I brought ice cream.
Beg your pardon? One eye slid open, then the other.
Griffs Secret. A pint. Two spoons. Cold.
Say it again.
Ice cream.
Silence. Then I dont know why you went to the trouble of tracking me down, but I absolutely dont care. You can have whatever you want. Just show me the ice cream.
He lifted the pint container.
She swung around to a sitting position faster than a jet takeoff. Spoon, she said.
He produced two from his polo shirt pocket-as well as a hunk of napkins.
Do not watch me eat this, she instructed. I intend to inhale. And I may drool. You need to understand. Thomas Wolff had it right: You cant go home again. Im hot. Im miserable. No one likes me. If I were you, Id hide behind the veranda rail. Protect yourself from being seen with me.
If she made love with half the enthusiasm that she ate ice cream, bless her heart, Griff might just have to propose. Of course, hed have to test that theory. And at the moment, she definitely didnt look in the mood.
When he didnt interrupt her ice cream inhaling to intrude with conversation, she piped up. Did you hear the fire truck siren a couple hours ago?
Yup.
I set that fire.
Did you now? He didnt lean over to clean up the dab of Griffs Secret on her cheek, but man, he wanted to.
Im not sure what street it was on. Or where it was. In fact, I didnt have any idea Id set the fire until an old busybody four doors down came storming into Louellas kitchen to track me down. So, if thats why you stopped by-to hear it from the horses mouth, so to speak-now youve got it direct from me. The fire was all my fault. I did it. Fire settings in my blood. Im nothing but trouble. The only reason I came back to town was to cause trouble.
Thanks for sharing. Okay. He couldnt stop himself. That bit of ice cream on her chin was too tempting to ignore. Her eyes shot to his when she felt the touch of his finger. His eyes shot clear-cut communication right back.
So. He didnt have to worry anymore that she didnt feel the same electric click that he did. Both of them knew-speaking of fire-that there were potentially explosive sparks.
I took one look at you, he said, and before I had a clue about all that history, I just knew, right off that bat, that you were a wicked, wicked woman.
Watch it. A compliment like that could bring tears to my eyes. Most men who first meet me seem to immediately figure out Im a pretty plain old ordinary schoolteacher.
Plain old ordinary? That never crossed my mind. I took one look and thought theres a breath of fresh air in this town. A gorgeous, sexy woman, who can make a T-shirt look like designer clothes, has eyes a man could drown in, with character and mystery surrounding her like magic.
She almost choked on the last spoonful of ice cream. All right, all right. You know Ive been here a couple days, so as you might have guessed, I already know your story. You charm every female thats ever crossed your path-whether theyre two or ninety, married or single. Youve gotten a marriage proposal from every single woman in a three-county radius-
Not every single one, he corrected.
Just most. And I can see why. Youre adorable and all.
Thanks.
You started out in Savannah. Hard to imagine why youd settle in this itsy-bitsy town. But lots of people have been happy to fill me in on why they think you came here-even if I never asked. And I really dont need to pry into your life or anyone elses.
I understand. Once youre inside the town limits, it hits like a wave. The hot air from people talking about each other. Theres no escaping it.
Who knew? Anywaylets see what else I was told. You can, of course, correct or deny any of this. You come from a good family-that means, a Southern family, a family that was established here long enough to fight in the War of Northern Aggression. You went to a good school, North Carolina, I think I was told. Played B-ball. Everybody remembers that you graduated, but not what field you graduated in. No ones sure if you ever had a real job. Somehow, you didnt feel like making anything special of yourself.
Thats me. Just lazy as can be.
Yup. Thats how I heard it. Thankfully, you invented and patented your own ice cream. Maybe moved here because the cost of living was extra-reasonable. You can sit around all day and just make a little ice cream, hire kids to help you, and spend the rest of your time romancing all the pretty Southern Belles. Why should everyone need to be ambitious? Why should you do hard work if you dont have to? Onlynone of the girls have caught you. In bed, maybe. In affairs, maybe. But nobodys caught you anywhere near the altar, or thats the story I heard.
Anything else?
Anything you want to deny so far?
Oh, no, he assured her. Gossips have the story absolutely straight.
They usually do, she said without missing a beat, and finally turned her head to face him. So I might ask you what your real story is. Sometime. If its something youre interested in sharing.
I was going to make the same offer. To listen if you needed an ear.
She turned quiet, the devilment in her eyes fading. A moment ticked by, then another. The bustling noises inside the house had faded into the single noise from a television. Lamplights had turned on throughout the neighborhood.
The sun had taken its lazy Southern time going down, but it finally ebbed out of sight, nothing left but a deep violet haze beyond the trees and rooftops.
He didnt realize how much time had passed, how late it had becomebut it seemed as if she suddenly did. You know what? she said.
He didnt realize how much time had passed, how late it had becomebut it seemed as if she suddenly did. You know what? she said.
What?
Im glad you stopped. You didnt need to. It was beyond kind-particularly for a man who seems to have a mighty reputation in this town for not caring much about others. You keep that kind streak really well hidden, I gather.
Im not kind. Sheesh. It was like being accused of larceny or something. No guy liked to think of himself as kind.
Its okay, she said. I wont tell. I just brought it up because I didnt want you to think I needed looking after. I knew coming back here would be tough. Im all right. Rather than leave it on a heavy note, she came through with a grin and added, Except, of course, for dying of the heat.
She uncurled her legs and started to clean up the spoons and ice-cream container. Griff didnt need a bat over the head. It was time for him to go.
Heaven knew what sparked the impulse to visit to begin with. The buzz of gossip coming from Jason had just nagged on him. The sound of the fire truck siren had annoyed him further. He just kept getting some stupid, uneasy feeling that Lily was alone in town and in trouble.
So-fine. Hed come and brought her ice cream and theyd made each other laugh. Everything was great. Time to pack it up. Hell, hed lost a couple hours of the real work he did at night as it was.
Yet they both stood up at the same time. He reached for the container at the same time she extended a hand to offer it. She was still smiling at him, friendly fashion. Shed absolved him of any responsibility. She was tough, shed implied. Prepared for trouble, shed implied. No one needed to worry about her, shed implied.
This close, for that millisecond, he saw a pearl of perspiration on her neck. Saw the tilt of her head, proud, stubborn. Saw the sunset in her hair.
He had to bend down almost a foot to kiss her. Didnt know he was going to do it. He didnt plan it, and didnt intend to. He was holding the sticky spoons and container, so it was a no-hands kind of kiss, couldnt be any more, couldnt turn into more.
Yet her face tilted to accommodate the landing of his mouth, not as if she was inviting him, but as if she just instinctively moved to make a meeting of lips more natural, more easy. He tasted ice cream. He tasted the vulnerable satin of her lips.
He lifted his head almost immediately, saw the startled flush on her cheeks, thoughtoh yeah, shes tough, all right.
Tough as a rose petal.
Ill give you a discount on ice cream if you show up regular while youre here.
As if that was an offer I could refuse. But her eyes shied from his now. The sass was still there, the ready teasingbut she didnt know what to make of that kiss.
As he ambled down the walk, headed home, he thought, hell times ten, neither did he.
Chapter 3
Lily had serious things to think about-why fires had started up in Pecan Valley since shed shown up, the facts surrounding that long-ago fire, whether there was a chance of finding more information that might clear her dads nameand, oh yeah, that extraordinary kiss from Griff the night before.
The man had been humming in her dreams all last night. But this morning she couldnt concentrate on anything because of her landlady.
Louella Bertram was eighty if she was a day, never met a cat she didnt like, made coffee so weak it looked like dirty water, and treated every guest as if they were skinny runts that she took in just to feed.
Now, sugar. When Lily tried to rise from the breakfast table, Louella was already trying to block the doorway. You cant go a whole day on a sip of coffee and a half a bite of toast. Youll waste away in the heat. Now you just take a little bag along with you. Its just a couple of my cinnamon muffins, something to tide you over. You end up here at lunch, you just come on back to the kitchen, and Im sure I can whip up something for you.
Shed been here less than a week, yet Lily already knew better than to argue. She took the bag, then, when Louella lifted her wrinkled cheek, bent down to give her a smooch and a hug. Louella wouldnt let her out the door without those, too.
Now, the older woman walked her to the door, I know you think you want answers to the past. Everybody wants answers. The whole South, we understand about how the past and our history is part of who we are. But sugar, the things that matter in life, you never find those kinds of answers in facts. Its all in the heart. So Im not saying you shouldnt look, honey. But I just want you to enjoy being back in your home town, instead of dwelling on that one bad moment. Your momma and daddy had a good life here once. You try and think about that, child.
Yes, maam.
And another thing
Lily escaped inside of ten minutes, the best shed managed to do so far. Carrying her purse and a satchel-and the muffins-she headed straight for the street. She didnt have a thermometer, but outside, this early, it couldnt be more than one hundred and ten. In the house, it was hot enough to fry eggs.