Treacherous Tart (18 page)

“I thought we might as well close the deal on the building while it's still hot.” Albert smiled when he noticed Clara and Maggie there. “Good evening, ladies.”

“What are
you
doing here?” Ryan got to his feet.

“I'm here to sign the papers on the
Durham Weekly
building, of course.” Albert held up his briefcase. “I have a fresh pen ready to sign.”

“Not tonight,” Ryan protested. “We're not making any deals yet.”

G
arrett, I thought
this was a done deal,” Albert said in an irritated voice. “I don't have time to bicker about this.”

“Good,” Ryan said. “No bickering. Just leave.”

“Son, this isn't something I want to do either. We have no choice.” Garrett tried to make his case, but Ryan stopped him.

“I've barely had time to think about his offer—or consider alternatives. We can't sell the building yet. Not until I know that I've tried everything I can to save it.”

“Unless you can figure out a way to come up with a lot of money very quickly,” Garrett threatened, “we'll simply lose the building to the county without any profit at all.”

Ryan's expression was taut and angry. “Then I guess we'll lose the building, Dad. I need more time to think about it.”

“Gentlemen?” Albert got their attention with a slick smile. “This offer won't last on the property. I'm giving you a lot more than I would anyone else, even though I'm going to have to foot the bill for razing the building. Don't make me wait.”

“Not tonight.” Ryan's tone was ragged. “I'm on my way out. Let me walk you to the front door.”

Ryan left the house with an anguished glance at his father. Maggie could hear Albert grumbling until they got outside and the heavy front door closed behind them. Both cars started up and drove away after a few minutes. She imagined Ryan had had plenty to say to Albert.

Maggie wished she'd gone with him.

Instead, she helped Garrett and her aunt clean the kitchen before they sat down to a rousing game of Scrabble. The night dragged along until it was finally time for bed. Maggie wasn't sure if she had ever been so happy to say good night and escape.

She tried calling Ryan's cell phone. He didn't answer. She left a voice mail. He didn't respond. She understood that he was angry, but felt sure sharing it
with her would make it better. Wasn't that what relationships were for?

Maggie and her aunt fed and stroked Fanny and her kittens. They had all stayed in the box they'd brought for them. The kittens weren't old enough to be adventurous yet. Once they were, nothing would be safe.

“Don't worry,” Aunt Clara said. “Ryan will be fine. Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do. Garrett doesn't want to get rid of the office either. Imagine the memories that are there for him. I don't even like to
think
about giving up the pie shop.”

“I hope you never have to,” Maggie agreed. “I'm more upset about Ryan leaving the way he did. He won't return my calls either.”

“We all need a little alone time, don't we?”

“I guess so. I didn't expect him to leave while we were staying here tonight. It's a little awkward.”

Aunt Clara hugged her. “I don't think so. We have nice beds, and we had a good meal. That's all I need. So you really think we should go with the savory potpies for the library fund-raiser? We aren't known for that.”

Maggie sat on her bed cross-legged. “I think it could be a good thing for us to be known for. The library fund-raiser is popular. It could be exactly what we need to introduce the new product line.”

“I love your new vocabulary.” Her aunt sat beside her. “You sound so professional.”

“Thanks. I guess that's a good thing.”

“Fred and I got by on our good pies, great location, and nice personalities. Times change. I think you need more now.”

“I don't know. I think that's the most important part of what we do.” Maggie warmed to her subject. “People are starving for more than just food. They want attention, and they want to feel like they're at home.”

“That's what I think too!” Clara bounced on the bed a little. “You and I think so much alike. I think we always did. It's so wonderful having you back home. It's a joy to be with you.”

Maggie hugged her with tears in her eyes. It had taken a long time to reach this place with her aunt, but it was worth every misstep.

They talked for a while longer, and then Maggie said good night. She lay down in the spare room but couldn't sleep. It was too much like being in a hotel. She was never comfortable in those places, no matter how expensive.

Around midnight, she heard the front door open downstairs and got up to see if it was Ryan. She peeked over the railing into the foyer and watched him close and lock the door behind him.

Despite her Santa flannels, she crept
downstairs to talk to him, following him into the well-stocked library.

The library was off of the main hall downstairs. He jumped when she called his name. He'd been in the process of pouring himself a drink from a crystal decanter. He seemed to be lost in thought.

“Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you,” she apologized.

“That's okay. Come on in. I'm going to light a fire and get pleasantly drunk.”

Maggie folded her legs under her in a comfortable chair near the fireplace. It was a massive stone hearth that was appropriate for the castle-like design of the Summerour home. There were two large lions guarding it, seated on marble bases.

Ryan sat opposite her with a glass of scotch. Maggie had declined to drink with him.

“I guess it may be official and we're going to lose the office,” he declared in a flat tone. “I talked to everyone I could think of while I was out—everyone I knew with money who might like to invest. Nothing. It sucks being poor.”

“I wouldn't exactly call you
poor
.” She glanced around the stately room. “Maybe you could get a second mortgage on this place. It must be worth a fortune.”

“It probably is, but my job description—editor-in-chief of a losing proposition—doesn't make me a good candidate for a loan. Newspapers are closing left and right. The banks know that too.”

“There must be something you can do. I know
you feel the same way about the office that Aunt Clara feels about Pie in the Sky.”

He sipped his drink, eyes gleaming with the light from the fire. “I love the old place. I'm sure I could get along without it if I had to, but losing it makes me feel like another piece of the
Durham Weekly
is gone forever. I'm not ready for that yet. I don't understand how Dad can sell it to Albert.”

Maggie went to him and slid her arms around his neck. “You aren't looking in the right direction. You're smart. You'll find a way.”

He kissed her. “Thanks. I don't know if things always work out that way. I appreciate the thought.”

“You've helped me with my problems. Let me help you with yours.”

He grinned. “Have you got a few hundred thousand dollars you can spare? I can't tell you when I can pay it back.”

“I may have something much better—a smart boyfriend who is a problem solver. Want me to loan him to you for a while?”

“Please. Send him over.”

•  •  •

M
aggie was up
early the next morning. There was no sign of Ryan. She knew he'd gone to bed late. She'd finally left him alone in the library when she'd begun nodding off as he was telling her about his childhood memories of the paper.

It wasn't that she was bored with his stories about taking photos at fires and helping his mother write copy. She was exhausted. Getting up at 5:00 a.m. took a lot out of her. She needed to be in bed by ten to survive.

Garrett and Aunt Clara were up and making cinnamon rolls for breakfast when she came down. The two of them were whispering and giggling as they rolled out the dough and cut the rolls to put them into the oven.

Aunt Clara smiled when she saw Maggie. “There you are. I had a strange call from Margie Walker this morning. She said David fixed our furnace during the night. Maybe you could go over and check it out.”

“Please, take my car.” Garrett handed her the keys. “It would be wonderful if your furnace was repaired, even though I would hate to lose my two lovely houseguests.”

“These won't be ready for about twenty minutes.” Aunt Clara nodded toward the oven. “You could probably get there and be back in time for breakfast.”

Maggie wasn't sure if her aunt was trying to get rid of her or if she was in a hurry to get back home. Either way was good for her. She hadn't slept well and would be glad to have her own bed back before Monday morning.

“I'll go take a look. Should I offer David money if the furnace is working? I'm not sure how to react to
someone spending the night in our basement, working on the furnace.”

“Of course you can't offer him money,” Aunt Clara said. “Unless he needed the money, which we know he doesn't. Since we know that, it would be better to make dinner for him. That would be appropriate.”

“Okay.” Maggie knew Ryan would be thrilled with her making dinner for David.

But she knew she could deal with Ryan. David wasn't staying in Durham. Ryan would forget him after a while. It wasn't as much fun as she'd thought to begin with, seeing Ryan jealous. She was ready to be done with it.

Maggie put on her coat and gloves and went to check on the furnace.

It was hard to imagine that David, who she hadn't seen in years, would want to do this for them on what must be his vacation. She certainly appreciated it, but she wasn't sure she would do the same for him, even if she knew how.

He'd always been a very generous, good-hearted boy. Those traits seemed to have followed him into adulthood.

It was really nice having a car to drive, even though it was a larger, older vehicle. Walking was okay in a big city, but all the real shopping was miles away from where they lived.

Taxis were unreliable and expensive, something she'd never thought about when she'd lived in New
York. Taking a bus was fine unless you had your arms full of clothes, food, or other supplies. She wasn't crazy about that. Even if they didn't use a car every day, it would be nice to have one.

Of course, that would be a major expense—much bigger than the furnace she'd been trying to save money for. On the other hand, if David
had
repaired the furnace, that could leave her free to save for a car.

Filled with her plans for the future, Maggie pulled Garrett's car into a parking space in front of their house. Even though she hadn't called to tell David she was coming home, he was sitting on their porch waiting for her.

“How long have you been here?” she asked when she got out of the car.

It was cold. His face was red from sitting outside. She felt bad knowing he'd been there.

“Only a few hours. I think your furnace will be fine now. I went upstairs after I fixed it, and it turned right on.”

They'd been children the last time she and David had spent time together. This adult David was a stranger to her. Aunt Clara had never mentioned him coming over and talking to her while Maggie had been in New York. She guessed that she had inspired this sudden interest.

“Come inside and get warm,” she invited as she opened the front door.

“Thanks. I'd forgotten how cold it can get here!”

The house was toasty warm inside. The furnace was still a little wheezy but doing its job.

Maggie turned to David after putting down her handbag. It was true that she wouldn't have known him without the introduction. So much of that fifteen-year-old she remembered was gone. He was still taller than she was, and thin. She used to tease him about how much he ate without gaining any weight.

His eyes, serious and chocolate brown, were the same, even behind the wire-rimmed glasses. How many times did they sit close together, dreaming about distant planets and what their grown-up lives were going to be like?

“Thanks for doing this. I feel kind of awkward about it. Who spends all night working on someone else's furnace?”

“A furnace repair man?”

She laughed. “Seriously. What do I owe you?”

“Nothing. I did it for you—and Aunt Clara.”

He had a very nice smile. Somewhere along the time they'd been apart, he'd gotten his teeth fixed. At one time, he'd had a gap between his two front teeth.

“I appreciate that, David. I don't want you to be out of pocket. It was nice enough for you to spend your vacation time taking care of it for me and Aunt Clara. I don't want you to pay for anything.”

“Don't be silly. It wasn't that much. I think you
should comfortably be able to get a few more years from the furnace. I was glad to be able to help.”