“Not even to thank me for making sure the town got the Christmas tree you wanted?” he cajoled.
“Not even for that,” she said flatly.
If she’d known why he’d suddenly appeared at her apartment bearing pizza and a bottle of expensive wine, she’d have tossed him right back out on his sexy backside. Now, with the aroma of the pizza teasing her taste buds, it was a little late to send him on his way. That didn’t mean she had to agree to this absurd plan of his.
“Your mother will take one look at me and dump a glass of ice water over my head,” she predicted.
“I already have her word that she won’t do that,” he said.
“What did you do? Make a list of rules for her to abide by?”
“It wasn’t a list. I just reminded her that she is perfectly capable of being civil, even under the most awkward circumstances, and that I expected nothing less of her under these.”
“Gee, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy,” Jeanette said sourly, reaching for a slice of pizza with black olives and mushrooms, just the way she liked it. She was getting at least one slice before this conversation deteriorated—as it was bound to do.
“Have some wine,” Tom said, filling her glass to the brim.
“I’m not going to go along with this, no matter how drunk you try to get me,” she said, but she did take a sip of the wine. It was excellent. He hadn’t bought it in Serenity, unless he’d managed to wheedle it out of Dana Sue from Sullivan’s wine cellar.
“Look, I know my mother made a mess of things when the two of you first met, but she’s basically a nice woman.”
“Nice?” she repeated skeptically. “Is this the same woman who behaved so badly last time we ran into each other that you walked out on her?”
He looked chagrined. “The same one.”
“Yet you think the three of us having lunch is a good idea,” she mused, then gave him a piercing look. “Are you delusional?”
“More than likely,” he admitted. “But we could try. I have her commitment that she’ll behave. If you’ll go at least that far, it shouldn’t be awful.”
She shook her head. “Can you even hear yourself? You’re inviting me to a lunch that ‘shouldn’t be awful.’ That is not a great recommendation. Why do you even want to try this?”
“Because she is, for all of her flaws, my mother. And you matter to me. I’d really like it if the two of you got along.”
“You mean better than the two of you do?” she asked.
He winced. Then, as if he sensed she might be wavering, he leaned closer. “I would be really, really grateful.”
She studied him with a narrowed gaze. “How grateful?”
“Very.”
“Grateful enough to help me move when the time comes?”
He grinned. “I was planning to do that anyway.”
“Really? That’s great. Would you be grateful enough to help me paint the living room and bedrooms downstairs?”
His smile spread. “I could be persuaded to do that.”
“Would you fix every leaky faucet in the house?”
He looked hesitant. “I can try, but you might be better off asking Ronnie to do that. Or hiring a plumber.” He brightened. “Yes, definitely a plumber. I’ll hire a plumber for you.”
“And an electrician? I’m thinking there should be a lot of ceiling fans.”
“Done,” he said.
“A new roof?”
His mouth gaped a little at that, which made her laugh. “Just kidding. The roof’s in great shape. I just wanted to see how far you’d go.”
He shrugged. “Pretty far. Look, nobody knows better than I do how impossible my mother can be, but if it makes you feel any better, she was just as difficult with the men my sisters chose to marry and every one of them had trust funds and family trees she could trace back to the Mayflower. It’s just a mother-hen thing.”
“Except you and I aren’t planning to get married,” Jeanette reminded him.
“Speak for yourself,” he said.
Well, that certainly upped the stakes in an unexpected way, she thought, waiting for a panic that never came.
Eventually, she allowed herself to meet Tom’s gaze and the earnest entreaty she found there. She struggled against the tide of emotions it stirred in her, but predictably, she lost the battle. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. This is a bad idea.”
“No, it’s not,” he said confidently. “You’ll charm the socks off her.”
Jeanette would settle for getting through the meal without strangling her.
* * *
Mary Vaughn’s car sputtered to a stop on the side of the highway ten miles outside of Serenity. She’d bought the stupid gas guzzler because it was supposed to be reliable, and also to stick it to Sonny who didn’t approve of any car that didn’t come off the lot at his dealership.
Unfortunately the closest dealership for this car was an hour away at best; most of the mechanics at the garages in Serenity wouldn’t touch it. She needed a tow truck and a ride home.
Gritting her teeth, she punched in Sonny’s number, prepared to listen to a diatribe about what a mistake she’d made in getting the car in the first place.
When Sonny picked up, she announced, “I’m stranded on the highway. I don’t need a lecture. I need help.”
“Flat tire?”
“No, the stupid thing just died on me. I’m lucky there was no traffic and I could get to the shoulder without anyone hitting me.”
“Where are you exactly?”
She told him.
“Whatever you do, don’t stand on the side of the road,” he instructed. “Stay in the car. Help’s on the way.”
For once she was grateful for his brisk, no-nonsense approach to a crisis. She could recall many times when she’d wanted and needed sympathy, only to get practical advice and concrete solutions. At the time it had seemed like a flaw. Today it was reassuring.
“Thanks, Sonny.”
“No problem, sugar. You stay put.”
Twenty minutes later, a tow truck pulled up, followed by Sonny.
“I
