“But it’s not important for her to make conversation. Her particular skill set doesn’t require all that many words.” Belinda Sue snapped her fingers at Arline, drawing her attention from wherever it had wandered. “Arline. Show the new madam what you do for your regulars.”
Arline took out her teeth and set them on the clear-topped table beside her.
“Okay. I think I’ve seen enough here.” Cordelia got to her feet and began pacing. “Y’all seem very nice, and I’m happy you have your system worked out, but this really isn’t what I was expecting to find here, so if you’ll excuse me.”
“I told you she needed time,” Belinda Sue said to Daisy.
“I’m just going to...” Cordelia pointed behind her and turned around to leave, only to run smack-dab into a hard wall of muscle. “Oof.”
Cordelia tipped her head back. And back. And back. Until her gaze landed on a face she might’ve called ruggedly handsome, if he hadn’t been raising his eyebrows at her like she was half a bubble off plumb. There was a familiarity to him she couldn’t quite place her finger on. Though she was certain she’d never met a man with this much... virility.
He had dark hair that curled at the tips, a strong square jaw, and a mustache that suited him, despite Cordelia having a serious aversion to all manner of facial hair. It made most faces look unkempt, but it made the gentleman standing before her seem stronger for it. Sturdy. Cordelia’s stomach fluttered unpleasantly, and she pressed a hand to it to steady herself.
She took in his wide chest and tapered waist. He wore a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up and black suspenders. Her ex-girlfriend had worn suspenders, an article of clothing that implied a level of fastidiousness Cordelia found hard to resist. Much to her disappointment, she soon discovered her ex wasn’t neat or orderly, but on those rare times when she looked back on their relationship, she’d remember those suspenders fondly.
“You okay there, darlin’?” The man’s grin turned to a smirk as he eyed her floppy sun hat. She suddenly found herself wishing she’d risked the burn.
“I’m fine.” Fine. Fine. Fine. “I was just...” Leaving? Running away? Immediately seeking a pillow to scream into? “Going back to my great-aunt’s apartment.”
His tawny brown eyes lit up. “You must be the new madam everyone is talking about.”
“People are talking about me? Why? What are they saying?” A montage of scenarios flashed through her mind, each more horrifying than the next. The old whispers of “Blood will tell” rang in her ears on repeat.
“Whoa.” He held his hands up. “Relax. People are just sayin’ the Chickadee got itself a new madam. Don’t know much more than that, not even your name. Arbuckle Jenkins has been real tight-lipped about things. Possibly for the first time in his life.”
“This here is Penelope’s great-niece. Cordelia West,” Belinda Sue said.
“From Dallas,” Daisy added in a lilting tone that could’ve just as easily have said “From Paris,” or “From Rome.”
“Well, well, well. This day is certainly full of surprises.” The man rubbed his jaw, the gesture much too casual for the shock evident in his wide eyes. Clearly, he wasn’t used to being caught off guard and didn’t much care for it. “I know it’s been twentyyears, but let me be the first to welcome you back to Sarsaparilla Falls, Delia.”
The nickname she hadn’t heard in years, on account of her specifically hating the shortening of proper names, the familiarity of his grin, and the trouble brewing behind those whiskey-colored eyes all hit her like a two-ton truck going eighty down a dirt road. She knew this man. He had once been as recognizable to her as the back of her own hand.
Archer Reed-Smythe.
All grown up.
Chapter Five
CORDELIA WALKED BACK TO THE APARTMENT SO FAST THAT SHE DIDN’Thave the wherewithal to adjust her stance. The incessant flap, flap, flap of her sandals followed her all the way across the blacktop like the chatter of magpies.
Once inside, she shut the door and pressed her back to it, her heart hammering hard enough to make her teeth rattle. She fanned her overheated cheeks. Archer Reed-Smythe, the pastor’s devilish son, had grown into a man too handsome for his own good. Cordelia didn’t trust men of that caliber. They had a way of looking at women like they knew the exact shade and style of their underwear.
That was all to say, Cordelia had only ever dated people who made her feel comfortable and actively avoided those she found overtly attractive. Not that she’d been thinking of dating Archer Reed-Smythe. Not when he was paying a visit to the Chickadee for what she feared could only be one reason. She just hoped he wasn’t after Arline’s specialty.
Cordelia changed out of her bathing suit and back into her professional attire, which seemed a little silly given the circumstance, but she was still, above all else, a lady. Snatching her phone off the charger where she’d left it, she dialed Mr. Arbuckle Jenkins. He picked up on the first ring, and his jovial greeting made her jaw clench.
Cordelia couldn’t keep the snapdragon from blooming in her voice. “Why didn’t you tell me the Chickadee was a cathouse?”
“Not just any cathouse, but the best little one in Texas.” The jolly good cheer of his tone only served to make her more upset.
“That’s not funny. We’re not putting on musical theater here, Mr. Jenkins. This is my life. You knowingly withheld information from me. I think that frees me from any responsibility.”
“Miss West. You’ve always been free from the responsibility. If you’d like to back out, I’ll just call up your momma and let her know—”
“No.” Cordelia squeezed her eyes shut. “No, please. That won’t be necessary.”
She couldn’t imagine what her momma would do if she found out she’d inherited a brothel for seniors. Would it be enough to bring her back to Sarsaparilla Falls and all the ugly memories that had knocked her off the wagon time and time again? That wasn’t a risk worth taking. She had to keep this from Sherilynn for as long as possible.
