The Devine Doughnut Shop(19)

“Hey, Mama.” Audrey came out of the house and sat down on the end of the chaise longue with Sarah. “I’ve been messaging with Crystal on my computer. I miss getting to see her in person every day.”

“It was your choice to take the rap for your friends and then to tell me that you hated me,” Grace reminded her.

“Do you want to hear my newest gossip or not?” Audrey snapped.

Sarah patted her niece on the shoulder. “I want to hear it. Does it have to do with what color eye shadow you and Crystal are wearing to church next week?”

Audrey shook her head. “Nope. Crystal is so bummed that she’s crying. Darla Jo forgot to pay her this morning when she came home, and when Crystal went by to pick up her money, she learned that Darla Jo is moving and won’t need her to babysit anymore. Her ranch has sold, and she’s all excited because her boyfriend—the one she spends Saturday nights with—has asked her to marry him. There goes Crystal’s babysitting job.” Audrey closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them. “I feel so sorry for her.”

“Darla Jo—her older husband died a bit ago, right? She has two cute little boys,” Macy said.

“That’s the one . . .” Audrey let out another dramatic sigh. “And I won’t ever get a chance to do substitute babysitting now. She and her boyfriend are moving to a romantic tropical island. I wish I lived near the ocean and that I could lay out and work on my tan every day.”

“When is this move going to happen?” Grace asked.

“Real soon,” Audrey answered. “Darla Jo told Crystal that her boyfriend has to finish up some kind of a legal job before they can leave, but they’ve already bought a house and hired staff on the island. They’re going to get married on the beach in their bare feet, but Darla Jo is still going to wear a white dress with a train, and the little boys are going to carry it for her. Doesn’t that sound so dreamy? Someday I’m going to be able to say that I’ve got staff in my huge mansion house on an island just like that.”

The heavy feeling in Grace’s chest was back. Neal wasn’t just having a fling—he was going to fleece Macy out of her inheritance and break her heart at the same time. Now she and Sarah had no choice but to tell her what was going on. Hopefully, she would believe them and not do something as stupid as Audrey had done the past week—like sign the papers to give Neal power of attorney.





Chapter Five


What are we going to do without Macy to help us? Sarah thought when she awoke from a nap that afternoon.

The shop had always been run by family, and bringing in an outsider to learn their recipe could be disastrous. Until Macy talked to them about giving Neal power of attorney over her finances, Sarah had had no idea just how far Neal had manipulated her sweet cousin. She and Grace owed it to Macy to press charges against the man.

Exactly what would you charge him with? the niggling voice in her head asked as she threw back the covers and sat up in bed. He hasn’t done one illegal thing. And if she does sign the papers to give him access to everything she owns, or if she sells her part of the shop either to you and Grace or to a stranger, that’s not against the law.

“Where’s the justice in that?” she muttered. When she opened her bedroom door, something sweet-smelling filled the house. She followed her nose to the kitchen, where Raelene was taking peanut butter cookies from the oven, and Grace was sitting at the table. Several dozen cookies were cooling on the counter, and a loaded plate sat in the middle of the table. Audrey was beside Grace and had one of her poor, pitiful me expressions on her face.

“Did you have a good nap?” Grace asked.

“I did.” Sarah sat down and picked up a cookie. “Where’s Macy?”

“One of her horrible migraines just hit. Those things come out of nowhere and always start with blurred vision,” Grace said and then gave Sarah a look that said they needed to talk.

Sarah hated that her cousin was in such pain, but she breathed a sigh of relief. This would give her and Grace a little longer to figure out how to break the news to Macy.

Rip off the bandage in one fell swoop. Macy is stronger than you think, her mother’s voice said loudly in her head.

I don’t think so, Sarah argued.

“Are you having a mental conversation with someone?” Grace asked.

“Yes, I am,” Sarah answered. “With our mother.”

“My granny still pops into my head sometimes,” Raelene said and glanced over at Audrey. “I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one who hears voices.”

“Not me,” Audrey said. “The only thing I hear is my algebra teacher fussing at me for not getting all my work in on time.”

“How many lessons are you behind?” Grace asked.

Audrey cut her eyes to her mother. “Maybe ten. Crystal said he wouldn’t dare flunk her or Kelsey because their dads are on the school board, and since I’m their friend . . .” She let the sentence hang.

“They’re wrong,” Raelene said. “Mr. Randolph is a tough teacher, and you get what you earn in his class.”

Audrey looked toward the ceiling, sighed dramatically, and finally said, “Is the offer still on the table for you to help me to get caught up?”

“Are we friends?” Raelene asked.