explains why she’s now living in a house with a leaking roof,” Gabe guessed.
“More than likely. She’s a smart woman. She’s just discovering that she can make it on her own. Independence is real important to her right now.” His expression turned thoughtful. “She reminds me of Lynn in that way. I wanted to rush in about a million times to make things easier for her while she was divorcing Ed Morrow, but she needed to figure things out for herself, to prove that she was strong enough to do right by her kids. Much as it killed me to sit idly by while she struggled, letting her get back on her feet on her own was the right thing to do. She didn’t need a knight in shining armor. She needed a partner, someone who’d treat her like a woman with a lot to offer.”
“I suppose you think that’s the strategy for winning Adelia, too,” Gabe said.
Mitch leveled a long look at him. “Do you need a strategy?”
Gabe thought about the question. It was fraught with all sorts of implications. “No way,” he said candidly. “I only came here with the intention of getting back on my feet, maybe making amends.”
Mitch frowned. “You did nothing wrong, Gabe. You don’t owe anybody in this town a thing.”
“But my mother was a piece of work. In my zeal to defend her, I made my share of mistakes.”
“Okay, let’s say you make amends. Then what?”
Gabe hesitated, pondering the question, then shrugged. “I’ll probably move on. I can’t see myself putting down roots, here or any place else.”
“Then a word of advice. Be careful with Adelia, my friend. We all recognize how strong she is, but she doesn’t see it just yet. Give her time to get there and don’t do anything that might lead her to believe you’re staying. And if you think that word of warning is coming just from me, think again. You ever heard of the Sweet Magnolias?”
Gabe shook his head. “Who are they?”
“It’s not an official organization or anything, but a lot of the women in town have formed this deep bond. They look out for each other, and heaven help anyone who messes with them. You probably remember Maddie Maddox?”
“Doesn’t sound familiar.”
“She would have been Maddie Vreeland in school. Then she married and became a Townsend. When that ended in divorce, she married the high school baseball coach. Anyway, she, Dana Sue Sullivan and Helen Decatur-Whitney started calling themselves Sweet Magnolias way back in high school.”
Gabe held up a hand. “Slow down.” He described the three women who’d been entering the bakery as he’d fled to get away from Lynn’s teasing on the afternoon Selena had gone missing.
“They’re the women who started it,” Mitch confirmed. “Over the years, they’ve included a bunch of other women, Lynn among them. I’m not sure what they do beyond the occasional margarita night get-together, but they sure do stick up for one another. I wouldn’t want to tangle with them or get their backs up, that’s for sure. I’m not sure I’d be married to Lynn right now if they’d objected to it.”
Mitch grinned. “Fortunately, Maddie, Helen and Dana Sue and I go way back. They jumped on my side. In addition to any wooing I did, Lynn got the full-court press from the Sweet Magnolias, too.” His expression sobered. “I’m just saying, if you do anything to hurt Adelia, they’ll be all over you. I have a hunch her recovery’s going to be their next project.”
The advice was perfectly reasonable, but Gabe took offense just the same. “Whatever my flaws might be, Mitch, they don’t include a trail of brokenhearted women. Listening to my mom cry her eyes out at night taught me to be honest and never offer something I don’t intend to deliver.”
His cousin nodded. “Good to know.” A grin spread across his face. “Something tells me, though, that battling wits with you could be just what Adelia needs to get her confidence back.”
Gabe waved those yellow pages in his cousin’s face. “So, I was right. Despite all those warnings you just uttered, you do have some crazy idea about pushing the two of us together for more than fixing up that house of hers.”
Mitch shrugged, his expression innocent. “The work needs to be done. You’re good at what you do. If a few sparks fly in the process, all the better.” He gave Gabe an amused look. “For both of you. Just keep in mind those boundaries I warned you about.”
Gabe scowled at his cousin, suddenly wondering if coming back to Serenity had been as smart a move as he’d once thought it was. “I’m not likely to forget.”
* * *
Chic closed promptly at six on Saturday, though it was usually closer to seven by the time Adelia wrapped up all the chores she felt were necessary before locking up for the night. When she stepped outside, she was stunned to find Gabe leaning casually against the building. He straightened at the sight of her.
Adelia regarded him with confusion. “Were you waiting for me?”
He grinned. “What was your first clue? You know any other pretty women in the neighborhood?”
“Gabe!” she protested. “You have to stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
What was he doing exactly, other than rattling her, that is? Was he flirting? It had been so long since any man had teased and flattered her, she couldn’t be entirely sure.
“Saying things like that,” she told him finally, then started striding down the block with the crazy idea that she might be able to shake him if she walked away quickly enough.
He easily fell into step beside her. “Hasn’t anybody ever told you how beautiful you are?” he inquired curiously.
“Not in a long time,” she admitted wistfully before she could stop herself.
He stared at her incredulously. “Then the men of Serenity are idiots,” he declared.
She smiled at his vehemence. “Or maybe they just had good instincts for self-preservation,” she suggested. “Until recently I was married, remember?”
“So compliments were reserved for your husband?”
“Something like that.”
“And did he lavish you with a lot of them?”
She frowned. She had a hunch he already knew the answer to that. “We’re divorced. What do you think?”
“Then I get to lump him in with all the other idiots,” he said.
Adelia stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. “Gabe, why were you waiting for me? And why are you walking home with me? If we were sixteen, I’d say you were angling to carry my schoolbooks.”
He laughed at that. “If I’d known you back then, I probably would have been.” He pulled the now-rumpled yellow pages from his back pocket. “I thought I could look over these projects of yours and try to get a handle on what needs doing first.”
For a few minutes, Adelia had forgotten all about the renovations
