“Of course.” Gertie took the envelope. “And I’ll clear your schedule. I’ll let everyone know what’s going on. Don’t you worry. Everyone loves Cricket and Rene. This town will close ranks around them, and they’ll help you, too.”
Gertie strode from the office like a woman on a mission.
“She’s a good one, sweetheart. You don’t have to keep quiet around her. And she’s excellent at finding out information, although you know I can do that, too.” Her mother moved to the big leather couch that dominated part of the office. “Sit with me. You ran out of the house last night like it was on fire. I should have chased after you, but you needed time.”
Time was the one thing she definitely didn’t have. In some ways that was a good thing. “If I think about it for too long, I might not do it, and I can’t be the reason they lose the house.”
“First off, you are not the reason the house is in jeopardy in the first place, and it is not your responsibility to fix the situation.”
“It wasn’t their responsibility to rebuild the library when it burned,” Sylvie pointed out. “It wasn’t their responsibility to fund a whole lot of Lila LaVigne’s clinic.”
“Baby, this isn’t money,” her mom pointed out and patted the spot beside her. “This is far more important. Tell me you haven’t loved that boy most of your life.”
He was a man, but she suspected that to her mother they would always be children. Her mom still pointed out to anyone who happened to be around that her “baby” was the mayor of the town.
“I’m not in love with Rene.” What she felt for him was nostalgia and a little lust. A lot of lust. Friendship was in there. “I do care about him, but I know what I’m getting into.”
Trouble. She was getting into trouble since she’d spent a full half hour this morning trying to figure out what to wear to her wedding. She should have simply put on the next suit in line, but she’d stood there trying to decide if she should wear white. She’d settled on a sheath she’d bought for its elegant lines and the contrast it made to her skin.
A brow rose over her mother’s eyes. “I can’t decide if you’re lying to me or to yourself, but I wasn’t saying you shouldn’t do this. Rene is practically a member of our family, and he’s never once hesitated to help us out. You’ve always had a thing for Rene. You used to light up when he walked in a room.”
“Yes, well, I was Andre’s bratty kid sister and he was nice to me.” Her brother had always been the life of any party he was at. Smart, outgoing, ambitious—her brother had been a force in the town when they were growing up. “Is it surprising I would have a crush on him? Were you able to get in touch with Dre?”
“I got his voice mail, but as far as I can tell, he’s out in the middle of nowhere, and there might not even be cell service. That boy is going to be the death of me.” Her mother sighed.
Andre was a photographer who worked with some of the world’s best journalists. Sometimes his job took him to isolated places and war zones. Her mom was always worried about him. “He’ll call when he can. I don’t want him to think I was trying to hide it from him. I hope he understands.”
“He’ll understand why you’re doing this, but he might have a problem with Rene asking you.”
“He needs help.”
Her mom put her hand up to stave off the argument. “I know that. I know he doesn’t mean to take advantage of you, but I’m worried you’re going to get invested in this marriage and you’ll be devastated when he doesn’t need you anymore.”
“According to Rene, he’d be perfectly happy if we consider it a real marriage,” she admitted.
Her mother straightened up. “What? You didn’t mention this last night. What do you mean, he wants it to be real?”
“I think Rene is lonely and he wants to start his life. I think he’s gone through a lot in the last three years and he knows his mom won’t be around forever. He wants a family and he’s always liked ours.”
Her mom nodded. “Yes, he has. He’s been good to ours. He would make an excellent son-in-law. We can work with this.”
That statement was precisely why she hadn’t mentioned it to her mother the night before. “There’s nothing to work with. I’ve agreed that while I’m helping him through this problem, we’re going to try dating.”
An elegant brow rose over her mother’s eyes. “You’re going to date your husband.”
“He’s not really my husband.”
“The law would disagree with you on that,” her mom countered. “The contract you signed would disagree, too. So Rene’s decided he wants a wife and he picked you.”