Sweet Tea At Sunrise

Chapter Three

A hum of excitement stirred inside Travis as he walked into the space that would soon be Serenity’s own country music radio station. To be honest, the task of fixing up the space and creating a studio that would overlook the town square was a little daunting. Right now the whole place reeked of stale tobacco, and the yellowed linoleum floor was scarred with burns from idiots who’d just ground out their cigarettes wherever they stood.

The only thing in the place worth saving was the old red Coca-Cola cooler. It might not serve much of a function in a radio station, but he liked the thought of having an antique like that around. He could keep it filled with soft drinks—bottled the old-fashioned way if he could find them—for the guests he envisioned putting on the air during a morning show he’d decided to call Carolina Daybreak. It would be a mix of music and local news and talk, the first place people would turn to—aside from Wharton’s—to find out what was going on in Serenity.

Now all he needed, aside from a significant amount of elbow grease, was the right person to sit in here and chat with residents and business folks or with anyone important who might be passing through town. He glanced across the square and spotted the person he had in mind standing in the doorway at Wharton’s, staring right back at him. He waved, and the woman he’d now identified as Mrs. Sarah Price, single mother of two, ducked out of his line of sight like a scared little rabbit.

Yep, the minute he’d verbally closed the deal for the radio station, he’d decided to woo her away from waiting tables and turn her into a small-town celebrity. For days he’d watched her talking to the regulars in Wharton’s in a natural way that kept them laughing and made them open up. He had a hunch she could get people to spill secrets faster than a skilled detective…and make ’em enjoy doing it. She’d bring the friendly atmosphere of Wharton’s right into the studio.

Of course, the fact that she couldn’t seem to string two sentences together around him half the time gave him pause, but he was convinced that was an aberration. An intriguing one, in fact. For now, though, any thoughts of pursuing her for anything beyond her ability to charm potential listeners had to be put on hold. He had enough to do just getting this station on the air.

As soon as the paperwork was done and he’d finalized his plans and won the necessary approvals from the Federal Communications Commission for going on the air, he intended to sit Sarah down and have a serious conversation with her about how he could change her life.

Hopefully she wouldn’t get so nervous she’d dump a pot of scalding hot coffee all over him.

For now, though, he had a lot of work to do. He walked over to Main Street to the hardware store and filled a cart with cleaning supplies. He figured he’d come back again for paint, lumber, wallboard and flooring once the whole place had been emptied out and scrubbed down and he knew what he had to work with. Maybe Jeanette would want to help him pick the colors. He liked the way her home felt—cozy and inviting—and he wanted his radio station to feel the same way. Maybe with a little less of that flowery fabric, though. He had no idea how Tom lived with that. He’d probably been blinded to it by love.

When Travis set all his supplies on the counter, the man behind it looked over the purchases. “You must be the guy who bought the old newsstand,” he concluded.

Travis grinned at his assumption. “I did. Isn’t anyplace else in town that filthy?”

“Not much that I know of,” the man said. “I’m Ronnie Sullivan, by the way. My wife, Dana Sue, owns Sullivan’s, the best restaurant in the entire state.”

Amused by the heartfelt recommendation, Travis asked, “You wouldn’t be just a little biased, would you?”

Ronnie pointed to a framed review on the wall that said the same thing. “General consensus,” he said proudly. “You haven’t been there?”

“I’ve pretty much been eating at my cousin’s and at Wharton’s,” Travis admitted.

“So, you have family in town?” Ronnie said, as he rang up Travis’s purchases.

“My cousin’s the town manager, Tom McDonald. I’m Travis McDonald.”

“Of course,” Ronnie said at once. “Tom mentioned he had company. Glad to meet you, and welcome to downtown.” He put the heavier items into a carton and bagged the rest. “So, what is it you plan to sell?”

The question was asked in such a cautious tone, Travis had to fight a grin. He’d heard all the speculation at Wharton’s. The best, by far, had been Grace’s opinion that it was going to be something lurid and inappropriate. He hated disillusioning her just yet. She seemed to enjoy working herself into a frenzy.

“I’m not quite ready to make an announcement,” he told Ronnie. “I figure there’s some advantage to building anticipation.”

“Interesting strategy,” Ronnie said with a thoughtful expression. “Are you sure you want to let people get carried away with their speculation? Next thing you know, there could be protests on the town green.”

Travis did chuckle at that. “You’ve heard about the sex toys, too?”

“Indeed, I have,” Ronnie admitted, looking intrigued. “Are they wrong?”

“Very,” Travis assured him. “But let them enjoy themselves a little longer.”

“Trust me, you really don’t want to let Grace work up a full head of steam over this. Anything you announce after that will pale by comparison.”

“I’m not worried. I think this will stir up some excitement.”

“But not trouble?” Ronnie persisted.

“I can’t imagine how. Tom would never let me get away with doing anything that would hurt this town. He considers its success to be his own personal mission.”

“Good point,” Ronnie said, looking reassured. “Let me know if you need any help fixing the place up. I know several guys who do good work—painting, minor construction, handyman jobs—for a reasonable price.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You need any help carrying all that back over there? I can close up for a minute and give you a hand.”

“No need,” Travis said, picking up the heavy box and two bags. “When it comes time for the paint and whatever else I need, I’ll be back.”

“Sure thing,” Ronnie told him. “And don’t forget to stop by Sullivan’s one of these days. I’m usually hanging out there in the evening, if you find yourself looking for company.”

“Will do.”

Travis went back to his new space and got to work. Whenever he tired of the powerful aroma of cleaning solution, he stepped outside to breathe in the sweetly scented spring air. And more times than he could count, he caught a glimpse of Sarah looking in his direction. He wondered if she shared Grace’s opinion about what he was up to, and if so, what she thought about it. One thing for sure, her curiosity was evident. He found that increasingly satisfying.

It had been two weeks since they’d discovered that Travis McDonald was the new owner of the space on Azalea Drive, but Sarah and Grace were no closer to figuring out what he had planned. The windows were still covered over with brown paper to keep out prying eyes, but it was evident that Travis had been in there every day working from morning till night. Sarah had to admit being impressed by how industrious he seemed to be.

While Sarah was curious about his plans, the whole mystery was driving Grace crazy. She was about one frenzied minute away from launching a full-scale protest on the sidewalk outside of Travis’s store.

“What exactly are you going to protest?” Sarah asked her. “He hasn’t done anything except fix the place up. That can’t be bad.”

“You mark my words, he has some dastardly scheme in mind, and I intend to nip it in the bud,” Grace declared. “Nobody’s that secretive without a good reason.”

Sarah bit back a smile. “Grace, you’re getting worked up over nothing. At least wait till he puts a sign up. I told you myself that he’s the town manager’s cousin. He’s not going to do anything that would embarrass Tom.”

“Then why won’t he say so?” Grace demanded. “I’ll tell you why. Because he’s up to no good.”

Making an impulsive decision, Sarah took off her apron. “Cover for me,” she told Grace.

Looking startled, Grace asked, “Where are you going?”

“Into the lion’s den,” she said. “Where else?”

Before Grace could stop her, Sarah walked outside, down the block, then crossed the street. Travis was standing on the sidewalk, leaning back against the building’s old redbrick facade in a nonchalant pose that belied the wary expression on his face.

“About time you came calling, sugar,” he said when she drew near. “I was beginning to think you didn’t care.”

Immediately flustered, she almost tripped over the curb. “Oh, hush with that sweet talk,” she said, moving to stand in front of him, hands on hips. “Why won’t you tell people what you plan to do in here?”

“Because I don’t want to,” he said, his tone matter-of-fact. “Don’t know of any law that says I have to announce my plans before I’m ready.”

“You have to file papers with the town before you can open a business,” she reminded him. “Or is Tom letting you off the hook because you’re related?”

“Tom would never let me off the hook. He’s a straitlaced guy. My paperwork will all be filed nice and neat when the time comes.”

“Does he know what you’re up to?”

“Of course.”

Thoroughly frustrated by his refusal to set her mind at ease—and everyone else’s for that matter—she studied him for a minute, then said, “You’re enjoying all the speculation, aren’t you?”

He nodded. “I’m especially fond of the sex-toy theory,” he admitted with a spark of pure devilment in his eyes. “What do you think of that one?”

“I think it’s crazy,” Sarah confessed. “But since I know for a fact that you can be outrageous, I haven’t ruled it out. Just so you know, though, Grace wants to get up a petition against it. And follow up with a protest outside your front door. I really think you’re better off nipping that idea in the bud.”

“Really?” he said innocently. “Just think of the publicity.”

“Is that the kind you want?”

“Couldn’t hurt,” he insisted.

She edged closer to the door, trying to avoid getting too close to him as she did so. Something about all that heat and masculinity was way too hard to resist. She didn’t want to tempt fate.

“How about giving me a tour?” she suggested. Maybe that would give her a few hints about what he had in mind. If it was something outlandish, he probably wouldn’t let her cross the threshold.

Travis gave her a long, amused look, then stepped over and opened the door. “You can tell me what you think of the color scheme,” he said without a hint of reservation.

Inside, to her surprise, she found the one long, narrow room had been carved up into four separate spaces, which certainly didn’t look suited to retail. The largest was on the left and had the only window, which faced out on the town green and would let in plenty of light once that awful brown paper was removed. It connected to a smaller room right behind it. The entry area, no bigger than a foyer in a small home, had room enough for a couple of chairs, though the only thing in it at the moment was the old red soda cooler she remembered from her childhood. She touched it with near reverence.

“You kept this,” she said, not sure why that made her so happy. Maybe she didn’t think there could be anything bad about a man with a sentimental streak.

Travis was watching her with that same hint of amusement sparkling in his eyes. “Best thing in here,” he said.

“What’s through that door?” she said, gesturing to the only remaining doorway off the foyer.

“See for yourself,” he said, opening the door.

The back room was completely empty except for cleaning supplies and paint cans. Without a window back there, it could have been dismal, but it had been painted the same cheery yellow as the front rooms. All the trim was white enamel.

“You planning to sell the porno stuff back here?” she inquired, not entirely in jest. At least it would be out of plain sight.

“Actually I was thinking that ought to be out front,” he said with a perfectly straight face. “It’ll attract more customers if it can be seen from the street, don’t you think?”

Sarah scowled at him. “You’re not taking this seriously. Grace will stir up trouble if you don’t satisfy her curiosity soon.”

“Give me a timetable,” he suggested. “What’s soon?”

“About a nanosecond,” she said. “She’s on edge. She likes being the first to know things. You’re frustrating her.”

He gestured around him. “Do you seriously think this looks like something disreputable?”

“I don’t, but I’ve been fooled before.”

“Really? You don’t seem to me like a woman who could be fooled very easily.”

“How would you know?” She honestly wanted to know how he’d reached such a conclusion from a few very brief and mostly impersonal conversations. Even his outrageous flirting, she had concluded, was more from habit than anything to do with her.

“I’m a good judge of character, especially when it comes to women,” he claimed. “For instance, I look at you and I see a woman who’s not afraid of hard work. I see a responsible mother. And when I listen to what you have to say in Wharton’s—”

“When you eavesdrop,” she corrected.

He didn’t seem embarrassed by the accusation. “When I pay attention,” he said, giving it another spin, “I hear a woman with intelligence and wit.”

His words filled Sarah with a sense of wonder. How had he managed to hit on so many of the areas in which she doubted herself? To hear that he found her to be more than adequate was a revelation. In fact, if she’d trusted him from here to the corner, his comments might have been reassuring. In her experience, though, no man who talked this smoothly was up to anything good.

Ignoring the satisfaction she took from his words, she said, “I’m just warning you, open up about your plans before Grace stirs up trouble. That’ll have way too many repercussions.”

“Such as?”

“People in town love Grace. They won’t appreciate it if you make her look like an idiot for making a fuss, only to discover that you’re planning something totally innocent. Your business, whatever it is, might never recover from that. People have long memories around here, and they look out for their own. Despite their respect for Tom, they’ll see you as an outsider. You’ll find yourself with a whole store full of widgets or whatever and no buyers.”

He nodded, his expression sobering. “I’ll keep that in mind. As much of a kick as I’m getting out of all this wild speculation, I certainly don’t want to embarrass Grace.”

“You almost sounded sincere just then,” she said, regarding him with surprise.

“I am sincere. I like Grace. She’s one of the reasons I decided to stick around Serenity. Places like Wharton’s turn a town into a community.”

Sarah was even more startled that he’d grasped that after such a short time. Maybe he’d fit in here, after all. She decided to try one last tactic to see if she could pry a little information out of him.

“I could always fill her in on your plans, if you just want to tell me,” she offered casually. “I might even be able to swear her to secrecy for the time being.”

Travis laughed. “Now, sugar, I’d put my faith in you when it comes to most things, but I’ve seen Grace in action. There’s not a secret on earth that would be safe with her.”

Oddly enough, it didn’t sound like an insult the way he said it. It was almost as if he viewed her pride in spreading gossip as a good thing, even a necessary thing. That’s the way most folks in town looked at it, as a frequently exasperating but much loved grapevine that kept them all informed.

“Which makes her a valuable resource, if you ask me,” Sarah said, defending Grace. “As much as it might annoy people to have their business turn into today’s hot topic, at least it keeps most things out in the open. There’s not a lot of secret backstabbing that goes on in Serenity.”

“And how many small towns can make a claim like that?” Travis said, clearly amused by the boast.

Sarah regarded him with a narrowed gaze, not quite sure whether to take him seriously or if he was making fun of the town. “If you ask me, it’s a good thing,” she said.

“I couldn’t agree more,” he said. His gaze darkened and he reached out as if he intended to touch her, but then dropped his hand back to his side. “In fact, I’m counting on pretty much everything being out in the open before long.”

Sarah puzzled over Travis’s comment for most of the afternoon. How a man capable of being so secretive could want things out in the open made no sense. She’d repeated the gist of the conversation to Grace, who didn’t know what to make of it, either. Now Sarah tried it out on Raylene, as they sat on the patio with their sweet tea while the kids played in the backyard.

“I swear I think it was a hint,” she told Raylene. “I don’t think he was trying to be cryptic at all. But what could he have meant?”

“Maybe he’s a spy, or an investigative reporter and he’s here to do an exposé,” Raylene suggested.

Sarah regarded her with skepticism. “A spy in Serenity, South Carolina? What’s he supposed to be spying on? Or exposing, for that matter? It’s not as if there’s a lot of dirt to dig up in a town this size. Like I told him, Grace knows most everything that goes on around here, anyway. She certainly knows more than the local weekly newspaper.”

“Then I’m out of ideas,” Raylene said.

“I suppose we’ll all know soon enough,” Sarah said with a sigh. “I think I got through to him about not dragging this out much longer.” She turned her attention to Raylene, who looked drawn and nervous. “You okay? Did something happen around here today?”

If anything, her friend looked even more upset. “I had another panic attack,” she admitted. “The kids were out here playing, and I was sitting here watching them, when Tommy went around the side of the house. When I called him, he didn’t answer. I tried to go after him, but when I got to the edge of the patio, it was like I ran into a wall or something. I couldn’t make myself take one more step. I started sweating and my hands were shaking. I finally managed to shout for him and, thank God, he came right back, but I think we need to take another look at me being alone with the kids, even for an hour or two.”

Sarah could see the worry and fear in her eyes. “I have every faith that if Tommy hadn’t come when you called, you would have gone looking for him.”

Raylene regarded her with frustration. “You’re not listening to me, Sarah. I couldn’t make myself move. I couldn’t!”

Sarah didn’t want Raylene to see that the incident worried her. She reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. Nothing happened. Tommy’s fine.”

“Next time, he might not be. I mean it, Sarah,” she said earnestly. “I’m happy to help out with the house, but I just can’t risk being responsible for Tommy and Libby. I know you’re trying to be supportive, but right now the only thing that matters is the well-being of your kids.”

“I know,” Sarah acknowledged. No matter how much faith she had in Raylene, she knew she couldn’t take a chance that it might be misplaced. “I just don’t want to see you taking another step to shut yourself away here. You know this is more than some temporary thing, Raylene. Not only has it gone on for months now, but you’re getting worse. You need to see someone, not for me or for the kids, but for you. Call Annie’s shrink. You already know Dr. McDaniels from back when Annie was in the hospital with her anorexia. It won’t be like talking to a complete stranger.”

Raylene shook her head. “I know that makes sense, but I need to try to beat this on my own. I don’t want my independence to be one more thing my husband took away from me.”

“Hasn’t it already happened?” Sarah asked in frustration. “You’re already holed up here. You don’t see anyone except the people we invite over and the kids and me. That’s not living, Raylene.”

Raylene’s expression turned sad. “Believe it or not, it’s better than the life I had in Charleston.”

It sounded as if she were talking about more than the physical abuse to which she’d been subjected. “What do you mean?” Sarah asked. “What about all those fancy committees you told us you were on? All the fundraising you did?”

“All talk,” Raylene said. “I didn’t want you and Annie to know how bad things were. I couldn’t serve on committees, because I never knew what shape I’d be in. You can’t join those things and then never show up. Oh, I tried for the first year we were married, but then I got a reputation as someone who couldn’t be counted on. I quit everything after I heard a woman telling a committee chair not to give me an important assignment because I wouldn’t be around to follow through.”

“I had no idea,” Sarah whispered, understanding how much that must have hurt. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It was my fault.”

“Being abused was not your fault,” Sarah said furiously. “The blame is all on that creep you married.”

“I chose him,” Raylene said. “And I stayed much too long, because every time I mentioned that I might leave him, my parents—well, my mother really—reminded me about all the wonderful things I’d be giving up. She didn’t believe for a minute that someone from such an upstanding family and in such a respectable profession could have a mean streak. In her mind, I had this idyllic marriage, the one she should have had.”

“What about your dad?”

“I never told him,” Raylene admitted. “I couldn’t. It would have destroyed him, especially if he’d found out that my mother knew and advised me to stay. I’m glad he’s gone now, so he’ll never find out about any of this.”

Sarah couldn’t imagine any mother who would knowingly let her daughter stay in an abusive relationship without fighting tooth and nail to get her out of it. She’d always thought that Raylene’s mother lived too much in her supposedly glorious past, that she complained too much about the pitiful life to which she’d been relegated in this little podunk town. This, though, turning her head when it came to Raylene’s marital mess was truly unconscionable.