Bittersweet Surrender (23 page)

His mind scrambled through the tangle of memories from before she'd died, searching for anything that might give him a clue into what was going on with her in those last days. She had been gone a lot. “Out with friends,” she had said. He never bothered to question her, but maybe he should have. If only he could question Carly without her getting suspicious.

None of it made sense.

And how could he stall Magnolia? She was on a mission, and he didn't blame her really. If he didn't know the truth, he would have considered it a real honor for Ivy too. Now, the whole thing gave him a headache.

Absently, his hand reached down to scratch Superman's head. The dog leaned in to him, then finally sauntered off to his food and water bowls to help himself.

By the time he had finished off the last of his coffee, Scott had decided he would definitely sell something in addition to getting a loan. Between those two things he'd at least get some of the money returned to Carly. He'd have to take this one step at a time.

Hopefully, he wouldn't trip.

“This is wonderful,” Rita said, biting into
her cinnamon roll, then sipping on her coffee.

Carly stared at her, mouth gaping. “That's just so wrong. How can you eat like that and stay skinny?”

Teeth still clenched on the roll, Rita shrugged, then tore off a bite. “It's a gift.”

Carly blew out a frustrated sigh. “I still say God has favorites.”

“Hey, your muffin looks pretty good,” Rita said, pointing to Carly's fat-free, no-taste muffin.

Carly looked upward. “Did you hear that, God? She fibbed, right here, as big as you please. She should get at least five pounds for that one, wouldn't You say?”

“You're awful,” Rita said with a playful tap on Carly's arm. “I'm so glad we finally got a coffee shop in town.” She looked around the crowded room. “It's definitely a hit.”

“It sure is,” Carly agreed. “I have to sneak over here to get my whipped cream.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.”

“So how are things going with Jake?” Rita asked.

Carly brightened. “Going well. He actually liked the idea of Katelyn working for me. Let's just hope
she
does.”

“I can't imagine why she wouldn't,” Rita said, finishing off the last of her cinnamon roll.

“He said he would have her call me today, so we'll see what happens.” Carly took another drink. “I haven't told you the latest.”

“Oh? What's that?”

Carly proceeded to tell Rita about the pastor wanting to name the teen coffee shop after Ivy and that Scott didn't seem in favor of it.

“How odd. Why wouldn't he want that?” Rita asked.

Carly shrugged. “You know Scott. He downplays everything. Very humble, though I would think he would want that for Ivy. She was very involved in the church and everyone loved her.”

“Was she still teaching Sunday school when she died?” Rita asked.

Carly thought a moment. “You know, I think she gave that up about six months or so before that. She was overextended.”

“Yeah, she was in the choir.”

“Hmm, come to think of it, she dropped out of that too.” Carly hesitated. “I think her hormones were fighting back.”

Rita laughed. “I know how that can be. She sure had a beautiful voice.”

Carly looked into the distance. “I used to pretend I could sing like that. Every time I wail at home, Pinkie takes off as fast as her little legs can carry her.”

“Only you,” Rita said, shaking her head. “You know she was working on something special for Scott before she died.”

Carly looked up. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I visited C. J.'s photography studio a couple of times and found Ivy there. C. J. told me it was a secret, but he was teaching her some photography techniques because she had a surprise for Scott.” Rita fingered the rim of her cup. “I don't know what she was going to do or if she ever did it. I just know C. J. was trying to help her.”

“Funny, she never mentioned it to me. I thought I knew everything about Ivy.” Carly couldn't help the disappointment that swelled inside her. They were the best of friends and for some reason Ivy hadn't shared that with her. Maybe she'd never finished whatever it was.

First chance she got, she'd ask C. J. about it.

“Scott, did you hear me?” Carly was saying.

He finally glanced up from his work. “I'm sorry, were you talking to me?”

The frustration on her face said she was.

“It was nothing important.”

He immediately felt contrite. He didn't know how he blocked people out like that when he was working, but he did. It was something he needed to work on—hadn't Ivy told him so many times?

“Hi, Scott.” Melissa poked her head through the door. Scott and Carly both looked over. “You got time for lunch?” She smiled at him and then Carly.

“Caught me at a good time,” he said. “My stomach was growling.” He turned to Carly. “You want to go?”

Carly coughed. “Uh, no thanks. I have a lot to do here.” She shuffled papers around on her desk in an attempt to look busy. Scott knew she just didn't want to go. Carly seemed to have something against Melissa, but he had no idea what. Women were just too hard to figure out sometimes.

“Okay, see you a little later.” Scott joined Melissa and they headed out the door. “Why don't we take my car?”

“I thought you'd never ask,” Melissa said, eyes beaming. She looked at him as though he was a custom-made car, fresh from the factory, and she was the new owner. He wasn't sure he liked it. Oh, there was no denying Melissa was pleasant to look at, but as far as he was concerned, she was a friend.

“Any place in particular?” he asked.

She pulled the seat belt across her chest and snapped it into place. The swerve of her mouth when she turned to him unnerved him a little. “I'll go anywhere with you,” she said unabashedly.

Scott cleared his throat and started the engine. He didn't even want to think about that.

While Melissa talked to him about her morning shopping, his mind wandered to Ivy and the embezzlement. He tried to dismiss it for now, though he didn't know which was worse—thinking about that or listening to Melissa bash her ex-husband.

His thoughts were so consumed, he realized he shouldn't have agreed to lunch with Melissa. He was poor company. Not that she noticed, though. She was too busy talking. The entire time. When he finally dropped her off and headed back into the office, he felt nothing but relief.

“So how was lunch?” Carly asked him when he walked into the room.

“Nothing to get excited about. I had a salad.”

“I wasn't exactly referring to the food.”

Scott stopped and looked at Carly. “Oh, you mean with Melissa?”

He could feel her watching him but pretended not to notice. He walked over to his desk, rummaged through his top drawer, keeping her totally in suspense.

“I will hurt you if I have to.”

His hands stopped moving and he looked up with an ornery grin. “We had a nice time, Nosy.” He could almost hear her mind clicking. “Don't order the invitations just yet.”

“So you're not serious?”

“We've had a couple of dates, Carly. I'd hardly call that serious.”

“Well, you never know. Some people hit it off and marry a week later.”

He stared at her, mouth gaping.

“It's been done. That's all I'm saying.”

“I'm in no hurry.”

“I'm glad to hear that,” she said.

“Oh?” He studied her. “Speaking of which, how are things going with you and Jake? Looking at rings yet?”

She twinkled. “Not yet.”

“But you're hopeful?”

“Who knows?” She stretched out her hand and glanced at her naked ring finger. He thought he detected a longing in her expression. What was it with women and marriage?

He got up and put a file away. “Great. Things must be going pretty well with you two.”

For some reason, this conversation annoyed him. He was tired of talking about relationships and marriage and secrets.

“Time will tell.” She paused. “Oh, did I tell you I talked to Katelyn and she's starting to work here today? So thanks for the suggestion.”

His footsteps padded toward the exit. “I hope I did the right thing in suggesting her.”

“Wait.”

Scott turned around.

“You can't just make a statement like that and leave. What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” He waved his hand. “Forget it.”

By late afternoon, Carly had a headache.
She had been thinking about Ivy all afternoon, wondering why she had kept her little surprise for Scott a secret. And then the thing with Scott and Melissa bugged her to no end. Something about that woman . . .

Carly rubbed her temples. Wait. She had invited Belinda Beason to come over Friday night for a cookout. She'd better ask Scott before he made plans with Melissa.

“It's all the smells around here. It's not good for you,” Magnolia said as she strolled up behind Carly.

“Hi, Magnolia.” She hated it when Magnolia caught her with a headache. She always gave her the same lecture.

“Your headache. It's from the scents. I keep telling you.”

“You noticed that too?”

“Well, of course I did. The scents give me a headache.”

“No, I meant the part about you keep telling me—”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

“So did you talk to Scott?”

“About what?” She knew what Magnolia was getting at, but Carly was stalling. She had a feeling this headache was not going to go away anytime soon.

“Don't you remember? You really should get on some supplements that will help you with your memory. I was referring to the teen coffeehouse being named after Ivy.”

An employee stopped Carly in the hall to ask if she could go home early. Carly was thankful for the reprieve that allowed her to avoid Magnolia's question.

Once they arrived at Carly's office, Magnolia made herself comfortable on the sofa while Carly walked over to her desk. Unfortunately, Scott was nowhere to be seen. Somebody had probably warned him.

“Pastor is waiting to hear from us. He wants to present the name to the board and then get a plaque with the coffeehouse name ready. They want to announce it to the congregation and present the plaque. We have to tell him soon.”

Carly looked at Magnolia and couldn't help feeling sorry for her. Ivy had been her only child. All Magnolia's hopes and dreams had been wrapped up in her. Now she was alone—well, with Carly, but they weren't blood related. Though they had a long history together. She had seen Magnolia practically as much as her own mother when she was younger, since she and Ivy had been inseparable as kids.

“Magnolia, you know Scott. He's not one to make a big deal about people and names.”

Carly knew as soon as she'd said it she'd be sorry.

“Well, what could it hurt to acknowledge my daughter for the good she did in the church? Ivy deserves the honor. She was a wonderful young woman.” Magnolia's eyes narrowed, her jaw set. “I want her to get this.”

Carly had to admit Scott was being too stubborn about this whole thing. What could it hurt to have the coffeehouse named for Ivy? It would ease Magnolia's pain. True, Magnolia could bumble things, but she also had a big heart. Just like Ivy.

“I'll talk to him. He's under a lot of pressure right now getting our taxes ready and all that, but when things calm down, I'll talk to him about it. You'll have to tell Pastor to put it on hold for a few weeks.”

Magnolia sighed. “Seems like the mother ought to have final say in this matter,” she grumbled as she got up. “I'll see you at dinner. Organic whole-wheat penne.”

Carly realized she'd have to go fast food if she ever hoped to eat a good greasy hamburger and fries again in this lifetime.

After working a little while, Carly stood and stretched. She could use a little more coffee, so she walked over to their pot and picked it up to fill it with water in the kitchen.

“Hey, how's it going, sis?” C. J. stood at the office door entrance.

Though she loved her brother, her stomach clenched. She didn't want to deal with this right now. “Hi, C. J. What are you doing here? Rita doesn't have an appointment, does she?” Carly couldn't remember Rita's name on the appointment schedule, but she hoped that was why he was there.

“No, no.” He walked over to the sofa and sat down.

Sensing she was not going to get that coffee anytime soon, she placed the pot back in its holder.