CHAPTER FIVE
John sat on the couch at Poppy’s birthday party, listening to a woman tell him about her vacation in Canada. Bella was sitting with a group of girls, painting her nails. He’d never been to a nine-year-old girl’s birthday party before. It was a crazy combination of sugar-loaded food, beauty products, and pink presents.
So far, the ten girls at the party had braided their hair with tiny beads, decorated cupcakes, and made tattoos out of glitter. It definitely wasn’t the traditional Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Musical Chairs party he’d been expecting. Not that he’d been to any nine-year-old girls’ birthday parties before.
“Do you enjoying living in Bozeman?”
John focused his attention on Donna, the woman sitting opposite him. “It’s a great place to live. It’s taken us a while to settle in, but having my brother here has helped.”
“Is that why you moved to Bozeman?”
John nodded. “I’d been looking for a building to convert into my business’ headquarters. When the old flour mill came on the market, Grant and I had a look and decided that it was worth the investment. It’s been a busy two years.”
He wouldn’t tell Donna that his brother had kept him sane after his wife had died. He hadn’t known how to raise a two-year-old, or even how to live a normal civilian life. It had taken him another four years to realize that Bella needed to be close to family as much as he did.
He watched Bella blow on her nails. She compared her nail color with the girl beside her and they both started giggling. She’d grown so much since Jacinta had died. Six years ago she’d been running around in diapers, chasing the neighbor’s cat and climbing on top of anything she saw.
“If Bella wants to come to our home for a playdate, I’m sure Anna would love it. The two girls get along so well.”
John watched Bella pass Anna another bottle of nail polish. “Thanks. I’ll check with Bella.”
He picked up his cup of coffee and checked the time. It was nearly five o’clock. Tanner was waiting outside for them, parked on the side of the road and trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Luckily the snow had stopped falling and the temperature had risen a few degrees above freezing.
“Coffee anyone?” Poppy’s mom carried a tray of coffee across to the parents.
When she reached John, he shook his head. “Not for me. I’ve got one already.”
“Would you like a piece of birthday cake to go with your coffee?”
He looked at the bright pink frosting and frowned. “Sure. Just a small piece, though. Bella and I need to go home soon.”
Donna, the woman sitting opposite him, pouted. “It’s far too early for that. We were just getting to know each other.”
John gulped back the last of his coffee. He might be a little rusty in the dating department, but he knew when someone was flirting with him. Anyone else would have said something witty, broken the silence that had descended around the table. But not John. He couldn’t think of one thing to say that wouldn’t hurt Donna’s feelings.
It wasn’t that she was unattractive. In fact, she was probably one of the most attractive women he’d ever met. And it wasn’t that she didn’t interest him. She did. But not in the ‘let’s date’ kind of way that she was hinting at.
He’d married the only woman he’d ever love. He couldn’t imagine spending time with many women, especially the romantic kind of time that he’d never been very good at.
An image of Rachel popped into his head and he sighed. She was off limits and even if she wasn’t, nothing was going to happen.
He left his coffee mug on the table and wiped his hands down the side of his jeans. “It was great spending time with you, but I really need to go.” He looked at Poppy’s mom and tried to smile. “Thank you for inviting us to your home. I’ve got a feeling that Bella’s going to be talking about this birthday for a long time.”
Poppy’s mom smiled. “I’m glad you’ve had a good time. I know another little girl who’s incredibly happy. Poppy loved the robotic dog you bought her.”
“It was all Bella’s idea.”
“Well, it was very sweet. While you’re getting Bella ready, I’ll get each of you a slice of cake to take home.”
Before John could tell her not to worry about the cake, she’d disappeared into the kitchen. He glanced at Donna and tried not to worry about the glare she sent back to him.
It was just like college all over again. Except this time, there wouldn’t be a happily-ever-after ending for anyone. Cupid had left the building, now all John had to do was get Bella into their truck.
He looked at where he’d last seen her. She’d moved across the room to another group of girls. She was sitting on the floor, laughing and talking and waiting to have her hair curled. He watched her for a minute, wondering where the last eight years had gone. His little girl was growing up and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.
He walked over to her and knelt on the floor. “We need to go home.”
“But I haven’t had my hair curled,” Bella said with a sigh. “Could we stay for five more minutes?”
John shook his head. “We need to leave. Do you want to thank Poppy for inviting us?”
Bella stood up. “I already have, but I’ll go and say goodbye.”
“I’ll get our jackets.”
She nodded and John went into the hallway. He looked through the windows either side of the front door. The snow was falling thick and fast, covering everything in its path with a white, icy blanket of cold snow. The weather that had been forecasted had arrived.
All he had to do now was get himself and his daughter home safely. Donna and her playdate offer could wait for another day.
Sealed With a Kiss Page 18
