Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series, Volume 3 (71 page)

Linc bit back a sarcastic reply. He felt like telling Lori's father that he was in the area and thought they could go
for a beer together. Instead, he spoke in as polite a tone as he could manage. “I'd like to talk to you for a couple of minutes.”

“I'm busy.” Bellamy attempted to step around him.

Linc blocked his move. “Unfortunately, I have a lot of time on my hands and my guess is you know why.” The man had set out to ruin his business and had just about succeeded. Linc couldn't hang on much longer. He'd been able to find out that Bellamy had told certain influential people in Cedar Cove and adjoining communities that Linc was a gold digger who'd married his daughter for her money. Bellamy had also tried to thwart him by delaying his license application. When that didn't shut Linc down, he'd apparently spread false rumors. Not that Linc could prove it, but there'd been hints. Mack McAfee had made a point of telling him that he'd heard Bellamy was “out to get” him.

Linc had spoken to his attorney, who said there was basically nothing to be done. He could file a suit for slander or for restraint of trade but Linc would rather end this than take his father-in-law to court—especially with a weak, hearsay case.

Long before he'd set up his shop he'd done extensive research on the area. Only because he felt he could make a go of it had he decided to branch out into Cedar Cove; otherwise, he would've continued his commute into Seattle. Based on his findings, he'd obtained a loan from a local bank to cover his start-up costs and he'd drawn on his savings, sinking most of the money into remodeling the garage.

As part of his research, Linc had gone to visit various local insurance claim adjusters. These were the people who generally sent work his way. He'd talked to a number of them before he'd made his decision to move. Every
one of them had assured him there was a need for his business.

When the promised work didn't come, Linc went to see them all again. On his second series of visits Linc found his reception much cooler. The adjusters had no work to send him and weren't interested in receiving his bids. When he dug deeper, Linc learned that Bellamy was good friends with someone high up in the state insurance commissioner's office. Linc couldn't
prove
that Bellamy had used their friendship to influence the adjusters but it all added up.

He'd purchased a garage that had sat in disrepair for several years, cleaned it up and remodeled it. Then he'd hired two employees. Now these employees were twiddling their thumbs while Linc paid their wages from his dwindling reserves. Another month like the last one, and he'd have no choice but to close his doors.

“I said I don't have time, nor do I have the desire to speak with you,” Bellamy said in a tone few would question. “Now kindly step aside.”

“You're spreading lies about me in the community.” Bellamy's attitude made Linc reconsider the advisability of taking him to court. But the idea went in and out of his mind in seconds. Much as he disliked Bellamy, the man was Lori's father. Linc refused to jeopardize that relationship—or at least jeopardize it any more than Bellamy already had himself.

“We can make this all go away,” Bellamy said, his mood suddenly more affable. “With a snap of my fingers, I can set things straight for you.”

Linc hesitated. The man had essentially confirmed everything he'd suspected. “What do you mean?”

“Leave my daughter.”

“Leave Lori?” Linc couldn't believe what he was hearing.

“I'll buy you out, make all the trouble you went to in getting that garage set up worth your while. All I ask is that you walk away from my daughter and don't look back.”

How friendly he sounded. How cordial. Linc's financial difficulties would disappear if he abandoned his wife.

Linc stared at him, still unable to believe that even Bellamy would suggest such a thing.

“I hear you're late with last month's payment to the bank.”

The only way Bellamy would know that was if someone from the bank had fed him the information.

“You made a mistake when you married my daughter.” His tone grew threatening again. “You saw her as an easy target.”

“I saw her as the most incredible woman I've ever known,” Linc countered. He meant it—meant it with everything in him.

Bellamy snickered. “And that's why you married her…what, two weeks after you met?”

“Something like that.” After meeting Lori's mother, Linc felt he should have insisted to Lori that they wait. In their haste to get married, Linc had planted the seeds of suspicion within her family. In retrospect he would've preferred to meet her parents first and give them the opportunity to know him. Bellamy might still have objected, but at least Linc would've made the effort. At least he would've created the beginnings of a relationship.

“There's still time to fix this,” Bellamy said.

“You want me to leave Lori?” He shook his head as he said the words.

“Divorce her.”

The words hit him with such force, Linc stumbled back two steps. “I realize I was wrong. I should've come
and talked to you first before marrying Lori. I should have—”

Red-faced, Bellamy leaned closer and when he spoke it was through gritted teeth. “Where you were wrong, young man, was in thinking you could get to me through my daughter.”

“Get to
you?
” The man seemed to assume the entire world revolved around him and his bank account. “I didn't even know who you were.” Bellamy started to scoff but Linc talked right over him. “I married Lori because I'm in love with her. As for leaving her, I'd rather die first.”

Bellamy laughed in his face. “We both know my daughter's incapable of making a decent decision. She's an empty-headed—”

Linc had heard enough. He grabbed Bellamy by his fancy suit lapels and jerked him forward. “Don't
ever
speak about my wife like that again,” he snapped. “Lori has brains and integrity, and if you don't see that in her, I pity you.” He abruptly released the other man.

Bellamy straightened his sleeves and glared at Linc. “I could have you arrested for assault.”

“Go ahead.” If the man was determined to ruin him, he might as well do a thorough job.

“You stay married to my daughter and I'm cutting her out of my will. I swear to you that you won't get a penny.”

“I doubt you'll believe me, but I have no interest in your money.”

“You're right. I don't believe you.”

“Then that's your problem.” Linc figured he might as well leave now, while his dignity was relatively intact.

When he returned to the garage, he saw that both employees were lounging around, idly entertaining themselves. One was working on a sudoku puzzle and the
other was tossing cards into an empty coffee tin. Linc sent them both home.

An hour later, after he'd sorted through the bills that were stacked on his desk, he hung his head in abject frustration. He wouldn't be able to make this month's payment to the bank, either.

Unless something changed fast, Linc was about to go belly-up. He knew he had the option of filing for bankruptcy, but he refused to consider it. No matter what happened, he wouldn't take the easy way out, wouldn't walk away from his debts. He was the one who'd taken the financial gamble; he'd pay the price.

With his elbows propped on his desk, he shoved the hair away from his face. It was time to go home to Lori. At five-thirty, he posted the closed sign on the door.

Shoring up his resolve, Linc sat in his truck for several minutes before he headed into the ground-floor apartment. As much as possible he tried not to inflict his worries on Lori.

When he walked in, the aroma of simmering barbecue sauce tickled his nostrils.

“Lori?”

“Hi, honey, I'm out back.”

Linc followed her voice and found her dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, standing over their barbecue grill on the small patio. He kissed her the way he always did, and the instant his mouth settled over hers, Linc's worries fled. He held her tight against him, enjoying the feel of her body so close to his. Give up Lori? Walk away from the most precious gift he'd ever received? Bellamy was out of his mind, and if Linc had the chance, he'd tell him that.

Thirty

T
anni knew from the nervous, excited way her mother was acting that Larry Knight must be arriving any minute. They had a Friday-afternoon date, and Shirley had spent the past hour getting ready.

Watching the changes in her mother since she'd met Larry had been interesting. Tanni used to wonder how she'd feel if her mother became involved with another man. It seemed weird to think of Shirley falling in love with someone other than Tanni's dad. What surprised her was that she was all right with it. That might not have been the case if it was anyone other than Larry. He was special, and Tanni understood why her mother had fallen for him. Besides being a fabulous artist, Larry was thoughtful, generous and just plain nice. Not only was he responsible for helping Shaw get into art school, but he'd brought the spark back to her mother's eyes.

In the past few weeks, her mother and Larry had been on the phone practically every day, and these weren't short conversations. One night they talked for three hours straight. Tanni knew because she kept track of the time. She'd taken delight in teasing her mother. Even more fun was seeing the flush that crept over her cheekbones.
Shirley had it bad. This Tanni recognized because she'd once had those same intense feelings for Shaw. Not anymore, though.

“Do I look okay?” Shirley asked. She wore pale linen pants and a white top with a teal-and-lime-green scarf. She'd thrown a linen jacket over the whole ensemble.

“You look great.” Tanni wasn't just saying that. Her mother had been paying far more attention to her hair and makeup since she'd started dating Larry. Even when all they did was talk on the phone, her mother's hair was brushed, her makeup applied and she was neatly dressed. She'd stopped wearing old jeans and her father's too-large sweatshirts around the house. It was as if she thought Larry might drop in unannounced at any second. Tanni found that amusing but remembered she'd been the same way when she first met Shaw, too.

Shaw… She didn't want to think about him. It was over. She hadn't heard from him in more than two weeks, but the choice had been hers. She'd decided to cut off the relationship. That had been painful, but as Kristen had assured her, it was the right thing to do. Tanni had taken control. Rather than let him ignore her, she'd quit playing the game.

Shirley tugged at her jacket sleeves. “Miranda insisted I wear this.”

“It's nice, Mom.”

“Miranda has such a good eye for color.”

“So do you,” Tanni said, surprised her mother lacked confidence in her own sense of style. Shirley worked with fabric and color all the time, so no one, in Tanni's opinion, had a better eye than she did.

Shirley thanked her with a brief smile, then glanced at her watch.

“When's Larry due?” Tanni asked.

“Around one.” She set her purse by the front door.

“Where's he taking you for lunch?”

“I…I didn't ask.” She grew flustered. “How silly of me.”

Tanni couldn't resist rolling her eyes. “Was I this dopey after I met Shaw?” she asked.

“Worse,” her mother said wryly.

“That's hard to believe.”

They exchanged a smile. She felt relieved to be on good terms with her mother again. The change had come about gradually over the past few months, ever since Shaw had moved to San Francisco. They used to be at odds with each other all the time, and now they weren't. “Do you have plans this afternoon?” Shirley asked.

Tanni shrugged. “Jeremy might come over. Kristen, too.” If anyone had told Tanni she'd become friends with the girl she despised most, she would've fallen down laughing.

As little as a month ago, Tanni could barely stand to be in the same room with her. These days they hung around, went places together and talked nearly every day.

Kristen had been such a help with the whole Shaw situation. She'd broken off a number of relationships herself and said it was best just to be done with it. If Shaw was sending Tanni all the signals that he wanted their relationship to end—and he was—then Kristen said she should make it easy on him. So Tanni had.

It hadn't been easy on her, though. When she called Shaw to tell him, he seemed shocked. Kristen said that was to be expected, too. Guys might want to end the relationship, but then they had a change of heart as soon as the girl took the initiative. At first, Tanni had thought her friend was exaggerating, but everything Kristen had said would happen did.

Almost immediately after she broke up with him, Shaw started texting her five or six times a day. After weeks of
driving Tanni insane by disregarding her messages, he suddenly wanted to be in contact. She gained a perverse satisfaction from ignoring him. But that only encouraged him to text more often. He'd even tried to phone. She'd had to force herself not to answer, but managed to hold firm. Kristen praised her for being in control. It felt good, she felt good, and she was determined never to let anyone treat her emotions so lightly again.

As a bonus Kristen had introduced Tanni to her neighbor Jeremy Reynolds and they'd met several times. He was very different from Shaw. Knowing that Jeremy was interested in her made the fact that Shaw was out of her life a lot more tolerable.

The doorbell rang and her mother rushed into the living room. Tanni followed her, wanting to greet Larry and hear about their plans so she'd know when her mother would be home.
That
was a role reversal if ever there was one.

Halfway into the room, Tanni froze. Larry Knight was at the door, but he wasn't alone. Shaw was with him.