LITMIR.BIZ

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gets to the corner?” Maddie asked.

      Dana Sue shook her head. “Why would I want to bet against a sure thing?” She grinned at Lynn. “Bring on the cookies and don’t waste a bag, okay?”

      Helen patted the chair next to her. “And sit right here next to me. I want to know everything you can tell me about Gabe and Adelia.”

      Lynn chuckled as she imagined how Gabe would react to being linked with Adelia all over town. He’d been grumpy enough when she’d merely hinted at a potential romantic pairing. Now that the Sweet Magnolias and Grace Wharton were alert and watching for every sighting, it was going to make him crazy. In Lynn’s opinion, a little craziness was just what he needed.

      * * *

      Gabe found Mitch standing on scaffolding in the middle of the construction site on the corner. Mitch was regarding the damage-riddled support beam with disgust. When he caught sight of Gabe, he climbed down.

      “What’s your plan?” he asked at once, surprising Gabe.

      “You don’t have one?” Gabe asked.

      Mitch chuckled. “Of course I do, but I put you in charge. I want to hear yours.”

      Startled by the confidence his cousin was placing in him, Gabe pulled a rough sketch from his back pocket and spread it out on a rickety old table that comprised his office space for now.

      “Here’s what I was thinking,” he said, going over the drawing. “I had Ronnie Sullivan in here earlier for some cost estimates on the lumber. He says if we want a couple of steel beams, he can get prices for those, too, but we’re talking big money.”

      Mitch’s expression was thoughtful as Gabe talked. He glanced up at the existing beams, then at the figures Gabe had jotted down, then nodded. “Let’s do it right,” he said eventually. “If we’re going to fix this building up, we need it to be built to last.”

      “I’ll have the prices for you tomorrow,” Gabe said, relieved. He’d been cautious, but he, too, believed in getting it right, not cheap. “By the way, your wife’s expecting you. I stopped in to grab a cup of coffee just now. She might need a little reassuring about the state of the ceiling over the bakery.”

      Mitch frowned. “Why?”

      “It’s possible I planted a few seeds of doubt talking about all the termites,” Gabe admitted, then shrugged at Mitch’s incredulous expression. “Hey, I had to say something to get her off the topic of me and Adelia Hernandez.”

      “And all you could come up with was termite damage?” Mitch said with mock exasperation. “She’s going to want to go up there and check out those beams herself.”

      Gabe laughed. “I suspected as much. Where’s the trust? That’s what I want to know. You did renovate that space for her.”

      Mitch shook his head. “Which just means we probably should add contractors to the list of people who need to avoid doing business with family.” He sighed heavily. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

      “Anytime,” Gabe said.

      Let his cousin deal with Lynn’s inquisitive nature. That was a whole lot easier on Gabe than having her pecking away at his personal life.

      * * *

      Adelia stood outside the nursery at Elliott and Karen’s house trying to calm her temper before she confronted her daughter about scaring her and everyone else. She needed to remember what Gabe had said about doling out hugs before discipline. She thought she’d always been pretty good at that, but today had been a real test. What she wanted more than anything was to give her daughter a good shake and ground her for at least the remainder of her school years. Fortunately, she was wise enough to know none of that was the answer to what had happened today.

      When she opened the door, she found Selena sitting in a rocker with the baby in her arms and sunlight spilling over them. Even at only thirteen, she had the serenity of the Madonna about her. It was a terrifying reminder of how quickly she was growing up.

      When Selena glanced up and caught sight of Adelia, though, wariness filled her eyes and she was a nervous teenager who knew she was in trouble. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice unsteady.

      “I think the better question is what are you doing here in the middle of a school day?” Adelia responded, careful to keep the fear and temper out of her voice. “You’ve had half the town running around trying to find you, including the police chief.”

      Selena had the grace to look shocked by that. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think anyone would miss me. I just skipped out on soccer. I’m no good at that, anyway.”

      “And what about the classes you have after physical education? Were you planning to go back for those? If so, you’re already late.”

      Selena winced. “I lost track of time,” she whispered, clearly aware that Adelia wasn’t likely to buy it.

      “Seriously? You expect me to believe that?”

      “I was hoping,” Selena said, her expression guilty.

      “Afraid not. Put the baby down and come outside so we can talk,” Adelia said, pausing to brush gentle fingers over the baby’s soft-as-silk curls. With black hair and big brown eyes, she was all Cruz, that’s for sure.

      Maybe because she knew it was inevitable, Selena did as she’d been told to do, then followed Adelia from the room. As they passed Karen in the living room, Adelia asked, “Mind if we sit on your deck for a little while? We need to talk.”

      “It’s fine,” Karen said. “Would you like something cool to drink? I’ve just made fresh lemonade.”

      “I’d like some, please,” Selena said at once, clearly relieved by any delay she could seize. “I can get it.”

      She scampered off to the kitchen before Adelia could protest. Karen smiled. “She’s awfully eager to make amends, isn’t she?”

      “Seems so,” Adelia said, then released a sigh. “I’ve never been so terrified in my life.”

      Karen, who’d been reserved with her for a long time, stepped forward and pulled her into an awkward embrace. “But she’s okay. That’s what counts, Adelia. She came here, to a safe place. She didn’t run away.”

      “I know and I’m more grateful than I can express for that. Did she talk at all?”

      “No. I think she just wanted some space on neutral turf. She asked if she could hold the baby. She’s been in the nursery ever since.” She gave Adelia an apologetic look. “If I’d had any idea you didn’t know where she was, I would have called you immediately.”

      “I know that,” Adelia assured her. “Thanks for being so kind to her.”

      “She’s my niece,” Karen said simply.

      Selena returned from the kitchen with three glasses of lemonade and looked at Karen hopefully. “Are you coming outside to talk, too?”

      “No, sweetheart. This is between you and your mom.” She looked at Adelia. “If you need anything, let me know. I can give you all a lift home whenever you’re ready, unless you’d like to stay for dinner.”

      “We’ll see,” Adelia said. It depended on how this conversation went and whether she thought she needed some backup from her brother to drive her points home with Selena. Her mom would keep the younger kids for the night, if need be.

      Adelia led the way outside. She sat on a cushioned bench on the shady side of the deck, then patted the seat next to her. With unmistakable reluctance, Selena sat beside her. Adelia reached for her hand.

      “Do you have any idea how precious you are to me?” she asked softly. “You’re my firstborn, Selena.”

      Rather than looked reassured, Selena looked sad. “But if it weren’t for me, you might never

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