“I’m not mad. I wish you’d change your mind, but it’s your decision.” For now he was just going to let the subject rest. He walked over to Natalie and took the glass she extended to him. He took a big swig of the tea. “Ah, that’s good. Thanks.”
Natalie walked over and inspected a couple of the tables. “You just about finished with these?”
“Just a few more need legs, then I’m done.”
“Keely will love them. They look really great.”
“Now if the paddle fans I ordered would come in so we could get the electrician back out to install them before the opening…”
“The back order isn’t your fault.”
“Well, I keep trying to tell myself that, over and over. The mismatched pavers aren’t my fault. The missing fans aren’t my fault. I don’t know why anyone ever decides to depend on me for… anything. Things just don’t ever turn out the way people want them to if they leave me in charge.” Hunt set the glass down with a little too much force, unable to chase away the nagging doubts he had that he’d get the patio finished in time.
“Hunt, you know, for years you’ve been hiding out. Afraid to let people close. Afraid to let anyone depend on you. At some point, you’re going to have to realize it wasn’t your fault Mama died. Wasn’t your fault I was shipped off to Hattiesburg. Or, you can just spend the rest of your life running away. We all make choices.”
With that, his sister headed back to the house. He swallowed hard and grimaced. His sister had always been able to get right to the heart of things, and pinpoint things just like they were.
He really admired that about her… except when she turned it on him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The electrician who did the wiring for the patio knocked once on the doorframe to Keely’s office. “Got a minute?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I hate to bother you, but the check you sent? It… bounced.”
“What?” Keely sat up straight in her chair. “It couldn’t have. I have the funds in the account. There must be some mess up at the bank.”
“I figured that was it.” But somehow he didn’t look convinced.
“Let me call the bank, and I’ll get back with you this afternoon. I’m sure I can sort this out.”
“Okay, just let me know.” The electrician tipped his cap and walked away.
Keely shoved aside the folders she was working on and dug out the direct phone number of the bank manager who always helped her. One more advantage of a small town, they knew her at the bank by name.
The manger answered on the third ring. “First Mississippi Bank. May I help you?”
“Hi. It’s Keely over at the Magnolia Cafe.”
Keely didn’t miss the long pause before she got a response.
“Hi, Keely.”
“The electrician was in here. Said his check bounced. Not possible. I deposited more than enough funds to cover it.”
“I’m sorry, Keely.” The bank manager’s voice crackled through the phone line. “Your mother came in and transferred funds out of that account and set up a new one. So any outstanding checks will have insufficient funds. She said something about a security issue on the old account number.”
Keely silently counted to three. Then to five. “I see.” Six. Seven. Eight… the heck with that. “I don’t suppose she added me to the new account?”
“She is the only signatory on it.”
“Well, thank you for your time.” Keely clicked down the phone in her office and pushed away from the desk. She paced back and forth in her cramped office.
The change of account surprised her, but then it didn’t. Her mother had been upset ever since her world was rocked with Katherine starting to work at the cafe and the building of the patio area, not to mention the liquor license.
Keely stopped in her tracks.
Had her mother messed with the license too?
A wave of frustration washed over her. She was doing everything in her power to make the cafe a financial success, while her mother was firmly entrenched in the past, wanting nothing to change. The problem with that was, if they didn’t change, the cafe wasn’t going to make it.
Keely stuck her head out of her office. “Becky Lee, has my mother been by?”
“Haven’t seen her.”
“Okay. I have to run out for a few minutes. I’ll be back.”
Becky Lee nodded and flipped a brief wave.
Keely looked out the back door. No sign of Hunt. Which was good. And bad. She knew he’d been trying to talk to her, but she just didn’t have the energy. She ducked out the back way, across the almost finished patio. No tables yet because the edge of the patio wasn’t finished. She hoped Hunt had this all figured out, although it appeared that at this moment she didn’t have access to any funds to pay him…