Southern Comforts

But she couldn’t keep business from Sam and Daniel. They were practically family.

Hoping he hadn’t noticed her delay, she said, “I can do that.”

Abby tapped her lip, thinking of other contractors she could direct him to.

Gray stared at her mouth, making Abby’s heart beat a little faster. What was it the magazines said? If a man stared at your mouth, he was thinking of kissing you?

“I’ll be back with those phone numbers.” She scrambled out of the chair. “Have another bar.”

He could have a bar, not her.

In the hallway, she leaned against the wall and inhaled. A man had stared at her mouth and stolen her breath.

* * *

AFTER ABBY LEFT, ten older women swooped into the sunroom. Half of them had the soft drawl Gray associated with Savannah and wore outrageous red hats. The other group was on one of those sisters things, like the ladies in the library last night.

Gray made polite chitchat for a few minutes. Then he guarded the pecan bars and let the women have the sandwiches. Their conversations churned around him.

His thoughts drifted to Abby. Today she wore a khaki skirt and sleeveless white blouse, and he’d wondered if she lifted weights to keep her arms so trim. As he’d been pondering what those plump pink lips would taste like, she’d taken off.

Abby came back into the parlor, giving no sign that she’d felt even slightly uncomfortable. She worked the room, setting a hand to a shoulder or giving a quick buss on the cheek to the red-hat women. She sat on an ottoman next to the ladies from the sister outing and asked about their day. Her smile wasn’t the practiced one she’d given him earlier. This smile shone like a beacon.

Once she’d made her rounds, she stepped toward him. “I’ve talked to Samuel. He’s come up with two contractors he feels are qualified.”

She handed him a note written in clear, precise script.

“Thanks. I appreciate the help,” he said.

“No problem.” Glancing over at the trolley, she added, “I can bring out more pecan bars if you want.”

He shook his head. “You’re a witch, aren’t you?”

She laughed. “Only in the kitchen.”

Gray watched her walk away, appreciating her fine ass.

He grabbed another bar and cup of coffee and carried it into the courtyard garden to make his calls. He sat at a cast-iron table tucked under a green umbrella on the patio.

He set up appointments with contractors for that afternoon. When he phoned the Foresters he got the son, Daniel.

“Fitzgerald House still serves wine at five-thirty?” Daniel asked.

“They did last night, Argentinean wines.” And damn fine appetizers.

“I’ll just invite myself to happy hour. Then we can walk over to your building after a glass of wine.”

“I’ll see you then.”

Pleased with his progress, Gray propped his feet on another chair and took a sip of coffee. He smiled at the fountain, a huge frog spewing water over copper lily pads. He could even swear he saw a bronze troll wink from where it was half-hidden under a palm tree.

The gardens were an intense green loaded with splashes of color. If his mother could see the landscaping, she’d probably try to lure their gardener back to Boston with her. He inhaled a lungful of flowery scents. The sun warmed his shoulders and eased the tension in his muscles.

There was something about this place. He could almost close his eyes and take a nap. For the first time he could remember, he noticed birds singing.

His phone buzzed. “Smythe.”

“Gray, my friend. How’s business?”

“Good.” He didn’t recognize the voice, and the number had come up as private.

“Just wondering if you’ve considered my proposition.”

He still didn’t know who he was talking to. “Who is this?”

“Jeremy Atwater. I ran into you at the opera opener last month. Intermission.”

Gray frowned, trying to picture the guy.

“We talked about a great biotech investment opportunity,” Atwater said. “You wanted to think about investing in the company.”

Ding. Gwen had dragged him to the opening. This yahoo had caught him while he’d waited in the drink line.

“We’re putting together a ten-million-dollar tranche. I’d love to get together and talk about how much of the tranche you’d like to take, unless you and your dad want to take the whole thing.” Atwater laughed.

Gray gripped the table’s edge. “I’m out of town. I’ll have to forgo this opportunity.”

“Oh.” Atwater’s tone dripped with disappointment. “I could talk to your father.”

“You could.”

“Umm. I can’t get past his assistant.”

Gray shook his head. “I’ll mention you called.” It was as much as he would commit.

“Great, great.” Atwater rattled off his phone numbers, though Gray was barely listening.

Even from a thousand miles away, the vultures found him and tapped him for money. He closed his eyes and rubbed at the headache now pounding in his temples.

“Hey, mister, can we catch rainbows again?” a small voice asked.

Gray looked up into a face dominated by a pair of brown eyes. How had the kid snuck up on him? “Joshua, right?”

“Yup.” The boy scratched at an ugly-looking scab on his hand. “Can we go catch rainbows?”

Gray checked his watch. “Sorry, kid, it’s too early.”

The boy’s shoulders slumped. “Oh.”