Warm Nights in Magnolia Bay, Babette Jongh [book club books txt] 📗

“We have it on good authority that the owners of the bayside property and the acreage across Winding Water Way are eager to sell. I have also spoken to the owners of the two properties adjacent to Bayside Barn, and they’ve both agreed to consider an offer.” Heat flared in Quinn’s face at the innuendo that he’d secretly been negotiating with JP, and he felt Abby stiffen beside him.

JP looked right at Quinn and delivered the zinger: “One of those landowners is even a local contractor, and I’ve chosen him to oversee the project.” Abby jerked her hand from his and glared, crossing her arms. Edna stared at him wide-eyed, a disbelieving look on her face.

“All that remains, good people,” JP said, rubbing his palms together, “is for us to settle on fair terms with the landholders, which we will, of course, extend to the owner of Bayside Barn. Or…” He shrugged and spread his hands wide, sending a charming grin to the city council members. “We can buy up everything around them, then claim eminent domain for the good of the community and force them out.”

Chapter 22

Abby waited till they got outside the building to fly at Quinn, barely restraining herself from shoving him in the chest. “What the hell was he talking about? You’re in negotiations to sell your estate to that slimeball? And you’re planning to work for that snake? After he sold you down the river? What the hell, Quinn?”

Edna stood beside Abby, a stalwart pillar of strength with her arms crossed over her ample bosom.

“No, it’s not true.” Quinn’s handsome face held a sincere, pleading expression. “I did talk to JP, but it wasn’t at all the way he described.”

Abby wished she hadn’t seen enough pleading expressions on another handsome, lying face to know better than to fall for it. “Are you saying that you told him to get lost, and he misunderstood that to mean, Let’s talk money?”

“He offered to buy the estate. I didn’t accept.”

“But you didn’t refuse, either, did you?”

He winced. “Not exactly, but—”

“And what about the contractor job? Big-shot overseer of the whole operation? That’s a huge step up for you, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t accept—”

“Yeah, yeah. You didn’t accept, but you didn’t say no, either, right?”

Quinn hesitated just a tick too long.

“That’s it,” Abby said. “I’m done.”

“Abby, it was a long time ago. He called out of the blue, and—”

Abby turned away from Quinn. “Edna, can you give me a ride home?”

“Sure thing, honey.”

Quinn touched Abby’s arm, and she shrugged him off. “I really don’t want to look at you right now,” she said over her shoulder. “Much less hear your excuses. Please go away.”

He didn’t, but she did. She left him standing on the sidewalk in front of the courthouse. Edna, bless her heart, hooked her arm in Abby’s and towed her in the direction of Edna’s car.

They didn’t talk much on the way to the car, or even once they got in.

Edna started the car. “If he’s consorting with the enemy, you’re well shed of him. Fasten your seat belt.”

“I know,” Abby replied. “But it still hurts.”

“I know it does.” Driving like the old lady she was, Edna backed slowly into the line of traffic leaving the courthouse, making all the cars behind her stand still for far too long. “It’ll hurt for a while, and then it’ll hurt less, and after that it’ll stop hurting. That’s the way life goes.”

That was about all they could find to say about that.

Edna steered around the town square and headed toward Bayside Barn. “Are you gonna call your aunt Reva and let her know what happened?”

“God, I don’t know.” Abby flung her head back against the headrest and plowed her fingers through her hair. She felt like a failure and an unwitting coconspirator who’d unknowingly invited the enemy into their camp. Not only that, she’d had sex with him. “What will I say?”

“Well…” Edna stopped at a light and put her blinker on. The ticky-ticky sound emphasized the silence while she thought. When the light changed, she made the left turn and spoke. “I think you should tell her exactly what happened. We presented our case, and the opposing side presented their case, and now we’ll have to wait till the next meeting to see what the city council decides.”

“And what about Quinn, and what he did?”

“We don’t really know what he did, do we?” They had reached the county road leading out of town, and Edna set the cruise control for about fifteen miles under the speed limit. “We’ve heard some alarming innuendoes, but what do we know for sure? I think we should stick with what we know and wait till we figure out the rest. Why bother her with supposition?”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Why don’t you call her right now? Get it over with. I’m sure she’s anxious to hear what happened.”

Abby tried to call, but only got to leave a voicemail. “Hey, Reva. The town hall thing went as well as could be expected. We presented our case, the developers presented theirs, and a bunch of people came to give their opinions. I think we had a lot more people on our side than they had on theirs, so that was good. The council will discuss it at their next meeting, and they’ll tell us what they decided at the next town hall. Mack said he’d call you later tonight and tell you more. Okay, that’s it. Love you. Talk to you soon.”

She ended the call and sighed. “Done.”

Edna reached over and patted her leg. “There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

* * *

Quinn picked up Sean after the town hall meeting as planned. They didn’t have dinner with Abby as planned. Quinn had gathered the courage to text Abby to ask if they were still on for dinner, and he got his answer in her decision to ignore his text. So he’d taken Sean out to dinner instead, and they spent