Читать книгу Tempting Janey - Mary Baxter Lynn - Страница 9

Somehow she had survived the past week, as well as the weekend.

It wasn’t the candy shop that had her in a snit but the fact that Robin had indeed spent the weekend with her dad.

But in truth, it hadn’t been quite the traumatic ordeal she had expected. Perhaps it was because the drill team had performed on Friday evening and Robin had been perfect, or at least Janey had thought so. She had sat with several other mothers whose husbands weren’t available for various reasons.

Still, Janey had been relieved when Robin had walked into the house last night. Thank goodness Janey hadn’t had to see her ex-husband. In fact, she hadn’t seen him since she’d returned to Hunter, which was more than fine with her. That wasn’t the case, however, with her daughter.

“Dad asked about you,” Robin had said the second she dropped her satchel on the sofa.

Janey had kept her voice even. “That’s nice.”

Robin pursed her lips. “You don’t intend to cut him any slack, do you?”

“Robin, please, this is not the time to discuss your dad and me.”

“Just when is the time, then?” Robin asked. “You never want to talk about him.”

“That’s right, I don’t.”

“I just don’t understand why you ever split up. I thought you were happy.”

“We were, in a lot of ways, but…” Janey’s voice played out but her determination did not. “Sweetheart, we’ve already been over this subject and nothing has changed. Sometimes things just happen and two people stop loving each other.”

“I think Dad still loves you.”

“Trust me, he doesn’t,” Janey said, unable to contain the bitterness. Then, changing the subject, she added, “By the way, you were the best Friday night. You didn’t miss a beat.” She smiled, then walked over and hugged her daughter. “I was so proud of you.”

As if Robin realized the subject of her mom and dad was closed, she pulled back and smiled. “You really think I did good? And looked good?”

“Absolutely, to both. In fact, I wanted to stand up and yell to everyone that you were my daughter.”

Robin groaned. “Thank heavens you contained yourself.”

Janey’s lips twitched. “And your friend Chad was good, too.”

“Man, was he ever. He’s the reason we won the game.”

“Actually, all of you did your part to bring about the win.”

“Even Mr. Reed was pepped up. He came onto the field as excited as I’ve ever seen him.” Robin’s face and voice suddenly turned anxious. “Darn it, I just wish Chad would call me.”

“He will, darling. You’ll see.”

Robin grabbed her stuff and headed for her bedroom. “He’d better, that’s all I can say. ’Night, Mom.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Janey placed a finger against her cheek.

“Sorry.” Robin crossed back to Janey and kissed her where the finger had been. “See you in the morning.” She paused. “Oh, by the way, Dad wants to take me to dinner one night this week.”

Now, as Janey flipped the shop sign to Open, her thoughts remained on Robin and Keith. She was beginning to question her good judgment in returning to Hunter.

The thought of her daughter spending too much time with Keith made her crazy. It wasn’t that Keith had been a bad parent to Robin, because he hadn’t. He had simply been a bad husband, which had left Janey embittered. She would admit that. And, she was jealous of Robin and Keith’s relationship. She would also admit that.

If Keith had wanted to continue to be with his daughter, then he shouldn’t have broken up the marriage.

The buzzer sounded as the door opened. Relieved that she was rescued from her thoughts, Janey smiled and said, “Good morning, Penny.”

Penny Giles didn’t return her smile or her greeting. Uh-oh, Janey thought as the rail-thin woman walked up to the counter and plopped down a sack. “I’m returning this candy.”

“Why is that?”

“It wasn’t the right kind.”

“I have no problem taking it back, as long as you didn’t open it.”

Penny gave her an incredulous look, then snapped, “Of course I opened it. I ate a bite, too. That’s how I knew I’d bought the wrong kind and that I didn’t like it.”

Janey didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Dealing with the public could be a nightmare. But, on the other hand, it could also be a hoot. She never knew what a day would bring. However, a few customers like this one made her want to put a permanent Closed sign on the door.

“Penny, you know I can’t return your money under those circumstances.” Janey’s tone was firm but gentle.

Penny’s lips tightened. “Well, I don’t see why not. You’re supposed to stand behind your product.”

“And I do. If the candy itself was bad, then there wouldn’t be any question, but—”

“Forget it!” Penny grabbed her sack and headed for the door.

Just as she flounced out, another lady walked in.

“Oh, boy, this is going to be one of those days,” Janey muttered.

Hazel Bishop, her part-time helper, gave Janey a perplexed look. “What was that all about?”

“I’ll tell you, but you won’t believe it.”

“When it comes to the public, honey, I’ll believe anything. I’ve worked in retail longer than I care to admit.”

It was that expertise that had landed Hazel the job in the shop. Besides that, she was a neat lady. Though gray haired and round as a silver dollar, she never seemed to run out of energy. She was a widow in her early sixties who needed a little extra cash to supplement her income. When she’d applied, Janey had known instantly that she was the right one.

Janey hadn’t been wrong.

“So tell me,” Hazel said into the silence. “I can’t wait to hear.”

When Janey explained what had happened, Hazel merely shook her head. “This world has more nuts in it than this candy shop.”

Janey laughed out loud. “I doubt that particular nut will ever come back.”

“Ah, forget her. The likes of her are not worth worrying about. Besides, we have too much work to do.”

And work they did. While Janey ran the front, Hazel unpacked several cartons of candy in the back room, then filed the invoices.

The day passed without further incidents. However, Janey couldn’t say that it had been a lucrative one. Business was slow all the way to closing time.

After sending Hazel home, she was about to lock up when another car drove up. It was her old friend Gwen Hopson.

“Get in here, lady,” Janey said, giving her an enthusiastic hug.

It seemed as if she’d always known Gwen, although they hadn’t spent much time together since her return. She couldn’t have made it through her divorce without the woman. Divorced herself, Gwen had managed to cross that minefield with surprisingly few wounds. But then, she hadn’t had children.

Gwen was short and thin with dark hair. And while she wasn’t pretty in the conventional sense, she had an infectious personality and grin. She was a social worker for the local hospital, a job to which she was perfectly suited.

“I’m not even going to come in,” Gwen said, standing just outside the door.

“Pray tell, why not?”

“I want to avoid temptation, but I heard something at work today I thought you ought to know about.”

Janey frowned. “Bad news?”

“Well, it could be—let me put it that way.”

“Shoot,” Janey said.

“Word has it that a candy store’s opening in the mall.”

“Oh, no,” Janey cried, feeling her spirits take a nosedive.

“Now, don’t push the panic button yet,” Gwen advised. “You know how rumors are.”

“Don’t I ever,” Janey said bitterly.

“Hey, don’t let it get you down. If it happens, just consider it another bump in the road that you have to get past.”

“But I’m getting awfully tired of those bumps, my friend.”

Gwen gave her a hug, then said, “I know. Look, I gotta run now. I’ll call you.”

Thirty minutes later, Janey was upstairs in her bathtub, surrounded by lavender-scented bubbles. But she couldn’t relax, despite the tranquil atmosphere. Her insides were wound tighter than a spool of wire.

What next?

Since she had moved back, her life had been anything but easy. If Gwen’s news turned out to be fact rather than rumor, then she was in trouble. As it was, Sweet Dreams was barely turning a profit. If it hadn’t been for Robin’s child support, she would be dipping into her sparse savings. And if business didn’t pick up, she would soon have to do that, anyway, because Robin’s child support would stop when she turned eighteen.

Still, Janey was determined to count her blessings and not her disasters. Robin was well-adjusted in school, making good grades and having a ball to boot. As long as that was the case, Janey could continue to tread her troubled waters and survive.

Thinking of Robin and school suddenly brought Dillon Reed back to mind. While idly scooping a handful of bubbles, Janey admitted to herself that his lean, hard body as he’d strolled into the shop that day had caught her attention.

And seeing him again at the restaurant had apparently kept it, she realized now, recalling how he’d looked and smelled. Suddenly Janey fought the urge to sink her head under the water to cleanse her mind of such craziness.

Thinking about Dillon Reed in those terms could turn into a real problem—a problem she didn’t need.

“Okay, what do you think?”

Janey angled her head. “Mmm, let’s see.”

“Mom! You’re supposed to tell me I look smashing.”

“Okay, you look smashing.”

“But you’re supposed to mean it.”

The teasing glint in Janey’s eyes increased. “Oh, honey, you look better than smashing. You look breathtaking.”

Robin blew out a breath. “I just hope Chad thinks so.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. This is just a date to get a cola, a date that I should have said no to. Even now, I can’t believe I didn’t.”

“That’s because you’re a good mom.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Janey said with mock severity.

As a rule, Robin never went out on school nights unless it was to a school function. But when Chad had asked her out yesterday for tonight and Robin had begged to go, Janey had caved in.

“So mind you, young lady, this is an exception. Don’t let midweek dates become habit-forming. School before play.”

“Speaking of school, have you heard?”

“Heard what?”

“About the break-in. Two guys practically destroyed the chemistry lab the other week.”

“Oh, dear, I hadn’t heard. Do you think they were on drugs?”

Robin lifted her shoulders. “Who knows? But I’m here to tell you that Dil—uh, Mr. Reed was hopping mad.”

“I’m sure he was.”

Robin faced the mirror again and fiddled with a piece of hair. “And since then, he and the assistant principal have been stalking the halls.”

Janey sighed. “It’s getting to where I’m afraid to even let you go to school.”

Robin rolled her eyes, her trademark gesture when things weren’t to her liking.

Just then, the doorbell chimed. Robin’s hand flew to her heart. “Oh, my God, he’s here. Are you sure I look all right?”

Janey hid a smile, then shook her head. “Calm down or you’re going to hyperventilate.”

“I’m calm. I’m calm.”

The instant Janey opened the door and Chad Burnette walked through it, something about the young man put Janey on the defensive.

As Robin had said, he was good-looking—model material, endowed with a body made to play any sport. And he was polite, too, extending his hand to Janey immediately and saying that he was pleased to meet her.

Still, there was something about him that didn’t sit well with Janey. Maybe it was the look he gave her daughter, followed by the arm he slung around her shoulders. Both actions appeared territorial, as if he were staking a claim.

Janey strove to override those feelings, but she couldn’t. She could always count on her gut instincts; so far they hadn’t failed her. At the moment, they were screaming at her. She considered telling Robin she couldn’t go. But she couldn’t embarrass her daughter that way, even if Robin would forgive her—which she wouldn’t.

She would just have to tough it out and pray that this one time her instincts were wrong.

“You kids have fun,” she said, trying to hide her anxiousness. “But be careful.”

Robin took her adoring eyes off Chad and faced Janey. “We will, Mom.”

“Be home by nine o’clock and not a minute later,” Janey added.

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Mayfield. I’ll have her back.”

Chad’s words should have reassured her, but they didn’t.