Page 4 of Best Kept Vows

We met Phoebe, and while she talked to Ada, Maggie got my contact information.

“What was that?” Ada whisper-yelled after Betsy and her entourage left.

I bit my lower lip. “I don’t know. Do you think she was serious about the job thing? I’d love to work at Savannah Lace…as I don’t knowwhatbut…anything.”

“I think she was,” Ada said with more certainty than I felt. “Nina Davenport has a reputation for helping women and…I met Aurora Rhodes; she came to school when Bianca was presenting the project I mentored her on. I don’t know much about the ins and outs of Savannah society, but evenIknow of Betsy Rhodes.”

“She’s intense, isn’t she?”

Ada nodded thoughtfully. “You know I’m not petty, don’t you, Mama?”

“Of course, baby girl.” I knew exactly where her head was at. “But it would be rather nice to be invited to one of Betsy Rhodes’ famoussalons.”

Ada chuckled. “It’s gonna burn Grandma and Aunt Coco’s asses.”

“For sure. But that’s not why I want us to go to this salon. It sounds like a great place to meetsmartwomen like us.” I winked.

Ada giggled. “No kidding.”

CHAPTER 2

Sebastian

The first text came through just as I put my water glass down.

Tristan:You didn’t show up.

Five minutes later, the second one hit.

Tristan:Unbelievable!

A second later, another one, this time from my daughter.

Ada:Are you serious?

I sent back a message to both of them:I’m sorry, guys. I’ll make it up to your mother.

It had become my standard excuse whenever I missed a family-related event. I usually made it up to them—but lately, and by lately, I meant the past three years since I took over Boone Metals—I barely had time for anything that wasn’t work-related. Even meals were more about business than family, eaten with customers, colleagues, and partners. I couldn’t remember the last time Lia and I had dinner together—just the two of us, no phones, no interruptions.

We ate together every Sunday night because we went to dinner at my parents’ place; it was tradition, and not making it to dinner created too many uncomfortable conversations I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with, so it was easier to just have a meal with my family.

I had thought that since my father had mellowed after his stroke, Sunday dinner would become less stuffy—but it hadn’t worked out that way. My sister’s husband, Bryce, worked at Boone Metals and was pissed because Dad had asked me to take over the company and not him. But I wastheson, and this was still the South, and things were done a certain way. In addition, Bryce was a fuck up and part of the problem, as far as I was concerned, as to why the company had been teetering on the edge of bankruptcy when I took over. And we’d just reached a place of stability when this past quarter went tits up.

It had taken work. An enormous amount of it. In the past two years, I’d been able to share the work and the burden with my Chief Operating Officer, Jane Gipson, whom I’d been lucky to hire. We’d become a formidable team.

My phone beeped again.

Ada:Whatever, Dad. In case you care, here is the video of her speech.

I closed my eyes, sucked in a breath, and let it out in frustration.

The finance meeting I’d attended instead of Lia’s graduation ceremony had been a disaster—another quarter in the red, another round of cost-cutting that barely put a dent inthe problem. Boone Metals was a sinking ship, and I was bailing water with my bare hands.

Across from me, Jane picked up her glass of iced tea, studying me with sharp blue eyes. “You look like hell.”

I ignored that and tapped out a response to my kids.

Me:Thanks, baby girl. I’ll fix this. I promise.