Sweet Tea at Sunrise (15 page)

Raylene regarded her knowingly. “And you are impressed, right? So it’s served that purpose, too. In fact, I’ll bet if he’d asked you on a date on the way back to the station, you’d have found it impossible to resist.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I know better than to date Travis. He flirts with any female who’s breathing, Liz Johnson included.”

It was true, though, that she’d seen an unexpected side of him today. She’d already figured out that he was far more than a shallow player whose only goal in life was scoring with the next woman who crossed his path. She even knew that beneath his flirtatious ways, he was a decent man. But if he turned out to have real substance—kindness and generosity—she might find the attraction she felt for him impossible to resist. Raylene was right about that.

Just then Annie tapped on the back door and walked in with Trevor in tow.

“My boy here wants to play with Tommy and Libby, if they’re up for company,” Annie said.

“They’re in the living room looking at a video,” Sarah told him.

“Great,” Annie said. “I’ll get him settled and be right back. Don’t talk about anything juicy till I’m here.”

The instant Annie was gone, Sarah scowled at Raylene. “Do not mention any of this to her, okay? She’ll just jump to all sorts of wild conclusions.”

“You mean the same ones I jumped to,” Raylene said dryly. “But I get it, you don’t want to have to defend your claim that you’re not falling for him.”

“I am so not falling for him,” Sarah said, keeping her voice low.

“Falling for whom?” Annie inquired, slipping back into the kitchen. She looked from Raylene to Sarah and back, then sighed. “Do I even need to ask? You’re talking about Travis. Sarah, sweetie, please tell me you are not giving him so much as a second glance. You know what Ty said. And surely you remember the ruckus that kiss stirred up.”

“He’s a player, blah-blah-blah,” Sarah dutifully repeated. “Yes, I get it. My guard is up. I’ve refused to go on a date with him, not that he actually asks me on dates.”

“Then why were you at lunch with him today at Sullivan’s?” Annie asked. “My mother couldn’t wait to tell me.”

“Did she also mention that we were with Liz Johnson, interviewing her about being a guest on my show?”

Annie frowned. “No, she didn’t mention that.”

“See?” she said triumphantly. “It was work. Not a date. Now can we talk about something else, please? Doesn’t Ty have another stretch of home games soon? Are you going over to Atlanta this time? It must feel like a honeymoon when you finally see him in person. You two practically lit up the backyard with your glow at Tom and Jeanette’s.”

Annie’s eyes sparkled. “Yes, and without Trevor this time. It’s just a three-day home stand, so Dee-Dee and her husband are going to come down here and keep Trevor for the weekend. It will be exactly like having a honeymoon,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “Three whole days to ourselves!”

“And a few thousand baseball fans,” Raylene chimed in.

Annie frowned. “They don’t get to come home with us. And I like sitting in the stands with the other wives and having Ty look up there as if there’s not another soul in the whole stadium.”

“No pangs when you see the groupies hanging out trying to catch the attention of the players?” Sarah asked carefully.

It was a groupie—Dee-Dee—who’d gotten pregnant with Ty’s son. That fleeting and complicated relationship had nearly torn them apart.

Annie’s expression sobered. “Not anymore. Ty and I are solid. I really do believe that.” She grinned. “And I think he knows now if he so much as looks at some groupie, I will cut off parts of which he is exceedingly fond.”

“Yes, that should keep him in line,” Raylene agreed with a chuckle.

“Now that we’ve covered what’s going on in Annie’s life and in mine,” Sarah said with a pointed look at Raylene, “let’s talk about you.”

Raylene immediately stiffened. “Not this again.”

“Yes, this,” Sarah said emphatically. “You can’t spend all your time with the babysitter, me and the kids for company. You need to socialize. You missed Tom and Jeanette’s big announcement. In fact, you miss all the parties that aren’t here. You’re way too young and attractive to settle for some bizarre kind of spinsterhood.”

“I socialize all the time,” Raylene said defensively. “People are constantly running in and out of here.”

“But you’re hardly likely to meet an available man,” Annie protested.

“Who says I want to?” Raylene countered. “Besides, Walter’s here every time I turn around. He’s available.”

Sarah blinked. “Walter? I thought he was out job-hunting every day.”

Raylene shrugged. “He has been. There’s not a lot available, so when he finishes, he stops by here to see the kids.”

“Is he bothering you?” Sarah asked worriedly. Walter was not the most sensitive man in the universe, and Raylene was pretty vulnerable these days.

“No. He just needs somebody to talk to. I listen.”

Annie frowned as she listened to the exchange. “He’s not, I mean you’re not…interested?”

Raylene looked genuinely shocked. “In each other? No way. He’s just lonely. I’m always around to be a sounding board. That’s it. Half the time I don’t even think he listens to a word I say. He just has to work through things aloud.”

“Now that sounds familiar,” Sarah said, unable to keep an annoyingly bitter note out of her voice. “He never listened to me, either.” She regarded Raylene earnestly. “But you’d tell me if he’s bothering you, right? I want him to spend time with the kids, but he should be doing it when I’m here.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Raylene assured her. “Honestly.”

Annie didn’t look entirely satisfied. “Which still doesn’t address the fact that you need to deal with your problem, Raylene. Last time I saw Dr. McDaniels, I mentioned what was going on—”

Raylene scowled. “Did I ask you to do that?”

“No, but I wanted to get some idea if there’s help for agoraphobia. I know we’ve all been dancing around saying it out loud, but that is what’s going on here. Anyway, she says there are things you can do to get past this, but obviously she can’t even say if that’s what you have unless you meet with her.”

“I’ll think about it,” Raylene said.

“That’s what you always say,” Annie protested with obvious frustration.

“Because it’s always true. I do think about it. When I’m ready to talk to her or anyone else, I’ll let you know.”

“But—” Annie began.

Raylene stood up. “I’m going to bed.”

“It’s not even six o’clock,” Sarah argued. “Don’t run off just to avoid discussing this.”

“Yeah, well, it’s been a long day,” Raylene said. “You two enjoy yourselves. I’ll see you in the morning, Sarah. I’ll check on the kids.”

“We should probably go in there ourselves,” Annie said. “It’s been quiet for a while. There’s no telling what they’re up to.”

“You go,” Sarah said. “I’ll put together some supper. Salad okay for you?”

“Sure,” Annie said.

“I have spaghetti for the kids. That ought to be good and messy.”

Annie laughed. “That’s why you’re the fun mom. You don’t care if they have to have yet another bath before bedtime.”

“We can always take ’em out back and hose ’em down,” Sarah said, not entirely in jest. It was amazing
that now that she was working, she actually didn’t mind the kids’ messes the way she once had. “So, no objections to the spaghetti?”

“Not when you put it like that,” Annie said, then gave her a pointed look. “And once these kids crash, you and I are going to continue that conversation about Travis. I’m not entirely convinced you’re as immune as you say you are. I sense you’re weakening.”

Yeah, Sarah was afraid of that, too.

T
ravis was right on time for his appointment with Liz Johnson in the morning. When he walked in the door, he was struck by the same sense of rightness that he’d felt the day before. This house, the arrangement with Liz, suited him.

It didn’t hurt that this morning the house was filled with the aroma of homemade chocolate chip cookies, his favorite.

“You baked,” he said, sniffing the air appreciatively.

“Never knew a man yet who could resist my chocolate chip cookies,” she said. “We’ll talk in the kitchen.”

After he’d pulled out a chair for her at the kitchen table, she poured cups of tea for both of them, then passed a plate of cookies fresh from the oven.

“Any second thoughts?” she asked, studying him intently.

“Not a one,” he assured her. “Did you talk to your family?”

“They want to meet you,” she said with a chagrined expression. “I gather they want to be sure you’re not planning to take advantage of a senile old lady.”

Travis laughed. “You’re about as far from senile as anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Still, at my age, I suppose it pays to be cautious. I can’t argue that.”

“Neither can I,” he said, not taking offense. “When are they coming?”

“The troops will rally this weekend,” she told him. “Think you can handle it? I’m counting on you to help me persuade them that this is the perfect solution for me.”

“I’ve handled being shouted at by a mob of angry fans when I struck out in the bottom of the ninth,” he told her. “I think I can deal with your family.”

Liz gave him a sharp look. “Just so you know, I’m only doing this to humor them. If it were just me, I’d say yes right this second. I’ve been around a long time. I know when someone’s a crook and when they’re a decent human being. I liked you the second I set eyes on you, and that was even before you made this crazy proposition of yours.”

Her faith in him was gratifying. If only Sarah were as easily swayed. Heck, if only
he
believed he was so praiseworthy. “I promise I’ll do my very best to convince them I’m trustworthy,” he said.

“Sunday dinner’s at half-past one,” she said. “Bring Sarah. She makes a good impression.”

He winced at the command. “I’m not sure Sarah will be available. She and I aren’t involved, so I don’t keep tabs on her schedule when she’s away from the station.”

She waved off the claim. “Well, the two of you will be involved. Saw that straight off. Might as well start acting like it. And you’ll look more respectable if you’re with a lovely young woman.”

“You don’t think I’m respectable enough on my own?” he asked, not even trying to hide his amusement.

“I’m not the one you need to impress. Charlie’s a lawyer. He doesn’t trust anybody. He’s going to think you’re after my money no matter what I say. The whole situation will seem less fishy if you have a lady friend.”

“Then I’ll do my best to get Sarah here,” he promised.

“Just so you’re prepared, I’m inviting Mary Vaughn and Sonny, too. Might as well have the paperwork on hand once I get a stamp of approval from the kids. I don’t believe in wasting time. Once they get away from here and start comparing notes, who knows what they’ll think up to insist I go through with moving to that assisted living place.”

“But you’re pretty confident they’ll go along with this, aren’t you?”

“Like I said, they will once they’ve seen you for themselves. I love my children, but they all have busy lives. I think they’d turn me over to just about anyone if it let them off the hook. Still, they have to go through the motions of looking out for me. I can’t be sure they won’t have second thoughts later. I’m not taking any chances.”

“Doesn’t it bother you that all they really care about is any inconvenience to themselves?”

“I’ve been painting them in a bad light,” she said apologetically. “They do care about me. Up till now, I’ve been able to live my life without answering to anybody. Once I hit eighty, though, it occurred to them I might be slowing down. Not that they had any evidence of that. One of them probably read an article
somewhere that cited a bunch of statistics about mental capability decreasing after a certain age. It wouldn’t take much to get them all stirred up.”

She said it with a wry expression that impressed Travis. “You have a pretty clear view of what’s what, don’t you?” he said.

“I spent my whole life seeing things for what they were, even when everybody around me wanted to ignore the obvious. No reason to stop doing that now,” she told him. “Now let me wrap up the rest of these cookies for you and grab the package I put together for the senior center and you can give me a ride over there.”

“I’d be happy to,” he said.

She gave him a penetrating look. “Will driving me places from time to time be a nuisance?” she asked candidly. “I don’t take my car far these days. I might think my reflexes and my eyesight are just fine, but there’s no sense taking chances I might be wrong.”

“Absolutely not,” he assured her. “I’m happy to take you wherever you need to go if I’m around.”

She shook her head, her expression bemused. “You don’t look like any saint I ever envisioned, but you surely must be one.”

“Not likely,” he said, then leaned down to whisper, “but if you wouldn’t mind mentioning that opinion to Sarah, I’d appreciate it.”

“She’s a sharp girl. She’ll see it for herself.”

“I don’t know,” he argued. “She doesn’t see too clearly where I’m concerned.”

She gave him a penetrating look. “And that really matters to you?”

He took a moment to give the question the consid
eration it deserved. “More than I ever expected it to,” he admitted eventually.

“Then just leave it to me,” she said decisively. “Fixing your love-life will provide an interesting challenge. I haven’t had one I could sink my teeth into for a while now.”

She sounded so enthused about the project, it gave Travis pause. He’d never needed anyone meddling in his relationships before, but something told him if he was going to have someone on his side, Liz was the best possible advocate.

Sarah was trying hard to ignore Travis’s presence, even though it was almost impossible in the cramped office space they shared.

“If you’re not actually working, why don’t you go away?” she finally said testily. “You’re just sitting there staring at me. You seem to have turned it into some kind of hobby. It’s getting on my nerves.”

“I’m thinking,” he claimed.

“About?”

“You,” he said, then gave her a beguiling smile, “and how I can get you to agree to do something for me.”

She sat back, regarding him with suspicion. “What kind of something? If it’s work-related, all you have to do is tell me to do it.”

He crossed over and sat on the corner of her desk, his knees nudging hers. “That’s the thing. It’s not work-related. It’s personal.”

“I will not go on a date with you,” she said firmly. “I thought we’d established that.”

“Not a date, either,” he said.

Her gaze narrowed. “What then?”

“Liz Johnson has invited both of us to Sunday dinner.”

“Why? You didn’t lead her to believe we’re having some kind of relationship, did you?”

“No. In fact, I told her precisely the opposite.”

“Then why does she want me there with you?”

“To help me make a good impression,” he said, his expression sheepish.

Sarah chuckled. “Really? On whom?”

“Her kids. It seems I need to pass muster before they’ll let her stay on in the guest house, just yards from my evil clutches.”

“They’re wise to be cautious,” she said.

“Hey, I’m a good guy.”

“Mostly,” she conceded. “But I meant in general. After all, a lot of men who made the kind of offer you made would have an ulterior motive.”

“Well, I don’t.”

“I actually believe that.”

“So, you’ll help? You’ll come to dinner?”

She made a show of hesitating, even though she already knew she’d wind up giving in. What he wanted to do for Liz was a really sweet thing. “I hate to take time away from the kids on the weekend,” she said.

“Let Walter step up. It would be a refreshing change.”

She frowned at his sarcasm. “Why do you dislike him so much? You really don’t even know him.”

“I’ve seen the aftereffects of what he did to you,” he said flatly. “Never mind. I don’t want to get sidetracked by that discussion. It’s a couple of hours. If you don’t
want to do it for me, think about Liz. This matters to her. She really wants to stay on here, and this is the only way she can do that. She needs our support to pull it off.”

When he put it that way, how could she say no? “Okay, I’ll do it. Just don’t start acting all territorial and weird on me. I’ll call you on it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, though the twinkle in his eyes belied his solemn tone.

She frowned at him. “I mean it, Travis, don’t try taking advantage of the situation.”

He sketched an exaggerated cross across his chest. “You have my word,” he told her.

So far his word had been good enough. In fact, it suddenly occurred to her that when push came to shove, Travis was more reliable than many of the men she knew. It came as an eye-opening revelation that despite all the flip words and iffy reputation, he truly was someone she could count on. She’d have to give that some thought one of these days, preferably when she wasn’t feeling particularly vulnerable.

It was probably for the best, too, if she didn’t do it while they were half-pretending to be a couple. She might be tempted to start believing in the illusion.

Mary Vaughn knew that the sale of Liz Johnson’s house to Travis depended on what happened at this Sunday dinner she’d pulled together, but for the life of her she couldn’t entirely figure out the dynamics.

For one thing, Sarah Price was supposedly with Travis in some capacity that wasn’t entirely clear. Liz Johnson’s children, most of whom had been in school
with Mary Vaughn and Sonny, seemed to be regarding Travis with distrust and each other with barely banked hostility.

“This is fun,” Sonny muttered under his breath when an awkward silence had dragged on a little too long. “Why are we here again?”

“Because if this goes smoothly, I’m going to get to close the deal for the house this afternoon. I have the paperwork in the car.”

“Is it going smoothly?” he asked. “Because you sure couldn’t prove it by me.”

Mary Vaughn shrugged. “Me, either, to be honest, but it’s too soon to throw in the towel.”

“What we obviously need is some excitement to break the tension,” Sonny said.

In the car business, Sonny was an expert at making jovial chit-chat. Mary Vaughn nudged him. “Talk to Charlie. See if you can get him to relax instead of sitting there scowling at Travis.”

“I’ll do my best,” Sonny said.

He’d barely turned in his chair when Mary Vaughn gasped and clutched her stomach.

“Sonny!” she said urgently, her voice tight with anxiety.

He turned back, took one look at her and turned pale. “Is it the baby?”

Unable to speak, she nodded, terrified by the cramping sensation in her stomach. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t good.

Sonny was on his feet at once. “Folks, I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse us. Mary Vaughn’s not feeling well. I need to get her to the hospital.”

“I’m pregnant,” she explained. “I’m so sorry to spoil the dinner. Liz, thank you for including us.” The polite words were barely out of her mouth when she gasped again as what felt like a powerful contraction hit her.

She looked toward Sonny for reassurance. He scooped her into his arms at once. “Stay calm, sweetheart. I’ll have you at the hospital in no time.”

Travis immediately came around the table. “I’ll drive you,” he told Sonny. “You need to sit in back with Mary Vaughn and keep her calm.”

Sarah was right beside him. “Take Sonny’s car. It’s an SUV. It’ll be more comfortable than your convertible,” she told Travis. “I’ll follow in your car, so you’ll have a way to get back home later.”

Mary Vaughn hated being in the center of so much commotion, but her fear was greater than her embarrassment. “Please hurry,” she whispered. “I can’t lose this baby. I just can’t.” Even though she was only nearing the end of her first trimester, she’d started envisioning her life with this new baby to raise. Sonny was counting on it even more than she was.

“You’re not going to,” Liz assured her, her voice calm, her expression comforting as she gave Mary Vaughn’s shoulder an encouraging squeeze.

But even with Liz’s reassuring words echoing in her head, it wasn’t until Sonny had settled her in the backseat with her head in his lap that Mary Vaughn began to calm down. Travis was driving at a speed that probably would have made her dizzy had she known what it was. All that mattered, though, was that they reached the emergency room in record time.

Sonny carried her inside, barking orders at nurses,
orderlies and doctors until she was in a cubicle with half a dozen people dancing attendance. Only then did she see the panic in his eyes.

Even so, he clung to her hand and kept reassuring her that it was going to be okay. His soothing tone belied the anxiety she could read in his expression.

Finally a nurse took him gently by the shoulder and guided him from the area. “Let us do our jobs. She’s in good hands.”

Mary Vaughn barely heard the buzz all around her, but the pain eventually stopped and she felt herself relaxing. Gazing into the doctor’s eyes, she finally had the nerve to ask the question that had been on her mind since that first awful pain had struck.

“Am I going to lose the baby?”

“Not if I can help it,” he assured her. “What happened today wasn’t unusual, but at your age this is a high risk pregnancy. Add in the fact that your blood pressure’s running quite high and you’re already at risk for preeclampsia. I’m going to recommend bed rest to see if we can control the blood pressure.”

Bed rest didn’t sound so bad, especially if it meant the baby would be okay. “For how long?”

“That depends. It could be a few days or a few weeks, or it could be for the remainder of your pregnancy. We don’t want to take chances.”