The mayor finally said, “I like that idea. I think it’ll be a great support of the community and can help our town get right back to where we were. Would you mind organizing that? Getting the word out and letting Susie know to include it in her program?”
Becca nodded, the excitement of adding a new project rushing through her. The meeting ended, and she gathered up her things, distracted as she tried to figure out exactly what they should do for the fundraiser.
She could feel Colton’s eyes on her, and he moved out of his seat to just behind her, leaning forward and whispering, “I’d like to raffle something.”
Once they got into the hallway, she said, “You want to raffle something? Can I ask what it is?”
With a mischievous smile, Colton said, “You’ll just have to see.”
She didn’t like that thought, especially if she was putting together the event. “What if I threaten to auction you off as a date?” Her eyes widened, surprised she’d said it. Although there were several ladies in town who would probably bid for him, she wasn’t sure she wanted to compete with them.
He leaned his hand against the wall, crossing one leg over the other and stuffing a hand into his pocket. “You would do that?”
She could see the playfulness in his eyes. He was calling her bluff, and she couldn’t let it happen. “I just might. Maybe we’ll ask all of the bachelors in town.”
“So, what you’re saying is, you think I’ll bring in a lot of money?” He flashed her a wicked grin, and she punched him in the shoulder.
“I didn’t say that.” She turned and walked down the hall, heading out the front door. She could sense Colton behind her and turned to glance at him quickly before increasing her pace.
“Are there really that many single guys here? I thought you said the chances of dating were slim for a single girl.”
She stopped abruptly and turned to him, causing him to sidestep to avoid tumbling into her. “I thought you were the one who had done all the studies on our community’s ages.”
Several older couples shuffled by in front of the fountain. Colton raised an eyebrow and motioned toward them. “Are you really going to argue that?”
“Okay, there are a lot of old people here, but there are also a lot of single people here as well. They just don’t come out to events as often.”
“Well, if the other older ladies are anything like Mrs. McCready, I can understand why.”
Becca stared at him. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, they ask about your relationship status and then want to set you up with every Sally Sue and Rhonda Jo. I’ve had my fair share of blind dates, and it all starts with some older ladies meddling.”
Becca took two steps forward, tilting her head back so she could look Colton in the face. “So, what you’re saying is, you’re in need of a date.”
“Yeah, with you. You want to get some dinner?”
Oh, he was good. She couldn’t feel her legs as they’d started to go wobbly under his gaze.
“I could use some food,” she whispered.
He slipped his hand into hers, and she opened her eyes wide. “If you feel uncomfortable holding my hand in public, I understand. But all of these people are going to be talking about us hanging out together a lot anyway. Why not make it exciting for them?”
Shaking her head, Becca removed her hand from his and threaded it through his arm. When he gave her a confused expression, she said, “I like you, but I’ve had my heart broken before. Who knows where you’ll be assigned in a few weeks.”
“Slower is better than a complete stop, so I’ll take it.” His wide grin was like shooting off confetti in her chest. Her insides were having a royal party.
Chapter 21
Two days later, it was Friday, a week before the festival, and Becca was still debating whether or not to have a bachelor auction. Sure, there were plenty of single ladies in town, but there might be some uproar at doing such a thing during a family event.
She had to decide by today to give everyone time to prepare if the theme was different, and she decided to walk out back, hoping the flowers would give her some inspiration.
The sight before her caused her to gasp, her thoughts swirling as she could see from the raised porch that the middle of the nursery had caved in. Her mind calculated the cost of the flowers inside the structure, knowing it would be devastating to her business if she lost everything.
She couldn’t remember if she’d heard of wind or a major storm from the night before. The nursery was older but certainly not old enough to rot away, surely. It had been there since a few years after her parents had moved in, an anniversary gift for her mother built by her father.
Walking through the door, she went as far as she could, moving several potted plants to an area that hadn’t collapsed.
She needed to get it fixed now, before it affected all the flowers in the small greenhouse. Pulling out her phone, she found Colton’s phone number he’d typed into her phone the other night at dinner.
Answering after the first ring, his groggy voice said, “Hello?” Looking down at her watch, Becca felt guilty for the early morning wake-up call.
“Hey, sorry to bug you so early, but I was wondering if you can take a look at my nursery? One side caved in, and I’m worried the rest of it will do the same.”
“Sure. Yeah. I’ll be over in a few.”
Walking around, she did her best to move the rest of the plants nearby, knowing Colton would need room to do whatever was necessary to fix it. A thrill ran through her at the thought that he was coming to her house and into such an intimate spot for her. But then again, she had several thousand dollars’ worth of flowers growing in the enclosed space, and she couldn’t risk losing them.
“Wow! I didn’t know you have all this back here.” His voice came from the door of the nursery, and she turned as he strode closer to her. “Let me take a look at this.”
She stood back, admiring how the cut of his jeans fit just right and how when he pushed the beam up, the muscles in his back went taut. She could get used to this.
As Colton held the beam, the polycarbonate section fell to the ground. “Will you come hold this? I just need to get some tools so I can secure it again.”
Becca hurried forward, using everything she had to not let the beam slip. She wasn’t sure how he’d been able to move it with such ease. Keeping it in place was causing the muscles in her arms to burn, more than the random times she actually used weights to work out.
“Okay, I’ve got a ladder set up out here, and I’m just going to secure the main beam to the truss beams up here.”
Becca felt a slight pressure pushing and pulling the beam into short changes of direction, and she hoped he’d hurry up before she dropped it on herself.
With a few quick screws, he called down to her, “Okay, you can let go now.”
She heard the screwdriver again and worked to open her hands, as they were somewhat stuck in the shape of the beam after all the strain she’d put into it.
“Will you bring that square piece out? It looks like it just sits right on top of the boards.”
Becca hefted the polycarbonate square, still feeling the soreness from helping with the flood clean-up a few days before. After angling to fit out the door, she walked around the structure and did her best to move it within Colton’s reach. He grasped it with ease, moving the piece as though it weighed no more than a piece of paper. Dang, that was impressive.
Once he slid the piece into the slot, he stepped down the ladder, pulling the pins on the sides to close it up.
“You probably haven’t had to use that since you’ve been here,” Becca said, gesturing to the ladder.
“Actually, I used it at the McCready’s last week. They were doing one of those stylish walls.”
Becca motioned for him to follow her into the house. She walked up the stairs and into the kitchen through the back door, grateful she hadn’t left a mess that morning. Pulling open the fridge, s
he asked, “Do you want juice or anything?”
“Milk?”
She pulled the light-blue-capped milk out of the fridge and set it on the counter, opening the cabinet to get a glass.
“Never mind. I’ll be okay.”
Frowning, Becca asked, “Huh?”
“If all you have is that watered-down stuff, I’ll be fine for now.” He pointed to her jug of 1% milk and turned up his nose.
Becca laughed. “I didn’t know you were so picky about that kind of stuff. At least let me get you some water for coming out here.” She tried to remember if she had any goodies in the pantry, but she hadn’t been to the grocery store in quite some time.
“I’ll take some water.” He slid into a chair next to the small round table she used as a dining table, and for some reason, he looked so relaxed sitting there, like there was nowhere else he belonged.
Filling up a clear glass, she brought it over and sat it on the table in front of him. She pulled out the chair catty-corner from him and leaned her elbows on the table. For the most part, this guy was proving to be near perfect. But that niggled at Becca, making her wonder what he was hiding underneath.
Rationally, she knew there were guys different from Peter, but since the resemblance and profession were so close to her ex-fiancé, she couldn’t help but wonder.
“You seem to be getting to know a lot of people in town. Would you ever stay?” She looked at her nails, too nervous to look him in the face.
“I do like it. I think I’m finally used to the dead-quiet at night, and that’s helped me get some better sleep. But it’s a fun little town with a lot of history, and I like that.”
Cocking her head to the side, she asked, “Would you be willing to live here? After the subdivision, I mean.”
He shrugged. “It would be a great place to live. I’d just have to figure out logistics with my job and getting things settled there.”
At least he was being honest, even if it wasn’t the concrete answer she was looking for.
He drained the glass within a few seconds and tapped the table. “Is there anything else I can fix while I’m here? I need to get going on those folding walls for Susie before she starts flipping out at me.”
Becca smiled and stood, Colton doing the same. “Good luck with that. Hopefully it doesn’t take you too long.”
“I’m just hoping it will win me points in the ‘win a date with the bachelor’ you’re organizing.” He gave her his cockeye grin, and she hit him in the shoulder with the back of her hand.
“Oh, please. I don’t even know if that’s what we’re going to do yet. Part of me thinks it would be a bad idea.” She rolled her eyes and sighed, wishing she hadn’t made the suggestion in the first place.
Colton breathed out in an exaggerated fashion. “You’re just worried about some other girl bidding for me, aren’t you?”
Becca hesitated, realizing how true his statement was. “Not at all. I just think some of the older ladies might be bored since they already have their men.”
“Who’s to say they won’t bid too?”
Becca shook her head and rolled her eyes. “You’re the worst. You know, I’ll walk over to the rec center with you. I need to let Susie know about the fundraiser.”
She might have left out the fact that she didn’t want Susie near Colton for that long alone. And what else did she have to do but help? So much for giving up her spot as the organizer of the event.
Chapter 22
That night and the next morning seemed to pass in a flurry. Becca had worked for several hours helping Susie with odd jobs since her assistant still hadn’t bothered to show her face. Then the morning and afternoon were spent at the flower shop, getting the flowers ordered and organizing the ones needed for the event. They were only a few days out, but it seemed like they were in a constant cycle of hurry up and wait.
A few days passed without seeing Colton, and while she might have been relieved of that fact at the beginning, she found her thoughts turning to him often. Several times she’d picked up her phone, thinking she heard her text message sound, her heart racing in the hopes that it was from him. But it was either her imagination or texts from someone else sending in orders.
She was in the shop, making a list of things she needed to get together for the raffle, when the bell above the door rang. Holding her breath, she moved to the front, hoping it was Colton. Instead, she saw a face she hadn’t seen in a few months.
“Dani!” she squealed, rushing forward and wrapping her arms around her oldest and closest friend. “When did you get back?”
“About thirty minutes ago. My mom picked me up at the airport. I figured I needed to come see how things had progressed since our last phone call.”
The mischievous look on the brunette’s face caused Becca to roll her eyes. She stepped back and shook her head. “Not much has happened.”
“You just touched your earlobe,” Danielle said, pointing out the small action Becca did without thinking. “Spill, girl.”
“Well, there was a flood of the town,” Becca started slowly.
Danielle nodded. “That I know all about. I want to know about this stranger you’ve had to deal with quite a bit.”
“He’s tall, dark hair, brown eyes, a small scar on his chin from climbing a tree when he was younger.”
With a face of surprise, Danielle said, “So, it’s progressed further than I thought.” She clapped her hands together before saying, “Have you kissed?”
Becca’s cheeks burned almost instantly, and she turned, walking into the back room with footsteps close behind her.
“You have! And? How was it?”
Slumping into a chair near one of the tables, Becca put her head into her hands. “It was amazing. Like fireworks-shooting-off-in-the-background good. But I haven’t seen or heard from him in a few days, which is odd because he was always around when I didn’t want him to be, and now he’s not around when I actually want him here.”
A scraping sound caused her to look up as Danielle pulled a chair over next to her. “You’ll be fine, Becca. My mom said she’s met him a few times and he’s a nice guy. And he was instrumental in helping out during the flood.”
“Yeah, but Susie has her hooks in him; I can tell.”
“I doubt it, Becca. I mean, I haven’t met the guy yet, but he kissed you, right? He doesn’t sound like the kind of guy who’d go kissing every single woman in town.”
Becca let that sink in for several seconds. “You know how Susie is. She’s got flirting down to a science. And he’s either been avoiding me or inexplicably busy with something. If he really has feelings for me, he’d have at least texted or called, right? I had a gut feeling when he first started talking to me that he was trying to sway my vote. And now I think my instincts were right.”
“Just because your ex-fiancé ran off with some other girl doesn’t mean that this guy with the same profession is going to do the same.” Danielle’s words were more firm, and Becca could tell her patience was wearing thin. “And who knows? Maybe that was his original intention but now he’s changed his mind.”
She didn’t want to talk about it anymore, feeling more frustrated as she turned over each of the interactions she’d had with Colton since he’d come to town. Had it all been an act? The thought fueled her anger, but after all the research she’d done about the subdivision, she knew the town needed the boost, especially after everything that had happened with the flood. She could vote yes for it to go through but she wasn’t going to subject her heart to any more pain.
Changing the subject, she asked, “What about you? Did you meet any attractive foreign men on your trip?”
“None to write home about. But next time I take a trip like that, I’m dragging you along, even if I have to do so literally.” Danielle grinned at her, the quiet confidence settling over Becca.
Becca had always been more outspoken than Danielle, but she wished she could have that one trait, the one where Danielle made the person nex
t to her feel like the most important person in the world.
Her thoughts turned to Colton again, and something about his sudden absence made her wish she’d been able to block herself from the slippery slide of feelings for him. Because now, looking back, there were so many times when Peter claimed to be working late at the office, meeting with a client or getting stuck in traffic on the way back to Sage Creek, meaning he had to stay in the city. She’d been so grateful for Danielle’s investigative skills, which helped Becca feel some kind of closure from the total silence she’d gotten from Peter.
She’d just have to wait and see. If she got worried about something now, she might blow it out of proportion.
Chapter 23
Colton was more than excited about the festival coming up. The results had come in for the water and ground tests after just a week, and the council had called a special meeting and voted Wednesday night for the subdivision to go through, Becca being one of the votes.
He’d tried to talk to her before and after the meeting but had been detained by several people asking about the details of the housing units. She slipped out before he could say anything.
Opening his phone, Colton sent a text message to Becca.
I didn’t get a chance to talk to you tonight. Are you up for a shake at the diner?
He sat on the bench in front of the Town Hall fountain, staring at his screen in the hopes that she would respond just as quickly. Several minutes went by with no answer, and a sliver of fear slithered into his chest. After all they’d been through together in the past few weeks, had he read things wrong?
I know I’ve been MIA for the last few days. I’ve been working on a few things for the festival, and I can’t wait for you to see them.
Reflecting back to their kiss by the pond, he relived it and noted that she hadn’t squirmed away from him. She’d wanted the kiss just as much as he had.
He thought about the festival. He’d spent several hours working on the bifold walls Susie had requested, as well as a few more on something special just for Becca. Maybe she was hurt that he hadn’t been around for so many days. Time had flown faster than he’d realized. He just hoped he hadn’t been overthinking her feelings as well.
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