Harlequin Heartwarming March 21 Box Set

by Claire McEwen

  The waitress strode toward the kitchen, and Natalie leaned forward, her chin resting on her hands again. “It seems like we both did something unexpected. You ordered something unusual while I went for the daily special.”

  “You mean, we did something the same?” He straightened the white paper placemat on the red-checked tablecloth, good humor radiating from the slight crinkles around his gray eyes. “For the most part, I eat whatever’s available from the commissary. There’s nothing I like better than a hamburger, hot off the grill, but I like experiencing whatever’s around me. Bibimbap in South Korea. Cheese soufflé in France. Personally, I’m a big fan of the Italian tradition of an alcoholic cordial with breakfast.”

  Layers of the more complicated soldier emerged with every passing day. Problem was, the days passed by with increasing speed. The waitress delivered their meals, and their conversation remained light.

  Aidan polished off his sandwich, and she leaned forward. “What did you think? Worth the trip?”

  “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything. That meal was certainly…” He reached for a napkin and wiped his cheek, that left dimple downright appealing. “Interesting.”

  “I can’t tell if that’s a good or bad thing with you. You always make every situation seem more complicated than it really is.”

  “With you, nothing is simple.”

  Jolene came over with her notepad. “Can I tempt either of you with the last slice of lemon meringue pie? It’s famous in these parts.”

  Aidan screwed up his face. “Anything but pie.”

  “I’ve got just the dessert for you two to split.” Laughing, Jolene marked something on her pad. “It’s one of Natalie’s favorites, chocolate cake with Cheerwine cola frosting. We only make it on Fridays. Be right back with a slice and more tea to top off your drinks.”

  Natalie crooked her finger toward Aidan, waiting for him to get closer. “Shh, don’t tell Jolene, but all the desserts here are my favorite.”

  “What’s Cheerwine cola?”

  “It’s a local drink.”

  Aidan reclined against the bright red vinyl pleather of the booth. “You love this area, don’t you?”

  She sipped the last of her tea and considered everything. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

  * * *

  AIDAN REACHED FOR Natalie’s hand. Natalie walking alongside him should make everything worse, but it didn’t. He liked this far too much, considering they were heading in different directions. Even now, they were leaving downtown for their respective homes. Though they were next door to each other, they were miles apart.

  They passed the Corner Grocery and headed for Hollyhock Lane. She nestled her hand in his, a small gesture but a welcome one. His turmoil about Danny and the future dwindled to a trickle, their long strides matching, hers in ankle boots and his in sneakers. After this, his first extended leave in some time, he’d have to adjust to military gear again.

  They arrived at her porch, and she sighed. “We still haven’t discussed Laurel and her suggestions.” Natalie’s eyes lost a little of their usual sparkle. “Why don’t we talk it out here where we can watch the town go by?”

  They settled on the swing, her presence already a steady marker in his life. This close, her strawberry scent filled the air with sweetness. “Is it a requirement that all porches in Hollydale have swings or rocking chairs?”

  She pumped her legs, the silk fabric of her sundress rustling in the summer breeze. “My dad’s hobby. You know he likes you when you get one of these for a birthday or Christmas present.”

  The litmus test for Natalie’s parents. Good to know.

  “Maybe you, Danny and I should do something on Tuesday the fifth. Just the three of us. Provide stability together. Work for him, not against each other.” His stomach clenched. He’d just suggested they do something, and it sounded like he wanted them to be a family. Sitting on this swing with her might not have been a good idea after all. Whenever they were alone, they either fought or kissed.

  And Natalie was a good kisser.

  He saw the uncertainty written on her face.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t plan on something happening. Maybe we should go wherever the wind takes us.” Natalie’s musical voice was lower than usual.

  “What about that stability Dr. Hargraves said Danny needs?”

  “I don’t think that comes from planning every minute of every day. Danny needs to know that, no matter what we decide, he can always depend on us. Both of us. We need to commit to both of us being a part of his life.”

  He let the hot metal of the chain links slide through his fingers. One way or another, he finally accepted Natalie was destined to be a part of Danny’s life. Something else gnawed at him. “What do you have against plans?”

  The air between them crackled, yet there were only blue skies on the horizon, no lightning in sight. “Why do you like plans so much?”

  “They represent order and purpose. After my mother died, my father planned every minute of the day. When he met Cathy, that stopped. I missed our closeness.” His sleeves hiked up, and he let go of the links to push them down but decided against it. She knew about his scar and accepted him anyway. “Now, what’s so bad about plans?”

  “Before Francisco died, we made plans for our future together.” It was her turn to twist the metal chain links together before letting them go. “After he died, it seemed more important to make each minute count to the fullest.”

  “Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice?”

  “Interesting take, but something like that.”

  Natalie’s mother, Diane, stuck her head out the doorway and took one look at them. “Don’t mind me. Danny’s fine. Take your time.”

  Diane disappeared back inside.

  “Guess I should follow her.” Natalie paused and smoothed her skirt. “Otherwise, I’ll hear about how I’m spreading my eggs too thin or something like that.”

  Aidan touched her arm and liked the feel of her skin under his. “She loves you. That’s her way of showing it. About next Tuesday. You, me and Danny. Plans, real plans.” He released her and still took comfort from her having sat so close. “You haven’t worn Francisco’s chain in a while.”

  “I won’t forget him, but it was time.” She traced the outline of the links with her fingers. “Time to make new memories and be happy without feeling like it’s a compulsion.”

  Enjoying being happy. It was what he’d found in this short time with Natalie.

  “Interesting. You’re being yourself because you’re you, and not to please anyone else.”

  “Thanks for understanding. I’m glad you’re not one of those people who insists everyone else should wear a watch because it suits you so well,” Natalie admitted with a wistful look. “I think that sums up the attraction between us. You’d think those kisses would have gotten you out of my system.”

  He’d be lying to himself and her if he denied that. “One more kiss ought to get each other out of our systems.”

  “I agree. We should test your theory.”

  They moved closer. Rather than anything awkward or clumsy, their lips joined as if by some invisible spark guiding them together. The feeling ignited embers in him he never knew existed. Chocolate cake had never tasted so good as now.

  After a minute, they backed away from each other, retreating to their own sides of the swing.

  “Totally out of my system.” Her words were more of a croak than her usual melodious voice.

  “Liar.”

  She shrugged and laughed. “Maybe, Murphy, maybe not. While I’d be a bad role model for my kindergarten students and Danny if I went around lying all the time, sometimes it’s not a lie if it’s for everyone’s best interests.” She licked her lips and wiped her palms on her sundress. “Next Tuesday. What’s your pleasure?”

  “Or my poison
?”

  “Tsk, tsk. Fun isn’t overrated.” She rose and popped her hands on her hips. “If I can finagle a canoe rental from my friend, how about it? You, me, Danny and a day on Timber River. I’ll plan everything, and you do nothing but show up prepared for a day you won’t soon forget.”

  He blinked. He’d been so sure she wouldn’t go through with actual plans. Letting go and counting on others?

  If he trusted Natalie, would she give up when the going got tough? Would she let him down?

  Or was trust like swimming? No matter how meticulous he was about practicing, he hadn’t gotten the hang of it until he plunged off the deep end.

  Natalie extended her hand, and it was his turn to hesitate. “Do I have to dare you?”

  The swing squeaked like Stormy did when he fed her. A reminder the kitten was due for her afternoon meal. “I’d better say hello and goodbye to Danny and take Stormy back to my house for her next feeding.”

  “That kitten has downright entranced you. What about Tuesday, then?”

  The kitten isn’t the only one. Aidan gripped her hand in his, her lightness filling him with something close to hope.

  “It’s a date.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  AIDAN CHECKED HIS detailed set of float blueprints while shifting his weight in Shelby’s compact. Using her car had allowed him to return his rental, but he’d had a good seven inches on his sister.

  Mike hadn’t batted an eye when Aidan enlisted his help the other day to drop off the rental at the nearest location in Asheville, a good thirty-mile drive via US-25. On the way back, Aidan tried to talk to the sheriff about the city’s emergency plan and offer some new insights and suggestions. Mike waved him off, preferring to shoot the breeze, even inviting him out for a night at the River Bar and Grill with him and his wife.

  If he didn’t know better, he’d almost think he’d made a friend.

  The Harrison family was becoming part of his life quite fast. Diane was taking the morning to prepare food for those who showed up this Saturday morning, the big day to work on the float at Hollydale Park, while keeping an eye on Danny and Stormy.

  Climbing out of Shelby’s tiny compact, he debated whether to shed the windbreaker he’d worn over his short-sleeve T-shirt. Other volunteers might want to make light talk about his scar. He hated to draw attention to the fine line, a sliver of white against his tanned skin. However, the early morning breeze made his decision easy. He’d wear his jacket for now and finagle his way next to someone who wouldn’t make a big deal of his scar when the day grew warmer.

  The open green field separating the pavilion area from the playground was empty, and he shook his head. So much for the legion of volunteers promising to help with the float. No volunteers, no food, no Natalie.

  Natalie’s SUV approached and he snapped to attention. She parked and ran over to him, a wide smile beaming her welcome, her red hair pulled back in a messy bun. A cold glass of lemonade in summer didn’t look half as good as her in a yellow top with matching daisy capris. Pink sneakers replaced her usual boots.

  “Why am I not surprised you’re here an hour before everyone else?” While she used her kindergarten teacher voice, her twinkling eyes told the real story.

  “I’m on time. Ten hundred, just like you said.”

  “Aren’t you on my group text?”

  He shook his head, and she pulled out her phone and checked something. “We pushed back the start time to eleven a couple of days ago. Thought you knew. Please help me with the food.”

  Natalie opened the back doors of her vehicle, and he beheld stacks of plastic containers on one side and a bushel of apples and other snacks on the other.

  “You were busy,” Aidan said.

  “Not all my doing. Some of my students’ parents, who are out of town this weekend and can’t help, dropped off fruit, cookies or other items. It takes a town.”

  Yet another reference to the town’s involvement in her life and, by connection, Danny’s. If he heard one more reference today, he’d…

  Do what? Scream? Kayak in the upstream rapids? Concede and agree to this co-guardianship idea and revisit it after he received his honorable discharge?

  He kept his composure and loaded his arms. It took them a couple of trips to transfer it all. Once the final container was on the picnic table, he wiped off imaginary dirt from his hands. “How about we take the tarp off the float and figure out what absolutely has to be done so it’ll look decent on Monday? Then we’ll divide the work and conquer.”

  She laughed and organized containers. “You have no idea, do you?”

  “About how many signed up? Are we talking one person? Two?”

  “Try fifteen in the first shift alone.”

  She strode over to one side of the tarp and waited until he stood in place on the other.

  “It’s been my experience people will often tell you something to get you off their backs. This is a three-day weekend, family time.”

  “Party time, community time. They’ll come.” She smiled.

  Together, they removed the tarp, and he clenched his fists by his sides. Little, if any, progress had been made since the last time he’d been here. “Natalie.” He waited until she met his gaze. “The parade is Monday. This float…”

  Words, his stock in trade, his lifeblood, escaped him as he stared at the float. If his calculations were right, only a third of the work had been completed. “Did you amend the tiered structure for the frame? The way you planned it, we’ll have to keep it covered as it won’t fit in the shed. Did you decide to go for something a little less?”

  “A little less what? A little less wonderful?” She ran her hand over the wood. “Nope. We’re on schedule. Trust me.”

  “There’s no way the design we created will come together.”

  How was she so good at leveling looks like that? He had to contact his former basic training instructor and ask for tips.

  She approached from his side of the truck and patted his arm. “It will. The primary colors on the boxes with the school’s mascot will pop, and the rainbow of stars will let the kids know to always aim high. Sometimes it’s hard to believe anything beautiful will emerge out of something this messy. I see it all the time, though. I had a student with dyslexia. Everyone said it would be years before he’d read anything. Each afternoon, we sat down with his favorite comic book and by the end of the school year, he was reading.” She wiped away moisture from her eyes. “You get the general idea. Sometimes you have to dream big and then back it up with action.”

  “But surely, you’ve also seen the worst. The kids who come in without lunches. The kids who lose someone and are grieving.”

  They both knew he referred to Danny.

  “Even then, I try to make a positive difference. If I see something amiss, I have a duty to report that. The safety of each child comes first. Our school also has a wonderful counselor, who helps, but sometimes a hug or finding a way to make a day a little brighter? That’s how I make sure each child knows someone cares. That’s why I want them to reach for the stars, hence the theme.”

  A beeping horn drew his attention to the parking lot. A newer model bright green smart car with pink flower magnets dotting the passenger door swerved into a parking spot. Hyacinth emerged and waved. Then she reached into the car and pulled out a small structure like none he’d ever seen before.

  She rushed over to them. “What a glorious day! You couldn’t ask for better weather for a group project. Isn’t this a gorgeous birdhouse?”

  Aidan stared at the birdhouse, wondering how many North Carolina license plates had been sacrificed for this. “I don’t remember that as part of the design.”

  “It’s not for the float. It’s for you when you return to your base. A little reminder of home.” Hyacinth handed it to him.

  His mouth gaped open. Of all the surprises in Hol
lydale, this one might take the cake, or pie, as the case might be. Hyacinth’s expression changed to hurt, and he clamped his mouth and tried a smile. “This is too generous. I won’t be able to look at it without thinking of you.”

  Beaming, she fiddled with the end of her scarf. “I knew you’d love it.” She turned to Natalie. “I brought my CD player and a nice collection of soothing, relaxing music. I’ll be right back.”

  “Hyacinth, thanks.” Now it was Natalie’s time on the hot seat. “I’d hate for anything to happen to your CD player. You know how it is at a party. People accidentally spill their drinks, and then I’d be responsible for buying you a new one. I have a cheap Bluetooth speaker that connects to my phone. It’s easily replaced.”

  “Major M.?” Hyacinth jostled his arm.

  “What?”

  She waggled her finger at him. “You haven’t taken me up on my offer on babysitting Danny.” She reached into her purse and pulled out another sheaf of long rectangular paper strips stapled at one end. “I’ll need your address for the cookie-of-the-month club.”

  “What?” He sounded like a schoolboy rather than a major, repeating himself like a parrot.

  “It’s something special I do for my grandnieces and grandnephews who are in the military. I think you rate that kind of privilege, if I do say so myself. My email address is on the front of that. Email me your address as well as any allergies or special requests.” She patted his arm again. “There’s nothing like a package in the mail to make you feel special.”

  Before he fashioned a response, a flood of cars arrived in the parking lot. More people waved and greeted each other while pulling out coolers and casserole dishes.

  His mouth gaped open.

  Again. Hyacinth went to the pavilion while Natalie went to welcome people before bringing him a bottle of water. “Here. I figured you’d need this before you assign tasks in a minute.” She grinned and reached into her satchel, handing him a clipboard. “I bet your improvisational skills are also impressive.”

  “This is your show, though. Won’t it mean more if the instructions come from you?”