“You are welcome, but”—Audrey followed her mother across the kitchen—“don’t expect to run my life for me when you live with me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it once you are grown,” Grace told her.
Macy was still smiling when Grace handed her a glass of tea and then sat down beside her on the swing. “Isn’t today just beautiful? I believe spring must be coming early this year.”
“Could be,” Grace agreed.
Sarah sat down on a chaise longue and stretched out her legs. “I noticed that the willow tree up by our fishing pond is beginning to leaf out. I hope you’re right. It’s been a long winter, and I’m ready for warm weather.”
Macy put the swing in motion with her foot. “Neal and I talked about buying a house today, and we even drove past a couple that are listed. If we buy now and pay cash, we should be moved in and settled by the time we get married. I’m so excited that I just had to share the news with you.”
Grace shivered despite the warmth of the sun. “Is the hotel going to be all right with him living outside the place?”
“He’s talking to them tomorrow, but he thinks it will be fine. His contract says he has to live at the hotel until the present manager retires, which is June 1. He’s got a friend who works for the real estate company that is listing the two houses, and he thinks he can get us a good deal since I’ll pay cash for the house,” Macy replied.
“Isn’t Neal going to pay for part of the house?” Sarah asked.
“He’s going to buy all the furniture. We’re going to go to the bank in San Antonio next week and set up a joint account for all that, and for the honeymoon. We’ve agreed to do a cruise to Alaska. It will be so romantic.” Macy’s blue eyes glittered. “I’m going to get it booked soon.”
There were two things in the world that Grace hated, and a rat was both. Her mother used to say that she could hear one chewing cheese a hundred miles away. That might have been an exaggeration, but there was one thing for sure that Sunday afternoon: she could sure enough smell one, and it was named Neal.
“Have you told Neal about your funds from your mama’s insurance policy and what was left to you when she died?” Sarah asked.
“Neal and I have no secrets,” Macy answered. “He’s told me all about his salary, which isn’t a lot right now, but it will be when he steps into the manager’s position. And he does have a healthy savings account—enough to buy the furniture for whichever house we decide on. And I also told him about selling the business. He has already put a call in to Travis and is working on getting us a good deal. If y’all don’t want to sell, then you can buy me out. I just have to give him power of attorney over my part of the business for him to get the ball rolling. This is a good thing.” She flashed a brilliant smile. “And don’t worry—I don’t want the half I’m entitled to from Mama’s will when she left me her part of the business, but I do think a third would be fair. Neal thinks it would be a wonderful idea. Then we could start a family right after the wedding, and I could stay home with the babies.”
“Hey, Mama.” Audrey came out of the house and sat down on the end of the chaise longue with Sarah. “I’ve been messaging with Crystal on my computer. I miss getting to see her in person every day.”
“It was your choice to take the rap for your friends and then to tell me that you hated me,” Grace reminded her.
“Do you want to hear my newest gossip or not?” Audrey snapped.
Sarah patted her niece on the shoulder. “I want to hear it. Does it have to do with what color eye shadow you and Crystal are wearing to church next week?”
Audrey shook her head. “Nope. Crystal is so bummed that she’s crying. Darla Jo forgot to pay her this morning when she came home, and when Crystal went by to pick up her money, she learned that Darla Jo is moving and won’t need her to babysit anymore. Her ranch has sold, and she’s all excited because her boyfriend—the one she spends Saturday nights with—has asked her to marry him. There goes Crystal’s babysitting job.” Audrey closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them. “I feel so sorry for her.”
“Darla Jo—her older husband died a bit ago, right? She has two cute little boys,” Macy said.
“That’s the one...” Audrey let out another dramatic sigh. “And I won’t ever get a chance to do substitute babysitting now. She and her boyfriend are moving to a romantic tropical island. I wish I lived near the ocean and that I could lay out and work on my tan every day.”
“When is this move going to happen?” Grace asked.
“Real soon,” Audrey answered. “Darla Jo told Crystal that her boyfriend has to finish up some kind of a legal job before they can leave, but they’ve already bought a house and hired staff on the island. They’re going to get married on the beach in their bare feet, but Darla Jo is still going to wear a white dress with a train, and the little boys are going to carry it for her. Doesn’t that sound so dreamy? Someday I’m going to be able to say that I’ve got staff in my huge mansion house on an island just like that.”
The heavy feeling in Grace’s chest was back. Neal wasn’t just having a fling—he was going to fleece Macy out of her inheritance and break her heart at the same time. Now she and Sarah had no choice but to tell her what was going on. Hopefully, she would believe them and not do something as stupid as Audrey had done the past week—like sign the papers to give Neal power of attorney.
Chapter Five
What are we going to do without Macy to help us?Sarah thought when she awoke from a nap that afternoon.
The shop had always been run by family, and bringing in an outsider to learn their recipe could be disastrous. Until Macy talked to them about giving Neal power of attorney over her finances, Sarah had had no idea just how far Neal had manipulated her sweet cousin. She and Grace owed it to Macy to press charges against the man.
Exactly what would you charge him with?the niggling voice in her head asked as she threw back the covers and sat up in bed.He hasn’t done one illegal thing. And if she does sign the papers to give him access to everything she owns, or if she sells her part of the shop either to you and Grace or to a stranger, that’s not against the law.
“Where’s the justice in that?” she muttered. When she opened her bedroom door, something sweet-smelling filled the house. She followed her nose to the kitchen, where Raelene was taking peanut butter cookies from the oven, and Grace was sitting at the table. Several dozen cookies were cooling on the counter, and a loaded plate sat in the middle of the table. Audrey was beside Grace and had one of her poor, pitiful me expressions on her face.
“Did you have a good nap?” Grace asked.
“I did.” Sarah sat down and picked up a cookie. “Where’s Macy?”
