“Idiot, idiot, idiot,” she muttered. It was obvious she could not get involved with Ronnie again, not without turning into some kind of suspicious shrew. Not for the first time, she prayed he would solve the problem for her by leaving town. Yet that thought made her unbearably sad.
She forced herself to return phone calls and concentrate on the pile of paperwork on her desk. She’d been at it for an hour when the door to her office opened and Ronnie poked his head in. There was an excitement in his expression she hadn’t seen in years. If it had anything at all to do with Mary Vaughn, Dana Sue would have to kill them both, she thought direly.
“Is this a good time?” he asked, then came in without waiting for an answer. He looked around for a place to sit, shook his head at the clutter, pushed a stack of catalogs aside and perched on the edge of her desk, his knee nudging her thigh.
“What?” she asked impatiently. Damn. The man always made her so blasted jittery.
“I thought you ought to know what I’m planning before word spreads all over town,” he said at last.
“Your departure?” she inquired hopefully.
“I told you that wasn’t happening.”
“You’ve said a lot of things over the years, then had a change of heart. Forsaking all others was one of them,” she said, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
“Old news,” he said blithely.
“But not forgotten,” she said. “Look, I’m busy. Just tell me whatever’s on your mind and go away.”
“I just bought the old hardware store,” he announced, as if it were no more important than buying a new pair of jeans.
Dana Sue stared at him, stunned. “The hardware store? Why?”
“I’m going to open it again,” he explained.
“Are you crazy? They closed it because the big chains were killing them.”
“They closed it because Dora Jean couldn’t handle it after Rusty got sick,” he corrected. “And I imagine he got sick from the stress of trying to figure out how to compete with the big chains, so you’re probably half-right.”
“What makes you think you can do any better? And where’d you get that kind of money, anyway? I thought you kept on working construction after you left here. Did you buy a winning lottery ticket I never heard about? And what does Mary Vaughn have to do with this? Please tell me she’s not your partner.” Then Dana Sue really would have to kill one of them.
Ronnie held up his hand. “Hey, one thing at a time. There’s going to be a lot of building in this area over the next few years. I’ve been working construction since I left here, and because of that, I think I know how to deal with these developers and contractors who are going to be swarming all over the place. If I provide them with what they need at a competitive price, and give them the convenience of being a little closer by, especially with fuel costs being so high, I’ll do just fine. And getting another business on Main Street going again will make a contribution to the town. As for the money, I have a backer. My boss, Butch Thompson, from over in Beaufort, sees real potential in the idea. He’s partnering with me to do this. And Mary Vaughn is handling the sale of the store. That’s it. Oh, she’s also Butch’s niece, but I had no idea about that till a couple of hours ago. Have I covered everything?”
Astonished, Dana Sue could only stare. It was a far more ambitious plan than she would ever have envisioned for Ronnie, and it required a long-term commitment, one she’d thought him incapable of making. Obviously he intended to prove her wrong.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” he asked eventually.
“I still think you’re crazy,” she said at last, but there wasn’t as much conviction in her tone. Truthfully, she rather admired his audacity.
“Why? You’ve made a success of this restaurant when everyone told you fine dining was the last thing anyone in town cared about. You, Helen and Maddie have created something terrific with The Corner Spa. Half the men in town are grumbling because you won’t let them in there. Why shouldn’t I be part of Serenity’s revitalization, too?”
“Because owning a business sounds so...so stodgy and traditional,” she said eventually. “You’ll be tied down.”
Ronnie grinned. “You scared I’m not going to knock your socks off with my wicked unpredictability anymore, sugar?”
She met his gaze. “Maybe,” she said, though the truth was far more complicated than that.
He stood up, pressed a kiss to her mouth that pretty much made mincemeat of her fear, then headed out the door. Just when she was beginning to catch her breath, he stuck his head back in.
“Have I mentioned lately that I love you?” He winked. “Just thought you should know.” He started to leave once more, then turned back. “Fall festival’s tomorrow. I think we should go. I’ll be by at nine to pick up you and Annie.”
And then he was gone, leaving Dana Sue’s head spinning and her resolve to avoid him in tatters.
Chapter Nineteen
For the first time since Ronnie had come back to Serenity, Dana Sue was scared—really scared—that he was going to make good on his threat to stay. Buying the hardware store, starting a business—those weren’t whims. They took money and commitment. Neither were things she’d associated with Ronnie, at least not recently. She’d made herself forget about the many years they’d been together when he had been faithful, in favor of remembering the one night when he hadn’t been.
Punching in Helen’s number after Ronnie left her office, she managed to catch her friend between meetings.
“Can we get together tonight?” she asked. “Your house.”
“Sure,” Helen said at once. “You want to tell me what’s going on? You sound a little desperate. Why my place? Shouldn’t you be sticking
