Terri was still gaping at her father. She’d never seen him look like that or go after any visitor. In fact, he did his best to get away from them.
“Twenty bucks says she doesn’t leave here,” Frank said.
She looked at him. “What are
you talking about?”
“Her. The chick in city clothes. She didn’t go to the office so she’s not here to rent. I know she doesn’t own, so she’s probably meaning to keep going.”
“She could be somebody’s guest.” Terri watched as her father smiled at the woman and began talking while his eyes seemed to travel up and down her.
“Nope,” Frank said. “I’ve only seen your father look at one other woman like that and he married her.”
“You’re crazy! Dad doesn’t—” She stopped talking because her father slipped his arm through the woman’s and they walked toward his office.
Frank put the bill back in his wallet. “You owe me twenty bucks.” He got up.
“I didn’t agree to your dumb bet.” She was staring at her father as he ushered the woman into his office. She looked back at Frank. “But... I mean...”
Frank grinned. “Your dad used to be one of the Players. In fact he probably started them on their paths to eternal damnation.”
“My father would never—”
“You better face it, kiddo, your daddy may seem to be alone, but Brody Rayburn isn’t celibate. See you later and you can introduce me to your new stepmom.”
“She isn’t going to be—” Terri broke off because she was shouting and people were staring. Frank waved his hand but he didn’t look back.
It had turned out almost exactly as Frank had said it would. By the next morning, Brody had talked Elaine into opening a dress shop right outside his office. He’d put her in a store that had mostly sold sunscreen and ugly towels. Two weeks later, Brody tore down the wall into the boat storage next to it to give Elaine more room. He’d had to deal with some anger when people had to take their boats out of storage, but he didn’t hesitate.
When the women around the lake saw a showing of Elaine’s clothes set up in the clubhouse, they volunteered to help build the new store.
From that first day four years ago, Elaine and Brody had been a pair. Everyone except Frank had expected Terri to be jealous, but she hadn’t been. She loved the woman almost as much as her dad did.
“You’re sure about this?” Terri asked, looking at herself in the mirror over the dresser. They had the curtains drawn because the house and grounds were beginning to fill up with people.
“You look beautiful,” Elaine said. “The Turner boys are going to be falling all over themselves at the sight of you.”
“Oh. Them.”
Behind her, Elaine smiled. “You shouldn’t dismiss those two. They’re handsome and rich and a lot of fun. They—”
“Can’t do anything.” Terri turned away from the mirror. She looked at the clothes on the bed with longing. It had been years since she’d worn pretty clothes. She used to take hours to get dressed and now she spent the day without so much as brushing her hair.
“You’re right,” Elaine said. “The Turner Twins can’t get the kids together, can’t throw a party for everyone, won’t clean up lakes and old boathouses. They aren’t liked by everyone they meet. They aren’t a Pied Piper come to life.”
Terri sat down on the bed and picked up the sleeve of a blouse with pearls along the cuff. “No one is like Nate.”
“Oh, honey.” Elaine sat down beside Terri and put her arms around her. “Don’t fall in love with a man who’s already taken. That’s the way to get your heart broken. Just wait. Give him time to decide what he wants to do.”
“The mayor’s daughter or the girl at the lake? Not a difficult decision to make.”
Elaine leaned back to look at her. “I don’t know this Stacy Hartman, but I do know you, and you’re as good as any young woman on this planet.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Terri said. When a ball bounced against the glass doors, she sat up. “I’m okay. Maybe I should go out with one of the Twins. Nate says one’s an ambulance chaser and the other one is a quack.”
Elaine laughed. “I think I agree with him.” She waved her hand around. “How are you with all of this?” She meant the people who were inside and out of the house.
Terri got up. “I love it. You know how bad Dad and I are at socializing.”