Chapter Three
L ater that afternoon, Lee was distracting Adam. Not by anything she was actively doing, because she wasn’t actually doing anything. She’d simply been sitting on the rock at the edge of the water for the longest time. She was staring at the lake, apparently lost in thought.
Adam was supposed to be lost as well. Lost in work that was piled in front of him on his makeshift desk, known as the kitchen table. A kitchen table near a window that overlooked the lake. For some reason, the files on his laptop didn’t seem nearly as interesting as the woman in his sights.
Little Mary Eileen had grown into a beautiful woman.
He wondered if she was dating anyone, then realized it didn’t matter. He might be interested, but even though she was available, and was easily the most intriguing woman he’d met—well, not met, but remet—in years, he didn’t have time for a woman in his life.
He had Jessie.
He had decisions to make.
He had a business to worry about. Though Delmark, Inc. was in capable hands with Darius, his vice-president, at the helm, relinquishing control was foreign to Adam, so he was still trying to keep his eye on things, even long distance.
The company primarily worked on developing new computer systems. But recently, they’d developed an idea for a new processor. After they’d filed for a patent, they’d been inundated with offers for it. They could sell the rights, and make a tidy profit, or they could start an offshoot of Delmark and produce the chips themselves.
Adam was leaning toward expanding the company and producing and marketing the chips themselves. Delmark was on the cusp of a huge change.
It really wasn’t the ideal time to be away from the company, but Jessie had to be his priority. The chip wasn’t going anywhere. There was time for those decisions. But she deserved to have her future settled as soon as possible. Should he keep her, or let her live with her grandparents?
They were in their early seventies, but still active. Could they keep up with Jessie?
If he decided to retain custody, could he balance Jessie’s needs with Delmark’s?
By the time he left Erie next month, he’d have an answer.
Jessie bellowed that her naptime had ended. It was almost a relief to shut down the laptop. He went to retrieve her from her crib.
“Hey, there, mighty lungs,” he murmured as he got her up. “How about a diaper change, then we can head outside?”
She gurgled her agreement to his plan. “Da,” she added.
“Adam,” he repeated, which made her smile.
He redressed her as she continued crooning, “Da, da, da.”
“We need to work on your vocabulary, little girl,” he said as they walked out of the cottage. Without giving it any thought, he automatically headed toward Lee, who was still sitting on the rock.
“Hello,” he called.
It took her a moment to respond, but she turned and smiled. “Hello, yourself.”
“I wondered if you’d let me buy you lunch as a thank you for watching Jessie this morning, and as an apology for my behavior before.”
He hadn’t planned to ask—had just decided he didn’t have time for a woman, in fact—but as the words slipped out, he realized there was nothing more that he wanted to do than spend an afternoon with Lee.
“That’s not necessary. No harm, no foul.”
“Still, I’d like to.”
“I was going to head into the Square. I finished a piece for a client and want to get it to the shop so she can pick it up.”
“Do you have to work?”
“I recently hired someone and with her there, I’ve been working in the showroom less and less. I make most of the pieces here at home.”
“And you have nothing pressing that you have to do today?”
“Just deliver that one piece,” she admitted slowly.
“Well, I could ride in with you and once you drop it off, we could get something to eat in town when you’re done.”
She shook her head, causing the sun to bounce off her highlights. “Really, it’s not necessary.”
“You do eat, right?” he teased.
He wasn’t sure why he didn’t just accept her no and leave her in peace. All he knew was he really wanted to spend time with Lee, to get to know the woman the girl he’d known had grown into.
She smiled. “Yes, I eat on occasion.”
“Well, oddly enough, so do I. You can show me around town. I haven’t been back since I left for New York all those years ago.”
“And now you’ve brought your daughter back.”
“Cousin,” he corrected.
Lee paused a moment, then repeated, “Cousin?”
“The uncle I left to live with?” Adam felt a stab of pain, a hollowness as he thought about Paul and Cathie. He pushed it aside. “Jessie’s his daughter.”
“Oh.”
He thought she might ask why he had the baby, but she didn’t. She got up, took a few steps, then turned around and said, “So, are you coming?”
He pushed the pain back into the recesses and grinned. “Absolutely.”
His cousin. The baby was his cousin. He’d already admitted that he wasn’t married.
Lee had wanted to ask why the baby was with Adam, but she’d seen he was hurting as he’d talked about his uncle and she didn’t want to intrude on whatever his sorrow was.
She reached in her pocket and touched that small heart-shaped piece of glass. She’d meant to tuck it back in her memento box, but instead had put it in her pocket. She wasn’t sure why. Until Adam had shown up, she’d practically forgotten the small bit of glass that had nudged her in a direction that was now her livelihood.
As they drove into Erie, Lee kept up a rolling commentary on changes and sites in the area, not because she thought he was interested, but because she felt the need to fill the silence.
“I’ll drop this off at the store. It’ll only take me a moment, then we can go to lunch,” she stated, having exhausted her travelogue.
“No problem. Jessie and I have no plans for the rest of the day.”
He got the baby out of her car seat, went to the back of the SUV and, one-handed, pulled out a stroller.
“Do you need help?” Lee asked.
“Jessie and I are getting this down to a science. The first few weeks she was with me, I was a mess, but I’ve learned to do a lot of things.”
“So she hasn’t been with you long then?”
He put Jessie in the stroller and busied himself buckling her in.
“My uncle and his wife were in an accident two months ago. I figured Cathie’s parents would take Jessie, but Cathie and Paul named me Jessie’s guardian. That’s why I’m here. I’ve taken the month off from work so I can try to figure out what to do. Jessie’s grandparents have asked to have her and part of me knows they’d probably do a better job, but then I bump into the fact Paul asked me to do it. He trusted me. I don’t know if I can turn my back on that, on the other hand I don’t know if I can balance work and playing single cousin. She’s the only relative I have left in the world.”
Lee reached out and touched his forearm. “I’m sorry.”
He nodded, accepting her concern as empathy rather than pity.
“And since you don’t have to make any decisions today, let’s just concentrate on having some fun. If you have time, we could maybe take Jessie to the zoo after lunch. I’ve read about all their new additions, but haven’t visited.”
He smiled despite the ache in his heart. “We have time.”
“Great. Then come on, we’ve got a full day ahead of us.”
“I know I was in the store the day I rented the cottage, but I’d like a full tour.”
“Sure.” She held the door for Adam, who was pushing the stroller.
“Hi, Juliet,” she called out to the young brunette behind the counter. “I brought Mrs. Ramsey’s piece.”
“Great. She called…again.” Juliet Myers eyed Adam and Jessie. “Are you going to introduce me?”
“Juliet, this is Adam and Jessie.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said to Adam, then in a soft voice for Lee’s ears only she added, “Way. To. Go.”
Lee glanced over her shoulder, but Adam didn’t appear to have overheard. He was spinning a beachglass wind chime for Jessie.
“It’s not like that,” Lee snapped.
“Uh-huh. Tell me another one. Pearly’s already alerted the whole Square.” Louder she said, “I’m going in the back to call Mrs. Ramsey. She’ll be thrilled.”
“She seems nice,” Adam said, coming up behind Lee as she stood, sputtering silently, wanting to set things straight with both Juliet and Pearly.
Okay, maybe there would be no setting things straight with Pearly. Once the older woman made up her mind, there was no unmaking it. But surely Juliet could do a bit of damage control on Lee’s behalf.
“Juliet is nice. Unfortunately, she doesn’t really have a handle on the whole boss-employee relationship thing.”
“I’ve got employees like that as well.”
As Adam chuckled, Lee felt a sense of camaraderie. “Even if she doesn’t realize I’m the boss. I originally hired her for just one afternoon a week, and now she’s in the store more than I am sometimes. I don’t know what I did without her.”
“I’m sure you did just fine,” Adam assured her. “The store is wonderful. So tell me about it.”
“Well, let’s see, I make most of the pieces, although we do sell some on commission for other local artists.”
He turned and tapped the wind chime again, making Jessie squeal with glee. “Where do you get your glass? You can’t collect all this on the beach yourself.”
“I do collect some, but we also purchase it from people who bring it in. It’s a popular summer hobby for a number of locals. Especially young kids looking to earn a bit of pocket change.”
“And then you turn the bits of glass into art like this,” he said nodding at several wind chimes hanging nearby.
“That’s a new idea. Mainly I make jewelry, but I was at a friend’s and she had these loud wind chimes, and I thought if only they were softer, then I…” She shrugged, sure that Adam wouldn’t be interested in the intricacies of the process.
“Then you had a strike of inspiration and made this?”
She nodded.
“I think Jessie’s hooked. We’ll take it.”
Adam’s cell phone rang as Lee packed the chimes. The sound brought back memories of her ex; he’d worked in real estate. His cell phone was never turned off because he was afraid he’d miss a commission. It often felt as if it never stopped ringing.
Lee tamped down her feelings of irritation. Adam wasn’t her ex; he was just an old friend in town for a month. How he mixed business and his personal life was up to him.
Juliet walked back into the room. “Mrs. Ramsey is on her way over. You’d best make your escape while you can.”
Lauralee Ramsey was a valued customer and a very sweet woman, but she was a talker. The woman could hold her own against Pearly Gates, and that was saying something.
“Thanks for the warning. Can you finish packing the chimes? Adam wants it. We’ll pick it up after lunch.”
“Blarney Scone or Monarch’s?” Juliet asked.
Adam snapped his cell phone shut and said, “Did someone mention food?”
“Do you have a preference?” Lee asked.
“As long as I don’t have to cook it, I’m pretty easy going.”
“Then I think it’s Monarch’s. We can grab a quick sandwich before we take Jessie to the zoo.”
“Great,” Juliet bubbled. “Parker’s back from the big wedding and honeymoon. The place is bustling with groupies wanting a chance to congratulate her in person.”
“Groupies?” Adam asked.
“Turns out, Parker’s a princess,” Juliet told him as she continued wrapping the chimes. “She and her two friends opened Titles, the bookstore, and Monarch’s coffeehouse. But now Cara and Shey are in Europe being all princessy. So Parker, who doesn’t really care for the whole princess thing, is back from the wedding and looking for someone to run Titles.”
“Is Shelley staying on at Monarch’s?” Lee asked.
“Yep. She’s officially engaged to Peter as of last week.”
“I guess you had to be there,” Adam said, looking lost.
Lee laughed. “You sort of did. The Square has had a booming romance thing going on the last few years. We topped it off last summer with a triple wedding. Parker, the princess, and Jace, the private investigator her father hired. Her friend Shey fell in love with Parker’s supposed prince fiancé, and their friend Cara fell for Parker’s brother, the future king.”
“And don’t forget Pearly,” Juliet added with a sigh. “She went to Europe for the wedding and rediscovered her first love, Buster. He just got back to the States last month and the two of them are on cloud nine.”
“Royalty in Erie?” Adam asked. “There hasn’t been any mention of that in the paper.”
“The paper has stayed hands-off the story, so we all know, but—”
“But it’s a secret,” Juliet finished.
“The most public secret in Perry Square’s history,” Lee assured him.
Adam laughed. “So, you’re taking me to dine with royalty?”
Lee shrugged and grinned. “Hey, what can I say? Erie’s got it all.”
“Yes, Erie definitely has a lot going for it.” As he said the words he shot Lee a look that made her heart speed up and her temperature kick up a few degrees in a way that had nothing to do with the warm earlysummer day.
Monarch’s was a bustling hive of activity. The coffeehouse’s tables were all filled and there was a short line at the counter. The glass deli case was filled with sandwiches and salads. There was a soda machine at one end, and a dozen thermal coffee carafes lined a small station next to it.
But Lee’s focus wasn’t on what type of sandwich she wanted. She was too busy eying the lunchtime crowd nervously. Bringing Adam here might have been a big mistake. “Why don’t we get our lunches to go? I mean, we’d have to wait for a table, and last time I was at the zoo, they had a great area for picnicking.”
Yes, eating with the animals was preferable to eating with the women who even now eyed Adam as if he were a tasty treat.
Pearly was bad enough, but if Josie and Mabel got their hands on him, even Libby, who was standing with them and would probably try to run interference, wouldn’t be able to save her.
Even as she was thinking it, the trio left their place in line and came back to where Lee, Adam and Jessie waited.
Josie was the big-haired redhead manicurist at Snips and Snaps, the beauty shop Libby owned and Pearly worked at. Mabel was the neighborhood acupuncturist.
“Uh, ho,” was all the warning she had time for before they reached them.
“What…?” Adam started, but then he tracked where Lee was looking.
“Now, who is this?” Mabel asked no one in particular.
Josie snapped her gum and smiled. “I’m betting you’re Adam.” Before Adam could respond, Josie continued, “Pearly told us Lee had a man living with her.”
“Next to me,” Lee felt compelled to correct.
“And this must be Jessie,” Josie said, ignoring Lee.
Libby, the youngest of the trio by at least a decade, laughed. “Sorry. I tried to stop them.”
“Thanks.” Lee remembered her manners, said, “Adam, this is Mabel, Josie and Libby. They all work on the Square. Ladies, Josie was right, this is Adam Benton and his niece Jessie. They’re renting my other cottage.”
“Renting your cottage?” Josie repeated. “Is that what they call it these days?”
Mabel snorted, and Lee could tell Libby was trying to look stern, but the small smile that played at the corners of her mouth ruined the effect.
“Next,” Parker called.
“That’s us.” Lee felt a sense of relief. She turned from her curious neighbors and smiled at Perry Square’s personal princess, although the tall blonde looked more like a college student in her jeans and T-shirt, than royalty.
“Tuna on whole wheat, for me. Adam?”
“That sounds great.”
“Got it,” Parker said. But rather than get the sandwiches, she smiled in Adam’s direction. He was holding Jessie. “Hi, Adam. I’ve heard a lot about you. And this is?”
“Jessie,” he said. “And just what have you heard?”
“You’re living with Lee—”
“Renting my cottage,” she corrected.
“And you’re here for a month. You brought your niece with you, and you work in New York.”
“How—?” he started to ask.
Lee interrupted. “Don’t bother asking. The Square has its ways. And of course the fact Parker’s married to a private investigator means she’s got more ways than others.”
Parker laughed as she handed over a bag with the sandwiches. “Picnic?”
“We’re taking Jessie to the zoo.”
“So, you’re dating now?” Mabel asked from behind them.
Lee had almost forgotten them in the face of Parker’s curiosity. She realized that they were surrounded. Time to make a break for it. “Well, ladies, Parker, we’ve got to go.”
“Have fun,” Parker said.
“And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Josie added.
“That leaves the door wide open,” Mabel teased.
“Run,” Libby stage-whispered.
Lee, hurrying Adam and Jessie in front of her, was happy to oblige.
Adam was still chuckling over the coffeeshop interrogation two hours later as they sat in a quiet corner of the zoo.
Lee glared at him. “It wasn’t that funny.”
“It was.”
“You should be horrified by the inquisition. And I don’t think either of us mentioned that you were from New York, which probably means Parker had her husband, Jace, check you out.”
Adam knew he should be upset by the thought, but he just couldn’t manage it. He liked that Lee had so many people looking after her, but she was too busy stewing about the incident to hear that, so he opted to change the subject.
“I think Jessie enjoyed herself.” His cousin was sound asleep in her stroller, clutching the stuffed baby orangutan that Lee had insisted on buying her.
“Yes, I think she did. Isn’t the zoo great? They’ve done so many things the last few years…”
Adam listened as Lee rhapsodized over the zoo’s improvements and smiled. There was something about her. Whether she was sitting by herself, quietly watching the lake, or surrounded by friends whose concern flustered her, or holding Jessie…there was something that touched him. Something that called to him.
He’d felt it all those years ago. But now, the feeling was different.
He realized the bench was much too wide for his liking and slid a little closer to Lee. He felt the distinct need to touch her. Well, if he was honest, more than just touch.
“Lee, I—” At that moment, his cellphone rang, which startled Jessie from her light nap.
Lee practically jumped from the bench. “You get that, and I’ll get Jessie.”
Adam, annoyed by the interruption, answered the phone, “Hello?”
But even as he listened, he watched Lee raise Jessie out of the stroller and the warm feeling spread through his system again.
Yes, there was something between them and somehow he planned to find a way to explore what it was.
As they drove toward the cottages hours later, Adam’s cell phone rang for the umpteenth time.
Lee didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but there was no way to avoid it. It was obviously yet another business call.
Lee couldn’t quite shake memories of her ex. It had haunted her all day.
Alan had also carried his cell with him everywhere. She couldn’t remember a time when their evenings and weekends hadn’t been interrupted by calls. Business came first. That was Alan’s motto.
He’d claimed that he worked so hard for her, for their future, and she’d bought it at first, but soon she’d come to realize that he worked so hard to satisfy some inner sense of ambition and drive. Lee couldn’t live that way, and he couldn’t curb his workaholism. It was just one of the reasons why they should never have been together. One of the reasons they’d eventually grown apart.
As Adam drove past a vineyard, Lee took in the view, just as she always did. She glanced at Adam and he didn’t seem to notice how breathtaking the grapevines were against the backdrop of the lake. His concentration was centered on the road and the conversation in his ear, just as it had been three times during lunch.
“Okay, we’ll finish tomorrow.” He pulled the earphone out, then turned to Lee and grinned. “We’re almost there.”
“Yes, we are.” She turned back toward her door and stared out the window.
“Hey, did I do something?”
Adam sounded genuinely confused and Lee pushed her annoyance away. After all, he wasn’t her ex. This wasn’t a date. He was an old friend who was renting her cottage for a month. He had every right to deal with business on a Sunday.
She turned back to him and smiled. “No, you didn’t do anything. I was just distracted by how beautiful everything is here in the early summer. We’re beyond that early spring come-to-life period and entering into a season of establishment. Things are growing, the water’s warming. Everything’s just perfect.”
He didn’t respond to her little, semi-embarrassing monologue, as he pulled off the main road onto the small dirt road that wound down to the twin cottages. Lee was thankful. She really loved the lake, especially during the summer, but she didn’t normally rhapsodize about it like that.
As they approached the cottages, her perfect worldview died in a fatal burst. She groaned as she spied the giant RV parked just behind her cottage. She might have been confused as to who the owners were, if they hadn’t been sitting on her porch chairs.
“What are they doing here?” she muttered. “And what on earth are they doing with an RV?”
“Company?” Adam asked.
“My parents.”
“I don’t really remember them from when I was younger,” he mused.
No, he wouldn’t remember them.
It had been her grandmother who’d cared for her, spent time with her—it had been her grandmother’s house she went to after school each day. Her official address might have been at her parent’s house in Erie proper, but her grandmother’s cottage was her home. While her mom and dad were putting in the long hours required to build a business from scratch, her grandmother had pretty much raised her.
Her parents waved and started toward the SUV as Adam parked it in front of his cottage.
“Hi, honey,” her mother called in a too-jovial sort of tone that made Lee suddenly nervous.
“What are you two doing here?” she asked, and then realized how inhospitable she sounded. To ease the sting, she stepped forward and hugged her mom, then her father.
Before her mother answered her first question, Lee couldn’t help asking a second question. “And what on earth are you doing with an RV?”
“An RV? ” her father parroted. “This isn’t just an RV. It’s a Coachmen Elite. The outside color is called Copper Mist. Inside there are cherry cabinets, two flat-screen televisions, a full bath, a queen bed in the master bedroom, and a pullout up front. We’ve even got our sedan hitched to it at the back. It—”
Her mother interrupted him. “Your father’s a little excited. I don’t think she needs a recap of the features, dear. And to answer your question, we’ve got an RV because we retired. We’re going to spend some time touring the country,” her mother said heartily. Too heartily. “You’re our first stop.”
“Well, congratulations,” Lee said, not knowing what else to say to the shocking news.
Her parents…retired?
She never considered they’d leave work behind. Not ever. Their business was everything to them. They’d started a small accounting firm here in Erie, and merged with a statewide firm, moving to Philadelphia ten years ago, just after Lee had graduated from high school. Oh, they’d visited Erie frequently to check on the branch here…and check on Lee.
But retired?
“What about the firm?”
“We let the partners buy us out,” her mother said.
Lee noticed that her father, who might have been a salesman for Coachmen Recreational Vehicles when describing his new toy, wasn’t saying much of anything about his retirement, and she wondered what that meant. But she didn’t press. She simply said, “So you retired, then you bought an RV.”
“And here we are,” her mother concluded. Then looked beyond Lee’s shoulder.
Lee turned and saw Adam and Jessie there.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Adam, this is my mother and father, Margaret and Aston Singer. Mom and Dad, Adam Benton and this is Jessie.”
Hand shaking and pleased-to-meet-yous gave Lee a moment to gather herself. Her parents had retired and come to visit. It was a lot to take in.
“Want a tour?” her father asked.
It was obvious he wanted her to want a tour, so she smiled and replied, “I’d love one.”
Her dad was in heaven as he described all the whosits and whatsits of her parents’ new home away from home.
Lee had to admit, the RV was far more spacious than she would have imagined, and the interior decor was beautiful.
As the tour wound down, she asked her most pressing question. “So, how long are you staying?”
“Indefinitely,” answered her father.
“How long is indefinitely?” Adam asked later that evening.
Lee jumped at the sound of his voice interrupting the still of the night. She was sitting on her porch trying to sort out the recent turn of events. “I’m going to have to bell the cat or the neighbor in your case.”
He laughed. “I don’t think I’m all that quiet. You just tend to come out here at night and get lost.”
He was right. Gazing out at the evening sky and the pitch blackness that was the lake was enough to settle her mind and allow her to sleep most evenings.
But not tonight.
“Wow,” Adam said. “You’re not talking. Was dinner with your parents that bad?”
“Let’s just say, lunch with you and Jessie was better, even with all your cell phone interruptions.”
“I don’t know if I should ask what happened with your parents, or apologize for the interruptions. Normally I do have the weekends off, but with being away, things at the office are crazy, hence all the calls. I think I’ll just settle for both. I’m sorry, and what happened?”
Lee felt guilty. “I shouldn’t have complained about the phone. It really wasn’t my place. It’s just you reminded me of my ex and…well, now I’m apologizing. Like I said, it wasn’t my place. As for dinner with the parents, it was pretty much same old, same old. ‘Honey, we’re so happy to see you. How’s work…if you can call playing with trinkets work.’ Blah, blah, blah is pretty much what I hear anymore. Now that Dad has spare time, he went ahead and developed a five-year plan that would make Singer’s Treasures bigger and better. ‘A real success, dear.’” She had the imitation of her parents down to a T, she realized.
“They don’t see that what you do isn’t playing, it’s art? I saw that when I visited…. The shop is special. Your work is amazing.”
“No, that’s not what they see. They see wasted potential. I have a degree in art, and I minored in business. After they realized that I wasn’t interested in pursuing the business end of things, they’d hoped I’d work at some upscale gallery, something they could brag about.” Sometimes she felt as if all her parents had ever been after were bragging rights.
When she was younger, they’d introduce her to friends, then proceed to talk about her straight A s, or her success on the track team.
They seemed to feel her small Perry Square shop didn’t have any brag-ability. She felt as if all their prodding was their attempt to get it back.
“So, instead of me managing an upscale gallery or working at the Smithsonian, all they have to share with friends is my small shop on the Square. I don’t think Singer’s Treasures measures up to their expectation. I mean, it pays the bills, but it’s never going to make me rich. I have enough to pay Juliet’s salary, expenses and support myself in the way I want to live. That’s not good enough for them.”
That was true, but what she didn’t say was that it wasn’t just that she didn’t think her business was good enough for them, she was pretty sure she wasn’t good enough.
On the other hand, though her parents had done their normal make-your-business-more-of-a-success talk, it hadn’t been the driving force of the discussion. They talked enthusiastically about their RV and their plans. They’d asked about Adam. Even asked if Lee was dating, what she was doing for fun. Those personal inquiries were so unlike them.
Adam brushed her arm, calling her attention back to him. “I’m sorry.”
“Seems like that’s been our refrain tonight.” She tried to laugh, but it came out sort of hollow to her own ears. “Really, I’m used to my parents. There are some things in life you just have to get over. I know they love me, and truly, I love them, but we’re different. I have different goals than they do, different priorities. They’re never going to accept me the way I am, and I’m never going to change just for their benefit. It’s a stalemate.”
“Still…”
She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “You don’t have to try and make it better. Sometimes it’s just nice to have a friendly shoulder.”
“Don’t let your parents or anyone make you feel like you should apologize for your work, Lee. And knowing what you want and making it happen…that’s rare.”
“What do you want, Adam? We’ve talked about my store, my goals, my parents. But what about you? You and Jessie.”
“That’s what I’m here to find out. What I want. No, not really what I want. What’s best for Jessie. That’s what it boils down to. And I’ve got the rest of the month to work it out.”