Sweet Tea at Sunrise (5 page)

He feigned dismay. “You’d do that to me?”

“No more than you deserve after keeping me in the dark for so long,” she told him. “Don’t fret, though. There will be plenty more who won’t have a clue when they show up this morning.”

“I don’t suppose you could try to keep it quiet around Sarah, could you? I’d kind of like her to hear about this from me.”

Grace nodded slowly. “So that’s the way it is. I’d wondered. You’re sweet on her, aren’t you?”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” he said quickly, if not entirely truthfully.

“Then what is it like?” she asked suspiciously.

He hesitated, then said, “Okay, I owe it to you to tell you what I have in mind since Sarah works for you. I’m thinking of asking her to go on the air in the mornings. She’s great with all your customers. She shows a real interest in their lives and they all talk a mile a minute when she’s around.”

Once again, Grace’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “You don’t have to sell me. That’s a wonderful idea. She’d be perfect hosting a talk show right here in town.”

“You aren’t furious that I want to steal her?”

“Heavens, no! I love having her there, but her working for me was always temporary.”

Travis was surprised to hear that. “Why? She isn’t planning to leave town, is she?” He certainly hadn’t heard any rumors to that effect.

“No, but she’s put in her application to teach in the fall. I think she’s really looking forward to it.”

“Then I’ll just have to make her see that this opportunity is too good to miss,” Travis said.

“When are you planning on talking to her?”

“I wanted to speak to you first, and now that I have, I thought maybe I’d sit down with her right after I make the announcement about the station going on the air. Will that work with her schedule at Wharton’s today?”

“She’s all yours right after lunch,” Grace assured him. “We should be slowing down by one o’clock today, since so many people came in this morning and the rest will be over the minute you finish announcing your news. They’ll want to come in and chew it over, right along with their grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.”

“Then I’ll be by around one,” Travis told her. Impulsively, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks.”

“For what?”

“Being supportive and understanding, not just about the radio station, but about Sarah.”

“Not a problem,” she said, then gave him a dark look. “But you show one sign of hurting that girl, and you won’t know what hit you.”

“Warning duly noted,” he said solemnly. He had the distinct feeling she was talking about a whole lot more than Sarah’s future in radio.

After an insanely busy morning, Sarah was relieved when everyone disappeared precisely at 10:00 a.m. to await Travis’s big announcement at the unveiling of his new business.

“Why don’t you go on over there and see what he’s up to,” Grace suggested. “I can handle things here. Nobody’s going to be setting foot in here until he’s finished talking, anyway.”

Sarah studied her suspiciously. “You already know, don’t you? That’s why he took you out of here this morning, so you could give this whole thing your blessing.”

Grace beamed. “Something like that.”

“And did you give him your blessing?”

“I did.” She shooed Sarah toward the door. “Go on. You know you’re dying of curiosity.”

“You could tell me yourself and I could stay right here and help you with setups for lunch.”

“Nope,” Grace said adamantly. “You need to hear this straight from the horse’s mouth.”

“Okay, fine,” she conceded eventually, stripping off her apron and going outside.

There was quite a crowd assembled on the green. She wondered if Walter had brought the kids into town for this. When he’d shown up on Thursday and announced he was staying through the weekend, she’d been startled, but not displeased. She’d never wanted to deny the kids a chance to spend time with their daddy, as long as they were here and not over in Alabama where the Prices could try to influence them against her. Though there were plenty of kids running around with balloons, she didn’t spot her two or Walter.

A platform had been set up on the sidewalk in front of the new business and an older man she didn’t recognize was tapping a microphone, sending ear-splitting screeches into the air. He gave the crowd a chagrined smile.

“Sorry,” he apologized when he had the controls adjusted. “Nice to see so many of you here this morning.”

As he spoke, Sarah heard some murmurs in the crowd. Apparently quite a few people recognized him.

He gave them a disarming grin as the murmurs spread. “I gather that those of you who didn’t recognize me at first are familiar with the sound of my voice. I’m Bill Roberts, longtime host of
Top of the Morning,
and
previous owner of the oldies station over in the next county.”

A cheer erupted as he confirmed the guess that had been spreading through the crowd.

“Now did y’all listen real close to what I said?” he asked. “That’s
previous
owner.” He paused to let that sink in, then said, “And now I’d like to introduce you to the man who’s helping me to retire to a life of fishing, Mr. Travis McDonald, the brand-new owner of Serenity’s own radio station, WSER.”

Sarah gasped right along with everyone else. That’s what Travis had been up to in that building across the green? He’d been turning the building into a radio studio? No wonder Grace had sounded so excited just now.

She turned her attention to Travis, who was standing at the microphone as if he were a born public speaker. She envied him that confidence. She doubted she could have said two words without getting all tongue-tied. He just stood there calmly until the murmurs died down. Then it seemed as if his gaze sought her out. It was as if he were addressing his remarks straight to her.

“How y’all doing?” he asked. “I hope you’re as excited about the idea of having a radio station here in town as I am about putting one on the air.”

“What kind of music?” someone called out.

“Country,” Travis said at once. “Is there any other kind in this neck of the woods?”

The news was greeted with another cheer.

“What else are you putting on the air?” a new voice asked.

“Oh, there will be plenty of local talk about what’s
going on around town,” he assured them. Again, his gaze seemed to lock directly on Sarah.

Listening to him and feeling the way his eyes held hers, Sarah got the oddest feeling there was something significant in what he was saying, something she ought to take note of, but she couldn’t imagine what it could be.

“Now here’s the thing,” Travis said, when the crowd had quieted. “This is Serenity’s radio station as much as it is mine. If there’s something you think ought to be on the air, I’m counting on you to tell me. I’m not a local, but I have ties here. You all know my cousin Tom, your town manager.”

That created another buzz as people made the connection.

“Well, you can be sure I’m not going to do anything to shame him,” Travis said. “For one thing, he’s taller than I am, and a whole lot meaner. I try not to tangle with him.”

Sarah grinned at the self-deprecating comment. She had a feeling Travis and his cousin would be an even match.

“The bottom line,” he continued, “is if I’m doing something on the air you don’t like, I want to hear about it. Of course, if there’s something you do like, I wouldn’t mind hearing about that, too.” He paused, then said. “Y’all ready to see our studio?”

The question was greeted with an affirmative shout. At some indiscernible signal from Travis, the brown paper covering the window came down offering a view of a small but obviously well-equipped studio. The best part, in Sarah’s opinion, was that passers-by would be able to look right in and see what was happening. And
the host, of course, would be able to keep an eye on the town square where so much happened in Serenity, including the town’s beloved Christmas festival, its upcoming Fourth of July celebration and so much more. It was an ideal setting for a station that hoped to be part of the community.

As Travis offered to let folks walk through for a tour of the station, Sarah walked back to Wharton’s where Grace was waiting impatiently.

“So, what did you think?” Grace demanded.

“I think it’s amazing,” Sarah said.

“Good,” Grace said, smiling a secretive little smile before walking away, leaving Sarah to stare after her in puzzlement.

Before she could figure out Grace’s enigmatic reaction, the crowd from the square started spilling inside, and she didn’t have another minute to think about anything until after one.

As the last of the customers left, she noted that Travis had slipped in and was seated at the end of the counter, sipping on a Cherry Coke.

“How long ago did you turn up?” she asked.

“Not long,” he said. “So, what did you think of the announcement? I saw you on the square.”

“I think putting a radio station right downtown like that is fantastic. Congratulations!”

His gaze locked with hers. “You mean that?”

“Of course I do.”

“You interested in being part of it?” he inquired, his tone awfully casual.

Sarah stared at him, certain she’d misheard. “You mean like a secretary or something?”

He smiled, then shook his head. “No, I mean as host of the station’s morning show. I predict you’ll be a local celebrity in no time. In fact, Sarah Price, if you’re even half as good as I think you’re going to be, this is going to change your life!”

S
arah did not want her life changed. Not like that. She sat on the stool at the counter in Wharton’s staring at Travis McDonald as if he’d suddenly sprouted two heads. He’d said some pretty outrageous things to her over the past few weeks, but this was the craziest.

“You can’t be serious,” she said. “Me? On the radio?”

“That’s what I said.” He seemed undaunted by her shock.

“Not a chance,” she told him, dismissing the idea as ridiculous. “I wouldn’t have a thing to say.”

“You have plenty to say in here,” Travis said. “At least to everyone else. You have this easy way that gets people to open up. That’s what I want you to do on the air.”

“Why?” she asked, bewildered. “I mean why me?”

“Because I’ve been watching you. You know how to draw people out, make them laugh, get them to reveal themselves. You’ll be a natural at this, Sarah. I guarantee it.”

She studied him suspiciously. “So you want me to embarrass people in town on the air?”

“I never said that,” he replied with exaggerated patience. “I said you had a way with people.”

“Well, if I’m so good, how come you never answered a single one of the questions I asked you? You’ve been coming in here for what, a month now? And I don’t really know much more than your name and that you’re Tom’s cousin.”

“And that I own the radio station that’s going to make you a hometown celebrity,” he reminded her.

“Well, it took until today for me to find out about that,” she said. She waved off the comment. “But that’s not what matters, anyway. I haven’t gotten to know one personal thing about you.”

He grinned one of those slow, sexy grins that made her toes curl. “Because I’m a hardcase,” he drawled. “But I’m sure you could find out anything you want to know if you put your mind to it.”

Sarah scowled at the remark. “Don’t you imagine there are plenty of hardcases around? For all you know, you’d have nothing but dead air for a couple of hours every day. There’s nothing worse on the radio than a host who’s run out of questions and a guest who’s clammed up. I can’t just sit there and chatter away about nothing.”

“Sure you can. I’ve seen you do it in here every single day. And if things get really quiet, you can always pump up a Toby Keith song.”

“I prefer Kenny Chesney,” she replied, mostly to be contrary.

“Fine. You’ll play Kenny Chesney. And if you’re as bad at this as you’re predicting, you’ll have time for some George Strait and Trace Adkins, too.”

“You’re not taking me seriously. I can’t do this to people I’ve known all my life,” she argued.

“All you’re going to do is bring these friends of yours into the studio when they have a story to share or an event to promote,” he explained. “You’ll chat about it, get people excited, make them want to come. And say some celebrity comes into town, you’d get to interview them.”

“We don’t get a lot of celebrities in Serenity.”

“Because there was no radio station for them to visit to get publicity. Now there will be. It’ll be my job to make sure all these fancy New York or Nashville publicists know that we’re looking for guests.”

She studied him with a frown. “Did you see
Field of Dreams
a few too many times, maybe get the crazy idea if you build it, they will come?”

Travis laughed. “Personally I was a bigger fan of
Bull Durham.
My mama used to watch that on DVD at least once a year. I think that’s why I grew up wanting to play baseball.”

Distracted for a moment from the bigger issue, she asked, “And did you? Play ball, I mean?”

“For a while,” he said, though his expression shut down. “So, what do you say? I can promise you’ll make more money than you do here.”

Though Helen had seen to it that Walter was generous, Sarah was not getting so much money in alimony and child support that she could afford not to consider a higher-paying job. It was just that this particular job was so far out of her comfort zone, it scared her to death. Since her marriage, she’d been even less likely to take chances than she might have years ago.

Which is all the more reason to say yes,
a voice in her head nagged.
Do something outrageous for once, something risky and new. Find out what you’re really made of.

“I was hoping to start teaching in the fall,” she said, clinging to the one last objection that made any sense.

“Well, I suppose if this doesn’t work out the way I think it will, you could always do that,” Travis said. “Unless, of course, you’ve already made a commitment to the school.”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t even know if there’s going to be a position available.”

“Then why trade a sure thing for something that might not happen?” he asked, then leaned a little closer and coaxed, “Come on, Sarah. Think how much fun the two of us can have starting this together.”

He made it sound tempting and far more intimate than any job offer that had ever come her way. Helen would probably have a lot to say about the legalities of mixing business and personal agendas, but Sarah wasn’t sure this really qualified as any kind of potential sexual harassment when right this second it felt so good.

She lifted her gaze to meet his sea-green eyes and slowly nodded, even though her heart was climbing into her throat and her palms had turned clammy. Unfortunately, she couldn’t be entirely certain if that reaction was due to fear about the job or pure terror at being drawn into the world of Travis McDonald, who seemed to do disconcerting things to her common sense.

Raylene had dinner on the table when Sarah got home. The kids were in the backyard playing catch with
Walter, who appeared to be showing admirable tolerance for Libby’s ineptitude.

“He’s making progress,” Raylene noted after handing Sarah a glass of sweet tea. “I hardly had to do any arm-twisting at all today to get him to include Libby. The way she toddles around after him, hoping for just a tiny bit of attention, breaks my heart.”

“I know,” Sarah said. “Has he said anything about his plans? When’s he going back home? He’s never hung around this long before.”

“He hasn’t said anything to me,” Raylene told her. “I get the feeling he has something on his mind, though. Maybe you should find out what it is.”

“My mind’s on overload as it is,” Sarah said, sitting down at the table with her glass of tea. “I don’t think I can take on Walter’s problems.”

Raylene regarded her worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

Sarah shook her head. She needed to absorb all the implications of this agreement she’d made with Travis before she laid it all out there for everyone else to pick apart. “I’ll tell you later. I don’t want to bring it up while Walter’s around.” Heaven knew what he’d think of the crazy idea of her going on the radio. He might be okay with it, but she could hear his mother raising a ruckus about how unseemly it would be. She hadn’t been able to completely eliminate the strident criticisms that came no matter how hard she’d tried to make peace with the woman.

“You sure?” Raylene asked.

“I’m sure. Let me get those three in here and cleaned up for supper.”

She walked to the back door and called out to them.
At the sound of her voice, Walter glanced up and gave her an unguarded grin that reminded her of the way he’d looked at her back in college whenever she surprised him by stopping by his dorm or, later, his fraternity house. It was a sexy, all-male smile that had once made her heart catch. Now her reaction paled in comparison to what the most innocent glance from Travis did to her. Not that many of Travis’s glances were all that innocent, when she thought about it.

When Walter came inside, he leaned down and planted an impulsive kiss on her cheek that had her scowling.

“What’s up with you?” she asked suspiciously.

“I just had a good day, that’s all. Spending time with the kids without worrying about turning right around and heading home has been great. The Serenity Inn’s not such a bad place, either.”

Sarah immediately went on the defensive. “I know you think it’s ridiculous to waste money on a hotel, but there’s no room here.”

“Hey, I wasn’t being critical. The inn’s fine.”

She regarded him curiously. “You’re being awfully agreeable this weekend. What’s that about?”

He hesitated, then said, “Maybe if there’s time after supper, we could talk some. I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

“Okay.”

The meal was surprisingly pleasant. Nothing the kids did seemed to faze him, not even when Libby knocked the top off her sippy cup, sending milk in all directions. In fact, he didn’t utter one single criticism of Sarah or the kids. He even mustered up a couple of sincere-
sounding compliments for Raylene’s cooking. It wasn’t like Walter at all, or at least the Walter of recent times.

As soon as they’d finished bowls of ice cream with fresh peaches, Raylene offered to give the kids their baths.

“I’ll do that,” Walter said, stunning Sarah.

Raylene waved off the offer. “Let me. You can help Sarah with the dishes. That’ll give you two some time to catch up.”

Before Sarah could object, Raylene shooed Tommy and Libby from the kitchen.

“Well, that was subtle,” Sarah said, oddly disconcerted at being left alone with her ex-husband.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was matchmaking,” Walter said. “But she’s pretty much made it clear that she’s against a reconciliation.”

Sarah’s mouth dropped open. “Reconciliation? Where’d that come from?”

“I’m just saying she seems to be against it,” he said defensively. “Not that I’m looking for one or anything.”

Something in his eyes told Sarah that wasn’t entirely true. “Okay, that’s it,” she said decisively. “Leave the dishes. We need to talk. Grab a beer or tea or something and we’ll go outside.”

As soon as they were settled on the patio, Walter looked around, clearly trying to avoid her gaze.

“Mind telling me why the subject of a reconciliation came up?” she finally asked. “I might have initiated the proceedings, but you couldn’t wait to be divorced.”

He didn’t respond immediately. Eventually he sighed, then said, “I had a confrontation with my dad the other day.”

She still wasn’t following. “So, what? You want to get back together to spite him?”

He frowned at her sarcasm. “No, it just got me to thinking about why we split up.”

“We split up because you showed no respect for me and you let your parents get away with bullying me,” she said flatly.

“I know.”

He spoke so softly that at first she wasn’t sure she’d even heard him correctly. “You’re admitting it?” she asked incredulously.

He shrugged. “I have to. It’s the truth.”

She sat back in shock. “Well, I’ll be. That must have been some confrontation.”

“It just made me see a bunch of stuff in a different light,” he said. “I know it’s too late for us. Not even you with your soft heart can forgive all the things I did to you.” He gave her a wistful look. “Can you?”

“Probably not,” she admitted.

“You left a little wiggle room in there,” he noted.

She leveled a look into his eyes. “I didn’t mean to. Look, Walter, if you finally see what a controlling man your father is, that’s great, but I don’t want any part of that life again. I’m trying to get a handle on who I am, and until I figure that out, I don’t want any man trying to shape me into what he thinks I ought to be.”

“I understand. You sure did get more than enough of that from me. When I think back on some of the things I said, the way I treated you…” He shook his head. “It makes me ashamed, Sarah. It really does.”

Tears stung her eyes. “Thank you for saying that.”

“I should have said it a long time ago.” They sat
there in amazingly companionable silence for a long time. Eventually he turned to her. “Is it okay with you if I spend more time with the kids from here on out? I’m thinking I’ll try to come over every weekend and spend at least Friday night, maybe Friday and Saturday. I know that’s not what the custody agreement spelled out, but there’s probably a way to fix that if you don’t object.”

“As long as you’re good to the kids—both of them—you can see them whenever you want,” she said. “I have them to myself all week long. Now that I’m working, that’s not as much time as it used to be, so I’ll want some weekends for myself, but we can work it out so it’s fair to both of us.”

“Do we need it in writing? That lawyer of yours seems to like everything on paper.”

“I’ll speak to her,” Sarah promised.

Walter stood up. “Then I’ll say goodnight. I’ll be by in the morning to say goodbye to the kids.”

She nodded, then sat there long after he’d left, wondering at the transformation. If he truly was turning over a new leaf, more power to him. But just in case this was some passing whim of his, she thought she’d leave their custody agreement just the way it was. Maybe change was possible for some people, but she feared Walter, like the leopard, wasn’t capable of changing his spots this easily.

By Monday morning the word had spread that Travis McDonald had offered Sarah a job at the radio station. It was Annie who called an emergency margarita night for all of the Sweet Magnolias, young and old, to
discuss what she referred to as the insane idea Sarah had of throwing away a perfectly reliable job at Wharton’s to work at a brand-new, yet-to-be-tested radio station that could be off the air in a month.

Because Raylene had flatly refused to leave the house, Annie had convinced the original Sweet Magnolias to come here. Now Dana Sue Sullivan, who owned the town’s fanciest restaurant, attorney Helen Decatur and Maddie Maddox, who managed The Corner Spa which all three women owned, were seated in Sarah’s living room with drinks. Jeanette McDonald, who managed the spa’s personal services such as facials, massages and manicures, hadn’t yet arrived.

Annie, newly married to Maddie’s son, Ty Townsend, wore a worried frown on her face that even one of Helen’s lethal margaritas hadn’t been able to erase.

“You don’t know anything at all about this man,” she reminded Sarah. “He handed you some line and now you want to quit your job and become a radio star? This just isn’t like you. What’s Walter going to think? Did you mention it to him when he was here this weekend?”