone bald? Lost his teeth or gained four hundred pounds. Why did he have to look like this?
He was tall, like all the Legacy men, and big-boned, but where his father John was a bear of a man, Beau was mountain lion with powerful but lean lines. His hair was fashionably cut and the suit he wore probably cost more than what most people make in several months, but boy did he wear it well.
Those smoky gray eyes were still rimmed with thick lashes so dark that as a teenager he’d been teased more than once about wearing eyeliner. The dark of the lashes and that gray color made his eyes so arresting it was hard not to stare.
Which was what she was doing. No, she was gawking. Like a love-struck teenager over her favorite movie idol. Yes, he did look that good. Oh god. How embarrassing.
“Beau. Hello.”
“Grace. You’re here.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
Well, there was a question she had no desire to answer. Fortunately, at that very moment her mother’s friend Mabelle Duke walked into the shop. “Well, as I live and breathe, Gracie Mae.”
“Hi, Mrs. Mabelle. How good to see you. Mama had some things to do in the greenhouse, so I’m minding the shop.”
“Oh, well, I guess that means you’re settling back in.”
“Well, I—I, oh I’m sorry Mrs. Maybelle, can you give me one second?” She turned her attention to Beau. “Can I do something for you, Beau?”
“No, I just stopped by to tell your mother that I’ll definitely be coming to dinner tonight and it’s my turn to provide the wine. Red or white?”
“Huh?” Grace’s mind suddenly refused to process coherently. Beau was coming to dinner?
“The wine. Red or white?”
“Oh, oh, I don’t know. Either. You choose.”
“Okay, then I guess I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Yes, see you then.”
She and Maybelle watched Beau leave, and then Irene smiled at her. “Well, well, looks like there’s still some sparks left from that old fire.”
“Oh, Mrs. Maybelle.” Grace waved her hand in dismissal and turned away, the excitement of the day now turning to dread.
Dinner with Beau? Oh, shoot me now.