Blossom Street Brides (Blossom Street #10)(30)

“Coffee?” she asked, gesturing toward the coffeemaker.

Andrew nodded and stepped around the countertop, with his hands tucked in his back pockets. This was a sure sign he was on a mission, and probably one he would prefer to avoid. “Annie called this morning.”

That explained it. “We had a bit of a tiff,” Bethanne murmured with a regretful sigh.

“So she said.”

“She had no business giving your father a key to my house.”

“I agree.”

Andrew, she knew, would be more apt to see her side of things. “I was upset with her, but I could have handled it a lot better than I did.”

Her son got down two mugs from the cupboard.

“I was troubled about more than what Annie did,” Bethanne said, the knot returning to her throat. “Max wants me to either sell the party business or move it to California.”

Frowning, Andrew turned to face her. “Why can’t he move?”

“It’s more complicated for him than me.”

“It’s complicated either way, Mom.”

“I know. I’m afraid unless one of us makes a concession that our marriage might not survive.”

Her son’s frown darkened. “That’s crazy. You love Max. I’ve never known you to be happier, and Max is head-over-heels in love with you.”

Afraid if she spoke the tears would leak into her voice, she nodded instead.

“If you’re thinking you can’t leave because of the baby …”

“I don’t know what to do,” she whispered, and pressed her fingers to her lips.

Right away her son wrapped his arms around her. “Whatever you decide will be fine by Courtney and me. If Annie puts up a fuss, then let her. This is your life and you can’t live it for anyone else. You do what makes you the happiest.”

“Max makes me happy.”

“I know.”

A tear slipped from her eye and wove its way down her cheek. Bethanne wiped it away. Her son’s vote of confidence was exactly what she needed to hear. “Thank you, Andrew.”

“You’re welcome.” He kissed the top of her head. “Now about tonight …”

“I’ll call Annie and do what I can to repair any hurt feelings,” Bethanne assured him. “I’ll make sure there won’t be any tension between us for your special dinner.”

A car door shut in the distance. “That would be Max,” Bethanne said. “He’s changing the door locks.”

“Can’t say I blame him.” Andrew glanced at his wrist. “I’ve got to go. Courtney wants to drag me along to the grocery store this afternoon. I’ll say hi to Max and then be on my way.”

“Thanks for stopping by.” Already Bethanne felt better.

“Anytime,” Andrew said on his way out the back door.

Bethanne heard the two men chatting, and a few minutes later Max was in the house.

“Did you find everything you needed?” she asked, looking at the two huge bags Max carried.

Max set them atop the kitchen counter. “And then some. A hardware store is to men what a toy store is to ten-year-olds. I picked up lightbulbs, which were on sale, and a new garden hose, which I left in the garage, and a few other items you may or may not need in the foreseeable future.”

“On sale?”

“Naturally.”

Men weren’t so different than women after all, Bethanne decided.

“It won’t take me long to get these locks changed. Rooster called. Would you mind if we met for lunch?”

“No problem. I’ve got a few errands I need to run myself.”

Max nodded, and something in the way he looked told Bethanne this was more than two friends getting together. “Everything okay with Rooster?” she asked.

Max shrugged while he set his purchases out on the kitchen counter. “He’s down in the mouth.”

“Any particular reason?”

“He didn’t say. I’ve known Rooster for a lot of years, and I don’t know that I’ve ever heard him sound quite like this.”

“Quite like what?” Bethanne pressed.

Again, Max seemed to be at a loss for words. “Discouraged, I guess. That’s about as close as I can think to describe what was in his voice.”

Rooster was probably one of the most positive people Bethanne had ever met. She couldn’t imagine what had happened to affect Max’s closest friend this way.

Chapter Twelve

Lauren didn’t sleep all night. Again and again, her mind reviewed the scene between Todd and Rooster. When Rooster stormed out of the restaurant, he’d been angry, irate, and something else. It’d taken her half the night to identify what that something else was.

Hurt.

Although it had never been her intent, Lauren had angered and hurt Rooster. It went against her nature to inflict pain on anyone, especially someone she happened to like a great deal. They’d known each other briefly, but in that short amount of time, Lauren had come to feel a strong connection to Rooster. She enjoyed his wit and his down-to-earth approach to life. He didn’t put on airs or work to impress her. What struck her was how he seemed to concentrate on her instead of focusing on himself and his own accomplishments. The more she dwelled on their one dinner date, the more she wanted to get to know Rooster and spend more time with him.