Page 64 of Spilling the Tea

“Yes. I talked to Trevor yesterday, and since he and his family are spending the summer on Warren Mountains, he’s given permission for Zoey to stay there. I plan to tell her about it later today.”

“Why does she need to stay at that cabin? What’s wrong with the hotel?”

His great-grandmother leaned forward. “I’ll be returning to Whispering Pines this week. Since Zoey and I will continue our meetings, staying at the cabin will be more convenient. Definitely a closer drive than coming from town.”

He nodded. “Is that why you summoned me here? To tell me that you’ve made arrangements for Zoey to stay in a cabin that borders my property?” he asked, unsure how he felt about that, although her staying there made sense.

“That property was an original part of the Satterfield land before the Johnstones sold it to Trevor. While talking with Zoey, I realized that the lake in her dreams is not the lake onyour property, as she assumed. It’s the lake on Trevor’s property. I am hoping that being in that cabin will increase the chances of her memory returning. She’s been told there’s a fifty percent chance her memory might never return, but I’m of the mind that it will.”

He recalled she’d said something similar when he returned home in a wheelchair… “Those doctors claim you will never walk again, but I’m of the mind that you will.” And with her help, he had.

His great-grandmother stared at him intently through her glasses. “The reason I wanted to meet with you today is to tell you to stop whatever foolishness you’ve cooked up involving Zoey just to score a point with Ravena.”

He frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about your need to prove to Ravena that you haven’t been pining for her like she assumes and using Zoey for that purpose.”

“You think I would do that?”

“Didn’t you do that very thing last night, Chancellor?”

Chance eased out the chair and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Okay, I’ll admit the thought entered my mind and would even say that’s why I’d decided to stay at Vance’s Tavern longer than planned. However, when I got on that dance floor with Zoey, thoughts of Ravena and proving anything to her never crossed my mind again.”

“For you to even think you needed to prove anything to that woman means you still have issues where she is concerned,” Mama Laverne said before taking another sip of her tea.

“Zoey came to Texas to try remembering her past,” she said. “Namely to get her life together. I don’t intend for you to mess hers up just because your life is a mess. I know what you think of women since Ravena, Chancellor. Not one is good enough beyond a night spent in bed. Just the thought of you flaunting Zoey in front of Ravena last night to prove a point is unacceptable and unfair to her.”

Chance knew his great-grandmother was on a roll, and the best thing to do was to let her keep talking and not interrupt until she was finished.

“Unlike other members of the family,” she continued, “I don’t think your issues have anything to do with you carrying a torch for Ravena. Your problems have everything to do with Madaris pride, which I know all about.

“What Ravena did not only broke your heart but damaged your pride. Your heart might have healed, but not your pride. That’s what your issues are about—and a man with issues is the last thing Zoey needs in her life.”

Feeling it was okay to speak now, he said. “Again, Mama Laverne, I forgot all about Ravena when I danced with Zoey. I honestly enjoyed being out last night with her and the family.” There was no need to add he’d gotten a taste of what he’d been missing the past five years.

He met his grandmother’s gaze. She stared at him like she could decipher everything going through his mind. He eased back down in his chair. “Are we having this conversation because you’ve selected someone for Zoey? Corbin? Adam? One of the Bannisters? Emerson?” Why was he feeling anger at the thought that she had? He had learned a long time ago not to let his emotions get the best of him when it involved a woman.

Mama Laverne leaned closer to him to ensure he heard her following words. “To be honest, neither you, nor any of those that you named, nor any great-grandson you didn’t name, would I consider as a match for her. All of you have whorish ways, and after all she’s been through, that’s not the type of man she needs in her life. Zoey needs someone who will want to give her the type of love she’s lacked for the past twenty years.”

Mama Laverne shook her head sadly as she settled back in her chair. “Poor child didn’t even get the love she deserved from that aunt who raised her. The woman might have treated herdecently, but considering what Zoey had gone through, she needed more than that. She needed unconditional love.”

Chance watched his great-grandmother pause and figured it was highly likely that her Christian side was warring with the side that wanted to say how she truly felt about Zoey’s aunt Paulina.

“Whether Zoey gets her memory back or not,” Mama Laverne continued, “at least she will leave Texas knowing more about her family than when she arrived. I will see to it. She’s a good person. She can’t help but be one with Deedra as a great-grandmother and Arabella as a grandmother. Both were kindhearted and decent women. And then she had Waylon as a great-grandfather. He was a good man.”

Mama Laverne then said in a softer tone, “From just that one meeting with Zoey, I felt a kindred connection to her, Chancellor. One just as strong as I do to my biological granddaughters and great-granddaughters. It might be because of my and Milton’s love and respect for Waylon.”

“I like Zoey, too, Mama Laverne,” Chance said. “Just in the short time I’ve gotten to know her, I picked up on those same qualities in her that you did.” There was no need to add how intensely attracted they were to each other. Chance also knew there was no way he would tell Mama Laverne what he’d told Luke. Namely, any feelings he had for Zoey were purely sexual.

He would, however, tell her this much to put her mind at ease, hopefully. “The only relationship I want with Zoey, and the only kind we both agreed to share, is one of friendship,” he said. “I had invited her to dinner before I saw Ravena last night. I did so to explain why I’ve been a loner for so long. She asked me about it, and I wanted to be up­-front with her. I would never deliberately hurt her.”

Mama Laverne stared at him for a long moment before nodding. “I’m taking you at your word, Chancellor. As I said, a romantic involvement is not what Zoey needs right now, not with you or anyone with the last name of Madaris. Or Bannister.However, there is nothing wrong with being her friend, and I’m glad the two of you agreed to only be friends. Everyone could use a friend. Even you.” After taking another sip of her tea, she added, “Besides, I believe she already has a boyfriend back in Baltimore.”

Did she? He’d had no reason to ask her anything about a boyfriend and assumed she didn’t because of the intense sexual chemistry between them. And then she had agreed to go out with Corbin. However, last night, she had asked him about a girlfriend, and he’d made sure she knew he didn’t have one. He’d been clear about just the type of affairs he preferred. “Why would you think she was involved with some guy? Did she mention that she was?”

“No, but I can’t imagine a young woman as beautiful as Zoey unattached.”

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