Her Summer with the Marine: A Donovan Brothers Novel (Entangled Bliss) (6 page)

Though she had to admit he looked kind of cute in his oxford shirt, business pants, and those shiny black boots. Reading on a bench. One of the things about him that had always appealed to her was his intelligence.

She paused. Was he reminding her that he was smart? Was that what this was?
I wanted to kiss you. Now I’m showing you that I’m smart.

Was he seducing her?

The absurdity in that jump in logic made her laugh. And also caused her to speculate that he might be trying to make her so uncomfortable that she gave up, and sold him her funeral home.

No way. She was not letting him drive her out.

She tossed her rubber gloves into the sink, grabbed her house key, and marched across the street. She glanced around. Most of the kids had gone home. If Finn made a scene, he’d only embarrass her in front of two teenage girls who were babysitting small children, and one dog.

Still, when she reached him he didn’t look up. She kicked his booted foot off his knee.

There. Now he looked up.

He gaped at her as if she’d knocked him out of a trance. “What?”

“What yourself. What are you doing here staring at my front door?”

He displayed the book. “I’m not staring at your front door—I’m reading. In case you haven’t noticed, neither one of us has a lot of work right now.”

“Do you have to read across from my house?”

“It’s the park. I’m on the bench that faces away from the kids and the noise.” He shook his head. “Geez, you’re suspicious.”

“Oh, yeah? You don’t think I should be suspicious of the guy who stole Barbara Beth for his dumb ad?”

“I didn’t steal her. She needed the money.”

“Right, like I believe that. My mother was the town beautician. I know Barbara Beth does just fine.”

He paused, frowned at her. “You think Barbara Beth is your beautician?”

Seeing his serious eyes, her heart did a somersault. “What?”

“What?”

She sucked in a breath. “If Barbara Beth’s not my beautician…she’s…she’s…”
She couldn’t be.

“We went to the same school.”

OMG. “At the same time?”

“No. Because of my stint in the marines, she was ahead of me. The day we met on campus, we had coffee and she told me she was tired of working on unappreciative people’s hair.”

Ellie collapsed against the back of the park bench. “Barbara Beth is my embalmer.”

“Which means she also has to be the person running your company. Or at least be the face of your business.”

“And you
stole
her!”

“Nope. She just did that one ad with me. She’s still your embalmer.”

“You think I can keep her after she worked for the competition?”

“I don’t think you have a choice.”

Her phone rang. She yanked it her jeans pocket and yelped, “McDermott’s!”

“Is this Ellie McDermott?”

Oh, Lord. A normal person. A fight with Finn had just made her yell at a normal person. “Yes. I’m sorry. This is Ellie.”

“Ellie, this is Mary Sue Berkey.” There was a pause for a sniffle. “My granddad passed away.”

Shock numbed her body, rendered her speechless with giddy joy. Was she getting some business?

“My family’s not sure what to do.”

She spared a glance at Finn, really wishing she could snicker, then had to work to compose herself. Her good fortune was Mary Sue’s sorrow—even if Old Bob Berkey was past a hundred.

“I’m so sorry, Mary Sue. You and your family just sit tight and let McDermott’s take care of you.”

She hung up the phone, fighting to hold back a whoop of joy.

“You got a funeral, didn’t you?”

The relief that filled her almost had her laughing again. “Yes.”

“It appears the appeals for your dad worked.”

She rose from the bench. She didn’t quite trust the look in his eyes, but she had a funeral to plan. As her father always said,
McDermott’s provides a service. We take care of families.

And, by God, that’s exactly what she’d do. Take care of the Berkeys.

That is, if she and her team could do a funeral as well as her father always had—with Barbara Beth as embalmer
and
the face of her business.

Oh, dear God.

Chapter Seven

“God bless you.” Barbara Beth caught the hand of a mourner as the group solemnly filed out of the church behind the casket. “God bless you.” Another hand. “God bless you.”

Wearing a black sheath and pearls, Ellie stood across the aisle from her, not sure if B.B.’s masculine black suit and over-the-top sympathy were a good thing or a bad thing.

Dan leaned in to whisper in her ear. “You’re doing fine. Great. And we’re almost done. Ten minutes at the graveside, then we’re in the church hall for a nice lunch.”

She knew he’d said that to be reassuring. But lunch meant seeing the Dinner Belles, the women whose gossip had ruined her mom’s reputation. The women whose gossip had made her own life in this town a living hell. After her mom had died, she couldn’t go to the diner, O’Riley’s Market, or even Health Aid without one of them pointing and whispering. She was a late-in-life baby. A mistake. What if Amanda had left because she didn’t want children? What if Amanda hadn’t been cut out to be a mom and though she’d tried for twelve years, she’d just had enough?

Ellie sucked in a breath. If there’d been any other choice for a funeral lunch, she wouldn’t have hired the Dinner Belles. But the nondenominational women’s group did every after-funeral lunch. She couldn’t bypass the offer of their services without causing an uproar. And an uproar meant people would dislike her. People disliking her meant they wouldn’t use McDermott’s. And then her dad would be out on the street.

Barbara Beth pressed her palm to the hand of the last mourner. “God bless you.” When the swinging doors flapped closed behind him, she raced across the aisle to Ellie and Dan.

“Oh my God.” Her voice was quiet, hushed, because they were still in church, but her shiny eyes couldn’t hide her excitement. “That was amazing.”

Shaking his head, Dan left to help the ushers get the casket into the back of the hearse.

Ellie faced Barbara Beth. “You still have to say a few words at the graveside.”

She fisted her hands and raised them to her face like an excited child. “That’s right! And I’m the one who tells everybody to meet at the church hall for lunch.”

“That’d be you.”

Barbara Beth breathed deeply, shook her long blond hair down her back, and shifted her face into the appropriate solemn lines. “I’ll see you in the hearse.”

“I’m taking my car.”

Barbara Beth smiled sympathetically at her. “I know you hate these things. So you don’t really need to go to the grave site.” She cleared her throat. “I am the manager, and you said you basically do administrative work like a bookkeeper, right?”

Though it rankled, Ellie said, “Yes.”

“So, we really don’t need you, sweetie.” She put her hand on Ellie’s shoulder. “And the books are somewhat behind…”

“Barbara Beth, you may be the manager, but I’m the owner. What did we say when we talked about this a few nights ago?”

“That I should never help Finn Donovan again.”

“Right. But what else?”

“That I handle the dead bodies and you handle the money.”

“And?”

“And we both work with the people.” She sighed. “But I’m better at it.”

Ellie couldn’t argue that. Though everything Barbara Beth did was over the top, her hugging and crying with the family had worked. Ellie had been more comfortable taking care of the financial end of things and then stepping into the background.

With any other people in the world, she could have been as good as Barbara Beth, but how could she soften to a town full of people who thought her mom was little more than a common whore?

The final ceremony at the graveside went smoothly. Bob Berkey’s family said good-bye to their 102-year-old father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, and uncle. His wife was gone. His brothers and sisters were gone. Even his cousins were gone. He was the last of a generation of his family. And though everyone would miss him, they were all glad to see him reunited with his loved ones in the Great Beyond.

So the luncheon in the church hall had the air of a family reunion. Babies were passed around. Hugs and back slaps abounded. Finn and Barbara Beth stood by the minister as he said the blessing. Then people who had been mourners chatted and laughed over baked chicken and rigatoni, and lingered over donated cakes and coffee, as Finn went from table to table, socializing.

Ellie frowned, wondering what the heck he was doing here. As far as she knew, he wasn’t a relative. Otherwise, his parents would have attended the funeral. He could be a friend of the family, but there wasn’t a Berkey kid anywhere near his age. Still, she had to admit, in the uncomfortable situation of attending a luncheon with a bunch of people she didn’t know, watching him was a nice distraction.

In a dark suit, white shirt, and thin black tie, he was the epitome of class. Though he’d left his face unshaven, the shadow of whiskers made him look sexy, dangerous. The men at the table laughed at whatever he’d said. The women giggled like girls.

That warm feeling she’d had the morning she thought he was going to kiss her returned. It softened her belly. Made her breath do crazy things.

She instantly turned away. She could not be attracted to him. So what if he was gorgeous and looked fantastic in a suit and tie? And so what if his beard made her curious about what that stubble would feel like scraping across her stomach?

She grabbed her coffee and chugged it. That was just wrong. He’d stolen her virginity, beaten her out for valedictorian, and now he wanted her dad’s business. She was
not
attracted to him.

She glanced around restlessly. Morning had become afternoon, and she hadn’t even touched base with the Tidy Whitiez staff. But she couldn’t leave yet. She had to pay the Dinner Belles. Still, lunch was over. As soon as she paid, she could go home.

She drew in a breath, straightened her shoulders, and walked the length of the rectangular dining area to the kitchen. Two steps before she got to the door, a roar of laughter enveloped her. She stopped and squeezed her eyes shut, as memories of this group gossiping about her dead mom poured through her.

Ellie shook her head to dislodge the vivid images and terrible words, and reminded herself that her mom had been dead for years. These women were gossipy. Nothing would change that. But they’d provided a service for her. It was time to pay them.

She stepped into the kitchen and everyone stopped talking.

Great.

Sandy Wojak, the short, brunette—only because of a dye job from Bang, Bangs—seventy-something leader of the group, leaned against the counter in the back by one of the kitchen’s four sinks. When she saw Ellie, she pushed off and ambled over.

“It was a wonderful funeral for a great man. Somebody everybody in this town loved. Your dad is going to be proud of you.”

Her throat closed. She wasn’t even sure her dad would know she’d done this.

“How is he, by the way?”

The ladies at the dishwashing sink eased toward them, dish towels in hand, drying cups and plates, true concern etched into the lines of their faces.

Ellie licked her lips. “He’s fine.”

Sandy brightened. “Maybe we can go see him?”

She almost told them no, then wondered what right she had. She might have carried a grudge toward these old biddies for fifteen years, but her kindhearted dad had forgiven them. They were “his people.”

“I guess.” She paused. A weird feeling slithered through her. It was one thing to communicate with Finn. There’d always been anger, competition, and a dose of lust between them. Honesty came easily. Words bubbled to the surface dying for release.

But these women? The secret society who’d sacrificed her mom on the altar of cheap entertainment? What the hell did she say to them?

She cleared her throat, reached into her dress pocket, and pulled out the check. “Here’s the money for the food with the donation to the group added in.”

Sandy looked down at the check. “Thanks.” Catching Ellie’s gaze, she smiled. “It’s nice to have you home.”

She worked up a smile in response, proud of herself for dealing with this like a mature adult, but, as she turned to leave, a piece of Donovan’s Funeral Home letterhead caught her eye.

Prepaid Funeral Estimate.

Karen O’Riley sauntered over and slid it off the counter with a smile of apology to Ellie. Charlene Simmons slid a similar piece of paper from the counter near her, folded it, and shoved it into her apron pocket.

Ellie’s eyes narrowed. Prepaid funeral estimate?

Prepaid funeral estimate?

Had Finn been at the biggest gathering of townspeople in weeks to sell prepaid funeral packages?

Oh, God. Of course that was why he’d been here. He did nothing without a reason. And he never stopped competing.

“That ass.”

Sandy said, “What?”

With twelve women watching her every move, Ellie drew back and outwardly calmed herself. So he was providing prepaid funerals, huh? Probably setting up installment plans. Her dad had talked about doing that, but he’d never quite been able to discuss dying with people who weren’t even sick. But Finn had had no trouble. And neither would she. In fact, it seemed like the common sense way to keep a business like a funeral home afloat. And a much better way to make money than waiting for people to die.

She smiled. He’d just given her the help she needed to keep her dad in Harmony Hills Hideaway. But that didn’t change the fact that he’d horned in on her funeral to do his business.

Or the fact that she was standing in a group of women who’d love for her to make a scene.

What she said now could be all over town in two minutes.

She smiled graciously. “You ladies did a fantastic job on the lunch.”

A short gasp of appreciation rippled through the gathered Dinner Belles.

Try to make her look like an idiot? Huh. She’d show him. “The food was delicious. Thank you very much.”

Sandy said, “You’re welcome.” She caught her hand. “And we will visit your dad. We love him, you know?”

She didn’t know. She knew her dad loved them. But people who loved him wouldn’t have gossiped about the love of his life in
his
darkest moment.

Still, she nodded, turned, and walked out of the kitchen, out of the hall, and over to Finn’s Range Rover. When he came out a few minutes later, she was leaning on the front fender, waiting for him.

“You insufferable lout.”

“Lout? Now there’s a word you don’t hear every day.”

“You
should
hear it every day. Because you are a lout.”

“I’m not even really sure I know what lout means.”

“It’s a jerk. Somebody who has no class.”

He smoothed his hand down his slim black tie. “I have lots of class.”

“You used my funeral to hawk your prepaid funeral services!”

To her horror, he burst out laughing. “I know! Stroke of genius, wasn’t it? There’s no better time to sell services than when you’ve got a crowd of people seeing just how much it costs to have a funeral.”

“You don’t even have the decency to deny it?”

He laughed again. “How can I deny it? I’m guessing you saw one of the estimate sheets.” He put his hands on the fender, on either side of her hips, trapping her. “Wanna go somewhere private and finish this fight?”

His face was flushed with the joy of his victory. His blue eyes had the shine that somehow walked the line between sexy and predatory. The same look he’d had the day he discovered the brochures, the day she was sure he’d wanted to kiss her.

She held back a gasp.

He wanted to kiss her!

And, oh, dear God, she suddenly wanted to kiss him, too. It was as if their fight had put fire in her blood and made her want to run her fingers through his short, spiky pale hair and kiss him senseless.

Which was insanity.

She slapped his shoulder and pushed him away. “I’m not leaving with you so you can… You can…” Damn it. When she gazed into those fathomless blue eyes, all those words that bubbled up deserted her.

His lips lifted into a knowing smile as he trapped her again. “I can what?”

The first time they’d had sex she’d been an inexperienced schoolgirl. Now, older, wiser, she knew exactly what she’d like him to do.

Furious with herself, she shoved out of his hold. “You make me so angry I can’t think straight.”

“Why? Because I tried to remind people that I’m still around, too?”

“You didn’t remind people you’re still around. You worked the crowd.
My
crowd.”

“I think Old Man Berkey would argue that. Technically, it was his crowd. But that funeral should have been mine. I’d been talking with him about his final arrangements for months. Apparently, he’d forgotten to tell his children. But he should have come to me.”

She stepped back, refusing to feel guilty over stealing his client. “Well, his family brought him to me, and Sandy said I’d done well.”

“You did.”

“So leave me alone.”

She spun around and walked away, reaching deep and pulling out all the dignity she could muster.

“You look great in that dress, by the way. It makes your butt look very sexy.”

She pivoted to face him. “This is a church!”

He waved his hand in dismissal. “This is a church parking lot.” He smiled. “And you do look pretty.”

Her eyes narrowed, even as the syrupy warmth riding her blood melted and flooded her with unwanted heat.

Fighting to ignore that, she shook her head and strode away.

In the car, she forced herself to think about which Tidy Whitiez team member she’d call first, after she returned from a visit with her dad. But as she drove away, Finn just stood there watching her leave.

It was one thing to torment her, to fight for business, even to get a little smarmy in the way he kept himself in front of potential customers. It was another to make her feel…

She squeezed her eyes shut. That was exactly the problem. He made her feel.