Trinity Harbor 3 - Along Came Trouble (32 page)

“Of course in the bookstore,” Gail said impatiently. “It’s a respectable establishment.”

“It’s lovely,” Mary Elizabeth said.

She emphasized her point by poking Tucker in the ribs again. At this rate he was going to have bruises.

“Never said it wasn’t,” he grumbled.

“So?” Gail asked. “Wil you consider it? The hours can be pretty flexible. I got my husband down here so I could spend more time with him, but it turns out I’m working al the time. I had no idea retail was so demanding. I could real y use someone part-time to relieve the pressure. I have a couple of kids who help out on weekends, but they’re too young and inexperienced to be left on their own.”

Tucker watched the emotions registering on Mary Elizabeth’s face. First disbelief, then worry, then the first faint spark of excitement.

“You’re sure? This could backfire,” she warned Gail. “A lot of people haven’t accepted that I’m back.” She glanced pointedly toward Earlene as she spoke. “In fact, I’m sure some are counting on me leaving. If I go to work for you, it wil imply that I’m back permanently, and it might keep some of your customers away, especial y with this cloud of suspicion hanging over my head.”

“Oh, no one with any sense seriously believes you were responsible for your husband’s death,” Gail said, dismissing the problem as inconsequential. “I certainly don’t, and neither does Andy. I’l take my chances. At least we can try it for a couple of weeks and see how it goes. Please. I real y want to spend some time with Andy this weekend. It’s our anniversary, and I have big plans.” She grinned. “If you know what I mean.”

“Then I wil most definitely work for you this weekend,” Mary Elizabeth assured her.

At this rate, she was going to be meddling in as many romantic relationships as his father, Tucker thought grumpily. He also felt a little nagging sense of shame at how readily this virtual stranger was wil ing to believe in Mary Elizabeth when he’d been fighting doubts off and on from the beginning, despite his instincts tel ing him she was innocent. Andy’s defense of her, which he’d heard the night before, had also gone a long way toward reassuring him that his own instincts were sound.

Bobby shook his head. “See what I mean?” he said to no one in particular. “The woman is clever. Mary Elizabeth never stood a chance.”

“Shut up, Bobby,” Mary Elizabeth and Gail said in a chorus, then laughed.

Though he was relieved to see Mary Elizabeth so excited about something, Tucker was worried that she could be exactly right about Gail’s plan backfiring. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to throw a damper on her enthusiasm. Besides, if she was happy working with Gail, she might real y decide to stick around Trinity Harbor. That would make the plans he was beginning to formulate for the two of them go a whole lot more smoothly, once the timing was right.

Stil , he glanced sideways at Mary Elizabeth. “You know anything about books?”

“Hey!” she protested.

“Wel , as a kid you weren’t much of a reader. You preferred climbing trees,” he reminded her.

She gave him a coy grin. “Obviously you never snuck up to my tree house,” she said. “That’s where I kept my secret stash of books.”

“Dirty books?” Bobby inquired hopeful y.

She frowned at him. “Nancy Drew, if you must know. And the Hardy Boys. Louisa May Alcott. Al the classics, including
Tom Sawyer
and
Huckleberry Finn—
which, by the way gave me great insights into how to get along with you, Tucker Spencer.”

Gail beamed. “Oh, this is wonderful. You wil be so good at this, Liz. I knew my instincts were exactly right. Can you come with me now? I’l show you the ropes today and you can work a bit the next couple of days before I leave you on your own this weekend.”

“Perfect,” Mary Elizabeth said eagerly.

Tucker scowled, vaguely disgruntled by the fact that she was already taking off. “Hey, as long as you’re here, I thought we could talk.”

She hesitated. “Is there something in particular you wanted to discuss?”

To his disgust, Tucker couldn’t think of one pressing thing to keep her right where she was. “No, go. I just hope you don’t consider a cinnamon rol to be a nutritious breakfast.”

A grin spread across her fact. “Thanks for caring about my eating habits, but I actual y had breakfast at home hours ago. The cinnamon bun was dessert.”

“It’s only eight-thirty now.”

“I know, but I got to bed early and woke up at dawn.” She winked at Bobby. “That’s what happens when there’s nothing interesting going on in a woman’s life.”

Tucker sighed heavily at the clever way she’d managed to bring up their relationship again and the fact that he’d nobly left before anything could happen the night before. “You are not going to taunt me into changing my mind.”

“Changing your mind about what?” Gail asked, regarding him with blatant curiosity.

“Never mind,” Tucker said.

“Tucker thinks it is too soon for us to…” Mary Elizabeth leaned across the table toward Gail and said in a stage whisper, “Date.”

He scowled at her. “Wel , it is.”

“Says who?” Gail asked.

“I know this town better than you do,” he told her. “It wouldn’t look right, and they’d hold it against her.”

“And you?” Gail inquired. “Would they also hold it against you?”

“I am not thinking of myself,” Tucker insisted. When Mary Elizabeth started to reply, he stopped her. “And you are not going to change my mind.

Period.”

“Bet I could,” she teased as she slid from the booth. Laughing, she and Gail left.

“I’l bet she could, too,” Bobby said.

“Oh, go to hel ,” Tucker grumbled.

“What? And miss al this?” Bobby retorted, grinning. “Not a chance. This is the most fun I’ve had in ages.”

“Glad you’re enjoying yourself. Maybe I’l mention to Daddy that I’m surprised you and Jenna haven’t started adding to your family yet,” Tucker said innocently. “Not that we don’t love Darcy, but I think we’re al anxious for a new little Spencer to join the ranks.”

“I could learn to hate you,” Bobby retorted.

“Me? I was just giving you a little something to keep in mind the next time you decide to start poking and prodding at me,” Tucker said. “Surely you don’t hold it against me?”

“Okay, okay, let’s cal it a draw,” Bobby said, looking resigned. “You keep your mouth shut about babies around Daddy, and I’l keep mine shut about you and Mary Elizabeth. Deal?”

“Deal,” Tucker said. “Isn’t it nice how this al worked out? A pleasure having breakfast with you, Bobby.” He slid out of the booth. “Thanks for treating.”

“Hey, I didn’t say I was buying,” Bobby protested.

“Didn’t you?” Tucker said. He took great satisfaction in Bobby’s muttered oath as he left Earlene’s, barely resisting the desire to give the woman a piece of his mind. Why spoil his mood? Seeing Mary Elizabeth, a free meal and irritating his brother al in one morning—what a great way to start the day!

20

L
iz took to working in the bookstore as if it was what she’d been born to do. She loved opening the boxes that arrived from the distributor—it felt just like Christmas morning. She liked running her fingers over the foiled, embossed covers of the paperbacks, scanning the back-cover copy, even sneaking a peek at the first page or two of titles by her favorite authors. Invariably she set aside a huge stack of books she wanted to take home.

“At this rate, it wil take you until closing to finish checking those books and get them on the shelves,” Gail said, regarding Liz with amusement.

Liz cast a last longing look at a new thril er, then reluctantly put it aside and checked the five copies off on the packing slip. “How do you ever get anything done?” she asked Gail. “I want to read everything.”

“So do I, which is why I don’t let myself start. If I did, I’d be back in the café al day long with a book in my hands. The paperwork would stack up to the ceiling.”

It was Liz’s second week on the job. She’d worked the prior weekend completely on her own so Gail could celebrate her anniversary. Aside from jamming the cash register once and losing track of what she was doing a dozen times and having to start al over because she was chatting with the customers, she’d done okay. The receipts and the money in the register had balanced at the end of both days, and she’d gone home exhausted but happy.

The customers had been surprisingly tolerant of her mistakes and generous in their welcome. Many were tourists who had no idea who she was, but even the locals, aside from expressing some surprise at finding her behind the counter, had been pleasant. She’d told Gail on the fol owing Monday morning that she thought it was going to work out. Gail, thankful y, had agreed.

To Liz’s amazement, she had actual y found herself a steady job, or rather it had fal en into her lap. Working in a bookstore might not be quite the same as serving on the boards of several charitable institutions, but it gave her a sense of purpose. And with the flexible schedule she and Gail had devised, she could stil continue on several of those boards. It was the best of al possible worlds. She could actual y envision a real future here in Trinity Harbor—with or without Tucker.

Hopeful y with, she thought with a sigh, but the man surely was stubborn. If he pul ed back from making love to her one more time, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to restrain herself. She understood his reasons—al of them, including those he probably hadn’t even admitted to himself—but it was damned frustrating watching him struggle to be noble when there was no need. She’d mourned the loss of her husband a long time ago. His death hadn’t been the end for them. His affairs had accomplished that.

“Let’s take a break,” Gail said now. “It’s three o’clock, and I could definitely use a cup of coffee and a biscotti as a pick-me-up. How about you?”

“I thought you were just chiding me about not getting these books checked in,” Liz teased.

“You’l work faster once you’ve had some caffeine and a little sugar,” Gail theorized, leading the way to the smal area that had been turned into a café at the back of the store. There were a handful of tables and chairs, along with a few cozy, chintz-covered, overstuffed chairs for people who wanted to relax and browse through a stack of current newspapers and magazines kept for that purpose.

Gail poured them each a cup of coffee, plucked two chocolate almond biscotti from a jar on the counter, then sat in one of the overstuffed chairs and propped her feet on the coffee table. She sighed. “Ah, this is heaven. I had no idea how tiring it could be to stand on my feet al day.”

“You could trade off with me more,” Liz said. “I don’t mind working the register.”

“We need to talk about that. You’re already putting in more hours than I’m paying you for.”

“I’m not complaining,” Liz said. “I didn’t take this job for the money.”

Gail chuckled. “That was pretty much a given, considering the salary you’re getting, but I don’t want to take advantage of you, Liz.”

“Trust me, I love this, every aspect of it.” Suddenly a chil swept over her. “You haven’t had complaints about me being here, have you?”

“No, absolutely not,” Gail reassured her. “If anything, the opposite. Everyone seems to be enjoying having the chance to get to know you again. I’ve had nothing but compliments. I’m just worried about taking up so much of your time.”

“It’s not as if I have a lot of things to do,” Liz said, unable to keep the bleak note from her voice. “Tucker’s stil showing considerable restraint about spending time with me. And Daisy final y said she’d meet with me tomorrow to start on a list of prospective committee members and look at some property for the youth center. Frankly, I’m dreading it.”

“Because?”

“Because she’s made it plain that she’s agreed to do this under pressure from you and Anna-Louise. Once we’re alone, I’m not sure she’l manage to be civil, much less pleasant.” She sighed. “It’s not as if I expect her to forgive me overnight, but it’s hard having someone who was once like a sister treat you as if you have a communicable disease.”

“I could come along,” Gail offered at once. “I’d be a buffer.”

“Thanks, but sooner or later, Daisy and I have to deal with this. Besides, we’re going during the day. You’l be here.”

Just then the bel over the front door chimed. “I’l go,” Liz said. “You keep your feet up.”

She was halfway to the front when she realized with a sense of shock and dismay that the customer was Cynthia. Liz’s steps slowed. Cynthia regarded her with a total lack of surprise. If anything, there was a triumphant gleam in her eyes at having caught Liz off-guard.

“What are you doing here?” Liz asked coldly.

“Looking for a book, what else?” Cynthia said, returning her gaze with an amused look. “Something with lots of lies and deception and sordid sex in it.” She feigned innocence. “But then, you haven’t written about your life with Larry yet, have you?”

Liz froze. Before she could lose it completely and tear the woman’s hair out, Gail slipped between them.

“I think we have just what you want,” she said cheerful y. “Right over here.” She looked directly into Cynthia’s eyes. “In fiction.”

Cynthia al owed herself to be led away, but not before she’d cast a satisfied smirk in Liz’s direction.

Liz sank onto the stool behind the register, her thoughts racing. Why was Cynthia back in Trinity Harbor? Was she here purely to torment Liz? Or was there another, more sinister reason for her reappearance in a town where she had no ties?

Only one way to find out, Liz decided, bracing herself for Cynthia’s arrival at the checkout counter. A face-to-face confrontation with Larry’s ex-lover was long overdue. Maybe if she’d faced Cynthia down years ago herself, rather than leaving it to Larry to handle, she would have maintained a better grip on her own self-esteem. She didn’t intend to start a fight, but she would stand her ground.

In mere minutes Cynthia returned with Gail right behind her, a bestsel ing hardcover in her hand. Gail handed the book to Liz. “Can you ring this up, so our customer can be on her way?” she asked, giving Cynthia a pointed look.

“Certainly,” Liz said, beaming an insincere smile at Cynthia. “Cash or charge?”