No Matter What (The Billionaires of Sawgrass #4) - Delaney Cameron Page 0,6
months. She could easily pass for someone in their early forties. Art and music were her two passions. She’d made sure Reece and Addison were exposed to and reasonably proficient in both.
“You’ve tweaked your lemonade recipe again, haven’t you?” he asked. “I can taste mint, but there’s something else.”
She smiled as she sat down opposite him. “It’s lavender.”
“I’ll have to tell Sylvie about it. She’s always looking for something new to try.”
“Wilson brought these over yesterday,” she said, offering a plate of coconut macaroons. “He’s taking a cooking class, and somehow I’ve become his official taster.”
Reece hid a smile as he reached for a cookie. He’d long suspected that the man who lived across the street had more than a neighborly interest in his aunt. “He seems to find his way over here a lot.”
She sat the plate on the coffee table. “Don’t start that nonsense! Wilson is a pompous know-it-all. I only put up with him because he’s a musical genius. He’s been helpful with organizing my youth orchestra. The only problem will be keeping him from taking over. Enough about him. I want to talk about this trip to Savannah. Why in the world did Wade invite you? That’s like opening the door to the hen house and waving the fox in.”
“I see myself as more of a beagle: playful and mischievous.” He helped himself to another cookie. “These aren’t bad. Give my compliments to Wilson.”
Aunt Leigh’s lips twitched. “You’re missing the point. It doesn’t make sense to have you there.”
“My job is to draw attention away from Robin.”
Her laugh carried more than a note of derision. “Maxine isn’t going to let you stand in the way of making sure her only son doesn’t get mixed up with the wrong woman. She reminds me of a Chihuahua. Never stops yapping and snaps at anyone who gets close to something of hers.”
Reece had to bite down on the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “You’re being a little hard on Maxine.”
“I disagree. As for Wade, I hope he doesn’t regret whatever misguided impulse led him to include you in tonight’s festivities. You may not be a fox, but you’re a single, rich, handsome beagle.”
“You’re behind on the gossip. I’m also a womanizing heartbreaker.” He laughed. “If the people who write that stuff only knew how sparse my social life really is.”
She straightened one of the throw pillows on the couch. “There’s nothing wrong with being choosy. Dating is about quality, not quantity. Only fools rush into love. You can look to your father for proof of that. He met and married Maxine in six weeks’ time. If that wasn’t bad enough, she talked him into retiring and moving to Georgia. All that nonsense about wanting to live closer to where she grew up. Pfft! The real reason is as plain as the nose on my face. She wanted to get your father away from his family so she could have him all to herself.”
Reece knew it was useless to point out another possibility. Aunt Leigh would never believe Maxine might have felt threatened by her new husband’s sister. His aunt was unaware of how her elevated status in the family might come across to an outsider. Adding to the complexity of the situation was his father’s recognition of the debt he owed her. When all those things were taken into consideration, it wasn’t hard to understand why the newlyweds left the area. If nothing else, it kept his father from being caught in the middle of two women with differing motivations.
“I’m not sure how long a couple should know each other before they get married,” he said. “I would guess it varies by situation. In this case, I didn’t get the impression Dad felt pressured into marriage, retirement, or anything else. I also haven’t seen any evidence of those decisions having a negative effect on him.”
She shrugged. “You’re entitled to your opinion. I would never try to influence you or Addison. Time will prove me right or wrong. As it is, I’m not sitting around hoping for the day I can say ‘I told you so’. I love Carlson too much to wish him unhappiness.”
“I never doubted it.” Reece drained the last of his lemonade and sat the glass on one of the coasters she pushed in his direction. They’d safely navigated one touchy subject. It was time to broach another. “What’s this I hear about you having headaches and numb fingers?”