Technically, the house belonged as much to Lexi as it did to Carlene. She’d helped her mother purchase the property by cosigning the mortgage loan and supplying the closing funds. If her cookbook sold well—and by all early indications it would—she intended to buy her mother some badly needed new furniture, which she’d been unable to do at the time because she’d nearly depleted her savings account.
“You never answered my question,” Carlene said sourly. “How was Paris?”
“It was great,” Lexi replied. “But we didn’t actually stay in Paris. Asha has an amazing château in the countryside.”
“A château?” Carlene’s voice dripped with scorn. “Well, well, well. Look at you, Miss Thang. Moving up in the world.”
Lexi tensed, mentally kicking herself for forgetting one of her cardinal rules:Always downplay your good fortune to avoid rubbing salt into the wound of your mother’s broken dreams.
“I have something for you.” Hoping to placate Carlene, Lexi reached inside a bag under the table and withdrew one of the bottles of wine she’d brought back from Burgundy.
Carlene took the bottle, her dark eyes narrowing on the gold leaf label.
“Pinot noir,” Lexi volunteered. “It’s a red wine. Very rich.”
“I bet. It looks expensive. How much did it cost?”
“I meant rich in flavor. Full-bodied. And it didn’t cost me anything.” Lexi hesitated. “It’s a gift from Asha. From her vineyard.”
She half expected her mother to hurl the bottle across the room. Instead Carlene arched a surprised brow. “She grows wine, too? On top of running a fashion company? Good Lord, whatdoesn’tthat woman have her hands all over?”
Lexi shrugged. “She considers herself a connoisseur. Er, she enjoys good wine,” she quickly amended, lest she be accused of throwing around fancy words. “When she bought the château several years ago, she didn’t want the surrounding vineyards to go to waste. So she decided to go into the winemaking business. But she’s pretty much hands-off. Her employees run the whole operation.”
“Whileshegets richer,” Carlene said, her voice laced with jealousy. “Must be nice.”
Lexi said nothing. She wouldnotbe baited into a petty argument over Asha Dubois. God knows she and her mother had quarreled enough when she’d told her that she was spending New Year’s at Asha’s second home in France. Carlene had accused her of preferring the company of strangers over her own family, even though Lexi had just spent Christmas with her—unlike her brother and sister, who’d wisely opted to stay in New York for the holidays.
How many times had Lexi questioned her sanity for remaining in Atlanta all these years? After graduating from the French Culinary Institute in New York, she could have easily justified putting down roots there. But she’d come back home, compelled by forces she couldn’t explain. Her siblings called her a glutton for punishment. Maybe they were right.
“Thanks for the wine,” Carlene said. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.”
Encouraged by the uncharacteristically gracious words, Lexi smiled. “Maybe you and I could go there together next time.”
“Where? To France?” Her mother snorted. “Why would I wanna go there? They hate Americans.”
“Not all of them. I met some very warm, friendly French people.”
“Sorry, baby. Not interested.”
Of course, Lexi mused. What was she thinking? Her mother had never stepped foot outside of Georgia, let alone traveled to another country.
“How’s Michael doing?” Carlene asked.
“Great. He and Reese are so excited about the baby. They’ve got the nursery set up in their new house, and they’ve been eagerly counting down to the due date.”
“That’s nice.” Carlene heaved a lamenting sigh. “Shame you couldn’t snatch him up beforeshedid. All those years of friendship. Seems like such a waste.”
Here we go again,Lexi thought with a sigh. She and her mother had covered this territory so many times, she already knew what was coming next.
“Maybe if you hadn’t spent so much time trying to be one of the boys, Michael would have seen you more as a woman he could love.”
Striving for patience, Lexi said evenly, “I know this is still hard for you to believe, Ma, but I’ve never been romantically interested in Michael. And I’m glad he never saw me as more than just a friend. He and Reese are absolutely perfect for each other. I’m happy for them, and I wish you could be, too.”
Carlene sniffed disdainfully. “I never said I wasn’t happy for them. I’m just pointing out that you’ve known Michael longer than Reese has. So if anyone should have clipped his bachelor wings, it should’ve been you.”
Lexi shook her head at her mother’s warped logic. “I’ve been friends with Quentin just as long,” she challenged, “and I don’t hear you saying the same thing abouthim.”
“Quentin?” Carlene scoffed with a laugh. “Oh, baby, that one’s a lost cause. A rascal through and through. Even his own mama knows he’s never going to settle down and give her grandbabies.”
