by Dancing
took all our savings, donated it to the Save the Whales
fund, then ran off to Bolivia with some guy in the
Peace Corps."
"Oh, Dalton. You must've been devastated."
"You might say that."
"But, sweetie, what does any of that have to do with
me? Why did you feel you couldn't tell me? carly
sounds like the one who lost out on an amazing man."
He snorted.
"You disagree?"
Sharply looking away, he said, "We're getting off the
subject. The point I'm trying not too successfully to
make is that in carly, I chose poorly. She was from a
world I didn't belong to." Gripping her shoulders, he
gave Rose a light shake. "Don't you see? I don't belong
in your world, either. I don't know where I belong. But
until I figure it out, I owe it to you and Anna to steer
clear. You both deserve more than my wishy-washy
brand of companionship."
"Companionship?You really think that's all we share?"
"I don't know," he said, pacing. "That's the point. How
am I ever supposed to know if what we share is the real
deal? Or just another shortsighted mistake?"
"If you even have to ask," she said softly, "you're
absolutely right. What we've shared has been a mistake.
A big one."
"You look like you've been rode hard and put up wet."
Dalton glanced up—a long way, considering he was
lying on the ground with his shoes and socks off, wrig-
gling his toes in the city park's grass.
Alice stood over him, jogging in place. "Well?
What's wrong with you?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm sick,
all right?"
"Lovesick."
"Leave me alone." He closed his eyes, annoyed by
the intrusion.
Not only did Alice not leave, but she plopped her
Lycra-covered butt down beside him. "I had a talk with
your lady friend."
"Yeah," he said without opening his eyes. "She told
me about it. How you practically flat out told her she
wasn't good enough for me, and that I needed to move
on to someone my mother would approve of."
"I said nothing of the sort. I was testing your Rose.
Seeing how bad she wants to be with you. Since the day
you were born, you've been a pocketful of trouble,
Dalton Montgomery. Too handsome and talented for
your own good. I don't know how many teachers told
your parents you were an art prodigy. Your mother
begged William to enroll you in private lessons, but he
stubbornly refused. Said you were going to spend your
life at the bank and that was that."
Groaning, wishing like hell Alice would leave him
alone, Dalton said, "What does any of this have to do
with the here and now? In three days, my future's set in
stone. Just the way I like it."
"Did you break up with that beauty?"
"Heck, yes." He bolted upright. "Isn't that what all
you overbearing snoops wanted me to do?"
"Oh, Dalton." She shook her head.
"What?" Fiddling with a dandelion, he wished he'd
stayed at the office.
"Does this have anything to do with carly?"
"No."
"You think because carly was an artist and Rose is
a dancer, that they're two peas in a pod?" When he
didn't answer, she nudged his shoulder.
"Absolutely not."
"Then what's the problem?"
"At the moment, you."
Sighing, she pushed to her feet. "You might be all
grown-up on the outside, but on the inside, you've still
got an awful lot of maturing to do."
If there was one thing Dalton hated worse than
banking, it was being lectured, then realizing it was
time for him to admit his mistakes. It was that very
realization that had led him to his current location.
The head of Duffy's Barbecue's back-room confer-
ence table.
Dalton clinked his water glass with his butter knife
and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"Thank you all for agreeing to meet on such short
notice. I've had an issue crop up that I believe is going
to take all of us to fix."
Frank raised his hand.
"Yes?"
"Can we order first? I'm starving."
By a unanimous vote—aside from Dalton's—the Hot
Pepper chamber of commerce's executive board elected
to eat first, deal with his trauma later.
"That's better," Frank said thirty minutes later, pushing
his plate away. "Now, what seems to be the problem?"
Dalton said, "How many of you have seen me around
town with a certain dance instructor?"
All eleven shot up their hands.
"How many thought we seemed like a good match?"
All present concurred.
"You do seem awfully taken with her," Mona said. "I
never expected you to learn to tango quite that well, but
then, looks like you might've had a few private lessons."
Frank and a couple of the other guys backslapped
each other while howling with laughter.
"Okay, simmer down." Dalton slammed Alice's
gavel. "Making a long story short, I screwed up royally.
I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say that
I was wrong. I love Rose and her daughter very much."
"Aw." Mona said, hands clasped in front of her on
the table. "I always did think you two looked cute
together. And clearly, her little girl adores you. You're
a perfect match. I vote we should take it upon ourselves
to get them back together."
"Why else do you think I agreed to take this
meeting?" Alice asked, her voice all huffy, with her
hands on her hips. "I swear, Mona, do you just wake up
in the morning, planning to steal my thunder?"
Lips pursed, Mona shot Alice her fiercest glare.
"All right, then," Dalton said, again slamming the
gavel to counteract the chatter. "By another show of
hands, who wants to enact an emergency matchmaker
plan in order to save me, Rose and Anna?"
Everyone present raised his or her hand, save for one.
Alice.
"You have a problem?" he inquired.
She blurted out, "One thing has crossed my mind."
"Shoot."
Taking a moment before answering, in typical Alice
fashion, she drew out the drama. "What about what you
and I discussed in the park? What all of a sudden
changed your mind? Was it, by chance, anything I said?"
Holding back a growl, Dalton admitted, "Yes, Alice.
You told me to grow up, and by the time we've enacted
our plan, I'm hoping that's exactly what I'll have done."
Chapter Sixteen
"Wow, Dad," Dalton said over the jazz band at Saturday
night's party. "You look amazing for a guy who just had
heart surgery." As opposed to Dalton, who felt like the
walking dead after having suffered a sleepless night
wondering if his plan would work or blow up in his face.
"I feel amazing. According to the doc, half my
blood wasn't making it around. Is it any wonder I
nearly
croaked?"
"Stop," Dalton's mom said. "You were no more near
croaking than the bronze bullfrog in our garden pond."
Though his mom's words were light, Dalton didn't
miss the worry in her eyes, or the way her hands never
left his father's arm. He and Rose could have been like
that after decades of marriage. He missed her with a
biting clarity. And he realized what an idiot he'd been
to give her up. His plan had to work.
"Carol!" his mom called to one of her friends. "Wait
right there. I need to ask you a decorating question." To
her son, she said, "Watch the rich food tonight. Joan said
your heartburn's been acting up." Towing his dad along
with her, his mother worked the room, leaving Dalton
on his own with his worries.
A waiter passed.
Dalton snatched a glass bubbling with champagne
from the man's silver tray. Fighting the urge to down it
in one swallow, he took a few sips before hitting the
hors d'oeuvre table.
His mom had gone all-out on the party, which made
him feel worse for being so uptight.
Tall, tapered candles in crystal holders were every-
where and hundreds of white roses had the air smelling
heavy and sweet. Couples danced to the jazz band, and
he wished Rose were here so he could take her in his
arms and show what a good student he was. As badly
as he'd behaved, she'd no doubt never speak to him
again. And really, could he blame her? He'd been a fool
for allowing a mistake from his past to quite possibly
destroy a brilliant future.
Alice danced alongside him, champagne in one hand,
a mini spinach quiche in the other. "How're you doin'
there, stud? You're pale."
"Could you please leave me alone? Dad's about to
make his announcement, and I've got a lot on my mind."
"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed.
What's got you so cranky?"
"Nothing, all right? I'm just not in the mood for
partying—at least not until I see if Rose and Anna
show up."
Alice blessedly sashayed off to pester someone else
while Dalton got another drink. He'd taken a few sips
when the band stopped, and his dad ambled onto the
stage, taking the mic.
"Test, test," he said, tapping the sensitive tip and
causing a squelch of feedback that had everyone
wincing. "Oops." He grinned. "Guess I don't know my
own strength."
The audience politely tittered.
"As most of you know, tonight is special. It marks the
closing of some chapters, and the opening of others." He
cleared his throat. Dabbed the corners of his eyes with
a white handkerchief.
Seeing his father choked up like this made Dalton
feel a thousand times worse. He hated the fact that a big
portion of his plan would quite possibly cause his father
pain. But, with Alice's speech still ringing in his head,
he realized this bold step was something he should've
done years earlier.
"I could bore you all to tears with a lifetime of remi-
niscing, but what I'd rather do is get straight to the point.
After fifty years spent in one capacity or another at the
First National Bank of Hot Pepper, I'm officially step-
ping down."
While the audience roared with applause, Dalton's
pulse thundered.
His portion of the night fast approached.
The mere thought made him feel ill.
He wanted so badly to be with Rose right now, and
Anna. Whether they were watching TV or washing
dishes or messing with Play-Doh, he just wanted to
be with them, to experience that sense of being a
family again.
Were they here? Please, God, let them be here.
"Thank you, thank you," his father said. "Now,
everyone simmer down, as the best part of the evening's
still to come. The part where I name my successor. This
person is not only personable, but sharp as a tack. Par-
tially under their guidance, the bank has reached propor-
tions my father and grandfather never would've believed
possible. Under this person's continued leadership, I
have nothing but the highest expectations for our insti-
tution to keep growing, and keep making our custom-
ers proud that they bank with us. So now, without further
ado, may I proudly present your new president—"
Dalton stood. Pasted on a smile. Marched up to the
stage and took the mic. "—Alice Craigmoore."
Gasps.
Whispers.
And then applause, applause, applause.
Dalton glanced behind him to his shocked parents,
murmuring for their ears only, "Sorry, Dad. But I can't
keep living a lie. Of course, if anyone at the bank ever
needs me, I don't mind pitching in every once in a while,
but I just can't do it day after day. I want to pursue my
sculpting." See if I can make a living with my hands
instead of this mush in my head that used to be my
brains. "Alice, on the other hand, isn't only highly quali-
fied for the job, but very much wants it. In my profes-
sional opinion, she'll be the perfect fit."
"Son," his father said with a surprisingly cordial pat
to his back, "I'm proud of you. I'd be lying if I said I
wasn't disappointed, but it took a lot of balls to come
up here and turn down this job."
"Thanks, Dad." Dalton swallowed what felt like a
rock in his throat. "Coming from you, that means a lot."
More like everything.
His father and mother embraced Alice in teary hugs.
Alice also seemed choked up, but overall smiling and
looking at least a foot taller.
"Thank you for that lovely applause," Alice said into
the mic. "I feel reasonably sure I know each and every
one of you, and I can honestly say that outside of my
wedding day and the births of my three children, I've
never had a prouder moment. I've been with the bank
for more years than I can count. My coworkers, and our
founding family, the Montgomerys, mean the world to
me. I will do my utmost to perform with the loyalty and
integrity that they've shown in choosing me for the job."
More applause filled the room, this time louder, and
definitely heartfelt.
Though Dalton still reeled from the most pleasant
shock of having his dad so easily digest his news, he
found himself genuinely happy for Alice. No one
deserved it more.
Kind of like the way he deserved for Rose and Anna
to have refused his invitation. He'd planned to wow
Rose with his announcement, then woo her into the
night with dancing and champagne and dozens of
sincere apologies he'd prayed might convince her to
take him back.
How did he know he loved her? The same way he
knew to breathe. She and Carly were nothing alike.
He'd been insulting Rose to have even for a moment
suggested they were.
Alice was back at the mic. "William mentioned that
ton
ight's a night for looking forward, not back. And in that
spirit, my first official announcement is that effective im-
mediately, for those of you not privy to our previous
onstage whisperings, our current VP, Dalton Montgomery,
will be taking an indefinite leave of absence. Should he
care to return, his office will always be available, but I have
something here I think he'd much rather do." She waved
what looked like three thick travel agency portfolios.
Huh?
What was Alice doing? This wasn't part of the plan.
"In these packets are tickets for an art tour of Europe.
For those of you who don't already know, Dalton isn't only
good at facts and figures, but also sculpting. According to
a couple of girls I recently had the pleasure of getting to
know better, he's also become quite a good significant
other and father. So...in that spirit, here are Rose and
Anna Vasquez, who have a question to ask our Dalton."
Knees rubbery, Dalton felt ready to collapse, but
keeping his eyes on his two beautiful girls, he managed
to stay strong despite the lump forming at the back of
his throat. No wonder his dad had taken the news so
well. He'd been given advance notice.
Anna took the mic. "Mr. Dalton? If you're out
there, would you please marry us? I really wanna go
on vacation."
"Anna!" Rose, looking drop-dead gorgeous in a red
satin dress, accidentally scolded for all to hear.
All present roared with laughter and applause.
"Sorry, Mr. Dalton. I was s'posed to say we love
you, but I do wanna go on vacation. Oh—and I want you
to be my new dad, too."
Striding through the crowd, Dalton found his way
back onstage. He kissed Rose full on the lips, then bent
down and gave Anna a bear hug. In Rose's ear, he whis-
pered, "I don't know how you managed to turn my own
surprise upside down, but you have to know I'm sorry,
and that I love you so much. I was crazy to have ever
doubted you—us. In fact, I—"
"Oh, stop. Mi novio, I had a sneaking suspicion you'd
come back to me. It was only a matter of time."
"Too much time," he said on the heels of a moan,
kissing her again. "If I haven't mentioned it lately, I love
you."
"Is that a yes to our proposal?" she asked, brown eyes
shimmering.
"Not just yes," he growled for her ears only, lifting
her, hugging her, spinning her around. "But hell yes."
"What about me?" Anna asked, jumping beside him
in a shimmering hot-pink dress.
