Chapter 7
Cam
As it turned out Maxie’s paperwork was going to take some time.
Lawyers didn’t like to be rushed. Especially ones from Georgia.
I busied myself with the roster of jobs that was always on the books. Every night, I went over to the Delacroix house and found out some new idea Maxie had for the bed and breakfast.
We christened a few of the rooms, but the minute the sweat dried on our skin I got distracted by how much work needed to be done. It was going to take a big crew to do this.
Maybe even bigger than we had access to.
Since we had more jobs than we could juggle, this might be out of our wheelhouse. I started researching on my own for people in the area who specialized on old home renos.
As much as I wanted the job for our company, I knew when we were over our head.
But I’d make sure she was set up. And that I was helping her every inch of the way.
The more time I spent with Maxie, the more I knew that marriage seemed like a perfect fit more than a business merger. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that since it happened so damn fast.
And there was really only one person to ask about it.
I climbed the steps to my childhood home, instinctively skipping the one that squeaked. I opened the screen door and pushed open the big door to find Danny, my nephew, and his goofy dog in the kitchen.
Trouble scrambled up, his big paws slipping on the hardwood. I ruffled his ears. “Hey, buddy. Looks like you need your nails cut again.”
“Dad has chased him with the clippers twice this week.” Danny didn’t look up from his paper. “He’s a scaredy cat.”
“What are you working on?”
Danny peered up at me. “Stupid math homework.”
“Lame.”
“Tell me about it.” He had his Fruit Snacks lined up in front of him in color order. He picked one and popped it into his mouth before he resumed his crouch over the paper.
“Cam?”
“Yeah, Ma, it’s me.”
Anna Murdock came down the stairs a stack of towels in hand.
Her dark hair streaked with silver and pulled back in a braid that hung down her back.
She wore her usual denim shirt over soft black pants and ugly Crocs.
“I didn’t know you were coming.” She angled her head for a kiss on her cheek and I obliged.
“Needed some mom advice.”
Her light eyes twinkled. “My favorite thing.”
I grinned. “I know.” I wandered over to the stove to see what was in the Dutch oven. My stomach growled at the chicken stew.
She bumped me aside to put the towels in the cupboard beside the stove. “Go sit. I’ll make you a bowl. You’re too early for dumplings.”
“Damn.”
She narrowed her gaze at me.
“Darn?”
She shook her head. “I suppose it’s useless to think Danny doesn’t hear swear words when he’s around you guys all day.”
“I get dad with the swear jar quite a bit. Mom too.” Danny waggled his eyebrows. “I’m going to get that new Mario Kart game in no time.”
My mom and I laughed. “Smart kid.” I sat down, kicking out my legs with a muffled groan. I’d been crouched under a butcher block counter for the last two hours. The homeowner wanted an under mounted sink. I had to make sure the crew didn’t hurt the expensive wood and ended up doing it myself.
“Too smart sometimes.” My mom lifted off the lid and ladled me out a large bowl. She set it beside me with two rolls and a spoon.
“Thanks.”
“Danny, do you want to eat early?”
“Nah. Mom is making pizza tonight.”
She brushed the heavy fall of bangs out of his eyes. “Your favorite.”
My brother Sully and Nora had made for a pretty amazing, blended family. I was pretty sure the kid just loved saying mom all the time about his stepmother. Since it melted my future sister-in-law into a puddle, he got away with making up the menu more times than not.
The creak of the screen door and my brother’s heavy boots entered the kitchen.
“Dad!” Danny slammed his notebook closed and shoved it in his book bag. “You’re early.”
“Yeah, finished up and decided to call it quits. Pizza night.” He grunted as Danny crashed into him followed directly by the dog. “Man, what’s with the welcome?”
“Since you’re early, think we can get pepperonis for the pizza? We don’t have any in the fridge.”
“We can do that.”
Danny peered up at him. “Maybe ice cream too?”
“Did you do your homework?”
“Yup!”
He glanced at our mother.
“He’s been working diligently. Don’t forget your Fruit Snacks.” Danny grabbed the handful left and shoved them in his mouth. “Ready,” he mumbled around them.
Danny ran out the door. “C’mon! I’m hungry.”
Sully shook his head. “I guess that’s it for my visit.” He kissed mom on top of her head. “Thanks for watching him.”
“He’s no trouble at all.”
“You good, Cam?”
I dipped my spoon into the thick vegetables and meat. “Just getting a free meal.”
“Haven’t seen you around much. You’re always disappearing off the sites as soon as we’re done.”
“You know me. I love my workshop.”
Sully gave me a long look. “All right. Well, I’ll see you later then.”
When he left, I kept staring down at my bowl.
“Care to clue me in on the truth.”
“Do you remember Maxie Delacroix?”
“Sure. She used to hang out with Gus and Eloise, I think. We stopped at the services for Lucinda, but I assumed she went back to Georgia.”
I shook my head. “She inherited the old mansion.”
“Oh. I suppose that’s not surprising.” She got up and fixed herself a mug of coffee with my dad’s current obsession, the espresso machine.
“I’ve been going over there to help out.”
She turned as the machine did its thing. “Is it a secret?”
“No.” I ripped apart my roll. “Not exactly.”
“Okay, so where do I come in with advice?”
“I’m going to marry her.”
She knocked over the canister of espresso pods. “I’m sorry. What?”
“There’s a thing with the will. She needs to be married to inherit it.”
My mom gave an exasperated sigh. “Lucinda is something else.” She finished steaming her milk and sat down with her oversized mug. “Why would she put that poor girl through that?”
“Something about wanting security for her granddaughter. Supposedly for Maxie’s mom too but she seems...difficult.”
She snorted. “That’s an understatement. Marcella is a hot mess express.”
I laughed. “Mom.”
“What? Is that not the term?”
“Kind of.”
She pulled the jar over from the center of the table and took out a few sugar cookies. “She prefers to be in Saratoga where the action is.” She made quotes in the air. “More like where the rich guys are. I’m actually surprised Marcella never trapped a husband.”
I choked on a carrot.
“She’s not a nice woman. I always liked Maxie though. She used to tag along with Gus for dinners in the summer.”
“Oh, I remember.”
She laughed. “You always did have eyes for her.”
“Still do.”
“Is that so?”
I nodded. “She needs my help. Problem is, I don’t think it’s a formality for me. Is that nuts? I mean I’ve known her since I was a kid, but not...”
“Your father and I got married with only knowing each other a few weeks.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “How have you not heard that story?”
I shrugged. “Too busy sanding shit.”
“That’s a fact. We never could get you out of the garage once you learned how to use the tools.” She laughed. “Of course, you’re going to fall for a woman who has a perpetual project house.”
“I didn’t think of it that way.”
“There’s no timetable for love. Look at us. Six kids and one grandkid so far.” She folded her hands around her mug. “Are you going to beat Sully to the aisle?”
“Maybe. Maxie wants to just go to the courthouse.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Mom. We have Sully’s wedding coming up next month. We can’t plan a wedding before that. She needs it done quickly so she can take care of the house. Her grandmother tied up all the money in the stipulations for the will. You should see the rooms. It needs a ton of work.”
“All I hear are excuses. Gus can marry you in the backyard.”
“What? How?”
“He got some sort of certificate to help people get married in Brazil. That would work for you, right?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“No buts. No son of mine is doing a courthouse wedding. We have a big backyard, and we’ll just wrap it up into Thanksgiving. And look at that you’ll never forget your anniversary.”
“Like I’d forget,” I muttered.
She covered my hand. “Does Maxie know you’re in love with her already?”
“No.” I sighed. “She’d just call it lust.” I felt my neck get hot. “Sorry, Mom.”
She patted my hand. “There’s a reason your father and I fell so fast too.” She winked.
“Kill me.” I picked up my spoon.
“I always knew one of my kids would fall fast and hard. Somehow almost all of you did. You’re just going to beat the rest of them down the aisle.”
“This is nuts.”
Maxie was going to kill me.
This just got a helluva lot more complicated.