Nobody but you, p.24
Nobody But You,
p.24
“But I’m supposed to go with the gang for pizza Friday night!” Gabrielle wailed
“You should have thought of that before you embarrassed all of us by your thoughtlessness.”
Flouncing around, Gabrielle opened the car door and got into the backseat. Gina glanced at her son slowly making his way toward her. He had his head down as if he knew he was next to be reprimanded. Ashton was a loving, giving child. He wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings intentionally. Besides, he’d only been repeating what he’d heard her say, so Gina shared the blame.
“You mad at me, too?” he asked as he reached her, his head still down.
Her hand on his shoulder, Gina squatted down to eye level with him and lifted his head. “No, but I wish you hadn’t repeated what I’d said in confidence to Celeste. It made Mr. Broussard sad. How would you feel if no one liked one of your drawings you worked so hard to complete?”
Next to soccer, Ashton loved drawing with crayons best. Her refrigerator was covered with his “masterpieces.”
Ashton momentarily tucked his head again, then glanced up and said, “It would make me sad, too. I’m sorry.”
She smiled at him. “I know. Now, let’s go to lunch.”
Ashton looked back at the house. “Maybe I should go tell Mr. Broussard I’m sorry.”
“I already told him for you, Ashton.” Celeste opened the driver’s door. “Now, what do you say we go get some food, with apple cobbler and ice cream for dessert? My treat.”
As she knew it would, that got Ashton moving. Happily he climbed into the backseat next to a sulking Gabrielle, who had her arms crossed tightly across her chest, her gaze fixed pointedly out of the window.
Shaking her head, Gina slid inside and buckled her seat belt. Not only had she failed in her marriage; she also had failed one of her children. Gabrielle was too big to turn over her knee, as Celeste advised. Gina just wished she knew what to do.
Closing the back door after the caterers left, Max looked around the kitchen. Had he missed the mark?
“Everything went well, so why do you have that worried look on your face?” Aunt Sophia asked in her usual straightforward way.
Max walked over to the island, leaned his hip again it, and folded his arms. “Probably half the people here came for the free food and had absolutely no intention of staying here; the other half were supportive friends.”
“The newspaper sent a reporter and that travel agent came,” Aunt Sophia pointed out.
“She thought the place needed work.” His arms came to his sides. “At least that’s what her little boy blurted out when I asked her what she thought of the place.”
“Some children,” Sophia said, and the way she said it wasn’t a compliment. “Most of them are a joy to teach. Seeing students blossom when they suddenly get it is one of the greatest joys of teaching. However, the day they took prayer out of the school system was a sad day for the country and the schools.”
Max had heard the sentiment before. “I thought the place looked pretty good.”
Lines radiated across Sophia’s broad forehead. “I don’t guess she said what concerned her?”
“Nope, she didn’t,” Max told his aunt. “She had barely turned to her son before the daughter said she was bored. She apologized and hustled her children out of the room. You could tell she was embarrassed.”
“As well she should have been,” Sophia said. “Children need a strong hand.”
Max smiled. His aunt might love all of her nieces and nephews, but they had never been able to get over on her as they had with their parents. But she was fair and loving, as she’d proven by hunting him down in Chicago and getting him to turn his life around. “Everyone should be blessed to have someone like you in their lives.”
A pleased smile crossed her plain face. “The same goes for you. You rescued me from a monotonous life in Memphis. With helping you, there is something new each day.” Her smile faded. “Although, if the travel agent was right, I wasn’t that much help.”
He went to her. “Nonsense. You helped me bring Sharon’s dream to fruition. Kept me strong when I wanted to give up. Without you, there would be no Journey’s End.”
“Sharon loved you so much and would be so proud that you didn’t forget the dream you shared together,” Sophia said.
“I loved her, too,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make this place a success.”
“I haven’t a doubt in the world.”
His aunt always believed in him, just as Sharon had. “That means a lot.” He turned toward the back stairs leading up to the second floor, where the guest quarters were located. His and Sophia’s bedrooms and two other bedrooms were on the third floor. “I’m going upstairs to see if I can visualize what’s missing.”
“You do that. I’m going to call your mother and the rest of the family to tell them how it went.”
Nodding, Max took the stairs two at a time. He’d worried about his aunt climbing the stairs, but they’d actually been good for both of them to keep in shape. He recalled the first time. They’d both been out of breath when they reached the top. They had looked at each other and laughed. It had been good to laugh again, to share with someone you cared about.
A few minutes later, Max stood in the middle of the fourth and last bedroom. He couldn’t see anything missing. All the furniture pieces made the room a little tight to maneuver, but it couldn’t be helped. The antique store wouldn’t break up the sets.
Sharon had wanted the B & B to have period pieces and to be as comfortable and as charming as possible. But was it?
Frowning, he pulled the travel agent’s card from his pant pocket. He’d failed Sharon in life; he didn’t want to fail her in this as well. If Gina Rawlings could help him, he’d find a way to convince her to do so. Perhaps when they met again, her two rude children would be nowhere around.
Unknown, Nobody But You
