Читать книгу Ask Anyone - Sherryl Woods, Sherryl Woods - Страница 12

J enna felt triumphant as she went back to the table where Darcy was waiting, her expression sullen.

“There’s nothing on this menu I like,” Darcy complained as Jenna sat down.

“You love crabcakes,” Jenna said, refusing to be goaded into an argument. “And hamburgers and French fries.”

“Not anymore,” Darcy insisted in the lofty tone of someone twice her age.

“Then sit there while I eat.”

Darcy stared at Jenna with a shocked expression. “You’re going to let me starve?”

“You won’t starve if you miss one meal,” Jenna said, holding firm for once. “Besides, it’s your decision not to eat, not mine.”

Her daughter seemed taken aback. “Mommy, what’s happened to you? You never used to be like this.”

“I developed a backbone,” Jenna said, realizing that it was true. For too long she had catered to Darcy’s every whim—to say nothing of Randall Pennington’s—out of guilt over divorcing Nick. She had paid and paid and paid. Well, no more. It hadn’t done any good that she could see, anyway.

Astonishingly, the shift in her thinking had happened after she’d had her first encounter with the impossible Bobby Spencer. He had solidified every ounce of resolve she’d ever possessed. Someday, when he stopped annoying her, she would thank him for that.

“I don’t like it,” Darcy said, pouting.

Jenna grinned at her. “No, I imagine you don’t, but get used to it, because this is the way it’s going to be from now on. We’re turning over a new leaf while we’re in Trinity Harbor.”

“What does that mean?” Darcy asked suspiciously.

“It means you don’t run the show, I do,” Jenna told her. “It’ll be a new experience for both of us.”

Just then a waitress approached and asked to take their orders. Jenna looked at Darcy. “Are you just having water, or have you reconsidered?”

“I’ll have a hamburger,” Darcy said meekly. “And French fries.”

Jenna hid a smile, then ordered the shrimp scampi for herself along with a salad of arugula, endive, blue cheese and walnuts. “I’ll have water to drink for now and coffee after dinner.” She glanced at Darcy. “What would you like to drink?”

“A soda,” Darcy said at once, regarding Jenna with a defiant look.

Since she’d won the earlier battle over the food, Jenna gave in on the soda. Normally, she restricted her daughter’s intake of sodas to one a day, and Darcy was already well over that limit; she’d begged to stop for a drink three times en route to Trinity Harbor.

“Since this is the first night of our vacation, you can have it,” Jenna agreed. “But don’t press your luck tomorrow.”

As soon as the waitress had brought the drinks, Jenna spotted a woman heading straight toward them, a man and boy in tow. Belatedly she realized the man was the same sheriff’s deputy she’d met on Sunday at Bobby Spencer’s. He nodded at Jenna.

“Ms. Kennedy, I don’t know if you remember me,” he said.

“Of course, I do. It’s Walker Ames, isn’t it?”

“Good memory.”

“It was a memorable occasion,” she said dryly.

His grin transformed his somber face. “That it was. The impatient woman beside me is my wife, Daisy. And this is our son, Tommy.”

As Jenna was about to acknowledge the introduction, Walker held up a silencing hand. “And just so you know, Daisy is a Spencer. She’s Bobby’s sister.”

Daisy frowned at her husband. “You didn’t have to say that like she needs to be warned.”

“Oh, yes, I did,” Walker said with a sympathetic look at Jenna. “Prepare yourself. Daisy has questions.”

“A million of them,” Daisy agreed. “Will you be in town long?”

“For as long as it takes,” Jenna told her.

“Have you considered buying a house and thinking ahead toward retirement?” Daisy said wryly. “My brother can be difficult.”

“So I’ve gathered,” Jenna said, her tone just as dry.

Tommy was eyeing Darcy with evident fascination. “Cool haircut,” he said admiringly.

“Don’t even think about it,” Walker said emphatically.

Daisy rolled her eyes. “Long story, but Tommy is actually Walker’s nephew. Walker is still adapting to his new role as Tommy’s father. He hasn’t quite grasped the concept that forbidding something only makes it more alluring.”

Jenna laughed and gestured at Darcy. “Sweetheart, tell Deputy Ames what I told you right before you dyed your hair green.”

“She told me I couldn’t dye it purple,” Darcy said, then added with a proud lift of her chin, “and I didn’t.”

Daisy bit back a smile. “Ah, the loophole defense. I’m a teacher. I hear that one quite often.” She tucked an arm around Tommy’s shoulders, then added pointedly, “It doesn’t work with me.”

Tommy shrugged. “I’ve figured that out.” His gaze went back to Darcy. “You want to come by and see my boat sometime? Walker and me have been working on it for a really long time. It’s almost ready to go in the water.”

Darcy nodded at once, her sullen expression vanishing at the prospect of finding a friend and having an adventure. “Sure. Mom, would it be okay?”

“Please,” Daisy said at once. “Jenna, you and I could chat.”

Walker groaned. “Agree at your own peril,” he warned Jenna. “My wife is not known for the subtlety of her grilling.”

Jenna was undaunted by that. “Neither am I,” she said at once.

Daisy laughed. “You and I are going to get along very well,” she said. “What about tomorrow at noon? We can have lunch.”

“I’d love it,” Jenna said, already envisioning the million and one tips she could get on handling Daisy’s brother. “We’ll be there.”

“I don’t suppose there’s any chance at all that Bobby’s name won’t come up,” Walker said in one last display of masculine loyalty.

“None,” Jenna and Daisy agreed in chorus.

“Then I’d better go in the kitchen and warn him he might want to consider abandoning any thought of developing the riverfront and concentrate on leaving town,” Walker said, heading off in that direction.

Tommy looked up at Daisy. “Why would Uncle Bobby want to leave town?”

“That’s just Walker’s way of being a smart aleck,” Daisy told him. “It is not an attractive quality. Don’t even think about emulating him.”

Tommy stared at her with a puzzled look. “I don’t even know what that means.”

Daisy winked at Jenna. “I’ll explain it to you back at our table. Nice meeting you, Jenna. You, too, Darcy. I’ll look forward to tomorrow.”

“Me, too,” Jenna responded. Especially if, as Walker had implied, her visiting Daisy was going to drive Bobby Spencer up a wall.

“They’re out there, right now, together?” Bobby repeated, staring at Walker with dismay. “Jenna Kennedy and Daisy?”

“Oh, yeah. And they’re making plans, big ones from the sound of it,” his brother-in-law warned him. “Some sort of get-together tomorrow for lunch. Just so you know, it was actually Tommy’s idea. I don’t think he realized what he was setting in motion.”

“I’m surprised Daisy let you loose to warn me.”

“Oh, I think that’s part of her strategy. She wants you nervous.”

“Why?”

“Because it will be proof that she’s right about Jenna being the woman who can shake you out of your complacency,” Walker said. “I’m only beginning to grasp just how devious your sister’s mind truly is. If I’d known a few months ago, I might not have been so quick to jump into marriage.”

Bobby laughed at that. “As if you had any choice in the matter! You were a goner from the minute you hit town to meet Tommy and try to take him away from her. She had no intention of letting that boy leave with you, even if it meant luring you into falling in love with her.”

Walker shrugged. “Let that be a lesson to you. The circumstances might be different, but Daisy sees the same fate befalling you.”

“Not a snowball’s chance in hell,” Bobby insisted, though his denials—which should have been improving with practice—were beginning to lose a little steam instead. Even he could hear the change. He didn’t need Walker’s prompt grin to point it out.

“Well, consider yourself duly warned,” Walker said. “I’ve done my bit in terms of family loyalty. You know the score. I’m sure you can handle things from here on out.”

Bobby sighed. “I wish I were half as confident of that as you are.” He picked up the orders that had been prepared for Walker, Daisy and Tommy and handed them to Walker. “Take these with you.”

“Hey,” Walker protested. “I thought this place was renowned for its good service, as well as its excellent food.”

“Like you said, you’re family. You can help out.”

“See if I ever give you fair warning about any schemes afoot again,” Walker grumbled as he left with their meals.

Once his brother-in-law had gone, Bobby went back to work with a vengeance, but nothing he did blocked out the image of his sister and Jenna conspiring behind his back. Just the thought of it made him shudder. The only thing worse would be King getting in on the act.

He could think of only one way to keep the two women apart. He could make Jenna a better offer—maybe dangle the prospect of a noontime tour of the waterfront before her. It was better than leaving her alone with Daisy. At least if he was with her, he’d know what she was up to.

He didn’t wait until he’d cleaned up the kitchen to execute his plan. The second the last order had been sent to a table, he slipped into the dining room, glanced around until he spotted Jenna and headed her way. His step faltered only when he saw the girl with her. A grin slipped across his face. Green, spiked hair. He had to admire the child’s daring. Jenna must be an incredibly liberal mother, or the girl was being taught a lesson. He suspected the latter.

When Bobby reached their table, he pulled out a chair, turned it around and straddled it. “How was dinner?” he asked.

“Excellent,” Jenna conceded.

“It was okay,” the girl muttered, her scowl firmly in place.

“Darcy, don’t be rude to Mr. Spencer,” Jenna chided. “By the way, Bobby, this is my daughter, Darcy.”

“I can see the resemblance,” he said with a pointed glance at the girl’s hairdo.

“It was a little experiment that went awry,” Jenna explained.

“I like it,” Darcy insisted. She turned to Bobby. “Is there anything to do here?”

Bobby studied her with an assessing look. “How old are you? Ten? Twelve?”

“Nine,” Jenna said.

“Then at this hour of the night, there is nothing for you to do,” Bobby said.

“Normally she wouldn’t be out this late,” Jenna said defensively. “But I couldn’t leave her at the hotel by herself, and you were the one who refused to talk to me earlier in the evening.”

Bobby could have debated endlessly who was at fault for the late meeting, but right now he needed to concentrate on preventing that meeting between Jenna and his sister. “Why don’t we get together tomorrow?” he suggested. “Say, around noon. I’ll take you on a tour of the waterfront area.”

Immediate interest sparked in Jenna’s eyes, but faded almost as quickly. “You know I’m supposed to meet your sister at noon, don’t you?”

He feigned ignorance. “Really?”

“Oh, don’t try that with me. I know Walker couldn’t wait to run into the kitchen to warn you.”

“So, what’s it going to be? Are you more interested in lunch with Daisy or in seeing the land I’m planning to develop?”