She looked around for a place to sit, and not spotting an open chair, perched on Ted"s right thigh. "Weird. You"re usually so consistent."
"Spence intimidated me," Ted said with all kinds of sincerity. "He"s as good a seven handicap as I"ve ever played with."
Kenny tilted back in his chair. "Lots of interesting events happening around here today, Torie. Meg was just filling Spence in on her unrequited love for Ted. Who knew, right?"
Torie"s eyes widened with surprise, followed almost immediately by antic.i.p.ation. Right then Meg understood. Even with Torie balanced like a sleek, man-eating panther on Ted"s thigh and one arm draped over his shoulders, Meg knew they weren"t lovers. She didn"t understand exactly what their relationship was, or why they"d been together in the suite at the inn with Torie wrapped only in a towel, or why Torie had kissed him that night in his car. Despite all the evidence to the contrary-and despite Ted"s own words-she knew with absolute certainty these two were not intimate.
Torie took a sip from Ted"s beer and turned her attention to Meg. "I never get tired of hearing women"s stories, especially ones involving men. I swear, I"d read a romance novel every day if I didn"t have to chase after my kids. Did you just blurt it right out-tell Ted how you feel?"
Meg tried to look sincere. "I believe in honesty."
"She"s pretty sure he"ll come around," Kenny said.
Torie handed Ted"s beer back without taking her eyes off Meg. "I admire your self-confidence."
Meg extended her hands, palms out. "Why wouldn"t he come around? Look at me."
She expected snickers, but it didn"t happen. "Interesting," Torie said.
"Not interesting." Ted slid his beer out of Torie"s reach.
Torie took in Meg"s Sung dynasty earrings. "Probably best you haven"t heard about my stepmother"s new plan to raise money for the library repairs."
"Shelby hasn"t talked to me about any plan," Ted said.
Torie waved him off. "I"m sure someone will mention it to you sooner or later. The committee hasn"t finished ironing out the details."
Ted eyed Kenny. "Lady Emma say anything about this to you?"
"Not a word."
Torie was a woman on a mission, and she wouldn"t let herself be distracted for long. "Your honesty is refreshing, Meg. Exactly when did you realize you were in love with Ted? Before or after Lucy ditched him?"
"Lay off," Ted said pleasantly.
Torie stuck her perfectly shaped nose in the air. "I wasn"t talking to you. When it comes to women, you always leave out the interesting parts."
"After she left," Meg said, and then, more carefully, "there"s really nothing more to tell at this point. I"m still hoping to ... work through Ted"s issues." she left," Meg said, and then, more carefully, "there"s really nothing more to tell at this point. I"m still hoping to ... work through Ted"s issues."
"Remind me what those issues are," Torie said. "Ted being so perfect." A tiny gasp slipped through her glossy lips. "Oh, G.o.d, Teddy... Not that that issue! You told us the v.i.a.g.r.a helped." She leaned toward Spence, and in a fake whisper said, "Ted"s been fighting a courageous battle against erectile dysfunction." issue! You told us the v.i.a.g.r.a helped." She leaned toward Spence, and in a fake whisper said, "Ted"s been fighting a courageous battle against erectile dysfunction."
Skeet choked on his beer. Kenny laughed. Dallie winced, and Spence frowned. He wasn"t exactly certain whether or not Torie was joking, and he didn"t like feeling excluded. Meg experienced her first flash of sympathy, not for Spence, but for Ted, who looked as serene as ever, even though he definitely wasn"t. "Torie"s kidding, Spence." Meg gave a superexaggerated eye roll. "She"s really, really really kidding." And then, with fake guilt, "At least from what I"ve heard." kidding." And then, with fake guilt, "At least from what I"ve heard."
"Okay, that"s enough." Ted nearly dumped Torie as he came up out of his chair and caught her wrist. "Let"s dance."
"If I wanted to dance, I"d ask my brother," Torie retorted. "Somebody who doesn"t have two left feet."
"I"m not that bad," Ted said.
"Bad enough."
Kenny addressed Spence. "My sister is the only woman in Wynette-probably the entire universe-who"s ever told Ted the truth about his lack of ballroom skills. The rest of them bat their eyes and pretend he"s Justin Timberlake. Funnier"n h.e.l.l."
Ted"s eyes grazed Meg"s, just for an instant, before he turned away and pulled Torie toward the jukebox.
Spence watched them. "Your sister"s an unusual woman."
"Tell me about it."
"Her and Ted seem real close."
"Torie"s been Ted"s best female friend since he was a kid," Kenny said. "I swear, she"s the only woman under sixty who"s never been in love with him."
"Her husband doesn"t mind their friendship?"
"Dex?" Kenny smiled. "No. Dex is pretty self-confident."
Ted seemed to be doing more lecturing than dancing, and when he and Torie returned to the table, he made a point of grabbing an empty chair and seating her as far away from Spence as he could manage. That didn"t stop Torie from touting the advantages of Wynette as the perfect location for a golf resort, trying to figure out how much Spence was worth, inviting him to her stepmother"s Fourth of July party on Monday, and coercing him into a Sat.u.r.day afternoon golf match.
Ted looked pained and quickly announced that he and Kenny would join them. Torie glanced at Meg, and the mischievous glimmer in her eyes explained why Ted wanted to keep her far away from Skipjack. "Meg"s going to caddy for Ted again, right?"
Ted and Meg both spoke up. "No!"
But Kenny, for some unfathomable reason, decided that was a great idea, and with Spence saying the match wouldn"t be half as much fun without Meg, the handwriting was blood-spattered all over the wall.
When Spence disappeared to the men"s room, the conversation grew more sober. "Here"s what I can"t figure out," Torie said to Ted. "Spence"s people made it clear last spring that he"d eliminated Wynette and decided on San Antone. Then a month ago, without any warning, he pops up again and says Wynette"s back in the running. I"d like to know what happened to change his mind."
"The folks in San Antone are as surprised as we are," Ted said. "They thought they had it sewn up."
"Too bad for them." Torie waved at someone across the room. "We need this more than they do."
When it was time to leave, Dallie insisted on dropping Spence off at the inn, which was how Meg ended up alone in Ted"s Benz. She waited until they reached the highway before she broke the silence. "You"re not having an affair with Kenny"s sister."
"I"d better tell her that."
"And you never screwed around on Luce."
"Whatever you say."
"And"-she studied the easy way his hands curled over the steering wheel and wondered if anything ever came hard to this charmed creature-"if you want my continued cooperation with Spence-which I a.s.sure you that you do-we need to come to an understanding."
"Who says I need your cooperation?"
"Oh, you need it, all right." She slipped her fingers into her hair. "It"s fascinating, isn"t it, how impressed Spence is with my father and, by extension, with me? Insulting to my mother, of course, considering how powerful she is in the industry, not to mention being one of the most beautiful women in the world. Still, Spence did mention that he had her poster on his bedroom wall, and he"s definitely smitten with me, for whatever twisted reason. That means I"ve gone from a liability to an a.s.set, and you, my friend, need to work a little harder to please me, starting with those cheapskate tips. Spence gave Mark a hundred dollars today."
"Mark didn"t cost Spence three holes and I don"t know how many bad shots. But fine. Tomorrow I"ll tip you a hundred. Minus fifty dollars for every hole you cost me."
"Minus ten dollars for every hole I cost you, and it"s a deal. By the way, I"m not big on diamonds and roses, but an open account at the grocery wouldn"t go unappreciated."
He slanted her one of his saintly looks. "I thought you were too proud to take my money."
"Take it, yes. Earn it? Definitely not."
"Spence didn"t get where he is by being stupid. I doubt he bought that c.o.c.kamamie story of your unrequited pa.s.sion for me."
"He"d better have bought it because I won"t let that man paw me again, not for all the golf resorts in the world, and irresistible you is my excuse."
He lifted an eyebrow at her, then turned into the dark, narrow lane that led to her temporary home. "Maybe you should reconsider. He"s a decent-looking guy, and he"s rich. Frankly, he could be the answer to your prayers."
"If I were going to put a price tag on my lady parts, I"d find a more appetizing buyer."
Ted liked that, and he was still grinning when they pulled up to the church. She opened the pa.s.senger door to get out. He slipped his arm over the back of her seat and gave her a look she couldn"t quite fathom. "I a.s.sume I"m invited in," he said. "Considering the intensity of your feelings for me?"
He had her in his high beams, those amber eyes delivering his personal elixir of rapt attention, perfect understanding, deep appreciation, and forgiveness for all her sins.
He was totally messing with her.
She pulled a tragic sigh. "I need to get past your otherworldly perfection before I can begin to think about exposing you to my l.u.s.ty side."
"How l.u.s.ty?"
"Off the charts." She slid out of the car. "Good night, Theodore. Sweet dreams."
She climbed the stairs to the church doors with the glare from his headlights lighting her way. When she reached the top, she slipped the key in the lock and let herself inside. The church enfolded her. Dark, empty, lonely.
She spent the next day on the drink cart without getting fired, something she regarded as a major accomplishment, since she hadn"t been able to resist reminding a few of the golfers to dump their freaking beverage cans in the recycling containers instead of the trash bins. Bruce Garvin, the father of Birdie"s friend Kayla, was particularly hostile, and Meg suspected she had Spencer Skipjack"s interest in her to thank for her continued employment. She was also deeply grateful that news of her fake declaration of love for Ted didn"t seem to have spread. Apparently last night"s witnesses had decided to keep quiet, a miracle in a small town.
She greeted Birdie"s daughter, Haley, when she went into the snack shop to get fresh ice and replenish the beverages in the cart. Haley had either taken in the seams on her employee"s polo shirt or traded with someone smaller because the outline of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s was on full display. "Mr. Collins is playing today," she said, "and he"s big on Gatorade, so make sure you have plenty."
"Thanks for the tip." Meg pointed toward the candy bar display. "Mind if I take some of these? I"ll toss them on top of the ice and see if they sell."
"Good idea. And if you run into Ted, would you tell him I need to talk to him?"
Meg sincerely hoped she didn"t run into him.
"He"s turned off his cell," Haley said, "and I"m supposed to do his grocery shopping today."
"You do his grocery shopping?"
"I run errands for him. Mail packages. Do things he doesn"t have time for himself." She lifted some hot dogs out of the steamer. "I think I told you I"m his personal a.s.sistant."
"That"s right. You did." Meg concealed her amus.e.m.e.nt. She"d grown up around personal a.s.sistants, and they did a lot more than run errands.
When she got home that evening, she opened the windows, glad the need for secrecy was gone, then took a quick swim in the creek. Afterward, she sat cross-legged on the floor and examined some unclaimed costume jewelry she"d gotten permission to take from the club"s lost-and-found box. She liked working with jewelry, and the glimmer of an idea had been poking at her for the last few days. She retrieved a pair of ancient long-nosed pliers she"d found in a kitchen drawer and began taking apart an inexpensive charm bracelet.
A car pulled up outside, and a few moments later, Ted wandered in looking sloppy and gorgeous in navy slacks and a wrinkled gray sport shirt.
"Ever hear of knocking?" she said.
"Ever hear of trespa.s.sing?"
His open shirt collar revealed the suntanned hollow at the base of his throat. She stared at it for a moment too long, then jabbed at the jump ring attached to the bracelet"s clasp. "I got a text message from Lucy today."
"I don"t care." He moved deeper into the room, bringing with him the nauseating scent of undiluted goodness.
"She still won"t tell me what she"s doing or exactly where she is." The pliers slipped. She winced as she pinched her finger. "All she"ll say is that no terrorists have captured her and I shouldn"t worry."
"Repeat. Don"t care."
She sucked her finger. "Yes, you do, although not in the way most abandoned bridegrooms would care. Your pride"s injured, but your heart doesn"t even seem bruised, let alone broken."
"You don"t know anything about my heart."
The need to be disagreeable wouldn"t let go, and as she once again dragged her eyes away from that odious open shirt collar, she recalled a tidbit she"d picked up from Haley. "Don"t you think it"s a little embarra.s.sing for a man your age to still live with his parents?"
"I don"t live with my parents."
"Close enough. You have a house on the same property."
"It"s a big property, and they like having me nearby."
Unlike her own parents, who"d booted her out the door. "How sweet," she said. "Does Yummy Mummy tuck you in at night?"
"Not unless I ask her to. And you"re not exactly in a position to make Yummy Mummy cracks."
"True. But I don"t live with mine." She didn"t like him looming over her, so she uncoiled from the floor and wandered toward her only piece of living room furniture, the ugly brown upholstered chair Ted had left behind. "What do you want?"
"Nothing. Just relaxing." He meandered over to a window and ran his thumb along one side of the frame.
She perched on the chair arm. "You have a tough life for sure. Do you actually work? I mean aside from your so-called mayor"s job."
Her question seemed to amuse him. "Sure I work. I have a desk and a pencil sharpener and everything."
"Where?"
"Secret location."
"All the better to keep the women away?"
"To keep everybody away."
She thought that over. "I know you invented some kind of whiz-bang software system that made you a gazillion dollars, but I haven"t heard much talk about it. What kind of job do you have?"
"A lucrative job." He gave a quick, apologetic tilt of his head. "Sorry. Foreign word you wouldn"t understand."
"That"s just mean."