He nodded to the house two yards down. “If you go now, I bet Millie would share a piece of bread pudding with you, too.”
Her taste buds salivated, and she almost gave in. “I still have loads of work to finish. Besides, Cecily enjoys spending time with her, and I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“Coward,” Pawpaw muttered under his breath.
Serena exploded into a peal of laughter. “Says the man who sent her on her way without asking me first.”
“Touchè.” His eyes twinkled. “In my defense, would you have said yes?”
“I doubt it.”
“See, it was prudence.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Taking his empty mug, she rolled her eyes. “Do you need anything before I get back to work?”
He shook his head. “Will you be home for dinner?”
“Tonight’s the rehearsal. I’m leaving around three.”
“You did tell me that.” His eyes lit up. “Do you mind if I take Cecily to dinner?”
“If you agree to not let her use her phone.” She sent Pawpaw a warning with her eyes before he could protest. “I’m willing to lighten the punishment considering the circumstances, but she needs to understand there will be consequences for breaking the rules.”
“No phone. Promise.” He crossed his heart and winked.
“I’ll leave cash for you.”
A dark cloud cast over his face. “It’s not every day I get the privilege of treating my great-granddaughter and namesake to dinner, and I didn’t work fifty years to take charity from you.”
She blew out a breath, reminding herself that it wasn’t personal, and that Cecil Chauvin’s pride was legendary. “I know that, but I never want to give you reason to think you’re being taken advantage of. It’s enough that you’re letting us stay here rent-free for now.”
His jaw relaxed, and he pulled her into a sideways hug. “You could never take advantage of me. You’re being here benefits me just as much as it does you. All those years you were away, it wasn’t right. I understood, but I didn’t like it.”
“It was too hard.”
“I know, sha. I know.”
Leaning into him, she let his strength and comfort fill her. She wasn’t sure she’d ever forget the horrible memories, but she did know that Pawpaw would never abandon her.
He was the only one who’d come to visit her in Texas. Daddy never did until that final year before he died. Funny, how it took a cancer diagnosis for him to come around.
Daddy’s death would have been easier if he’d never changed his ways, but in those final weeks and months, Serena had gotten a glimpse of what she’d longed for all her life. She’d forgiven him, and they’d had a semi-pleasant few month together, but that left her mourning the loss of years they’d never had a relationship.
Reluctantly, she pulled away. “If you need anything, I’ll be in the study. I’ll let you know before I leave.”
She returned to her office and sat at her computer. Her gaze settled on the framed photo propped near the corner of the desk. It was the last photo taken of Mathilda Adams, her mom, before she and Mawmaw passed away in a flash flood accident when Serena was only nine.
Mom was thirty-one in that picture, the same age Serena was now. Their smiles made her ache with sadness. They’d had the whole world ahead of them, never dreaming in that moment that their world would be shattered within a week.
Looking at her mom was like looking in a mirror. The straight dark hair inherited from their Cajun ancestors, the aquiline nose from Mawmaw’s French side, and deep brown eyes that could lighten or darken a room depending on the emotion flashing through them.
She shifted her eyes to the second picture in the frame. Though Cecily had some of the Chauvin genes, she largely took after her father. Every time they went to town, she feared someone would call her out, make a claim on Cecily’s parentage.
Anxiety rolled through her stomach and up her chest. She ran a hand through her hair and took deep breaths. What had she been thinking accepting the job from Lacey? Too much could go wrong that couldn’t be righted.
Focus, Serena.She inhaled another deep breath and let it out slowly, willing the tension to leave her. It didn’t work completely, but enough that she could continue working. She opened her notebook and began making phone calls to confirm all involved parties, from the florist to the venue maintenance crew, were prepared for tomorrow.
She’d picked up the dress for Lacey on Wednesday and had dropped it off at her house. Serena never would have admitted it, but she’d held her breath for the entire final fitting. At nine months pregnant, Lacey had an ever-growing abdomen. Fortunately, Serena had found an amazing seamstress who worked in extra give without sacrificing fit.
