Lacey realized that her breaths were short and shallow. The room seemed to be swaying. She was close to hyperventilating. She bent over and took a few deep breaths until she regained control. Then she picked up the phone again and dialed the number he’d written on the back of the card, his home number. The message on that line confirmed her fears. The number had been disconnected. He was gone.
Chapter Thirteen
Alex gazed into the bathroom mirror. Even with a shower and shave he looked like hell warmed over. There were blue shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep. His face looked gaunt after missing most of his meals this past week. He packed his shave kit and slid it into his gym bag. Everything else had already been packed and stacked in the living room for the movers to pick up in the morning.
He collected the dirty clothes from the floor, embarrassed to realize he’d worn the same T-shirt and shorts for the last three days. There didn’t seem to be any reason to change. He’d stayed at home to pack and make all arrangements by phone. He wadded the clothes into a ball and stuffed them into the trash bin.
What to do with one wet towel? It was one he’d brought home from the gym wrapped around an ice bag after he’d been hit in the head by a racquetball. He dropped it into the trash along with the clothes.
On his way through the bedroom, he noticed the empty wire hangers from the cleaners in the open closet. They were the only sign that anyone had ever stepped foot in the room. Alex realized that no one had been in this room besides himself. He had an oak tallboy in the corner and a matching nightstand by the full-sized bed. The only other color in the room had been a green blanket that covered his white sheets and pillows, now packed away. He had helped Lacey change the sheets on the beds at the farm. Each room was decorated in bright colors and demonstrated the personality of the person who lived in that room.
In the living room, his expensive leather sofa and chairs were pushed together in the center of the floor. The marble-topped side tables were upended on top of the matching coffee table. Lacey’s furniture was old and faded, but a man could sink into it and feel at home. It was furniture that had watched old movies late at night and supported babies as they pulled up to stand on shaky little legs. It might not have a lot of style, but it had history, family history.
The painting that leaned against the wall in the foyer had cost a small fortune. He’d trade it any day for the school pictures of silly toothless smiles that adorned Lacey’s stairwell.
Boxes and packing paper littered the top of his chrome and glass dining table. The tall-backed, brocade chairs were lined up against the wall. It made him think about a catfish supper that covered Lacey’s old wooden table with mismatched chairs.
His kitchen was empty now. The glossy white cabinets and stainless steel appliances had hardly been used. He closed his eyes and imagined the delicious aroma of fresh apples combined with sweet onions and coffee, Lacey’s kitchen.
There was a gnawing in Alex’s stomach and a heavy feeling in his chest. It was a feeling he recalled from long ago, when he’d left for the Navy. He was homesick, homesick for that rundown little farm house.
Jerrod was his biggest obstacle. How could he make him accept a man in his life, other than the one that had abandoned him before he was born? And, would Lacey ever forgive him for the sins she felt he’d committed thirteen years ago.
A tap sounded on Alex’s front door.
Mary Ann stood in the hallway with a sad smile. “I’m sure going to miss you, boss.”
“Are you positive you can’t come with me?” Alex asked.
Mary Ann shook her head. “I can’t ask the kids to leave their schools. Brian just made the varsity team. Besides that, I’m looking forward to running my own satellite office. We’ll probably be in touch more than you think.”
Alex picked up his gym bag and handed over his apartment keys. “Thanks for taking care of the movers for me.”
“No problem.”
He placed a brotherly kiss on her cheek. “Take care of yourself, kiddo.”
“You too, boss.”
****
Lacey walked back to the feed store with three full bags from the
Shop-a-rama
. She was as self-sustaining as possible, but there were some things that were impossible to grow, such as laundry detergent, soap, and toilet tissue.
The fall seeds and fertilizer had been loaded into the back of her pickup and she’d placed an order of feed and hay to be delivered.
Mr. Hanover owned the feed store, as well as the house on Osceola that she’d told Alex about. When she saw him step outside to light his pipe, she decided it was a good time to ask about renting the house. Perhaps she’d also ask about a job. Before she could put her bags inside the truck, she dropped her keys in the gravel parking lot.
“Let me get those for you.” Mr. Hanover ambled toward her. “You shouldn’t be carrying all this stuff by yourself. Where are those two scallywags of yours?”
“I dropped them off at the skate park. Sometimes it’s easier to do things myself then have the kids underfoot.”
“My Martha used to say the same thing,” Hanover chuckled. “Now it would be nice to get a visit from them more than once a year. Cherish the time you have with those kids. It passes by too quickly.”
Lacey nodded. She couldn’t think of a way to ease into the subject so she just dove straight in. “I noticed you put a new roof on your rental house. How soon do you think you’ll be ready to rent it?”
“Never.” Hanover chuckled again. “It’s the damnedest thing. I got an offer to sell the house on Monday. It was a generous deal. Now, here it is, Friday, and we closed on the house this morning.”
Lacey was stunned. “That was extremely fast.”
“It sure was,” he agreed. “I guess it pays to deal with a big real estate outfit. That Benson boy knows how to get things done.”
“Benson?” No, it couldn’t be. Alex wouldn’t do this to her.
“Yep, that younger Benson boy is back in town. He’s a big shot real estate man now.” Hanover rambled on, not realizing Lacey was nearly in shock. “He was telling me that he’d bought some other property around here and he hadn’t decided what to do with it yet. Anyhow, he wanted a place in town. I guess someone had told him about the old Victorian. He said the location was perfect for his needs.”
“Just what did he say his needs are?” Lacey cringed at the trace of indignation in her voice.
“He didn’t really say.” Hanover shrugged. “All I know is that I made enough money to take Martha on a vacation to see the grandkids. That’s all she’s talked about since the last one was born.”
“Mr. Hanover,” a young male clerk leaned out the door of the store and called, “you’re needed on the phone, sir.”
“I’ll be glad to hand this place over to my manager for a couple of weeks.” Hanover grumbled as he walked away.
Lacey took a few minutes to calm her heart rate before she headed to Osceola Lane. She was going to give Alex Benson a piece of her mind.
She parked her old truck in the side yard next to his fancy silver BMW. A moving van was unloading in the driveway. A large wooden sign leaned against the front porch with the words East Coast Land Development printed under a silhouette of a sprawling tree. The front door stood open.
In the living room, one wall was covered in four drawer, black filing cabinets. To the left was an oak desk and black leather secretary chair. Two matching guest chairs faced it. At the right were the sofa, chairs, and tables she and Alex had used in his Orlando office.
Through the arched doorway she could see into the formal dining room that now contained his huge mahogany desk and the chairs that went with it. His credenza fit perfectly under the bay windows.
The kitchen door swung open and Jenna walked through with a pitcher of iced tea in one hand and a stack of disposable cups in the other. Lacey’s heart sank. Her own daughter was aiding the enemy.
“What in the world are you doing here?”
Two men passed carrying a brown leather sofa toward the stairs. The one walking backward almost ran into her.
“Hey, kid, are you sure he wants this stuff in the front bedroom up there?” one of the men asked.
“Yes,” Jenna answered. “The largest room will be the sitting room.”
She turned back to her mother. “Isn’t it great Mom? Alex is going to be working here and living right upstairs, all but the kitchen, that is. It would be kind of hard to move that. But we’ll get to see him all the time now.”
“I never gave you permission to leave the park. What are you doing here?” Lacey asked again.
“We saw Alex’s car drive by with a moving truck behind it. We decided to follow on our skateboards, just for a little way. We didn’t have any idea he was moving into Mr. Hanover’s old house.”
Alex said he’d like to take us all out for supper after the movers leave. You were included in the invitation too, of course. He says he owes you one for last weekend. I was supposed to go ask you, but I wanted to make this tea first.”
At the top of the stairs, one of the movers dropped the end of the sofa and cursed. Lacey looked up and saw that Alex was standing on the landing looking down at her.
Why did he have to be wearing low riding jeans and a loose, long sleeved shirt, completely unbuttoned? Sweat coated his washboard abs and rock hard chest. The spread of silky hair on his chest glistened teasingly. His hair had sprung into its natural state of ringlets. To top it all off, he was barefoot. Her heart reached top speed and she was melting into a warm puddle of need. Only Alex had ever had the ability to reduce her to this state.
She quickly looked back at her daughter. “No, I’m afraid not, Jenna. I already have plans for supper at home.”
“Pour me a cup of that tea, Jen.”
Lacey was surprised to hear Jerrod’s voice behind her. She turned to find him carrying a couple of cardboard boxes marked
bathroom stuff
.
“For heaven’s sake,” she exclaimed. “What are you doing?”
“I figured I’d help out,” Jerrod answered. “After all, Alex helped me last weekend.”
“You have enough work to do at home.” Between her kids jumping ship and Alex looking sexier than homemade sin as he took them aboard, Lacey was on her last nerve. “Both of you need to put these things down and get into the truck. It’s time to leave.”
“But Mom,” Jenna whined. “Alex said I can help him arrange the furniture. I’m going to help him decorate this place, new curtains and pictures and all.”
Alex descended the stairs with the movements of a cat. Dear God, don’t let him touch her or her clothes would surely fall off.
“You’d better do as your mom says, kids.” Why did he have to look so good? “There’s no way we’ll get all this done in one day, anyway. Thanks for the help. I’ll see you soon.”
Lacey silently stared into Alex’s eyes as she waited for the kids to be out of hearing distance. She could feel the nerves jumping under her skin. It took every bit of willpower she had not to reach up and slap his face or kiss him to death. She didn’t know which urge was stronger.
“I know I should have asked before I let them stay. I’m sorry.”
“Why? You knew I was hoping to get this house. You know that a rental rarely comes available in a town this size. Why did you have to take it?”
“You were right. This house is nice and it’s in a great location.”
“What are the kids and I supposed to do now, live in our truck?” The pitch of her voice had gone high and whiny, which only annoyed her more.
“You still have the farm.”
“No, you have the farm, remember? You bought it out from under me.”
Alex placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’ve looked at your books. You really know how to make the Double J work. It’s who you are. You don’t want to give it up.”
“You and I both know I can’t buy it from you.” Lacey shrugged away from him. It was hard enough to keep her mind on track. Why didn’t he button his shirt? “You’re taking away all my options. You’re even making me seem like a shrew to my children.”
“Nothing has changed,” Alex insisted. “If anything, you’re coming out ahead. You’re going to be able to save all the money you’ve been spending on rent and I’m going to invest some time and money in the farm to help you make it even more profitable.”
“Why would you do that?” Had she just stepped into the twilight zone?
“Well, I don’t know, Lacey. I hear that guys do that kind of thing for their wives, unless you’ve decided to back out on me again.”
“Me, back out?” She’d passed the twilight zone and was headed to the outer limits. “You called the wedding off last weekend.”
“I didn’t call off the wedding. I postponed it. I thought you understood. The kids and I need time to get to know each other. That is, if you allow them to be around me. I’m determined to make this work. Eventually, I even intend to break though Jerrod’s tough shell.”
“Good luck with that.”
“So, what about supper tonight?”
Alex turned on his sexy smile, but Lacey wasn’t about to give in to him completely, even if it killed her. “How do you feel about meatloaf?”
“I absolutely love meatloaf.”
This was good. At least she hadn’t erected a brick wall between them. Maybe just a little plaster one. He could break through plaster.
Chapter Fourteen
Lacey was in a silent argument with herself as she mashed the potatoes to smithereens.
Why had she invited Alex for supper?
Well, it would hardly be neighborly to expect the poor man to find his own meal after moving all day. She turned the fire down under a pot of collard greens.
She should have said something about his not calling for five days.
Yeah, right, that wouldn’t sound needy and desperate. She slid the meatloaf out of the oven and drained the grease from around it.
If he still intended to marry her, when did he plan to do it? He said he’d only intended to postpone it. He seemed more concerned about how the arrangement affected her kids than she did. She brushed butter over the top of the biscuits and shoved them into the oven.
That wasn’t fair. She’d always put the kids first, always.