Page 27 of Taming I Do
Adeline’s smile flipped upside down into a nasty frown. “I only tried to get married there to help them. But now Swyntonhas its own wedding venue. And sooner or later the state tourism board will realize their mistake.”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking about doing, but whatever it is, don’t.”
“Or what? You don’t scare me, Jasper. I know you’re nothing but a big ol’ pussycat under all that brawn.” She pushed her finger into my chest.
“Consider yourself warned.” I backed away and tipped my hat. “Have a good day, Mrs. Hawk.”
Her eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth like she wanted to say something but slammed the door instead.
I wasn’t sure whether I should consider the visit a success or not. But she’d been warned twice now. If she didn’t back off, I’d be willing to take things to the next level. I had to win that title. It was the only way to fix things, to make things right for my family.
Eager to get back across the river, I pressed on the gas, happy to put some distance between me and Swynton.
By the time I got back to Lacey’s, Delilah was sitting on the porch, a big glass of sweet tea in her hand. My mouth watered at the sight, so when Lacey asked if I’d like to set a spell and stay for a glass of tea, I didn’t hesitate to accept.
“How did it go?” I lowered myself into a chair as my gaze drifted over Delilah’s long legs. She’d propped them up on a footstool next to me.
“It was fun. Brunch was delicious and I enjoyed getting to know some of the ladies of Ido.” She turned a weary smile my way.
“You ever get tired of smiling?” I asked.
A furrow creased the area between her brows. “Why do you ask?”
“Just seems like it would be hard to always be ‘on’ like that. No matter what’s going on, you just smile and wave.”
“Are you saying I don’t have feelings?”
“No, that’s not what I mean at all. I’m sure you have feelings.” I didn’t mean to offend the woman, just wondered how she did it. “I’m just curious about how you can bury your own feelings and pretend like everything’s okay all the time. Don’t you ever feel like frowning?”
She let out a laugh. “My mother says it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile.”
“Is that true?” I leaned forward, resting my forearms on my thighs.
“I don’t know. She’s always telling me things like that. Doesn’t want me to get any premature wrinkles.” She bit her lower lip with her teeth like she’d just divulged a state secret.
“I think you’d look just as pretty with a wrinkle or two.” Where did that come from? Now I was the one who wanted to clamp my mouth shut.
But she grinned. “Why, Mr. Taylor, you say the nicest things.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, right. Telling ladies how great they’d look with wrinkles has always been one of my best pickup lines.”
“What’s your best pickup line?” Lacey asked as she came out onto the porch.
“Nothing. I’m just putting my foot in my mouth like always.” I reached for the tea Lacey handed me. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I had a call from Mrs. Winegate while I was in the house. She wanted to tell me how much she enjoyed meeting you this morning.” Lacey smiled at Delilah. “I hope she didn’t pester you too much about her daughter.”
“She was lovely.” Delilah took a sip of tea.
“What happened?” I asked.
“She’s interested in getting her daughter into some pageants.” Lacey set her glass down on the table. “She’s not theonly one, either. I heard at least half a dozen women asking about how to get their daughters started.”
“I don’t mind.” Delilah’s lips curved up at the edges, and I found myself captivated by the different types of smiles she had at her disposal. With a simple tilt of her mouth, her whole face changed. “I’ve thought about starting a program for girls who want to get into pageants. I was lucky enough to find a mentor early on, but most girls aren’t as fortunate.”
“Maybe you could chat with them while you’re here in town,” Lacey suggested.
Delilah’s eyes took on a bit of a shine. “I’d love that.”
