“No way. You should have seen the gunk in the pipes. It was totally gross.”
“And you liked that?” Gracie asked doubtfully.
“Sure.” She peered at the wallpaper samples. “Have you picked any yet?”
“None,” Delia said with a feigned note of disgust. “I can’t get Gracie to concentrate.”
Abby shot a knowing look at Gracie. “You’re thinking about Uncle Kevin again, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what she’s doing,” Delia replied before Gracie could open her mouth.
“I’ll bet he’d come over if we asked him,” Abby said. “I just know he’s dying of curiosity.”
“I’m not asking him to come over here,” Gracie said adamantly. “I told him he wouldn’t have to get involved.”
“Maybe he wants to get involved,” Abby suggested. “Maybe he just doesn’t know how, now that he’s made such a fuss about it.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Delia said.
“I am not calling him,” Gracie repeated.
“I will,” Abby volunteered.
“You’re not calling him, either,” Gracie told her.
She caught the look Delia and Abby exchanged. “You’re not to call, either, Delia.”
The pair sighed. “If you say so, dear,” Delia said. “Then let’s get to these samples.”
They had narrowed them down to twenty by lunchtime. Delia had insisted that they stop every day and have a decent meal.
“To keep our strength up,” she insisted.
Gracie suspected the truth was she liked going out to restaurants so she could catch a glimpse of her friends and update them on the progress being made on the bed-and-breakfast. The whole town was buzzing about it. Delia had reported with glee that half of them seemed to be taking sides on whether Delia had lost her mind.
“I’ll show ’em,” she vowed. “Wait until they want to book rooms for their relatives and we don’t have a single one available.”
“You’re getting a little ahead of yourself,” Gracie warned as they slid into a booth at the Beachside Cafe, Delia’s favorite choice for lunch. “We haven’t gotten the first reservation yet.”
“We will. Just wait until that advertising kicks in.”
“What advertising?” Gracie grumbled. “Who’s had time to sit down and think up a halfway decent ad campaign?”
“Not to worry,” Delia reassured her. “I put Helen to work on that. She’ll be by this afternoon with some ideas.”
Gracie regarded her in amazement. “Is there anything you haven’t thought of?”
“Not so far,” Delia replied with satisfaction.
Jessie finally made her way to their table to take their order. “How’s the work going?”
“Moving right along,” Delia told her. “Start telling your out-of-town customers that next time they visit, they’ll have to try the new bed-and-breakfast.”
“Does this place have a name yet?” the waitress asked.
Delia and Gracie exchanged a look.
“Oh, dear,” Delia murmured.
“I know,” Abby chimed in. “What about Riverview?”
“Not bad,” Gracie conceded. “How about something a little more historical? Wakefield Inn, for instance, named after Washington’s birthplace.”
“If you have to explain what it’s named after, what’s the point?” Abby asked.
“What about Southern Comfort?” Delia asked.
Gracie regarded her wryly. “I think that’s taken. Besides, I don’t want to start a court battle with an alcoholic beverage over trademark infringement.”
“Maybe you all should have lunch. Seems to me like you could use a little brain food before you tackle this name business,” Jessie said.
“I think she has a point,” Gracie said. “I’ll have a chef’s salad.”
“A cheeseburger for me,” Abby said. “And a chocolate shake.”
Delia groaned. “Oh, to be young again. Bring me a tuna sandwich and a glass of iced tea.” She glanced at the door and smiled. “And set another place, while you’re at it.”
Gracie followed the direction of her gaze and saw Kevin heading their way.
“Ladies,” he said politely, his gaze skimming over the three of them.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” Delia said. “Sit. Scoot over, Gracie, and make room for him.”
Gracie didn’t scoot. Kevin remained standing, his expression growing more amused by the second. Finally she sighed and moved over.
“Join us,” she said.
He grinned at her weary tone. “If you insist, especially since you’re being so gracious about it.”
He slid in next to her, deliberately crowding her. Gracie felt the shockwaves from the brush of his thigh all the way down to her toes. It made her realize just how much she’d been missing his kisses.
“You should come see the house, Uncle Kevin. It’s totally awesome,” Abby reported. “Dad came by twice. Mama’s been by, too.”
“Is that so?”
“Oh, don’t be such a sourpuss,” Delia chided him. “You might as well get used to the idea. It’s a done deal.”
Kevin sighed. “I know. I’ve seen the bills.”
Gracie’s gaze shot to his. “What do you mean you’ve seen the bills? They’re supposed to be coming to me.”
“You see, darlin’. That’s the problem. You’re a stranger and you’re a woman. Now that’s never bothered me, but to some contractors that’s two strikes against you. They’ve hedged their bets by sending everything to me.”
“Well, you can just pass them right on to me,” she said. “And I’ll speak to the contractors. Believe me, it won’t happen again.”
“Oh, I suspect it will,” he said, retrieving the bundle of envelopes from his pocket and handing them over. “By the way, you’re being overcharged for the electrical work. I could speak to Eddie, straighten it out.”
Gracie gritted her teeth. “I’ll speak to Eddie.”
“Just trying to help.”
“Thanks all the same.”
“You might want to reconsider that bid on the wallpapering, too. I know it’s the lowest, but I’ve seen the work in a couple of other places. It’s shoddy. They save on paper by not bothering to match the print.”
“I appreciate your opinion,” she said tightly.
“Anytime.”
Fortunately, their food came just then so Gracie could concentrate on cutting all the little strips of ham and turkey and cheese into tiny, bite-size chunks, then pushing them around until they were buried beneath the lettuce.
“Anything wrong, darlin?” Kevin inquired, his expression as innocent as a babe’s.
She scowled at him. “What could possibly be wrong?”
“That’s what I asked.”
“You expected this to happen, didn’t you?” she accused. “You knew that I was going to be up against some tight-knit, old boy’s
