Sweet Tea at Sunrise (20 page)

Rory Sue gave him a pitying look. “You’re a man, poor thing. It’s not in the cards that you’ll ever fully understand us. Now run along and catch up with Sarah. Something tells me you can capitalize on that kiss if you hurry.”

“Thanks. I owe you,” he said and took off.

He made it to Sarah’s house in less than ten minutes.
Her car was back in the driveway, but when he knocked and rang the bell, no one answered. Finally he walked around to the back, where he found Sarah sitting all alone on the patio. She glanced up at his arrival, but her expression was wary.

He dropped down into the chair next to hers.

“Kids inside?” he asked.

“Raylene’s getting them down for their naps.”

Satisfied that they were alone and likely to be that way for a while, he said, “That was quite a show you put on back at the restaurant.”

“I thought it might get Rory Sue to back off.” She pinned him with a look. “That is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“It’s only part of what I want.”

“What’s the rest?”

“You,” he said quietly. “I want you. After that kiss, I’m thinking maybe that’s a possibility, after all. What do you think?”

“I think maybe we’re both confusing lust with something else,” she told him. “It’s been known to happen.”

“Sugar, I’ve always been real clear on the difference. I’ve probably been in lust with one woman or another since my teens. You’re the only one with whom I’ve ever wanted more.”

There was no mistaking the faint spark of hope that lit her eyes before she looked away. “You talk a great game, McDonald.”

“It’s not just talk, and I’m definitely not playing a game.”

She didn’t look as if she was buying it.

Travis tried again. “Come home with me,” he sug
gested. “Tom and Jeanette have gone to see his folks in Charleston. We’d have the house to ourselves.”

“Wouldn’t that pretty much be proving my point?” she asked. “All you want is to get into my pants.”

He had to fight a smile at her determination to act blasé about it. “I’m thinking if we get the lust out of the way, we’ll strip things down to what’s really going on between us.”

She laughed at that. “A very convenient strategy, if you ask me.”

“Well, at least it’s a strategy,” he said. “Do you have a better way to figure things out?”

“Time,” she said at once.

“In other words, you want me to jump through hoops, proving my intentions are honorable.” If any other woman had suggested putting him to a test, he’d have walked away. With Sarah, he understood why she needed him to prove himself. He met her gaze. “Okay, but you have to play fair with me.”

“I always play fair,” she said with a touch of indignation.

“My point is that you have to open your heart to the possibilities. You can’t hide from me. We start doing things together, hanging out like this, whatever.” He grinned. “Maybe even kissing from time to time.”

She nodded slowly. “That seems reasonable.”

“We could seal the deal with a kiss,” he suggested. “Nothing too dangerous, of course. Just a little peck on the cheek, maybe.”

She looked vaguely disappointed by that. “I suppose.”

“You coming over here, or should I come there?”

Her lips twitched at that. “Your move, McDonald.”

“Okay, then,” he said, rising to his feet and crossing to her chaise longue. Instead of the promised peck on the cheek, however, he nudged her legs to the side and sat down beside her, then leaned forward very, very slowly. He braced his hands on the back of the chaise on either side of her, then paused just a hairsbreadth away from her mouth and waited. Their breath mingled. Her eyes widened. She nervously licked her lips. Only then did he cover her mouth with his. He took his time about it, tasting, savoring, persuading until her lips parted.

When he finally pulled away, he decided it had been a very satisfactory beginning, but only a beginning. He wanted much, much more, and he intended to have it very, very soon.

For the second time that day, Sarah ran away right after Travis had kissed her. She needed to catch her breath, needed to be sure he couldn’t see just how desperately she wanted more. He’d take advantage of that, and she wouldn’t be able to stop him…wouldn’t
want
to stop him. For a woman who wanted guarantees, the only thing these kisses guaranteed was that she was putting her heart at risk.

Inside, she leaned against the kitchen counter and sucked in great gulps of air, then splashed her overheated face with cool tap water. She was drying her face with a paper towel when she heard the back door open and close.

“I thought you’d left,” she said, regarding him nervously.

Travis held her gaze. “Did you really want me to?”

“No,” she admitted. She swallowed hard, then said, “Why don’t you stick around and have dinner with us? We’re just doing burgers on the grill. Raylene’s made potato salad and cole slaw. It’ll be pretty casual.”

“You sure?”

“I may not be sure about a lot right now, but dinner’s fine,” she said. “I think I can control myself for a couple of hours, especially with chaperones.” She hesitated, then said, “We’ll be eating inside.”

“Even though it promises to be a nice night?”

She debated hedging about the reason, but too many people knew. Besides, his reaction might give her a clue about whether he was as kind and open-minded as she thought he was.

“It’s Raylene,” she explained. “You need to know that she gets these panic attacks if she tries to leave the house. It’s why she doesn’t keep the kids for long. She worries they’ll slip outside and she won’t be able to make herself go after them.” She gave him a challenging look. “Don’t make too big a deal out of it, okay? I’m telling you so you won’t embarrass her.”

Travis looked offended. “I’m not an insensitive jerk, you know. I already had some idea there was something going on with her. I’d wondered why she didn’t seem to come to any of the other places I’d seen you with your friends. People have said some things, but I wasn’t sure they were right. Gossip gets a lot of stuff wrong, so I try not to pay too much attention to it.”

Sarah frowned. “Like what? What do they say about her?” she asked, immediately defensive on Raylene’s behalf. The idea that people might be talking insensi
tively about Raylene or even making jokes about her situation incensed her.

“Simmer down. They’re not criticizing. They say that her ex-husband abused her.”

“True,” she admitted. “Even I don’t know all the details of how bad it was, but it must have been pretty bad. Her husband’s in jail now. He negotiated some kind of plea deal, thanks to his family connections. He got off way too lightly in my opinion.”

“And you think that’s why she has these panic attacks if she goes out?” Travis concluded. “He’s not out of jail already, is he?”

“Not yet. Even so, I’m pretty sure her fear of him coming after her one day is what’s keeping her locked up in the house. Annie and I have tried to convince her to get help. Unfortunately, she thinks she can fix the problem on her own.” She shrugged. “I guess she’ll ask for help when she gets tired of being stuck in the house all the time.”

He regarded her with undisguised admiration. “You’re a terrific friend to have taken her in.”

“There was never a question about it. She needed a safe place to come to,” Sarah said simply. “But I’m not sure I’m doing her any favors by not pushing her harder to get professional help.”

“Whatever kind of problem a person has, they need to be ready to solve it. You can’t do it for them.”

“I suppose.”

“Will me being here be a problem for her?”

The question showed exactly the kind of compassion and understanding Sarah had hoped for. “No, Raylene loves having company,” she assured him. “It’s the
outside world that seems to scare her. You’ll see. She’s great. I don’t know what I would have done without her, really. She takes care of the house, and the kids absolutely adore her.”

Travis still seemed worried. “How about this? I’ll run home, take a shower and change. That’ll give you time to let her know I’m going to be around for dinner.”

When Sarah started to protest that it wasn’t necessary, he held up his hand. “Look, I’m not just unexpected company, I’m a man she’s never met before. After what she’s been through, strangers could throw her.”

Again, she was overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness. “I appreciate your concern, but she’s been very anxious to meet you. She feels as if she already knows you. And, at the risk of giving you a swelled head, I’ll tell you that she’s one of your biggest supporters when it comes to me.”

Travis’s expression lit up. “Have you been talking about me, sugar?”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Some, but that’s not why. Raylene listens to your show. You’d be surprised just how much you reveal about yourself on the air.”

He grinned. “So she’s a fan! Then all the more reason for me to put my best foot forward. Want me to bring back ice cream, while I’m at it? Maybe a strawberry-rhubarb pie? This morning I heard Grace say she’d gotten some in today.”

“I don’t give two hoots whether you get freshened up, but I’m all for you bringing back pie and ice cream,” she said eagerly. She’d been so careful about her diet for so long that she could allow herself an occasional treat like this.

He gave her a lingering, speculative look. “Think that might earn me another kiss?”

“Some things you should do for the pure pleasure of making someone else happy,” she chided.

“Exactly. And a kiss would make me very happy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she promised.

As he left, she stood there staring after him, wondering just how wide she was going to open the door to let him into her life. Right this second, though, she was
almost
persuaded that moments like the ones they’d shared today were worth just about any price she might wind up paying.

M
ary Vaughn had sufficient pull to arrange for the closing on Travis’s purchase of Liz’s house to take place at home. Sonny helped her dress, then carried her into the living room in the morning and settled her on the sofa despite her protests that she was perfectly capable of putting on her own clothes and walking a few hundred feet.

“Not on my watch,” he said, just as Rory Sue appeared with a tray laden with juice, a pot of herbal tea and toast.

“All this and breakfast, too,” Mary Vaughn said, impressed with her daughter’s sudden attentiveness. Then she took a closer look at what Rory Sue was wearing. It was a summer dress with a deep-V neckline that showed off a little more cleavage than was called for. Mary Vaughn regarded her suspiciously. “Are you all dressed up because Travis is coming over?”

“What if I am?” Rory Sue said, immediately defensive.

Sonny had apparently taken another look at their daughter, because he frowned. “That dress is a little revealing, don’t you think?”

“I’m not sixteen, Dad. There’s nothing wrong with this dress. Every fashion magazine is showing dresses just like this one.”

“This is daytime in Serenity, not nighttime in Vegas,” he retorted, an edge of fatherly outrage in his voice.

Rory Sue looked taken aback by his very vocal disapproval. Sonny, more than anyone else, could cut right through her bravado. Her face fell. “You really don’t like it?”

Mary Vaughn squeezed his hand meaningfully. He glanced down at her, then said more calmly, “I didn’t say I didn’t like it or that it isn’t flattering, hon. I just don’t think it’s appropriate for a business meeting, okay?”

Rory Sue turned to her mother. “Mom?”

“Your father’s right. You don’t want to give Travis the wrong impression about the kind of woman you are, do you?”

“Trust me, Travis isn’t even likely to look at me,” Rory Sue responded in a resigned tone. “He’s all about Sarah these days. Not that I’m ready to throw in the towel just yet. I’m not sure Sarah’s smart enough to know how lucky she is.”

Sonny frowned. “That’s not a very nice thing to say about a friend,” he said.

“Sarah and I are barely acquaintances, Dad. She, Raylene and Annie were like these mini Sweet Magnolias back in high school. They were seniors, and I was only a lowly sophomore. They all stuck together. I was an outsider.”

“How can you say that?” Sonny said. “You were one of the most popular girls in school.”

“When it came to guys, yes,” Rory Sue said. “But I didn’t have a lot of girlfriends.”

“I’m sure they’d love to see more of you,” Mary Vaughn said, knowing exactly what it felt like to have plenty of male companionship but no real friend to confide in.

Until she’d gotten to know Jeanette, who’d brokered peace with the other Sweet Magnolias, Mary Vaughn hadn’t had a lot of women friends, either. Now at least Maddie and Helen tolerated her, and Dana Sue had stopped looking at her as if she were pond scum. Not that they’d ever once invited her to join one of their Sweet Magnolias gatherings, she thought with resignation. She supposed that would be asking too much after the way she’d gone after Ronnie. At any rate, it made her sympathetic to what Rory Sue was feeling.

“I spoke to Sarah myself a while back,” she told Rory Sue. “I mentioned you’d probably be around, and she said they’d be glad to include you when they get together. You just have to make an overture.”

Rory Sue frowned. “I made an overture. Unfortunately, I made it to Travis right in front of Sarah. I don’t think she’ll want me as a pal anytime soon.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry,” Mary Vaughn said. She also knew what it was like to be an outsider in this close-knit town. Her family background had been troubled, and all that most people felt for her was pity. Only after she’d married Sonny had she finally started to feel as if people in Serenity respected her. She’d lost that when she’d lost him, and it had taken a long time for her to win it back on her own merits. In the end, though, that had been sweeter.

“We’ll think of some way to fix things,” she promised Rory Sue. “Right now, though, we need to focus on this closing. Have we received all the papers?”

Rory Sue nodded. “I checked everything against your list twice.”

“And the attorney for Liz and the bank knows to come here?”

“I told his secretary,” Rory Sue confirmed. “It’s all good, Mom.”

Sonny leaned down and kissed Mary Vaughn. “Satisfied, worrywart?”

“I’m just not used to not being in control,” Mary Vaughn lamented.

“Well, get used to it,” Sonny said, his hand resting on her stomach. “Because once this little one gets here, you and I won’t be in control of anything for at least eighteen years or so.”

Although the prospect of that flat-out terrified Mary Vaughn, Sonny seemed ecstatic. It was probably a good thing that one of them could roll with whatever lay ahead.

Travis had dreaded crossing paths with Rory Sue at the closing, but to his surprise, she was all business. She was obviously Mary Vaughn’s second in command and demonstrated a clear understanding of most of the paperwork and details. He was impressed.

Best of all, everything went without a hitch. He and Liz signed what seemed like hundreds of documents and he turned over the cashier’s checks he’d brought from his bank, but in the end when Liz handed him the keys to her house, he felt as if she were bestowing a great gift on him.

“Thank you,” he said, surprised to find that he truly felt emotional. Though he’d had plenty of places of his own since college, some of them pretty pricey and sophisticated, this was the first real home he’d actually owned.

“Feeling like a grown-up?” Rory Sue teased, startling him with her insight.

“Something like that,” he admitted.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to go celebrate,” she said, then glanced quickly toward Liz. “You, too. This is a big day for both of you. I’d love to take you to Sullivan’s for lunch.”

“What a lovely thought, Rory Sue,” Liz said, giving her hand a squeeze. “But I still have a lot of straightening up to do in the guest house. It’s not easy consolidating all those years of accumulated memories into a small place.”

“And I need to help her,” Travis said. “But thanks for the invitation, Rory Sue. How about we celebrate when your mom’s up and around again? We’ll have a big housewarming at my place.”

Rory Sue hid her disappointment well. “Sure. That’ll be great.”

“And I’ll definitely be ready for a party by then,” Mary Vaughn said. “I’m already way past stir-crazy being confined to the house like this.”

Liz regarded her sympathetically. “I was on bed rest with my first child. Had the exact same problem with spiking blood pressure, in fact. I remember what it was like. Why don’t I come over with a couple of my friends to play cards one afternoon a week? Would that be okay? I know we must seem like a bunch of old fogies to you, but the company would provide a distraction.”

“I would love it,” Mary Vaughn said, sounding touched. “You’ll have to be very patient with me, though. I’ve never had much time to play cards.”

“We’ll teach you everything you need to know,” Liz promised.

“Watch her, though,” Travis teased. “Word at the senior center is that Liz plays a cutthroat game of gin.”

“I play to win, no question about it,” Liz said unrepentantly. “What’s the point, otherwise?”

Mary Vaughn laughed. “I’m all about winning. I’ll give you a run for your money.”

Liz gave a nod of satisfaction. “Suits me. Flo Decatur’s the only one who can beat me regularly, but she doesn’t play nearly as often as I’d like. She’s real attached to Sarah Beth, that sweet little granddaughter of hers. You should see the two of them with their heads together. It’s the cutest thing.”

Liz stood up and linked her arm through Travis’s. “Okay, young man, let’s go home.” She turned back and winked at the others. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to say something like that with a handsome man at my side. I could get used to it.”

“I know I’d go home with him in a heartbeat,” Rory Sue said.

Travis’s head snapped around to look at her, but her expression was totally innocent. She merely winked at him, then walked them to the door and waved as they left.

In the car, Liz turned to him with a frown. “That young lady is interested in you. I hope you’re not doing anything to lead her on,” she scolded. “I happen to know you care about Sarah.”

“I do, and believe me, Rory Sue knows that.”

“Knowing is one thing,” Liz said. “You might need to slap a
hands off
sticker on your backside to make things crystal clear.”

Travis started to chuckle until he saw that Liz was totally serious. “Don’t worry. She’s not going to come between me and Sarah.”

“I hope you’re right about that,” Liz said direly as they pulled up in front of what was now his house. “Now help me around back,” she said. “I have things to do.”

“I told you I’d help,” Travis said as he walked with her.

“I don’t need you pawing through my things. Go on over to the main house and get yourself settled. Then you can come over at five for a drink to celebrate, if you have the time. I’ll invite Sarah, too. I want to see for myself how the two of you get along. Our Sunday dinner was cut short by Mary Vaughn’s untimely contractions, so I couldn’t form a clear picture of what’s going on with you two.”

Travis regarded her worriedly. “You’re not seriously planning to meddle, are you?”

“Heavens, no. I have enough to do without worrying about your love life, young man. I’ll be inviting my own beau to join us.” Her expression turned thoughtful. “And maybe a few others.”

Travis chuckled. “I should have known you’d have a man on the line.”

“Well, of course, I do. Keeps things lively. Not that I want to live with one again, but every now and again I can use him to open jars and carry things.”

Travis bent down and kissed her cheek. “You are a pistol, Liz. I’m so glad we’re going to be neighbors.”

“We’re going to be
friends,
” she corrected. “I insist on it.”

“You’ll get no argument from me. Call me if you need anything. Otherwise, I’ll see you at five.”

“Don’t be late. I like my martinis perfectly chilled, and I hate to start without my guests.”

Travis watched until she was safely inside, then walked over to step into his first-ever home. Even without furniture and with the walls bare, it felt welcoming. Something told him, though, it wouldn’t feel a hundred percent like home until he could convince Sarah and her kids to share it with him.

The invitation to Sarah to have drinks with Liz pretty much came out of the blue. She showed it to Annie and Raylene when she went home to lunch. The handwritten note was on thick vellum in a strong, cursive style. The old-fashioned, formal touch struck her as more of a command than a casual invitation.

“Why do you suppose she wants me there? I hardly know her.”

“Travis closed the deal on her house today. Maybe she’s hosting a celebration,” Annie suggested.

Raylene shook her head. “You two seem to have forgotten that Liz lived in the same block I did when I was a kid. I’ve known her all my life. She’s interested in everything that goes on around town, especially when it comes to romances. This is all about getting Sarah and Travis in the same room so she can get the lay of the land for herself.”

Sarah blinked. “You’re kidding. She’s meddling?”

“I’d lay odds on it,” Raylene said. “Be prepared to answer a whole lot of questions about your relationship.”

“We don’t actually have a relationship,” Sarah protested.

Raylene and Annie exchanged such disbelieving looks that Sarah felt compelled to defend her claim.

“Not like you’re talking about anyway. We haven’t…you know.”

Annie chuckled. “I doubt even Liz wants the details about
that.
”

“Don’t be so sure,” Raylene said. “Look, stop analyzing why she wants you there and just go. Do you have any idea how many people in this town would be thrilled to get an invitation from Liz? She’s practically a legend. And her parties, even the simplest ones, are memorable. She was known for doing some pretty outrageous stuff in her prime.”

“Raylene’s right,” Annie said. “Go and have fun.” She grinned wickedly. “Maybe Travis will invite you next door to view his etchings.”

“Travis has a radio show to do tonight,” Sarah reminded her, though she had to admit to a tingle of anticipation at the possibility that he might try to get her alone in his new place. Lately, being alone with him was just about all she could think about.

A few hours later, wearing another of the dresses from Raylene’s closet, she arrived on Oak Drive to find that most of the parking spaces were already taken. Apparently Liz’s gathering had drawn quite a crowd.

Sarah was crossing the back lawn when Travis materialized at her side.

“Where’d you come from?” she asked. “I thought you’d already be at Liz’s.”

“I waited for you. I thought we should make an entrance together. It’ll make Liz happy.”

“Then she
is
matchmaking,” Sarah said, resigned.

“Pretty much, but then we’re already a match, so she doesn’t have much work to do.”

Sarah didn’t have the energy to debate the point for once. Instead, she merely asked, “Doesn’t it bother you that we’re going to be on display?”

“Why should it?” he said easily. “Relax. We’ll have a drink, maybe some cheese and crackers, and then we can sneak away and do far more fascinating things at my place.”

“I thought you hadn’t bought any furniture yet. Isn’t that what you told the company out on the highway to get them to advertise? You said you’d have a whole house to furnish soon. They figured you’d be spending enough to underwrite the cost of a few ads. At least that’s what they told me when
I
tried to sell them ads.” She gave him a chiding look. “Of course, I wouldn’t have wasted my time if you had bothered to put a note on our chart about meeting with them.”

“Sorry,” he said, though his guilty look was very fleeting. “The strategy worked, didn’t it? They bought a whole package of thirty-second ads. And I did buy one thing on the spot.”