A Sweet Magnolias Novel

“I still don’t get why you refused any alimony,” Elliott told her, his frustration plain. “The man owed you, Adelia. You have a business degree, but you never used it so you could concentrate on being the perfect wife and mother. Who knows what you might have achieved by now if you’d started a career after college?”

“Being a wife and mother was the career I chose,” she told him. “I don’t regret that for a second. Now that I’m a single mom, I’ll put just as much energy into working and being a good parent. Being independent is important to me, Elliott. I need to know I’m in control of my life.”

“I’m just saying that Ernesto’s money might have made it easier,” he argued.

“Don’t forget that Helen got enough money in a lump sum to pay for the new house and to keep our heads above water for a year, longer if I’m careful. I’m making decent money at the boutique, especially since Raylene made me the manager. I want to show my girls they can grow up to take care of themselves.”

“I guess that’s an admirable goal,” he said, though his tone was doubtful.

She smiled at him. “Isn’t that what your wife did after her husband left her with a mountain of debt? Karen made a life for herself and her kids. It was a struggle, but she persevered. That’s one of the reasons you fell for her, because she was strong in the face of adversity.”

“I suppose.” He grinned. “But then she found me and now it’s my mission to take care of her and our family.”

“Funny,” she said. “Karen seems to think you have a partnership.”

Her brother winced at the reminder. “Sorry. Apparently the Cruz macho tendencies die hard.”

“As long as they die,” she told him. “But I’ll leave it to Karen to teach you that lesson.”

Elliott frowned. “How did we get off track and start talking about my marriage? We were talking about you and that man who just walked out of here after giving you a thorough once-over.”

“While the idea of any man staring at me appreciatively is a welcome change,” she conceded, “I’m not looking for a relationship now. Maybe never. How many times do I need to say that before you believe me?”

Elliott looked dismayed rather than convinced by her response. “Don’t let what Ernesto did shape the rest of your life, Adelia,” he said fiercely. “Not all men are like that.”

“You’re certainly not,” she agreed. “And for that I am eternally grateful.” She touched his cheek. “I imagine Karen feels the same way. She must count her blessings every night.”

“Most nights,” her brother corrected with a grin. “At least when she’s not exasperated with me for one thing or another, like forgetting about that whole partnership thing, for instance.”

“Yes, I can see how you might test a woman’s patience,” she told him. “As a boy you were certainly a pest.”

“Gee, thanks.”

She patted his cheek again. “Don’t fret, mi hermano. We all wind up loving you just the same. Even though this conversation is making me a little crazy, I know you mean well and I love you for caring.”

Elliott’s expression suddenly sobered. “Adelia, promise me something, okay?”

“Anything.”

“If a man comes along, you’ll leave yourself open to the possibilities. I’m not talking about the man who just left here, but any man.”

“Any man?” she echoed, amused.

“After I’ve checked him out thoroughly,” he amended.

“Now that sounds much more like the overly protective brother I know and love,” Adelia said.

“Promise,” he repeated.

Though she couldn’t imagine it would be a promise she’d have to keep, at least not anytime soon, Adelia nodded. “Promise.”

Just then the pizza and the kids arrived at the table simultaneously and, thankfully, further conversation was impossible.

Time and time again, though, she found herself glancing toward the door and thinking about the man who’d cast a lingering look in her direction. Whether it was the openly appreciative way he’d studied her or her brother’s teasing, she felt the oddest sensation stirring deep inside. It was a sensation she hadn’t anticipated and didn’t especially want, but it felt a whole lot as if she might be coming alive again.

CHAPTER TWO

If Rosalina’s had become his restaurant of choice in the evening, the bakery was the place where Gabe satisfied his sweet tooth every single morning. Not only was Sweet Things owned by his cousin’s new wife, Lynn, but he’d quickly discovered that the woman made the best cookies, pies, pastries and cupcakes he’d ever put in his mouth. If Mitch hadn’t beaten him to it, he’d have courted Lynn himself, not that he’d mentioned that to his cousin. He needed Mitch as an ally, not an enemy.

Thank goodness, though, ever since Gabe had arrived in town, Mitch had insisted on starting their mornings here over coffee and pastry warm from the oven as they planned how Gabe was going to fit into the company. His cousin filled him in on the work needed on the neighboring properties. Lynn joined them from time to time, but she was usually far too busy baking to take a break just past the crack of dawn.

At full daylight and after getting his fill of coffee and pastries, Gabe walked the length of Main Street with Mitch, trying to get a feel not only for downtown Serenity as it currently existed, but for his cousin’s vision.

The historic brick town hall at one end of the large, tree-lined green housed the city’s offices. Wharton’s, which had been in business as far back as Gabe could remember as a combination pharmacy and soda fountain, anchored one side of Main Street. A hardware store revitalized by Ronnie Sullivan anchored the other side.

Sweet Things was in that block, along with Chic, the stylish women’s boutique next door. The remaining storefronts were empty and mostly boarded up, victims of the economic downturn and of the tendency in too many small communities for business to flee to the outskirts of town and more modern strip malls. The one exception in the next block was the relatively new and apparently wildly successful country radio station with its studio window facing the green so the on-air hosts could report on Serenity’s many holiday festivals and everyday happenings.

Gabe had been able to view the recent progress with appreciation, but he was still mindful that a lot more was needed before downtown Serenity could be described as thriving.

This morning—his first official day on the job—he studied Mitch over his mug of coffee. “You really think turning this town around is possible?”

“I’m counting on it,” Mitch said. “Our town manager, Tom McDonald, believes it’s possible and is doing everything he can to lure new business to town. I want to be sure there are up-to-date properties available to rent when the prospective business owners come to look things over. I want downtown to be irresistible. I want them to see it immediately as a better bet than one of those strip malls that have started popping up along the highway outside of town.”

Gabe smiled. “Were you always this idealistic and ambitious?”

“I don’t see it as ambition. I see it as a chance to do something for a town I love, the town where I’ve built my life. I don’t want to see downtown die the way it has in so many towns.” Mitch shrugged. “Maybe that is idealistic.”

“I hate to tell you, pal, but that ship has sailed. Right now, this downtown is on life support at best.”

“I know a few people, my wife among them, who’d tell you otherwise,” Mitch retorted. “And Dana Sue Sullivan, whose restaurant lures people from all over the state, would pick a major fight with you if she heard you say that. Sullivan’s may not be right on Main Street, but her success speaks for itself.”

Gabe laughed. “Well, I’m not about to take on Dana Sue. I’ve heard too many stories about her temper. But Lynn is what they call a pie-eyed optimist. She married you, didn’t she? What does that say about her judgment?”

Mitch didn’t take offense at his teasing. He laughed with him.

“She took a chance on me, all right,” Mitch said. “I thank my lucky stars for it. After Amy died and the boys were away at college, I was a lost soul for a while.” His expression sobered. “I wish you’d come over for dinner one night, instead of existing on pizza. You know you’re welcome anytime.”

“I know that,” Gabe said. “But you’re still a newlywed. I don’t want to intrude.”

“We’re past the honeymoon stage,” Mitch said, though the appreciative glance he cast in his wife’s direction as she came out of the back to wait on a customer said otherwise. So did the touches he couldn’t resist making every time she was in close proximity. “We’ve been together almost a year now. And with Lynn’s two kids underfoot, it’s not as if we have a lot of privacy, anyway.”

“In my book a year still makes you a newlywed.”

Mitch gave him a knowing look. “And in my book, you’re just making excuses. You’re family, Gabe. You’re not an outsider. I know you didn’t feel that way as a kid and I’m as sorry as I can be about the way the rest of the family treated your mother.”

Gabe waved off the apology. “You were just a kid yourself. You had no control over what the adults did and thought. Besides, I get where they were coming from. My mom had her share of problems. Drinking was the least of it.”

Mitch winced. “I came way too close to relying on alcohol myself after I lost Amy,” he revealed quietly, startling Gabe. “I’d like to think I wouldn’t have judged your mother for that weakness.”

Gabe wondered if there was some hereditary inclination that seemed to steer Franklins toward booze. “I took a brush with it myself after Mom died,” he said. “Even though I knew firsthand where that path could lead. Now that I’ve got my feet back under me and can see what dangerous decisions I was making, I feel a lot more sympathy for her myself than I did when I was living with it. I can also see a lot more clearly that she sure as heck had an addiction to the wrong sort of men. It was a bad combination.”

“But those shouldn’t have become your problems, too,” Mitch said. “You took them on when the family should have been there to support both of you, instead of passing judgment. It wasn’t right that you got labeled a troublemaker for trying to protect your mom.”

“Water under the bridge,” Gabe insisted. “Can we stop talking about this, please? You’ve more than made up for the past by giving me this job.”

Mitch dismissed the sentiment. “I have to admit that I’m still a little surprised that you wanted to come back to Serenity. You were awfully eager to put the town and your family behind you when you took off after your mom died.”

Gabe shrugged. “Seemed to me like the best place to get a second chance would be in the same place where you blew the first one. I guess I was finally ready to face the past, instead of running from it. Maybe I can shake those ghosts that seem to go with me wherever I am.”

“A very mature outlook.”

Gabe laughed. “Yeah, well, I imagine that’s a surprise for you, too. It sure is to me. Maybe hitting forty somehow turned me into a grown-up.” He set out determinedly to change the subject once and for all. “Now, what’s on the agenda for today? You’ve given me enough time to get settled in. I’m anxious to get started and prove you didn’t make the wrong decision by taking me on. I filled you in on my experience, but you haven’t seen my work firsthand. I meant what I told you—if it doesn’t measure up, you can tell me that straight-out, okay?”

“That’s not likely,” Mitch said. “Your job history speaks for itself. I know some of those men you worked for around the state.”

“Did you speak to them? That’s why I gave you their names.”

“No need. I trust you,” Mitch claimed, giving Gabe’s sometimes shaky self-esteem a needed boost.

Just then, the door opened and Adelia Hernandez stepped into the bakery. If anything, Gabe thought she was even prettier with her long hair tousled by the wind and wearing a dress that showed off her shapely legs. That crazy pulse of his skipped a couple of beats.

Apparently the reaction wasn’t entirely one-sided. When she spotted him, her cheeks flushed and her step faltered.

Naturally Mitch noticed Adelia’s discomfort and Gabe’s fascination. His eyes narrowed.

“You two know each other?” he asked Gabe. Adelia hesitated as if she was torn between whatever she’d come in to get and getting away from Gabe as quickly as possible.

“She was at Rosalina’s when I was there last night,” Gabe replied carefully.

“And?”

“That’s it. She was there with her family. I was there by myself. Nothing more to it.”

Mitch regarded him doubtfully. “Looked like a little more than nothing just now,” he said as Adelia hurried to the counter and placed her order with Lynn.

“I’ve never even spoken to the woman,” Gabe assured him. “And if that gleam in your eyes has anything to do with matchmaking, you can forget about it. I’m here to work. Period.”

Despite his very firm disclaimer, he couldn’t seem to keep his gaze from straying to Adelia, whose hand appeared to be shaking as she accepted a container of coffee from Lynn. As soon as she’d paid, she whirled around and practically ran out the door.

“Adelia!” Lynn called after her, then glanced toward Mitch. “I don’t know what in the world is wrong with her this morning. She’s jumpy as a june bug and she ran off without her pastry.”

Gabe was instantly on his feet. He held out his hand. “I’ll take it to her.”

He saw the startled expression on Lynn’s face and heard his cousin’s chuckle as he took off. So much for any pretense that he wasn’t interested, he thought ruefully. Oh, well. He figured that had pretty much been doomed from the instant he’d laid eyes on her, anyway. It was a darn good thing he’d had a ton of practice at controlling most of his craziest impulses.

* * *

This is ridiculous, Adelia thought as she struggled to get her key to work in the lock at Chic, the boutique next door to the bakery. How could a man to whom she’d never even spoken rattle her so badly? She’d been squeezing the Styrofoam cup so tightly since leaving Lynn’s, it was a wonder there was a drop of coffee left in there. It was all her brother’s fault for planting that crazy idea in her head, for suggesting that the stranger was a potential admirer.

She’d barely set the coffee down by the cash register when the bell over the front door tinkled merrily and she realized she hadn’t locked the door behind her. More startling was the sight of the man entering.

“You!” she exclaimed.

She must have sounded alarmed, because he stopped in his tracks and held out a small pastry bag. “I come in peace,” he teased, seemingly fighting a smile. “You left this behind at the bakery. Lynn was worried, so I said I’d deliver it.”

She sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes for an instant. “Sorry. You just caught me off guard. I usually lock the door behind me since we don’t open for another half hour. I come in early. Well, I guess that’s obvious, isn’t it? I like to get started before any customers walk in. I want to make sure the displays are neat and the cash register is set to go, that sort of thing. I’m a little obsessive about it.”

She realized she was rambling. She clamped her mouth shut. He held out the pastry bag, and when she didn’t immediately reach for it, he set it on the counter, amusement written all over his face.

“I’m Gabe Franklin,” he told her. “Mitch’s cousin.”

Adelia felt herself relaxing ever so slightly at that. Mitch was a good guy. One of the best, in fact. Any cousin of his would surely be okay, even if this man seemed to have the power to rattle her in ways no man had for years. Any rattling Ernesto had done had been to her temper.

“Mitch is great,” she said.

“That seems to be the consensus,” he responded.

She frowned at the edge she thought she heard in his voice. “You don’t agree?”

He winced. “Sorry. It’s an old habit. In the interest of full disclosure, I was the black sheep Franklin growing up. Old resentments die hard. He is a good man. I can appreciate that now.”

“I imagine it can be hard growing up in someone else’s shadow,” she said. “I know Mitch is a local. We knew each other in school, but what about you? Are you from Serenity?”

He nodded. “Born and bred here.”

“Then I’m surprised we haven’t crossed paths before. We must be about the same age. I imagine we were in school around the same time. I’m Adelia Hernandez, by the way. I was Adelia Cruz before I married.”

“And I spent more time suspended from school than I did in classes,” he admitted. “I left town for a lot of years after that. I just got back a week ago. Fortunately I got my act together during that time and picked up a diploma, then went on to college. I suppose I should say I took classes, since I never graduated. I was in too much of a hurry to get on with life.”

“Did you regret that later?”

He shook his head. “No point in regrets. It was the decision I made. I try not to look back, just focus on the here and now.”

“I’m trying to work on that,” she told him. “And I’ve recently had to face the fact that human beings are an imperfect lot. What matters is how we deal with our mistakes. Sounds as if you’ve made up for yours.”

“Not entirely, but I’m working on it.”

She watched as he glanced around the very feminine shop, which was currently displaying summer dresses and a new line of lacy lingerie. His gaze landed on the lingerie. Color bloomed in his cheeks. His nerves definitely showing, he shoved his hands in his pockets and backed toward the door.

“I’d better get back to the bakery. Mitch has a long list of projects he wants to go over with me. It’s officially my first day on the job.”

Adelia nodded and held up the pastry bag. “Thanks for bringing this.”

“Not a problem.”

She watched him leave, admired the way his jeans fit snugly over a very excellent backside and felt heat climb up her neck. She thought of Elliott’s advice just the night before to keep her heart open and her own very adamant declaration that she was a long, long way from being interested in another relationship. She suddenly couldn’t help wondering if Gabe Franklin with the wicked gleam in his eyes and his flirtatious ways was about to make a liar out of her.

* * *

It was midmorning before Adelia was able to push all thoughts of Gabe Franklin aside and concentrate on work. Just as she was about to reorganize a display to show off a new shipment of colorful scarves, her cell phone rang. To her dismay it was the principal of Selena’s middle school.

“Adelia, I’m so sorry to bother you at work, but we have a problem. Selena’s not in her physical education class. The teacher didn’t notice it until they were choosing sides for soccer. She’d taken attendance earlier and Selena was there, but she disappeared sometime between that and when they went outside.”

“Are you sure she didn’t just stay in the locker room?” Adelia asked, trying to tamp down the panic that was already rising. “She hates soccer. Skipping it to sit in the locker room and read a book is something she might do.”

“She’s not on the school grounds,” Margaret Towson told her. “I’ve had several people checking for the past twenty minutes or so. Do you want me to call Carter Rollins?”

“The police chief? Do you really think that’s necessary?”

“It’s standard procedure if a child disappears during the school day and the parents don’t know where they are, either. Do you have any idea where we might find Selena?”

Adelia felt tears gathering in her eyes. “No.”

“Perhaps I should check with her father then,” Margaret ventured, her tone tentative.

“No,” Adelia said quickly. “I’ll handle this. I’ll call Carter and start looking myself,” she said. “Thank you for letting me know so quickly, Margaret.”

“Adelia, I know Selena has been going through a difficult time. Her teachers are aware of it, as well. If there’s anything we can do to help, just ask.”

“Thanks.”

She disconnected the call and immediately called her boss. Raylene Rollins, rather than Raylene’s husband, Carter. The minute she explained the situation, Raylene said, “Lock up the store and go. I’ll be there in a few minutes to take over, but don’t wait for me. I’ll call Carter and tell him what’s going on. Try not to worry. Selena can’t have gone far. She might even be at home. Have you tried her cell phone or the phone at the house?”

“No. I wasn’t thinking,” Adelia admitted, completely shaken by the oversight. “I’ll do that now. Thanks for understanding, Raylene.”

“Don’t thank me. Just go. And call me the minute you find her.”

Adelia grabbed her purse from the office, put a closed sign on the door, then locked up the boutique. She opened the door to Sweet Things, drawing a startled look from Lynn.

“Is everything okay?” Lynn asked. “You’re white as a ghost.”

“The school just called. Selena’s missing.”

Lynn had her own cell phone out before Adelia could finish the sentence. “Mitch will start looking, too,” she reported. “What can I do?”

“Just call me if she shows up here or if your daughter has any idea where she might have gone. I know Lexie’s older, but kids hear things. I’m hoping this was just an impulsive decision, but with everything that’s happened lately, I can’t help worrying that she might have been planning to run away.”

“I’ll check with Lexie right now,” Lynn promised just as Mitch and Gabe came rushing into the bakery.

Mitch put steadying hands on her shoulders. “Stay calm,” he said quietly. “We’re going to find her. Gabe, why don’t you go with Adelia. I’ll start driving around town. Any place you think I ought to check first?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said, fresh tears gathering in her eyes.

She’d been so sure that Selena was handling the divorce okay. She was angry at her father, of course, but beyond that she seemed to be taking the move and all the rest in stride. The rebellion of a few months ago had seemingly vanished, replaced by resignation. Adelia should have seen through that. Apparently her mom-radar wasn’t as sharp as she’d thought.

“I’ve got this,” Gabe told Mitch. “You start looking.”

Mitch nodded. “I’ll start by the school and fan out from there. I’ll check with Carter, too, so we’re not duplicating our efforts.”

Gabe turned to Lynn. “How about a cup of tea? Something herbal, maybe?”

Adelia regarded him as if he were nuts. “I don’t have time to sit here and sip tea,” she said, starting toward the door.

Gabe blocked her path. “We’ll get it to go. It’ll help to calm your nerves so you can tell me where you want to start looking.”

“He’s right,” Lynn said, already handing her the to-go container. “I’ve put plenty of sugar in there for you. That’ll help, too.”

Adelia told herself she only accepted the cup so she could get out of the bakery, but in some part of her brain, she knew they were both right. The tea might help to settle her nerves so she could think straight.

With Gabe watching her closely, she took several sips, then met his gaze. “Satisfied?”

“It’s a start,” he said lightly. “Now let’s go find your daughter.”

Something in the way he said it, with full confidence that they’d be successful, reassured her, even though nothing had really changed in the past few minutes.

“I want to go by the house first. I’ve called and there was no answer, but that doesn’t mean she’s not there.”

“Where’s the house?”

“Swan Point.”

He nodded and turned in that direction. “Just tell me where to turn once we’re there,” he said.

The drive through the neighborhood of fewer than a dozen homes took only minutes, as did the search of the house. There was no sign of Selena, no bookbag tossed on the sofa or remnants of a snack in the kitchen.

“What about her father? Would she go to him?” Gabe asked.

“Not likely,” Adelia said, unable to keep a note of bitterness from her voice. “She’s very angry at him these days.”