And why was everybody picking on her lately? First Dadley telling her to quit managing the family, Sil and Charlene insisting on improving her wardrobe, and the topper—Dempsey by a mile.
If he didn’t quit staring at her boobs, she’d sock him in the nose one of these days. And his snarky remarks about trying to manage without her? It was her building he was renovating, not his. The man drove her nuts.
Sure, he was tall, dark, single and sexy, and he had a sweet child, but he worked for her, darn it! Swaggering around the construction lot like he was God’s gift, giving orders to everybody, including her.
Well, okay, he could give orders to them, but not to her. He worked for her!
She gripped the steering wheel and ignored the prickles invading every muscle in her body, especially the ones she sat on, and told herself to calm down. Maybe Dadley had a point. Maybe she did try to control everything and everyone. It wasn’t like she thought the world would stop if she got off. It would stop for her but keep right on turning without her.
What a horrible thought. True, though.
She clenched her jaw and nodded. “Okay, Marla, here’s the plan. You’ll put on those obscenely expensive Vera Wang’s, buy a pair of super sexy shoes, glam yourself up with Charlene’s expert help, and go to the singles dinner. Then show Edwin, the zombie, the door.” For emphasis she gave herself a schoolmistress scowl in the rearview mirror.
Charlene’s voice answered through the phone speaker. “It’s about time.” Marla nearly lost control of the car.
“Char, you scared me half to death! Why are you calling?”
“You called me!”
“No, I…oh, for the love of…I accidentally pushed the phone button on the steering wheel.” What idiot of an engineer thought of putting it there in the first place? It was a wonder she hadn’t run right off the road.
“Serendipity. I was about to call you to make sure you were on for the singles dinner.”
“Look, I’ve got an appointment. I’ll discuss the dinner with you tonight.”
“Okay, I’ll see you and the boys later.”
Two hours later she handed Rosalie Wyland the keys to the house that Dempsey built. The woman’s excitement gave Marla a warm feeling of satisfaction. As she turned to leave, a van pulled into the driveway.
“Oh, wait, Marla. Here’s Dylan. Stay and say hello.”
Marla smiled and waved as Dwayne’s big brother stepped out of the shiny black van with Spring Grove Furniture and Design painted in fancy gold script on the side.
Rosie ran down the walk and jumped into Dylan’s open arms. “You already changed the name? I love it. Marla, look, Dylan already changed the name on the van.”
Marla smiled. “Hi, Dylan, great to see you.” Since when had he matured into such a good-looking man? He strongly resembled Dwayne, only taller and more slender. Those Dempsey boys got some of their looks from John, but their mother, Kathleen, must have been tall with blue-green eyes like Kate Middleton. Marla couldn’t remember Kathleen that clearly. She’d left Spring Grove when they were all pretty young, and Dwayne had gone with her.
“It’s been a while since the two of you have seen each other, I’ll bet.”
“It’s been too long,” Dylan said, and leaned in to kiss Marla’s cheek. “How have you been, babe? I haven’t seen you in a long time. I forgot how gorgeous you are.”
Marla felt her blush rising. She’d had a crush on Dylan Dempsey when they were in school. “I’m still waiting for you to ask me to the senior prom, Dyl. You broke my heart. I cry myself to sleep every night thinking about it.”
Dylan threw his head back with a hearty laugh, put an arm around her and Rosalie, and walked them to the front door. “Let’s go inside and see what we have to work with here. I haven’t seen this place since Big D finished building it.”
Marla trailed behind them as Rosalie walked through the house snapping dozens of pictures with her cell phone. A warm glow encompassed Marla. One of the most rewarding aspects of a real estate sale was a happy buyer.
Marla’s iPhone vibrated in her pocket. She returned to the entry hall and answered, “Hello, Char.”
“Are you still coming for dinner tonight? The boys and I have finalized all the plans for Dadley’s no-longer-a-surprise birthday party. We want your seal of approval.”
“You don’t need my seal of approval, but yes, I’ll be there. Six?”
“Make it six-thirty. The boys can’t be here before seven. You know how bad the traffic on the 210 freeway is with everybody heading home on a Monday night. You and I can put the final touches on dinner before they show up.”
“Okay, sis. See you then.” She clicked off the phone and returned it to her pocket. Dylan was staring at her, chin in hand. “What?”
“I was wondering if you could make it over for dinner tonight. Grace would love to see you. It’s been too long.”
“Thanks, Dyl. I can’t make it. Charlene is up to her earlobes in the final tweaking for Dad’s birthday party. The twins and I are having dinner tonight at her place.”
“That’s right, Brad’s party is next Saturday evening. Grace and I will be there with our kids. It’s been a long time since all the Danahers and Dempseys got together for a high old time. We’re hoping Donovan can get away from Camp Pendleton for the weekend to join us.”
“Donovan! He’s the Dempsey I haven’t seen in forever. How’s he doing?”
Dylan’s face filled with pride when he spoke of his little brother. “Master Sergeant, Donovan Dempsey, made it back in one piece from his third tour in Iraq, thanks be to God. He’s up for reenlistment, but he hasn’t made a decision
