and the end of it. She was even proud of herself
for recognizing it as such and not allowing his charm to flatter her into beginning
any sort of relationship. She didn’t need diversions in her life right now, particularly
charming male ones, no matter how temporary.
Pleased with herself, she turned back to her purchases and began unpacking the seafood.
Yes, she did have more important things to concentrate on than ex-bodyguard masseurs
with heart-attack hands and knee-melting smiles.
Something was up with Minerva. A frown pulled at her mouth and concern wrinkled her
forehead. Lainey didn’t know exactly what and Minnie wasn’t talking aboutit, at least not to her. She admitted that her aunt’s silence hurt a bit, but it worried
her more. Especially when she’d spied Damian Winters in town. Her conversation with
him had been equally unrevealing.
She sighed a bit as she snugged memories of Tucker away in a back corner of her mind—for
a final impulsive fling, he’d certainly been a worthy choice, one she’d enjoy recalling
from time to time—but now she had to focus on life’s important matters. Charming men
weren’t on that list, but her aunt Minerva topped it. She was all the family Lainey
had left. One way or another, she had to find out exactly what her aunt was up to.
FOUR
Tucker reluctantly pushed through the door of the café. His talk with Lillian the
previous afternoon hadn’t gone exactly as planned. But then, when it came to Aunt
Lillian, things rarely did.
He breathed a small sigh of relief when he spied an older woman, presumably Minerva,
behind the counter. Maybe the gods would smile on him and Lainey would be off catering
something.
Lillian had ignored his arguments for discontinuing his new occupation and, with her
typical buzzard-eye style, zeroed in on his comments about Lainey. She was convinced
that Lainey was his key to solving the mystery, and nothing he had said could deter
her. He’d also perceived a healthy dose of matchmaking fervor underscoring her plans,
which he hadn’t even attempted to fight. It would only have made her more determined.
A frightening thought. As it was, he considered himself lucky that he’d gotten out
of there by agreeing to drop by the café for lunch and a hoped-for chat with Lainey
over coffee.Tucker wasn’t sure what
he
hoped for, but a quick exit from Florida was looking really good at this point.
“Well, hello,” Minerva greeted him warmly. She was short and pleasantly soft in a
way that spoke well of her cooking skills. Her dark hair, only mildly scattered with
gray, was pulled back into a voluminous bun, and she wore a plain blue dress with
a white apron tied over it. She welcomed him with a smile as she finished arranging
slices of cake on an old-fashioned pedestal tray. There was a brush of flour on her
cheek and a smear of what looked like chocolate frosting on the bib of her apron.
A far cry from Aunt Lillian, Tucker thought. Minerva looked like the quintessential
grandmother. The kind of woman who probably fed strays. The kind of woman who’d likely
believe even a half-decently told sad-luck story. The kind of woman who could get
suckered into a scam because she was too kindhearted to see lies instead of truth.
He hadn’t really known what to expect. Lillian’s stories over the past few years hadn’t
left a permanent memory in his mental file. He realized now, that since Minerva was
Lillian’s closest friend, he’d been expecting someone more like … well, like Aunt
Lillian. One look told him this was a true case of opposites attracting. It didn’t
take any detective work to see why Lillian was so concerned. Minerva was a senior
sucker waiting to be duped.
Tucker didn’t know whether to groan at the additional helping of guilt or give Minerva
a comforting hug and tell her he’d take care of everything. The urge to do both was
equally strong. He settled
for recognizing it as such and not allowing his charm to flatter her into beginning
any sort of relationship. She didn’t need diversions in her life right now, particularly
charming male ones, no matter how temporary.
Pleased with herself, she turned back to her purchases and began unpacking the seafood.
Yes, she did have more important things to concentrate on than ex-bodyguard masseurs
with heart-attack hands and knee-melting smiles.
Something was up with Minerva. A frown pulled at her mouth and concern wrinkled her
forehead. Lainey didn’t know exactly what and Minnie wasn’t talking aboutit, at least not to her. She admitted that her aunt’s silence hurt a bit, but it worried
her more. Especially when she’d spied Damian Winters in town. Her conversation with
him had been equally unrevealing.
She sighed a bit as she snugged memories of Tucker away in a back corner of her mind—for
a final impulsive fling, he’d certainly been a worthy choice, one she’d enjoy recalling
from time to time—but now she had to focus on life’s important matters. Charming men
weren’t on that list, but her aunt Minerva topped it. She was all the family Lainey
had left. One way or another, she had to find out exactly what her aunt was up to.
FOUR
Tucker reluctantly pushed through the door of the café. His talk with Lillian the
previous afternoon hadn’t gone exactly as planned. But then, when it came to Aunt
Lillian, things rarely did.
He breathed a small sigh of relief when he spied an older woman, presumably Minerva,
behind the counter. Maybe the gods would smile on him and Lainey would be off catering
something.
Lillian had ignored his arguments for discontinuing his new occupation and, with her
typical buzzard-eye style, zeroed in on his comments about Lainey. She was convinced
that Lainey was his key to solving the mystery, and nothing he had said could deter
her. He’d also perceived a healthy dose of matchmaking fervor underscoring her plans,
which he hadn’t even attempted to fight. It would only have made her more determined.
A frightening thought. As it was, he considered himself lucky that he’d gotten out
of there by agreeing to drop by the café for lunch and a hoped-for chat with Lainey
over coffee.Tucker wasn’t sure what
he
hoped for, but a quick exit from Florida was looking really good at this point.
“Well, hello,” Minerva greeted him warmly. She was short and pleasantly soft in a
way that spoke well of her cooking skills. Her dark hair, only mildly scattered with
gray, was pulled back into a voluminous bun, and she wore a plain blue dress with
a white apron tied over it. She welcomed him with a smile as she finished arranging
slices of cake on an old-fashioned pedestal tray. There was a brush of flour on her
cheek and a smear of what looked like chocolate frosting on the bib of her apron.
A far cry from Aunt Lillian, Tucker thought. Minerva looked like the quintessential
grandmother. The kind of woman who probably fed strays. The kind of woman who’d likely
believe even a half-decently told sad-luck story. The kind of woman who could get
suckered into a scam because she was too kindhearted to see lies instead of truth.
He hadn’t really known what to expect. Lillian’s stories over the past few years hadn’t
left a permanent memory in his mental file. He realized now, that since Minerva was
Lillian’s closest friend, he’d been expecting someone more like … well, like Aunt
Lillian. One look told him this was a true case of opposites attracting. It didn’t
take any detective work to see why Lillian was so concerned. Minerva was a senior
sucker waiting to be duped.
Tucker didn’t know whether to groan at the additional helping of guilt or give Minerva
a comforting hug and tell her he’d take care of everything. The urge to do both was
equally strong. He settled
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