Mary Beth stepped away from him. “Tell him I said hi.”

“I will,” Bobby Joe said firmly. “I want him to feel guilty.”

“Good. Someone has to.” She sighed. “All right. I’ll go look at china.”

“I’ll walk you to your car,” he said. The cell phone in his pocket chimed in but he ignored it this time.

Mary Beth circled the mall lot, looking for a parking space. Judging by the vehicles occupying every available one, the summer sales must have already started. She hadn’t even bought anything new for spring.

She pulled in between an SUV and a minivan, reaching for her purse when her cell phone rang.

Somehow she assumed it would be Bobby Joe, checking in to make sure she was taking his advice. “Hi. I’m here.”

“And where would that be?” The deep voice that asked the question made her sit up straight.

“The mall. Hello, Parr. What’s up?” Keep it casual, she told herself. Stay cool, no matter how hot he makes you feel.

“Just making a duty call. I got the greenhouse done and the bean plants have their own shelf. Mother says you can herd the kids over to collect them anytime.”

“Oh, I’ll bring the plants back to the school myself. The last thing Alma needs is a bunch of second-graders running around her garden.”

“Never a problem. She loves kids. But however you want to do it is fine.”

“Okay then. Is that all?” Every word he said in that sexy baritone made her risk lingering on the phone just to hear him talk.

“Nope. She said she has lots of empty flowerpots for when the beans outgrow those plastic cups and for you to just go ahead and help yourself to as many as you need.”

Mary Beth switched off the ignition when she realized that she’d left the car running. Even as a disembodied voice, Parr was able to distract her with ease. “That’s very nice of her. But if you don’t mind my asking, how come you’re calling and not her?”

She could just about see him grin. Alma didn’t have ulterior motives, but Mary Beth couldn’t say the same for Parr. Still, the topic was safe and not remotely flirtatious.

“She took off for a few days. Going to visit a riverboat casino with the gals, I believe.”

Something Alma liked to do now and then. Mary Beth’s dad, Howard, stayed home, but he always gave Alma fifty dollars for the slots and told her to play for him.

“Sounds like fun.” She cleared her throat. “So. Are you back in Memphis?”

“Yes. I have business to attend to. Maybe Bobby Joe told you.”

“Nothing specific. He mentioned that there’s a big deal in the works.”

“That’s correct. I’m reviewing the contracts right now. Just wanted to get this call out of the way before I forgot.”