Best Laid Plans

“You can take it as soon as you like, but it must be taken within the next thirty days.”

Thirty days? That wasn’t much time, Ivy thought, rubbing a hand down her face. She would love to get away now before beginning her next project for Wonderbelly, a cyberware company in Boston. It would be nice to go somewhere and relax for seven days. If Tessa wasn’t available on such short notice, then she could take her grandmother with her. But then she doubted she would get much rest if she did. Even after their little talk a few days ago, Nana was still tossing Nolan Madaris’s name out whenever she got the chance. Take yesterday for instance. Nana had asked if she’d heard from him. Why would she hear from Nolan Madaris? Obviously, her grandmother refused to accept that the plan she and Ms. Laverne had concocted had backfired.

She truly hoped Tessa could go with her, but she would go alone if she had to. “Can I claim my prize and go to Tiki Island starting this week?”

“Yes. We can deliver the winning voucher to you or you can pick it up at our office.”

“Where is your office?”

The woman quoted an address that was less than ten miles from where Ivy lived. “I’ll stop by.”

“All right. Everything you need to know will be in the paperwork you’ll receive with the winning voucher. Again, congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

Ivy couldn’t help smiling when she hung up the phone. Seven days on Tiki Island was a dream come true. She’d heard rental property there was pretty expensive and couldn’t wait to tell Tessa. She hoped her best friend would be able to join her.

She had reclaimed her comfortable position in bed when the phone rang again. Thinking it was the bubbly woman calling her back for some reason, she shifted in bed, grabbed her phone and said, “Is there something you forgot to tell me?”

There was a pause as if the person was surprised by her question. And then a masculine voice she remembered all too well said, “Yes. I’m sorry for how I treated you when we were together.”

Ivy drew in a sharp breath not believing Damien Fargo had the audacity to call after all this time. “Too late for an apology now, Damien,” she said and hung up.

* * *

“HELLO, NOLAN. I saw I missed a call from you.”

“You missed several, Victoria,” he said, frowning. “Where are you?”

“New Orleans. I flew here for a job interview and I’ve been busy preparing. What’s up?”

Nolan’s frown deepened. “New Orleans? You’re thinking about moving to New Orleans?”

“If I get the job.”

“Why? There’re plenty of job opportunities here in Houston.”

“Yes, but in New Orleans I won’t have to worry about being treated differently because my last name is Madaris.”

Nolan didn’t say anything, not sure he liked the idea of his sister taking a job in another town. Another state.

“And before you say anything, Nolan Madaris, remember you moved to Chicago after college.”

“That’s different.”

His sister chuckled. “Always is when it comes to the guys in the family. I always get treated differently because I’m a female.”

Her words reminded him why he’d called. “Well, there is one person who intends to treat you as an equal.”

“Who?”

“Mama Laverne. I went to see her yesterday and she informed me that after she marries me off, instead of moving on to Corbin, Adam, Emerson or Chance, that you’re next.”

“Me?”

“Yes, but don’t worry about it. I plan to call a family meeting to deal with her meddling.”

“Hold up, Nolan, call one on your behalf if you’re so inclined, but not mine. I have no problem with our great-grandmother finding a husband for me. It frees up my time in doing so because I know Mama Laverne is going to vet him to the nth degree.”

Nolan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You want a husband?”

“Not really, but if Mama Laverne says I’m next, then I’m not going to buck the idea. Hey, she has an astounding track record.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Maybe for you it’s not but for me it is, so if she wants to find a husband for me, let her at it. I have no problem with it. I welcome her doing so. And if I were you, I wouldn’t buck her either. Lee tried and look what happened. We all thought Lee would best her at her own game and we were wrong. Besides, Lee is madly in love with Carly. They are a perfect match. Remember that.”

Nolan didn’t need to remember anything. He’d just returned from Paris, where he’d spent time with the happy couple. It was obvious to everyone Lee adored his wife, but like he’d told Victoria, that wasn’t the point. If she wanted Mama Laverne to control and manipulate her life, then that was her business. However, he had no intentions of letting her control and manipulate his. As far as he was concerned Victoria had been duly warned.

A short while later Nolan ended the call with his sister, knowing he needed to get away more so than ever. Although there was no need to call a family meeting for his sister’s sake, he still needed answers as to how to handle his great-grandmother. Unlike his sister, he wasn’t satisfied to let Mama Laverne make decisions on his life. Earlier, he’d got a call from his property manager to say his house on Tiki Island was ready for his arrival. Marlene had cleared his calendar, which wasn’t hard to do since he’d originally planned to remain in Paris for an additional week anyway.

He was about to head out and grab lunch when his phone rang. He recognized the ringtone. He smiled as he picked up the phone. “Hi, Gramma Bessie.”

“Hi, Nolan, how are you doing?”

“Fine. What about you?”

“I’m doing fine as well. However, I need a favor.”

“Anything for you, Gramma Bessie.”

“Can you take me to visit your great-aunt Caroline? All I need is to get dropped off there. Your granddaddy will pick me up on Sunday evening.” Caroline was his grandmother’s sister who lived in Andrews.

“Sure. When?”

“Friday. We can leave that morning.”

That’s was the opposite direction from Tiki Island. If he dropped his grandmother off at his great-aunt Caroline’s, that meant he wouldn’t get to the island until late that evening. He sighed. “No problem. I’ll take you.” This was family after all.

* * *

DAMIEN FARGO LEANED back in his chair and snapped the pencil he’d been holding in half. Ivy intended to be difficult, which meant he had to come up with another plan.

“I hope you don’t anticipate any problems.”

He glanced at the man sitting across from his desk. For a moment, he’d forgotten about his presence. His mind had been reeling with the fact that Ivy Chapman had hung up on him. He’d figured she would still be upset. Most women would. But hadn’t he begun the conversation with an apology?

He thought it best to give the man his undivided attention and answer his question. “No, I don’t anticipate any problems. She might be a little mad with me now, but I know how to work her. She’ll be putty in my hands again in no time.”

The man nodded slowly. “See that she is.”

CHAPTER FIVE

IVY STEPPED OUT onto the huge porch and stretched. She’d finally unpacked and was ready to relax. The porch swing looked inviting, and she could see herself sitting in it a lot during the next week while reading. This time it would be pleasure reading and not for business. In fact, she didn’t want to think about business at all this week. She was here to enjoy herself and intended to do just that.

Tessa couldn’t come with her since this was the weekend she was to go visit her aunt in Austin. More than once Ivy had taken the drive with Tessa to share the driving and for company. However, lately Tessa had found it a lot easier to fly. Her best friend had racked up a lot of frequent-flier miles doing so, especially now since her aunt was showing signs of dementia.

Ivy had felt a little bad about not inviting Nana, so she had called her a couple of days ago to see if perhaps she wanted to join her this week. However, Nana had made plans to join a group of senior ladies for a weekend trip to attend a gospel revival in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Her grandmother had been taking such trips for a couple of years now. At first Ivy had been concerned about a group of older women traveling alone together. The families of the other ladies voiced the same concern and decided to pool their moneys together and hired female chaperones to travel with the group. Nana and the ladies didn’t like the idea of chaperones and often referred to the younger women as their traveling companions.

Ivy glanced around, deciding she liked the place. It was on a private road and secluded from the other homes. It looked just like a beach cottage with its wooden frame painted a pristine white. What she liked the most, besides the huge front porch, was the stone walkway that led to a private area of the Galveston Bay.

The inside of the house was gorgeous with its two bedrooms, both king-size suites with private baths. It was a split bedroom concept and both faced the ocean with floor-to-ceiling windows. There were marble floors throughout, with a cozy living room and an eat-in kitchen with a wide breakfast bar.

When she’d arrived that morning, a huge gift basket that included bottles of wines, an assortment of cheeses, bread, fruits, chocolate and snacks had sat on a table in the living room with a welcome note. She had parked her car inside the detached garage, which made it easier to bring in her luggage, as well as the items she had stopped by the grocery store for and purchased. She wasn’t a big eater, so the food should be enough to last the week she would be here. Other than eat, sleep, read and drink wine, she didn’t plan to do much of anything else. It was time off she otherwise would not have taken if she hadn’t won this trip and for that reason, she intended to get the most out of it.

And she intended to put that call from Damien out of her mind. She couldn’t believe he’d called after all this time...and to apologize. It was too late for that now. His leaving Houston and moving to New York had been best for the both of them. Her feelings had been raw and she couldn’t imagine them in the same city and running into each other. She’d been given time to get over him and she had. Whoever said “Out of sight and out of mind” knew exactly what they’d been talking about.

Refusing to let thoughts of Damien ruin her week here at the cottage, she moved across the porch to sit on the swing. She smiled, thinking how nice it was here. Even the weather was agreeable. Since this was March the weather was still cool. Too cool for her to think about taking a swim today. However, the good news was that forecasters had predicted the coming days would be nice and sunny. She figured all those students on spring break whose destination was the beach next week would appreciate that.

The first thing she’d done after arriving and unpacking had been to take a nap. Now she was up, well rested and ready to explore what would be her private place on the island. Getting up from the swing, she stretched before going inside the house. After grabbing a light jacket, she moved toward the kitchen. Moments later she was outside and happily walking toward the bay.

* * *

IT WAS LATE evening when Nolan pulled into the drive. He could have arrived sooner, but when he’d got to his great-aunt Caroline’s house, he decided to hang out with a few of his cousins that he hadn’t seen in a while. Then there was the fact that his great-aunt had cooked a mouthwatering meal as well as his favorite dessert of peach cobbler since she’d known he was coming.

Deciding not to put his car in the garage for the time being, he got out of it and looked around. He loved coming here and had known he’d wanted to buy it the first time the Realtor had shown it to him. Less than an hour’s drive from Houston, it was one of those places he could get to in a reasonable time. He often regretted having decided to list it as a rental because it wasn’t always available for him to use whenever he wanted. Instead of getting into his SUV and driving here on Friday nights and staying the entire weekend whenever he felt like it, now he had to check with his property manager to make sure no one had rented it.

At least he’d got here before dark. He intended to build a fire in the pit, pour a glass of scotch and chill for a minute. He had talked to Corbin during the drive here and his brother hadn’t been surprised with Victoria’s attitude. The women in the family seemed to be more accepting of Mama Laverne’s interference in their lives than the men. It was apparent that Victoria had it in her head Mama Laverne would hook her up with a love match made in heaven.

Entering the house, he lifted a brow when he saw the huge basket sitting on a table in the living room. That was thoughtful of Ron to do that and he wondered if it was something his property manager had begun doing for all renters. If so, such a kindhearted gesture would definitely have renters returning.

Nolan walked over to the basket, grabbed an apple, rubbed it against the thigh of his jeans and then bit into it. It was good. Sweet and juicy, just the way he liked his apples. Leaving the living room, he went into the kitchen and saw a can of coffee, bags of chips and a case of bottled water on the counter.

When Nolan opened the refrigerator he discovered it fully stocked as well. He smiled, thinking his property manager had definitely outdone himself. Was he vying for more than just the 15 percent cut he was getting? Ron’s contract was up for renewal in a couple of months. Was that the reason he’d gone out of the way to make sure Nolan had everything he needed? Bread, eggs, butter, milk... Although he wasn’t sure why Ron had purchased the 2 percent kind. But he had redeemed himself with the wine coolers.

Nolan smiled while thinking not only would his property manager’s contract get renewed, but the man might even get a raise on top of it. Tossing the last of the apple in the trash, he grabbed a bottle of water and had taken a huge swig when suddenly the back door opened and someone gasped. He swung around and nearly choked on the water.

The one woman he hadn’t expected to see for a long time, if ever, was standing before him. Ivy Chapman. And from the expression on her face it was quite obvious that she was just as shocked to see him as he was to see her. He tried not to notice how different she looked now compared to a few days ago. Her hair was no longer tied in a knot on her head, but flowed wildly around her shoulders in thick yet soft-looking curls. Her hair styled this way made her mocha-colored face appear rounder, her cheekbones higher and her neck more slender.

She was still wearing her glasses, and like before, he thought the eyes behind the frames were beautiful. Mesmerizing. And those glasses seemed tilted on a cute little nose. Today she was dressed far more casual with a pair of cutoff jeans and a clingy T-shirt. Both showed off luscious curves and a gorgeous pair of legs. With legs that looked like hers, he thought wearing a long skirt to cover them was such a waste.

“Why are you here?” she asked, breaking into his thoughts.

He leaned against the counter, trying for it not to be so obvious that his gaze was raking her up and down to get a good view of her legs and admiring her sexy lips. “I’m here because I own the place.”

CHAPTER SIX

IVY STARED AT NOLAN, hoping she hadn’t heard him correctly but a part of her knew she had. How in the world had Nana and Ms. Laverne managed to pull this off? She didn’t have to ask herself why they’d done such a thing, because she already knew the reason. They assumed she and Nolan were perfect for each other but they were so wrong on that account.

And why did Nolan appear taller than he had that morning at his office? Now she had to tilt her head nearly all the way back to look up at him. And why was she noticing that he was even more handsome than before? Instead of a business suit he was dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans and a pair of roughed boots. And why was his lean waist, firm stomach, perfect tight abs and muscled shoulders showing in a well-defined way through the cotton material of his T-shirt? Her senses felt overloaded.

“I can’t believe this,” she said, pushing away from the door to cross the room and sit down at the table. All she could do was shake her head at how easily she’d been conned. “I should have known. I never win contests.”

“A contest?” Nolan asked.

She nodded, feeling like a fool. “This was Nana and Ms. Laverne’s doing.”

“That I believe,” he said, clearly putting the pieces together.

Ivy was grateful for that. There was no doubt in her mind that he was just as outraged and disgusted as she was. “Thanks.”

“How did you get here?” he asked, finally moving from where he was standing to join her at the table.

“I drove.”

“Where’s your car? I didn’t see another vehicle in the yard when I arrived.”

“I put it in the garage.” She released a frustrated sigh. “I honestly didn’t suspect a thing. I got a call early in the week that claimed I had won a week’s stay here from a contest run by a dry cleaner that I frequent.”

His brow lifted. “What’s the name of the cleaners?”

“Altamonte Dry Cleaners.”

He nodded slowly and then said, “That part explains things.”

“How?” She wanted to know.

He leaned back in the chair and she tried not to notice how good he smelled. He was wearing the same cologne as before. “Altamonte Dry Cleaners is owned my grandaunt Pearl’s side of the family. She was an Altamonte when she married my granduncle Lee.”

Ivy’s eyes widened. “Her family would help your great-grandmother with her matchmaking scheme?”

He chuckled and she tried to ignore how the sound seemed to vibrate across her skin. “In a heartbeat. For them it would be like history repeating itself. I understand that they conspired with Mama Laverne years ago to marry their only daughter off to Granduncle Lee. So yes, there’s no doubt in my mind if Mama Laverne called on them to help carry out her plans, they would have done what she asked them to do.”

Ivy found his statement astounding. “But why?”

His lips tightened into a frown. “You know why. Because my great-grandmother has everyone convinced she is an ace at matchmaking with a 100 percent success record that she can’t go wrong. But what Mama Laverne and her adoring believers fail to realize and accept is that there’s a first time for everything. Even failure. Just because she’s had great success in the past doesn’t mean anything about the future.”

“I agree. That’s what makes everything they are doing so annoying. Did you mention to your great-grandmother you were coming here today?”

“No.”

“Then how would she know how and when to put her plan into action?” Ivy asked, trying to break eye contact with him. The intensity of the dark eyes staring back at her was unnerving. She’d noticed the anger in his features was slowly easing and she was trying to let hers do the same. Somehow they needed to replace anger with action. There had to be a way to effectively combat Nana’s and Ms. Laverne’s foolishness. As far as she was concerned, they had gone too far this time, involving others to participate in their nonsense.

He shrugged those massive shoulders and she found that unnerving as well. “I mentioned my plans to several family members,” he said. “I can only assume she got wind of it and came up with a plan.”

“Did you not get a chance to talk to her since we last saw each other?”

Frustration appeared in his features. “I talked to her. That same day. But it was like what I was saying was going through one ear and going out the other. Did you talk to your grandmother?”

“Yes. I asked her to stay out of my affairs, but it’s obvious my request went in one ear and out the other, also.” She released a frustrated breath. “I can’t believe after our conversation that she went along with setting us up like this. And what angers me more than anything is knowing it might not be their last time.”

“Make no mistake. It won’t be their last time. It might be your grandmother’s first time trying her hand at matchmaking, but my great-grandmother considers herself an old pro with years of experience. She’s not about to let up. It doesn’t matter what we tell them, they’re determined to have it their way.”

After taking a deep breath, Ivy stood. “Well, I refuse to be a pawn in their foolishness. I’ll start packing to leave and will be out of your way. Again, I am so sorry for the intrusion. I would not have come here if for one minute I’d thought winning that contest was a sham.”

He stood as well, and again she had to tilt her head back to look up at him. “There’s no need to apologize since it wasn’t your fault.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m invading your privacy,” she said, moving from around the table.

“I guess you’re the reason my refrigerator is stocked and why there’s a welcome basket on my living room table.”

She nodded. “Afraid so. I stopped by that market a few miles up the road and picked up a few things.”

He nodded. “And here I thought that perhaps my property manager was bucking for a raise. Two percent milk should have tipped me off.”

She arched a brow. “And what’s wrong with 2 percent milk?”

“Nothing, if that’s what you like to drink. I prefer whole milk. I grew up on it. The Madaris family used to run a dairy back in the day in addition to raising cattle.”

Good Lord, she hoped he hadn’t noticed how she was hanging on to his every word. She loved the sound of his voice. It was deep and husky.

“At least let me pay you for those items,” he offered.

She waved off his words. “No, I won’t accept anything from you. Besides, I got to enjoy the bay for a little while. I just finished a major project and wanted to relax a bit before starting a new one.”

“Tell you what, I’ll give you my property manager’s contact information. Give him a call and let him know what other week you’d be available and I’ll make sure you get it, on me.”

She was surprised by his offer. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Sure you can. It’s the least I can do. I insist.”

“Thanks. I was so excited about winning that I followed the instructions to the letter without getting suspicious about anything.” That made her ask, “How did they get the key?”

She watched him stroll to the counter to retrieve the water bottle he’d placed there earlier. “My mom has a spare key,” he said.

Why was she noticing how sexy his walk was and how good his backside looked in his jeans? “Your mom? Please don’t tell me she was in on it, too.”

“She had to be,” he said, grabbing the water bottle, turning around and leaning back against the counter. “It makes perfect sense now.”

“What does?”

“My gramma Bessie claiming that she needed to be taken to her sister’s home in Andrews this morning, which delayed my arrival here by at least eight hours since my great-aunt insisted I stay for lunch. That had to be part of my great-grandmother’s plan as well. Had I left Houston when I had originally planned to do so, then we would have arrived here at the same time. They deliberately delayed my arrival, making sure I didn’t get here until after you’d arrived and had got settled.”

Ivy shook her head. And she thought she had it bad trying to keep Nana in line. “I don’t envy you one bit. I only have to put up with my grandmother. However, from the sound of things, your great-grandmother has a legion of conspirators ready to assist her. How can you put up with your family being so...?” Ivy tried her best to come up with a word that would hit the mark but wouldn’t offend him.

“Intrusive,” he supplied.

“Yes,” she said, fighting back a smile as she pushed her eyeglasses up. “Intrusive. I would think that instead of enabling her, at some point someone would have taken your great-grandmother aside and had a little talk with her about...” Again she tried coming up with a word that was noncritical.

“Minding her own business,” he said. “You can say it. Trust me, it won’t hurt my feelings.” He then took a gulp of water from the bottle.