Rivalry at Play by Nadine Gonzalez

Author:Nadine Gonzalez
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-05-04T13:57:37+00:00

* * *

The next morning, while the day was still fresh, Jackson went into town to pick up extra supplies for their extended stay, namely bread, cheese, wine and ground beef for burgers. Alexa snapped a photo of the sad flower beds and went to the back shed to rummage for gardening tools. A moment later, her mother called. She answered the call on speaker and went on rummaging. So far, she’d found a half bag of potting soil and a pair of shears. “Good morning!”

“Alexa, this is your mother.”

“I know, Mom.”

“Are you all right, darling?”

“Sure. How are you?”

“Are you in a safe space?”

Her mother’s voice was spiked with alarm. Alexa straightened up too quickly and wacked her head on an open shelf. A few rusty paint cans rolled off the shelf and fell to the floor with a clamor, undermining her response. “Yes, I’m in a safe space. What kind of question is that?”

Her mother wouldn’t drop her line of questions. “Where has Jackson Strom taken you?”

“To his lake cabin. You know this, Mother.”

“That photo you sent—was that a cry for help?”

“The photo of the plants?”

“The dead plants.”

Okay. This was officially nuts. “Mother! Get yourself together.”

“What would you have me think? We don’t hear from you for ages, and you send a photo of dead flowers.”

“I’m fine, Mom,” Alexa said. “The plants are half-dead and I need advice. Should I water them? Prune them? Repot them?”

“Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?”

“Ugh! I’m hanging up.”

“You know better than to hang up on me, young lady!” her mother warned. “You can understand if I’m a little disturbed. You’ve never once showed the slightest interest in gardening.”

“I’ve spent loads of time in your garden this trip, but you wouldn’t know. You’re never around. You’re either at yoga, tai chi or pottery class.”

“I’m enjoying my summer!” Barbara Lattimore cried, indignant.

“As am I!”

“That’s the issue. I’ve never known you to enjoy anything.”

Alexa massaged her temples. “I regret reaching out to you for help.”

“Don’t say that! You can always count on my help. I’m never too busy for my oldest daughter. I can power walk and chew gum at the same time.”

“All right.” Alexa lowered herself onto a wooden footstool. “Tell me how to save the plants. Jackson is the only one in his family who comes out here on a regular basis, but he hasn’t touched them. They look a little sad.”

“Those are not plants worth saving, my dear. Those are weeds.”

“That’s not true.” Even dried up and wilting, the plants had interesting shapes.

“They’re weeds. Pull them up by the roots and get rid of them. Find some hearty perennials and start again.”

Well, damn. “Thank you, Mother.”

“You’re welcome, darling. Now, don’t hang up. Your sister is here, and she wants to talk to you.”

Caitlyn’s voice came through the line, bright and sunny. “How’s life in the love shack?”

“It’s not a shack. It’s a very beautiful lakefront cabin.”

“But have you fallen in love yet?”

It was the sort of question that would normally make her throw up her breakfast.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.