Vivian said, “I hope you do.”
He frowned. “Since when have you become so worried about the Cassavechias?”
Vivian put her burger down again. “As I said, I feel for anyone who loses a job. I fought hard over the years to make ends meet, and believe me, it wasn’t always easy. My friends were in the same boat as me, and that made it tolerable, or I might have just stayed…depressed.”
He was shocked. He’d never heard his mother talk like that. “I’m so sorry, Mom.”
“Don’t be. You were a child. I wanted you to have a good childhood.” Her mouth twisted. “I understand exactly what the Cassavechias are going through. I also know that Maggie just got a clean report on her breast cancer. No woman wishes ill on a woman who’s suffered through anything like that. I’m concerned about Pecan Creek and I always wanted the best for you, but I never wanted anything bad to happen to those women.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” He reached over to pat her hand.
“And as the grapevine mentioned that you and Sugar seem to be getting very close to each other, a mother’s mind naturally turns to grandchildren.”
Jake blinked. “Grandchildren?”
“Well, I would like one eventually. You’re my only child, so one realizes you’re my only hope for grandchildren.” Vivian sniffed. “Sugar Cassavechia looks like she is quite capable of birthing grandchildren. The rest of the family appears sturdy. It looks like a good bet to me for healthy genes, if not perhaps the world’s most untarnished. Beggars cannot, however, be choosers.”
She took another bite of her hamburger, at peace with her thought process, however unconventional. Jake couldn’t have been more astonished if his mother had suggested he fly around the earth with wings he built himself. “Mom, Sugar and I don’t have any kind of serious relationship. Some days, I really step in it with her.”
Vivian patted her mouth delicately and got up, kissed him on the head. “I can’t solve everything for you but I do wish you well. Especially when you tell Sugar her business model is seriously flawed at this point. Good luck, son. I really would like a grandchild one day,” she said, stepping carefully off the patio porch Lassiter had built. Jake helped her to the bottom of the steps.
“I’m no spring chicken, you know. Thank you very much for lunch. Congratulations on your restaurant.” She walked off across the parking lot at a good clip in her walking shoes, looking fit and hearty, more than he felt at the moment.
Sugar’s business meant everything to her. It was her touchstone, her reason for bringing her family to PC. It was her Tara.
This ought to kill any chance we ever had of having anything more serious than a hello when we pass on the street.
Damn.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jake was in a dilemma. One week until the parade, and he hadn’t talked to Sugar. He’d taken care of everything else. The mayor’s suit had been delivered to Maggie. The town was strung with lights; the businesses along the route were spruced up, putting out beautifully decorated wreaths and silver jingle bells on freshly painted or stained doors.
Pecan Creek looked like a Hallmark card.
But not all of it was.
He had to tell Sugar the truth. There was no time to waste. He’d thought he might run into her in the last week, so he could broach the subject on a casual basis. His plan had backfired, and now he had to tell her. To wait any longer would be cruel.
He rang the doorbell of Sugar’s house. Lucy opened the door, a huge grin on her face.
“Did you come to see the finished product?” she demanded.
“I—ah, yes. Yes, I did.” He followed Lucy inside, glad to have a reasonable excuse to see Sugar.
“Well, you can’t. Not yet. I’m waiting on the pièce de résistance.”
He grinned at Lucy. She had a blue kerchief wrapped around her short, lustrous red hair. Makeup had not touched Lucy’s face today. She looked like a kid, an enthusiastic kid with a delicious secret.
This could be my sister-in-law one day.
Crap. Vivian’s got me thinking really weird stuff with all that talk about grandkids.
“So when’s the big reveal? I saw a few items hit my account at the furniture store.” He couldn’t help smiling. “Expensive and probably tasteful, going by the bill description. That’s all I know.”
Lucy’s face held giddy mischief. “When my pièce de résistance arrives, you bring Vivian over. I want you both here for the grand unveiling.”
He wondered if