Sunrise on Cedar Key (4 page)

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Authors: Terri Dulong

Tags: #Romance

BOOK: Sunrise on Cedar Key
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“You have to know how humiliated Chloe is. They've lived in St. Simons their entire married life, raised the boys there, made a huge circle of friends.” Aunt Maude paused to take a sip of coffee. “She's mortified. Can barely bring herself to go out once a week grocery shopping for fear of bumping into a friend asking a million questions.”
I could understand that. Wasn't that part of the reason I wanted to leave Brunswick ten years before? But I sure didn't expect what Aunt Maude said next.
“The reason she called me and told me everything now is because she knew I was here. She knew I relocated to Cedar Key.”
“And so?” I asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.
“She needs to get away from that area where Parker and his new wife will be living. From the sounds of it, Chloe has pretty much turned herself into a recluse these past few months. Obviously, she no longer feels comfortable attending any of the social functions in the area. It's a very awkward situation for a woman. And so ... I honestly didn't see that I had any other choice, Grace, and I hope you won't hate me ... but when she asked if she could come here and stay with us, I just couldn't say no.”
I jumped up and began pacing the kitchen floor. “You've
got
to be kidding me!” I yelled. Leave it to Aunt Maude—always trying to make things right. But this time it was far from right for
me
. Here I was, trying to get my own life back in order after losing so much, and the sister whom I barely knew and couldn't stand was being tossed right smack in the middle of it. “When is she coming?”
“She's driving down this week and will be here on Friday.”
I let out a loud groan, grabbed my coffee mug, and headed to my apartment to calm down. It certainly became clear to me now why Chloe's card was showing up in my read.
I ought to burn that damn deck of tarot,
I thought, stomping up the stairs.
5
W
ith the help of herbal tea, lavender incense, and Enya's music coming from my CD player, I did manage to cool down by the time I had to get ready for dinner at Lucas's.
I even managed to feel a bit selfish. Yeah, my own life had been turned upside down ten years before, but I was only twenty-six, resilient and determined to start over and find happiness. How much harder it must be for a woman pushing fifty. Not impossible, by any means. Just more difficult. Besides which, I had always been fairly independent and I liked it that way. Whereas Chloe had gone from college straight to the role of wife and mother. She'd always had Parker as her partner in life. I'd bet anything she'd never attended an evening social gathering alone.
And now that I'd calmed down, I had to agree with Aunt Maude. What else could she do? Turn Chloe away to get through this life crisis on her own? Of course not. I guess it didn't matter what Chloe's behavior and attitude had been in the past. I was a firm believer in focusing on the present. So it looked like I was going to have to suck it up and make some attempt toward a relationship with my sister. If nothing else, I had to do it for Aunt Maude. And now I owed her an apology for storming out the way I had.
“So you forgive me?” I asked.
My aunt leaned over to give me a tight embrace. “Oh, Grace,” she said, laughing. “Of course I forgive you. Besides, don't you think I know you well enough by now? You have a bit of that quick French temper we both share, but if you're left alone to think, you also never stay angry or hold a grudge. That's a very good trait to have.”
“Yeah, probably. Well, I got to thinking about it, and even though Chloe and I have never been close, what Parker did is unforgivable. No woman deserves this. I mean, geez, if he wanted out of the marriage he should have just been honest and told her, not wait until it reached the level that it did.”
“Well, in my experiences with people, I've found that honesty is a very elusive trait. Maybe that's why I value it so much and admire people who have no problem exhibiting it. It's not always easy being honest. Many times it's downright difficult, but it's still the best thing to do.”
I had to agree.
“Well, I'll be honest right now,” I told her. “I truly cannot see my uppity sister living on this island. She's never even
visited
here. Does she know we have no pharmacy, no doctors, no movie theater? Not to mention that the closest upscale shopping is an hour away in Gainesville?”
“I told her all of that. It didn't seem to matter. I think she's feeling so alone in her life right now that all of those amenities are secondary.”
Another thought occurred to me. “Where will she be staying? Oh, please do
not
tell me I have to share my apartment with her.” I loved Aunt Maude dearly, but living with my sister would be stretching that love to the breaking point.
“No, no, of course not. I wouldn't subject you to that,” she said, laughing. “Chloe's going to stay here with me. I have the extra bedroom, but she also mentioned looking for her own place—a small cottage that she could rent.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, good. Did she say what she plans to do here? To keep busy? She's never worked outside the home.”
“We did talk about that briefly. Her college degree was in textile design, and although she never pursued that once she married, Chloe has continued with her knitting. She's won many awards for her projects, and some of her beautiful pieces brought in a good sum of money for all the fund-raisers she was in charge of.”
“So you're going to have her help us with the knitting retreats?”
“If it's all right with you, yes.”
“Of course it's okay. Chloe was always an expert knitter, plus she might enjoy something like that.”
“That's what I was thinking. You're handling the advertising part of it, with the website and bookings when they start coming in, so maybe she could come up with some ideas for instruction and classes. I need to get ready to leave for Lucas's, but we'll give this some more thought.”
“Sounds good,” I said, leaning over to kiss my aunt's cheek. “I'll be back down within the hour.”
Going through the bags that Monica had dropped off had brightened my mood. There's always something about new clothes, even borrowed ones from a friend, that has a way of perking up a woman. I'd planned to wear jeans and a T-shirt to Lucas's home for dinner, but after going through my care package, I changed my mind.
Instead I chose a black and white sundress. Twirling around in front of the mirror, I smiled. Not bad, and although I loved Monica's stilettos, the black mules with a one-inch heel were more appropriate.
“Okay,” I said to Annie, patting the top of her head. “You be a good girl while I'm gone.”
She looked up at me and then plopped her head back on the sofa to resume her nap.
I found Aunt Maude waiting for me on the porch. “All set for our
diner français
?”
“Oui, mademoiselle,”
was her reply.
We walked the short distance to Lucas's house on Second Street, and the look on his face when he opened the door made me happy that I'd chosen the sundress over the jeans.
“Bonsoir,”
he greeted us. Opening the door wider he never took his eyes from my face. “Come on in. You ladies look exceptionally lovely this evening.”
Yup, definitely glad I chose the sundress. “Thank you,” I mumbled, following him and my aunt into the small living room.
“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing toward a chocolate brown leather sofa and two matching chairs. “A glass of wine before dinner? I have a nice red I brought back from France.”
“That would be nice, Lucas. Thank you,” my aunt said, choosing a spot on the sofa.
I settled myself next to her and looked around the room. Even for a bachelor living alone I could see that Lucas had added some personal touches. A few large prints of museum exhibits in Paris adorned the walls. The coffee table held a centerpiece of fresh, brightly colored mixed flowers, and on the mantel above the small fireplace were framed photographs of locations that I recognized from the south of France.
“Here we go,” he said, returning from the back of the house carrying a tray holding three glasses of wine.
After offering my aunt and me a glass, he removed his and held it up. “Here's to your new home, Maude, and good days ahead for you, Grace.
A votre santé!
”
“Thank you,” my aunt said as I nodded.
I took a sip of the dark red liquid. “Oh, this is wonderful, Lucas. Makes me feel like I'm back in France.”
“It
is
good,” Aunt Maude agreed.
“I'm glad you like it. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes.”
“Good. Then I'll have time to tell you all about my news.” She went on to tell him about the knitting retreat weekends she was planning.
“Oh, that's very happy news, Maude. Knitting has become quite popular once again, so I have no doubt your new business will be a wonderful success. And how fortunate to have Grace as your partner.” His gaze now swung to me. “So do I understand this to mean that you won't be rebuilding your coffee shop?”
“I'm afraid not. It would involve way too much because of the existing FEMA laws. It just wouldn't have the same feel to it as my other place did, and besides, it would be difficult for a lot of people to navigate the stairs required.”
Lucas nodded. “Yes, I see what you're saying. Well, it's easy to see that you share a very close relationship, so I have no doubt that you'll enjoy beginning this new venture together.”
“Are you all settled in at the bookshop?” I asked. I had been so upset when I was there on Friday morning I wasn't even sure if he'd officially opened yet.
“Just about. My grand opening is this coming Sunday, and I'd love it if you both could be there. Three o'clock, wine and cheese, and although you've already gotten a sneak peek, it will give the rest of the community a chance to see it.”
“That would be very nice, Lucas,” my aunt told him.
“Yes, we'll definitely be there. Are you planning to stay here permanently now?”
“Well, except for some trips back to Brunswick to check on the bookshop there, yes. Mrs. Beckett really has everything under control for me. I thought about selling the Brunswick shop but in all honesty, I feel like I'd be depriving Mrs. Beckett of something she really enjoys. Besides, I'm the only bookshop in Brunswick, so I think my customers would also be disappointed.”
“I'd say it works out well all the way around.” My aunt took a sip of her wine. “Kind of like Grace and me,” she said with a smile.
I reached over to pat her hand. “You're absolutely right,” I told her as my cell phone rang in my handbag beside me. “Oh, excuse me,” I said, getting up and going outside to the porch to take the call.
As soon as I heard my sister's voice I wished I'd remembered to let the calls go to voice mail.
“Grace?” Chloe bellowed across the line. “I'm trying to reach Aunt Maude and there's no answer at her place. She was supposed to call me back.” There was a pause, and then her tone became more subdued. “I imagine she told you about Parker and that I'm coming to Cedar Key?”
“Yes, yes, she did. I'm really sorry to ...”
She instantly cut me off. “Well, she was supposed to get some information for me about storage units in the area. Do you know where she is?”
Offering my sympathy seemed like a waste of time. “Actually, she's here with me. We're at a ... friend's house. For dinner. I came out on the porch to take the call.”
“Well, could I speak to her?” Impatience laced her words.
“We were just about to begin dinner, Chloe. Can I have her call you back later tonight? Or would you prefer in the morning?” I was not going to let my sister, the drama queen, ruin a nice evening.
After a moment's pause, she said, “It's up to Aunt Maude. God knows I'm awake till all hours, so she can call me later. Bye.”
With that, I heard the line disconnect and shook my head. Feeling bad for her situation was one thing, but I wasn't about to accept the crap that Chloe was famous for dishing out.
I took a deep breath of air, walked inside, gulped the rest of the wine in my glass, looked at my aunt, and said, “That was Chloe.”
“Oh, my,” was her response, knowing full well what a conversation with my sister was capable of doing to my mood. “Oh, no, I was supposed to call her back.”
“Right. I explained you'd call her later when you got home. So it's not a problem.”
Lucas sat there looking from my aunt to me, a confused expression on his face.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” I asked.
“I'm afraid not. I'm an only child.”
“You're lucky,” I said. “I'm sorry. That was my very difficult sister, and let's not ruin a nice evening by discussing her.”
Lucas nodded as he stood up. “Just give me a few moments and dinner will be ready.”
 
Following an exceptional dinner of roast lamb, au gratin potatoes, and fresh vegetables, we were enjoying coffee and dessert on the back deck.
“I do believe you missed your calling, Lucas,” my aunt told him. “With your exceptional abilities, I'm sure you could be a top chef. That dinner was simply out of this world—and this tarte tatin ... I think it's the best I've ever had.”
I had to agree on all counts. I took another bite of the luscious upside-down apple tart and savored the caramelized flavor. “Where on earth did you learn to cook like this?”
Lucas laughed as I saw a look of pride cross his face. “From both my mother and my grandmother. I think that unlike most American men, French boys are encouraged in the kitchen as much as little girls. I do enjoy cooking, but if I had to make a living at it, I'm not sure I'd enjoy it quite as much.”

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