Magnolia Nights Read online

He responded right away. I’ve been waiting for you to get home. Can you come over?

  I’m at your back door.

  Julian greeted her with a hug, but when he tried to kiss her, she pushed him away. “Not before I see my dog.”

  He placed his hand over his heart. “I’m hurt,” he said, but his smile lit up his whole face.

  He looped his arm through hers as they walked down the hall to his den. “Make no mistake, Pip-squeak clearly missed you, but she and Mills had a big time together. I took them to the park twice a day.”

  The dogs were curled up in front of the fire, but when Pixie saw Ellie standing in the doorway, she bounded over to her, tinkling on Julian’s Oriental rug along the way.

  “What on earth? She hasn’t done that since she was a puppy.” Ellie picked up the little dog and nuzzled her neck. “You know better than that, you naughty girl. I’m so sorry, Julian.”

  He waved off her concern. “She’s excited to see you. I’ll get a towel to clean that up.”

  “Thank you. I’ll take them outside to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

  After the dogs did their business, they returned to the den, and Ellie spent a few minutes on the floor playing with Pixie. Julian seemed to sense that she wasn’t ready to talk about Lia, and she was grateful to him for giving her a chance to relax. Finally, she kissed her dog good night and wrapped her arms around Julian’s neck. “Now it’s your turn.”

  He swept her off her feet and carried her to his bedroom. “Pip-squeak’s not the only one who missed you.” He kissed her neck as he unbuttoned her white cotton blouse. “I realize we haven’t known each other for very long. But I’m gaga over you.”

  They fell into bed and for the next few hours made crazy love to each other. They went to sleep with their bodies tangled together and woke early the following morning. After making love yet again, with her head resting on his shoulder, she finally described everything that’d happened with Lia.

  “Dad is right. We should give Lia the benefit of the doubt until she’s sorted this mess out with her husband. But when it comes to my sister, that’s easier said than done. She pushes all my wrong buttons. Every word that comes out of her mouth makes my skin crawl. What’s wrong with me, Julian? Shouldn’t I be thrilled to be reunited with my twin sister?”

  “That’s the way it goes sometimes with siblings. Your personalities might have clashed no matter what, even if you hadn’t been separated for all these years. Give it some time.”

  “I will, for the sake of my nieces. They’re adorable, Julian. I can’t wait for you to meet them.”

  Ellie felt so revived after a night in Julian’s arms that she nearly skipped the few blocks to South Battery. She found her father talking on the phone at her desk in her study. When he spotted her in the doorway, he pressed the phone to his gut. “I’m on the phone with the wholesale mattress store. I can’t have my daughter living in sin. I’ve ordered two queen-size mattresses for the other bedrooms upstairs. They’re delivering them this afternoon.”

  Ellie tilted her head back and laughed. “You’re one step ahead of me.” She dug her credit card out of her wallet and slapped it down on the desk in front of him.

  She went to the kitchen and was making waffle batter when Maddie arrived thirty minutes later. She shared with her the details of her trip, including her visit with Louisa, the reunion with her sister, and Lia’s predicament relating to her husband’s gambling problem.

  Maddie clasped her hands together and pressed them against her bosom. “Sweet Lia’s done come home. I can hardly wait to see her.”

  “Brace yourself, Maddie. She’s not as sweet as you remember. But I’ll let you form your own opinion.” Ellie shook the excess batter off her whisk and set it down in the spoon rest. “Lia has a burn scar on the side of her neck and face. She claims it happened when she was eight. I wanted to confirm with you that it didn’t happen while she was living here.”

  “No’m. There wasn’t a mark on that chile’s head last time I saw her. ’Course that was days before she disappeared. I reckon it could’ve happened after I got the flu.”

  “Lia remembers being sick. She thinks she might have been in Sally Bell’s home.”

  Maddie’s brown eyes got big. “Yes’m, that’s something ole Sally would’ve done. Lots of folks died from the flu that year. She would’ve risked her job to keep Miss Lia alive and keep Miss Ashton from getting sick.” Maddie went to the refrigerator for oranges. “One thing’s for sure. That’s the first thing I’m gonna ask ole Sally when I see her in heaven.”

  Ellie covered her mouth to hide her smile. “When you have your answer, please find a way to share it with me.”

  Maddie flashed her a toothy smile. “God willing, I’ll visit you in a dream.”

  Ellie clapped Maddie on the shoulder. “As long as you don’t go haunting this house. I’ve had enough of restless spirits to last me a lifetime.”

  Maddie was squeezing oranges and Ellie was frying bacon a few minutes later when she noticed two sets of big brown eyes peeping at her from around the doorway to the butler’s pantry. She set her fork down in the spoon rest. “Good morning! Come in here, you two. I want you to meet a friend of mine. Maddie, this is Bella and Mya.”

  Maddie registered surprise at the girls’ names, but she quickly recovered. “Bella and Mya, what pretty names for such pretty little girls.” Her knees cracked as she crouched down to greet them. “I knew two sisters once who named their dolls Bella and Mya.”

  Bella removed her thumb from her mouth. “Who?”

  “Your mama and your Auntie Ellie.”

  The two girls looked at each other, perplexed expressions on their faces. “Do you have any Pop-Tarts?” Mya asked. “My tummy is making funny noises.”

  “We’re fresh out of Pop-Tarts,” Ellie said. “But I’m making bacon and waffles.”

  “Yay!” Both girls bounced a little on their toes.

  Maddie hoisted the girls onto the counter and gave each a glass of orange juice to drink while Ellie removed the bacon from the skillet. “Breakfast is almost ready,” she said, setting out a stack of plates. “Will one of you run upstairs and wake up your mom?”

  Their brown eyes darkened. “Mama never eats breakfast,” Bella said. “We’re big girls. We fix our own.”

  This came as no surprise to Ellie. Lia didn’t seem the type to worry about her daughters’ nutrition. “I know you’re big girls, but I like cooking for you. Will you let me make waffles and pancakes and eggs for you while you’re here?”

  “Yippee!” Mya threw her fists in the air. “We love waffles and pancakes and eggs.”

  They joined Abbott in the studio, and the four of them gathered around her pine table for breakfast. When they were finished, Ellie took the girls and Pixie across the street to the park. For the next two hours, they climbed on the Civil War cannons, rolled around with Pixie in the grass, and raced one another up and down the promenade. They returned home tired, dirty, and hungry.

  They found Maddie on the terrace setting up for lunch and Lia draped over the lounge chair watching her. Maddie’s face was set in a scowl. Lia had already offended her in some way.

  Lia scrambled off the lounge chair when she saw them. “There you are. I’ve been waiting for you. Did you call your attorney yet?”

  “Not yet. I’ve been in the park all morning with your daughters.” Ellie turned her back on Lia and peered over Maddie’s shoulder at the plates she was distributing to each place. “What’re we having? I’m starving.”

  “Pimento cheese sandwiches and chips for the girls.” Maddie’s response was met with cheers from the twins. “And tomato basil soup and chicken salad for you.”

  “Yum. That sounds delicious.”

  Lia grabbed Ellie by the arm and spun her around to face her. “I can’t stay here forever, Eleanor. This house is giving me the creeps.”

  “If you think it’s bad now, you should’ve seen it when all the furniture was here. I got rid of
everything, which explains all the empty rooms in case you were wondering.”

  “I expect to be reimbursed for half of everything you sold.” Lia was still holding onto Ellie’s arm. She dug her fingers into her flesh and squeezed hard. “Now call the attorney.”

  Ellie jerked her arm free of Lia’s grip. “I’ll call him after we eat.”

  Abbott joined them for lunch. The sunshine had kept them warm while they were in the park, but in the shade of the table’s umbrella, she felt the chill of autumn. The warm soup hit the spot. Abbott and Ellie engaged in a delightful conversation with the twins while Lia picked at her food and texted on her phone.

  “Someone looks sleepy,” Ellie said when she noticed Bella rubbing her eyes with her tiny fists. “Are you ready for a nap?”

  Bella tucked her chin and nodded.

  “Why don’t I take you up for your nap?” Ellie said, rising from the table.

  Lia jumped to her feet and planted herself in Ellie’s way. “Let your dad do it. You have a phone call to make.”

  Abbott smiled at his granddaughters. “It would be my pleasure.” He helped the girls down from the table and took them inside.

  Ellie picked up her phone and placed the call to her attorney. When the receptionist answered, she asked to speak with Bennett’s assistant, who told her that Mr. Calhoun was tied up for the afternoon but he could see her first thing in the morning. She thanked the assistant and ended the call. “I have a meeting with him at nine tomorrow morning.”

  “Fine, if that’s the best you can do,” Lia said, and left the terrace in a huff.

  Ellie gathered the dishes and took them to the kitchen. She noticed Maddie was unusually quiet as they washed and dried the dishes.

  “What’s wrong, Maddie? What did my sister say to make you angry?”

  “Ain’t nothing for you to worry about, Miss Ellie.”

  “You’re clearly upset, which means it’s something for me to worry about.” Ellie dried her hands on the dish towel and leaned back against the counter. “Talk to me.”

  Maddie groaned as she lowered herself to the step stool. “Ain’t nothin’ specific, just Miss Lia’s attitude in general. She act like she don’t remember me, even though I know she do. And she’s been bossing me around all morning like your gramma used to do. ‘Do my laundry for me, Maddie. Fetch me a cup of coffee. Will you bring me some fresh towels?’ You were right. She ain’t the same sweet little Lia I remember.”

  “She’s plain rotten. I can smell her a mile away.”

  Maddie snickered. “You’re so bad, Miss Ellie.”

  “I’m just telling the truth. What are we gonna do about her?”

  She shook her head slowly. “She’s family. Ain’t nothin’ you can do, except let it work itself out.”

  Ellie retired to the sofa in her studio with the mystery novel she’d purchased in the hotel lobby in Richmond. But she couldn’t focus and soon drifted off to sleep.

  Julian called around three inviting them to a cookout at his house that evening. “There are five of us, Julian. That’s too much trouble for you.”

  “No trouble at all,” he said. “I’m making the hamburger patties as we speak.

  Her desire to see Julian outweighed her apprehension about introducing him to her sister. “As long as you promise to keep it simple. And I insist on bringing the wine and dessert.”

  When her nieces woke up from their naps, Ellie took them to the market with her. “Can’t Abbott come with us?” Bella asked as Ellie was buckling her car seat.

  “He has to be here when the men deliver your new bed.” Ellie was tired of waiting for her sister to correct her children. She didn’t seem to care what they said or did. “Do you understand that Abbott is your mommy’s father?”

  Bella shook her head.

  “Well he is, which makes him your granddaddy.” She touched her fingertip to the little girl’s nose. Seeing the wounded look on Mya’s face, she touched her nose as well. “He’s your granddaddy, too, silly. You can both call him that if you’d like. Or Gramps. Or Pops. Maybe you should talk to him about which name he prefers. I think it might make him happy to be called Granddaddy.”

  Ear-to-ear grins appeared on the girls’ faces. They tugged on Ellie’s heartstrings so much that, even though it was no one’s birthday, she let them pick out a vanilla birthday cake with white icing and Happy Birthday written in pink frosting for dessert.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Abbott

  Abbott was growing tired of listening to Lia complain. But admitting that to Ellie would be admitting he was wrong, and he wasn’t ready to do that yet. They’d gone out of their way to help her, and she’d done nothing to show her gratitude. He understood she was under a great deal of stress, but he sincerely hoped this wasn’t her true personality. As much as he hoped Lia had some redeeming qualities hidden behind all the self-centeredness and greed, he doubted any such qualities would be forthcoming that night based on the way she threw herself at Julian. He was good-looking, successful, and kind. And the way he responded to Lia’s flirtations made Abbott like him that much more. Ellie had found herself a keeper.

  “So, Julian, what do you do for a living that affords you such nice digs? I could get used to living in a place like this,” Lia said, holding her tummy in, her head high, and her bust out. Although truth be told, she didn’t have much bust to display.

  “You say that now, but living in a house this old isn’t for everyone,” he said, handing Lia a glass of wine. “Most of these homes have survived too many hurricanes to count, as well as the massive earthquake of 1886. The houses lean, which means many of the floors slant. The plumbing never works the way it should, and they were built so close together you can see your neighbor’s breakfast plate.”

  “Oh, Julian, you’re so funny.” Lia let out a little giggle, which, fake or otherwise, was the first form of laughter Abbott had heard come out of her mouth since they’d arrived in Charleston.

  Turning his back on Lia, Julian bent down to speak to the twins. “I have a little girl, too, you know. Except she’s not so little anymore. I don’t get to see her very often. She lives in another part of the state. Would you like to go upstairs and see her room?”

  They bobbed their heads up and down. “Then what’re we waiting for?” He extended a hand to each of them. “I’ve set up appetizers in the garden,” he called over his shoulder on his way out. “Make yourselves at home.”

  They wandered through Julian’s downstairs rooms, admiring his extensive art and antique collections and the group of framed letters above his desk in his den from famous people whose homes he’d designed.

  “Julian is an interesting man, Eleanor.” Lia ran her fingers along the back of his leather sofa. “I hope you can hang on to him.”

  Abbott gave Ellie a half hug. “I don’t think she has anything to worry about. Julian seems quite smitten with her,” he said as he steered Ellie toward the French doors.

  She leaned into him and muttered, “Thanks, Dad. I needed to hear that.”

  They sampled the antipasto tray Julian had set out on his rectangular teak table and then made themselves comfortable in the matching armchairs positioned around his gas fire pit.

  “I’ve never been anywhere quite like Charleston,” Abbott said, taking in Julian’s manicured garden. “If it’s okay with you, Ellie, I think I’ll stay in town for a while, get better acquainted with the city. I can easily work from here.”

  “Stay as long as you like. Why don’t you invite Tracey down for a long weekend? I’d like to meet her.” Ellie looked at Lia beside her. “I hope you’ll stay as well. We can get better acquainted while we explore the city.”

  Lia responded with a humph.

  The smile disappeared from Ellie’s face, but her expression remained determined. “I hope you’ll at least stay for a few days. We got the new beds set up for you today. You can move your things in tomorrow. The rooms are sparse right now with only the mattresses and bed frames, bu
t we can go up in the attic tomorrow. There’s a pretty chest of drawers up there we can use and maybe an end table and a couple of side chairs.”

  “The girls and I are fine in the master bedroom.”

  “You’re gonna get tired of me coming in and out for my things,” Ellie said, hinting she’d like her room back. “This way the girls can have their own bed. I’m sure it’s crowded with all three of you sleeping in one bed.”

  Lia cupped her hand around her ear. “Are you hard of hearing, Eleanor? I said we’re fine where we are. I don’t plan to be here long anyway.”

  “Where will you go?” Abbott asked.

  Lia shot him a death stare. “Obviously not back to Georgia.”

  “I don’t think going to Louisa’s is a safe choice, either,” he said. “Has she heard anything from your husband?”

  “How would I know?” Lia snapped.

  “I saw you on your phone in the garden earlier, while Ellie and the girls were at the grocery store. I assumed you were talking to Louisa.”

  “I told you, Louisa and I are not that close.” Lia moved to the edge of her chair. “The two of you need to back off. You’re suffocating me. Here’s a news flash for you—we’re not going to become this great big happy family you’ve always dreamed of. I’ve known you for less than thirty-six hours. I’m not obligated to share my travel plans or justify my actions to you.”

  Abbott could tell Ellie was struggling to control her temper.

  “We understand that, Lia. We’re just concerned for the girls. If you need to leave them with us for a few days while you sort out your problems, I’d be happy to take care of them.”

  “Just because you can’t have children of your own, Eleanor, doesn’t mean you can have mine.”

  Ellie took a gulp of wine and set the glass down on the arm of her chair. “It’s not that I can’t have children, Amelia. I just never found the right man to have them with.”

  “But Julian is that right man, isn’t he? Too bad you’re too old to have children of your own.”

  The French doors swung open, and the twins danced onto the patio in pink tutus. Julian followed, waving a plastic fairy wand and wearing a tiara on his head.