chapter Twenty
Jake accepted that he had made a huge mess of everything concerning Sugar. She was sleeping down the hall in the guest room and had been for the last week. Sugar hadn’t said so much as a hello to him unless he said it to her first. If the blue Oldsmobile hadn’t been parked in the garage at night, he wouldn’t have known she was there, except for faint traces of perfume in the air.
It was time to put the Christmas decorations up in Pecan Creek now. He knew very well that the dead body—a Mr. Tommy Grimes from Galveston who’d had an itch to meet the purveyor of pecans who told such lusty tales on her blog—had probably killed any desire the Hot Nuts had to renew their lease on the family home.
Sugar didn’t want to go home. Neither did Maggie or Lucy, according to Lassiter and Bobby. They were living in sin, according to Vivian, all of them, but only Jake knew that he wasn’t living anywhere close to the sin he’d like to be living with Sugar.
Because he was the king of Schmuckville.
He kind of hoped Sugar staying here meant that they could hit some kind of do-over button on their friendship, but that didn’t seem likely at this point. He couldn’t blame Sugar for being upset. He’d left her a note in the kitchen, telling her to stay in his house as long as she wanted, until she was comfortable going back home.
She did return home during the day to cook and package her product. But she didn’t spend the night. Finding the body had been too much even for a tough baby like Sugar.
He got a text, saw that it was from Lucy.
Paint color: Robin’s egg blue.
Jake smiled. Texted back: You got it.
He didn’t know what Lucy was planning, but if she wanted blue, then robin’s egg blue would be on her porch from Bert’s Paint Store tomorrow.
It’d be a change from the hot, sultry reds of the Belle Watling room and the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas room.
Sugar hurried into the kitchen, followed by Paris, her ever-present shadow. She looked fabulous in a red skirt and white sweater, almost Christmassy. He didn’t want to think about Christmas. Maggie would be mayor, the parade would wind through town and Sugar would go poof! Gone with the wind, like the bedroom décor that was no longer going to be in the house.
“Morning,” he said.
“Hi.” She filled a cup with coffee, one of the plastic kinds with a lid on it she could take in the Oldsmobile. “See ya.”
“Sugar.” She turned to look at him, her face blank.
“Yes?”
“How’s the business going?”
She nodded. “We’re about ready to launch.”
“That’s great. I’m happy to hear it.”
“Lucy told me she’s picked the décor. Once the decorating starts, I’ll…I’ll move back,” Sugar said.
“You’re always welcome here.” He could tell she was still unnerved. Her eyes were huge in her face. She was pale, didn’t look like her usual vibrant self.
“Thank you. But actually, this is a good time to give you notice,” Sugar said. “We won’t be renewing our lease.”
He’d expected that. It didn’t make it any easier to accept. In his heart, he’d been hanging on to the hope that everything would go smoothly with the Cassavechias in the family home, and it wasn’t because of the rent.
“I’d love to lease the land from you where the pecan grove is. But I remember you saying before that it was a package deal.” Sugar swallowed, her gaze moving away from his. “I’ve found another supplier that I can get pecans from.”
“No.” Jake shook his head. “I’ll lease you the pecan grove. You’ve been good tenants, and frankly, it’s the least I can do. I wish I’d been more supportive of your business all along,” he said truthfully.
“It’s okay. It wasn’t your place to give me moral support. Anyway, it’s going to work out for the best.”
He hated how distant she sounded. “Sugar, I—”
“I’m going to be late,” she said. “Come on, Paris.”
They left, and Jake sighed. Filled up a coffee cup, tried to think how to fix this.
He wanted to. He just didn’t know how.
Sugar looked over the pink ribbons in the fabric shop, trying to decide on the final detail of the packaging for the Hotter than Hell Nuts design. The designer had suggested red, but because of Maggie’s successful battle against breast cancer, Sugar was seriously considering something in the pink family. The packaging was a clear front with a white cardboard back with chocolate-brown letters on it. She loved the packaging. It was a dream come true, all of it; they’d come so far, and now, the dream was about to take off.
“Hi,” a female voice said, “are you Sugar Cassavechia?”
Sugar turned, a smile on her face. The small-set woman with the ruffled blonde hair didn’t smile back. “Yes, I am.”
“I thought you might be. They told me you were.” She pointed to the women behind them, a group of five dressed in pretty sundresses, trying to look like they weren’t interested in what she was doing.
“And you are?” Sugar asked.
“Debbie Underwood. Fixing to not be Underwood anymore.”
Sugar blinked. “Oh. You’re Kel’s wife?”
She nodded. “Not for much longer. The divorce goes through the day after Christmas.”
“That’s rough. I’m sorry.” Sugar was.
Debbie shrugged. “It’s because of your sister, Lucy.”
Sugar felt a little heat creep under her collar. “It’s not because of my sister. Lucy never thought anything about your husband. You’re making a decision to divorce your husband on misinformation.”
Debbie’s eyes widened. “My husband has a crush on her.”
“Lucy is dating Bobby German. In fact, they’re very, very close. I doubt Kel has a thing for Lucy.” Sugar looked at Debbie with sympathy. “I recently got a divorce myself. It’s rough. I don’t have kids, though, and you do. I’d think about that if I were you, before I went cutting loose a guy who really loves you.”
“How do you know Kel loves me?”
Sugar shrugged. “He said so.”
Debbie blinked. “To you?”
“Yeah. But that’s all I’m saying. I don’t want to be involved in your marriage.” Sugar turned away, went back to studying the ribbons.
After a moment, when she didn’t hear anything else behind her, Sugar turned back around. Debbie was gone, but the group of sundresses still watched her every move. “Don’t you have anything better to do?” Sugar asked, curious.
They looked at her, startled, and took off. Sugar sighed and picked up the hot-pink ribbon to top the packaged pecans with. Her temper was hot pink. Might as well stick with the theme. Hot, hot, hot.
She seemed to stay hot in Pecan Creek. Jake made her hot, sexually and emotionally. I used to be such a calm person. What happened to me?
Jake happened to her. She was crazy about him, but insanity was doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result.
Pecan Creek had to continue to be simply a means to an end.
“Sugar,” Lucy said, hurrying into the house where Maggie and Sugar were madly stirring pecans in a candied sauce. Painters clanged ladders upstairs, calling to each other in loud voices as they began tearing out the old light fixtures. Sugar hadn’t been up to the Belle Watling room since that night. She couldn’t get over the horror of finding a dead man in her sister’s bedroom. It brought back horrible flashbacks of the night another man had gone into Lucy’s bedroom. Shivers crawled over her skin.
“What?” Sugar said to Lucy.
“I’ve had a stroke of brilliance.”
Maggie and Sugar looked at Lucy. “Brilliance is always welcome,” Sugar said.
“Every business in town is building a float for the Christmas parade. We need to make one for hotterthanhellnuts.com!” Lucy glowed with exertion, her short hair curling up shorter from riding Vivian’s bike over here. She rode the bike all over town. When Jake heard that Vivian had taken it from Lucy, he’d given it right back. Lucy loved riding the bicycle. When she wasn’t on that bike, it was in the back of Bobby’s truck as he ferried Lucy around. Mainly, he said he just wanted Lucy to be with him. Lucy said, “Have bike, will travel”, and when Bobby was busy at the Bait and Burgers, she got herself around just fine.
“A float.” Sugar sat down on a stool. “I don’t know how to build a parade float. Anyway, how do you know every business in town is making one?”
“Because of my job,” Lucy said importantly. “I work for some ladies who run their own businesses, and they’re building a float. I’m supposed to be their princess, but I’d rather be a princess for us. I know all about building a float now.” Lucy beamed. “We’d do it secretly. And that would be the launch of our business!”
Maggie shrugged. “It would light a great bonfire under the last shreds of our dignity and reputation in Pecan Creek. If we’re supposed to be a hush-hush enterprise, goodness knows ol’ Vivian would really get tense if we had a float.”
“True.” Sugar considered that. “Is the advertising value worth annoying the in-crowd?”
Lucy slid onto a stool. “Sugar, here’s where we’re going wrong. The ladies I work for all sell items with a slant on sexy. They just don’t talk about the sexy factor. It’s where I got the idea to sex up your nuts. Don’t you know sex sells?”
Sugar looked at her. “How do they advertise their product?”
“They call their businesses soft-focus things like, well, they just don’t ever say anything that offends. While all the time they sell items you normally wouldn’t consider acceptable for everyday conversation.”
“Are you suggesting we change the name of our business? Because, to be honest, I’m not certain the name is what gets Vivian’s goat. I’m pretty sure it’s just me,” Sugar said.
“No.” Lucy shook her head. “Vivian is all about Pecan Creek. She’s about keeping it pure. I can’t say she’s wrong about that. I get Vivian now,” Lucy said. “I get why she decorated this joint the way she did, and why she wants everything to be sexless.” Lucy grinned. “Vivian is a protective heroine.”
“Balls,” Maggie said. “Vivian is a shrew. Only I think she never got tamed or something. Clearly The Taming Of The Shrew was one Hollywood theme she stayed away from in her decorating scheme.” Maggie felt around in the pocket of her purple pants for a pack of cigarettes, realized she no longer smoked and went for a cup of hot black coffee from the Mr. Coffeemaker instead.
“What would we change the name of our business to?” Sugar asked. “To be socially acceptable?”
“I don’t know about socially acceptable,” Lucy said. “I think we’re pretty much toast here, after the dead guy showed up in one of Viv’s designer bedrooms. Plus you’re staying at Jake’s, and word I hear on that through my employers is that Vivian is fit to be tied.” She smiled hugely. “For once, you’re the one in the family who’s causing waves.”
“I wish I cared, but—” Sugar considered her sister. “I don’t think we have time to design a float, even if we dared to scandalize the town.”
Lucy smiled. “I’ll work morning and night on it.”
“What about your job?” Maggie asked.
“I’m ready to turn in my notice. As a learning experience, it was great. I think your nuts are going to take off, and I think you’re going to need me to help you. Keep things running.” Lucy grinned. “As you know, I’ve always been the organizer in this family.”
Maggie tossed a nut at her. Lucy caught it in midair.
“I’d quit while I was ahead,” Maggie told her. “Bragging on your org skills isn’t going to convince your sister to throw caution to the wind.”
“Hello!” Jake yelled through the front doorway.
“We’re in the kitchen!” Lucy called back. “Be nice,” she said to Sugar. “He’s trying to make up for everything, and Bobby says you’ve been giving Jake nine miles of rough road.”
Sugar blushed as Jake walked into the kitchen. She hoped Jake hadn’t heard Lucy’s comments.
“Hi, Jake,” Maggie said perkily.
“Ladies.” He lifted his hat to the room at large, his gaze on Sugar. She felt that nervous zap she always got whenever Jake was around and wished it would zap off. “I came by to check on the workmen.”
Lucy’s room would be new from top to bottom. Jake had the bed hauled off, and every stick of furniture had gone to a family shelter in town.
Lucy beamed at Jake in her gotta-tease-big-brother way. “You’re going to be so surprised when you see the new décor.”
Jake grinned and ruffled her hair. “I like surprises.”
“Good. Because you’re going to get one.” She went out with a handful of nuts. Paris followed, hoping one might fall her way.
“Opportunistic hound,” Jake said. “Hello, Maggie. Sugar.” He bussed Maggie, who beamed, and nodded at Sugar, who tried not to notice he didn’t get near her. “Do you mind if I head upstairs?”
Sugar shook her head. “Help yourself.”
He looked at her. “Are we okay?”
She shrugged. “Good enough.” What else could she say? “Thanks for letting me stay at your house.” Sugar took a deep breath. “Now that Lucy’s room has been completely knocked back to the studs practically, I’ll be okay staying here from now on.”
She thought his face fell a bit. “All right,” Jake said. “You’re welcome any time.”
“Thanks.” She turned away for a moment, then had to know. “Jake, did they ever find out anything about the man in Lucy’s bed?”
He nodded. “After checking Lucy’s blog—which is actually quite amusing, by the way, really commercial and attention-getting—the authorities traced him back to his home town. Turns out he was a pervert, and I guess Lucy’s tales of erotic pecans were just too much to resist. He wanted to meet her.”
Maggie sucked in a breath. Sugar turned to look at her mother. “Are you all right, Mom?”
Maggie nodded, patted her pockets again for a cigarette. “You know, I think I’ll get out my mother’s old recipe for mimosas,” she said to Jake. “Maybe a Bloody Mary. You want one, Jake?”
“Sure. I’m always game for a good kick in my day.” He looked at Sugar. “The guy had a massive infarction. Who knows if it was from the excitement of breaking and entering or just old, perverted age.”
Maggie turned around from the drinks she was mixing. Sugar saw her mother’s hands were trembling. “I do hate that word,” she said.
Sugar stared at her mother. “What word?”
Maggie blinked. “You know. Pervert.”
“Oh. God, Mom. It’s all right. Here, let me mix those for you.”
“I’ll do it,” Jake said. “I spend a good bit of time mixing drinks at my place.” He helped Maggie over to a wicker chair in the kitchen. “I’m sorry, Maggie. If anybody should be aware of what language to avoid around the gentler sex, it’s me.”
Sugar knelt at her mother’s knees. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Maggie said briskly. “Hormone surge.”
“Nothing a stiff Bloody Mary won’t fix,” Jake said, going over to the counter and finishing what Maggie had started.
Sugar looked at her mother. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” Maggie said. “It was just hard knowing some nasty man snuck into my daughter’s bed.”
Maggie said she was fine, but she still trembled. Jake handed her the “stiffener”, and Maggie drained it on the spot.
“More where that came from,” Jake said cheerfully. “Coming right up.”
“Nope,” Maggie said, getting up. “At this hour of the day, a lady limits herself to one. I’m going to take a walk in the grove.”
She went off, and Jake shrugged at Sugar before heading out of the kitchen.
“Jake.”
He turned around. “Yes?”
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“Caring.” Sugar thought about everything she knew today that she hadn’t known before, and decided maybe it was better to throw caution to the wind. “I need your help.”
“Name it, gorgeous.”
Sugar pondered her options, then took the leap.
“We’re going to enter a secret float in the Christmas parade. I’m sure there’s paperwork involved, and at the end of that paperwork is probably a council of Pillars, namely your mother, that approves everything.”
He nodded. “True.”
“We want our float to be top secret. I’d like for you to figure out a way to file our paperwork without us getting blowback from your mother.”
He leaned against the counter, looking sexy as sin. Sugar allowed herself to bask in his devil-may-care smile for a moment. “Can’t do it, babe.”
“Won’t do it.” She looked at him with attitude.
“Right.” He grinned. “I’d like to help you another way.”
“That’s new,” Sugar said, not about to let him off the hook.
“Yeah, well. Never let it be said that old dogs aren’t happy to learn new tricks.” He took one of her curls between his fingers, tugged lightly on it. “Here’s the deal. The billboard into town was reserved for two months, November and December, to maximize holiday traffic into PC.”
She nodded. “Which has nothing to do with me, as you’ve pointed out several times.”
He grinned, tapping her finger. “I think this time it might. What would you think about all that traffic running through Texas checking out your business in January?”
“The deadest month for retail in the year?” Sugar asked. “Are you cutting me a deal?”
“How about January and February?” Jake said. “A Valentine campaign for pecans would probably be successful.”
She narrowed her gaze. “How much?”
“On the house.” He grinned, and Sugar felt herself get a little weak in the knees, which she ignored. Made herself ignore a little more. It was difficult when a man looked that good in worn blue jeans, black work boots, untucked flannel shirt and a dark Stetson crowning his eyes.
“On the house? Why would you do that for us?”
He shrugged. “To compensate you for your troubles. To thank you for not suing me over the dead perv guy.” He glanced around to make sure Maggie wasn’t nearby to overhear him use the terminology she didn’t want to hear.
“Why would we sue? He came to see Lucy.”
“Tenants always sue. Could be the locks weren’t good enough; could be any excuse.” Jake glanced upstairs. “But mainly, I’m just trying to lure you into staying in my life, Sugar Cassavechia.”
“Really,” Sugar said, her voice flat.
“Hell, yeah,” Jake said, leaning over and kissing her a fast one on the lips; then he jogged up the stairs to check on the workmen.
Sugar touched her lips. Born salesman, yes, he was.
But oh my goodness, the man made her crazy for him. Absolutely nuts.