She nodded. “I understand,” she said softly.
“So will you accept my apology?”
She smiled. “Yes, apology accepted.”
Feeling better about things, Paul glanced around the living room. He liked her taste in furniture and decorating, and took the time to tell her so.
She seemed pleased. “Thanks. Are you sure you don’t want anything to drink?”
“I’m sure. Besides, I don’t want to take you from your work.”
She waved off his words as she led him toward the kitchen. “You won’t be. In fact, you arrived at the right time. I was just taking some nutty cheese bars out of the oven.”
He chuckled. “Mmm, smells good.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’m glad you think so, since it’s one of the options for Heather’s party.”
“Is that a fact?”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, it is a fact.”
When they reached the large kitchen, Paul was surprised at how well used it was, but still neat. His kitchen had a tendency to look like a war zone by the time dinner was served.
“Your kitchen is huge, but welcoming,” he said, taking a seat at the table while she walked over to a double oven.
“Thanks. Now, this is my final offer. Are you sure you don’t want even a coffee? I brew a mean cup.”
He lifted a brow. “How mean?”
“My dad swore it could grow hair on his chest.”
Paul laughed. “In that case, I think I’ll try one.”
Michelle went about preparing coffee, trying not to notice that today, just like yesterday, he had that at-home look. The only difference was that he was in her house and not his. But still, there was something about him in well-worn jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of Nikes that would probably make him look relaxed and at home wherever he was.
“So how long have you had your catering business?”
She shifted sideways and noticed that he was watching her. She was glad she looked fairly decent this morning in a tailored blouse and capris, although her hair was up in a ponytail.
“I’ve had it a few months. When I lived in Memphis, I worked as a manager for an accounting firm.”
“What happened?” he asked. “You get zapped with corporate burnout?”
She smiled sadly. “No. When I left Memphis, I chose the profession of caretaker.”
At the curious look that flashed in his eyes she explained. “The doctor gave my father less than a year to live and I wanted to be with him for every single second that he had left. So I turned in my resignation, packed all my belongings, leased out my home and headed here. Like you, my father was a single dad. But unlike you he was a widower instead of a divorcé.”
“And how do you know I’m a divorcé? I don’t believe my marital status ever came up in any of our prior conversations.”
Michelle swallowed, hoping she hadn’t put her foot in her mouth. But she figured she would be honest with him. “You’re new to our town, so most of us know everything about you...at least everything you told Ms. Amy.”
He looked incredulous. “You mean, she was pumping me for information?”
“Afraid so.” Although Michelle smiled, she couldn’t help but feel bad for him at the moment. He honestly hadn’t had a clue, and probably thought Ms. Amy had been conversing with him because she was a friendly old woman. Of course, that was true, but everyone in Lake Falls knew Amy Poole, who had been married to her childhood sweetheart for over sixty years before he’d passed away a few years ago, was a romantic at heart and enjoyed playing Cupid.
Michelle just hoped their conversations earlier that morning had made the older woman put away her bow and arrow, because she had no intention of getting struck. Just like any other woman, Michelle wanted to meet a nice guy and get married, but now was not a good time. She needed to put all her energy into getting her business off the ground rather than investing in a relationship that might not go anywhere. She’d done that before with Lonnie Fields. They had met at a business workshop, and after dating her for two years, he’d decided to leave her behind without looking back when his company transferred him to the West Coast. The only reason she hadn’t succumbed to a broken heart was because she had begun to have doubts anyway.
Upon seeing the guarded look on Paul’s face, she said, “Hey, don’t take it personally. In fact, she genuinely likes you and wanted to get to know you. However, at the same time she was sizing you up to see which of the single ladies in Lake Falls was best suited to meet your needs.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment and then asked, “So who is this unlucky lady?”
As Michelle poured the coffee, she thought about lying and saying she had no idea. But the truth of the matter was that she did, since Ms. Amy had practically come out and told her. And since Michelle felt sure nothing would ever come of the older woman’s shenanigans, he had a right to know.
She placed the cup of coffee in front of him, met his gaze and said, “Yours truly.” At the lifting of his dark brows she added, “I’m the unlucky lady.”
CHAPTER
THREE
PAUL HOPED HE HAD heard her wrong. But staring into Michelle’s face and seeing her apologetic expression, he knew he had not. He also knew that she was an unwilling victim of Amy Poole’s mischief as much as he was. He couldn’t help but recall the last time he had been targeted in an older woman’s matchmaking scheme. His grand-aunt Zelda had decided he should remarry when Heather had turned ten, saying his daughter needed a female influence in her life.
Aunt Zelda had given a dinner party, the likes of which he would never forget. She evidently had erroneously put out the word that her divorced and well-off nephew was up for grabs. That night, women at the party had flocked around him as if he was the last man on earth. Some had openly flirted, while others had decided to go straight into seduction, regardless of the fact they had an audience. He had sworn he would never let another person place him in such a situation again.
He studied Michelle’s features. She was evidently waiting for him to say something. Give some sort of indication that he’d heard and understood what she’d said.
“So you’re looking for a husband?” he asked.
The expression that appeared on her face told him her answer before she opened her mouth. “No.”
The fierceness of her tone confirmed it. He believed her, but just to set the record straight, he said, “Good, because the last thing I’m interested in is a wife.”
He saw how relieved she looked and automatically lowered his guard. It was just as he’d suspected. She was no more interested in marriage than he was. He knew his reasons, and couldn’t help wondering about hers, but was too much of a gentleman to ask. Besides, it really wasn’t any of his business.
He took a sip of his coffee as she went back to the oven to take care of whatever she was baking. Moments later she slid one of the pastries onto a plate and then walked back again. It smelled tantalizing and he almost licked his lips as he picked up the fork and took his first bite, after waiting a moment for it to cool.
His reaction wasn’t slow in coming. The nutty cheese bar was the most delicious pastry he’d ever eaten. He quickly told her so and was rewarded with her smile. And that smile, which seemed to stretch from one corner of her mouth to the other, did something to his insides.
“Thanks,” she said, going back over to the sink. “I figured on making a number of these as part of the menu. Now, as for the cake, since you mentioned Heather likes strawberries, I’ve decided to bake one with a strawberry filling.”
“She’s going to love that,” he said, taking another bite of the pastry. “And I have her working on that list of invitees so we’ll know how many are coming.”
He watched as Michelle kept herself busy at the counter, and couldn’t help wondering if it was intentional. “Won’t you stop a moment and join me in a cup of coffee?”
He could tell his question surprised her, and she took a few
moments before responding. Then, tossing aside a dish towel, she said, “Yes, I think I will. You can tell me what the doctor said about Heather.”
Paul felt himself getting annoyed again, just as he had yesterday. He was grateful that Michelle was concerned about his daughter’s welfare, and he’d appreciated her timely intervention, as well as the information about the asthma organization she volunteered for. But Heather was his responsibility and no one else’s. Besides, she was due for a routine physical next month and he would mention to the doctor what had happened then.
He glanced at his watch. “You know, I hadn’t realized it had gotten so late. I need to leave.” He rose to his feet.
“But what about those treats I baked for you to sample? If you wait a minute I’ll pack them up for you and Heather.”
It was the least he could do after she had taken the time to do all that baking. “Okay, I’ll wait.”
* * *
MICHELLE PACKED UP a sampling of her baking and watched Paul out of the corner of her eye. He was standing at her kitchen window, staring out. It was plain to see that he was agitated about something. Asking what the doctor had said about Heather had hit a nerve with him for some reason. She had picked up the same attitude yesterday. She could only assume that although he had dropped by to apologize for his abruptness the day before, he still didn’t like her butting her nose into his family’s business.
“Here you are,” she said, handing him the container of baked goods. “I hope you and Heather enjoy them.”
He moved away from the window and crossed the kitchen floor. “I’m sure we will.”
“And I still plan to have a menu ready for you at the end of the week. If you approve it, then we can go ahead and finalize numbers.”
“That will be fine.”
Something pushed her to say more, and she hoped her words would smooth the waters between them. “Contrary to what you might think, Paul, I’m not a busybody. My concern for Heather is genuine. I like her. It would be hard not to. She’s a wonderful girl. You’ve done a fantastic job raising her.”
She could tell her statement had caught him off guard, and for a while he said nothing. At last he replied, “I appreciate you saying that.”
“Well, it’s true. I’ll see you out now.”
He walked beside her as they headed for the front door. When they reached it, he said, “Thanks for everything. I’ll call you later this week with the exact number of kids who will be attending the party. The RSVPs should all be in by Thursday.”
Michelle merely nodded and opened the door. He gave her a slight smile before walking out of the house, and she silently closed the door behind him.
* * *
WHEN MICHELLE HEARD the sound of Paul’s car pulling out of her driveway, she leaned against the closed door and squeezed her eyes shut, thinking she liked him a whole lot more than she really should. When it came to his daughter he was overprotective, but hadn’t her own father been the same way?
She had practically never spent a night away from home when she was growing up because her father had been afraid she would have an asthma attack while he wasn’t there. When she was sixteen, he’d finally relented and allowed her to attend Misty Edwards’s sleepover party, only because Ms. Amy had pleaded with him to do so.
Michelle’s thoughts shifted back to Paul. Regardless of whether either of them wanted to admit it or not, from the moment they had met there had been an attraction. And although they had agreed today that neither was interested in marriage, that hadn’t stopped a heated desire from working its way through her body. And just now, when she’d walked him to the door, she’d had a feeling he wanted to kiss her.
As she headed back toward the kitchen, she was glad he hadn’t. All she and Paul shared was a business relationship, and it would be wise for her to remember that.
* * *
HE HAD WANTED to kiss her.
And the very thought of doing so was flooding his senses to the point he couldn’t think straight. When she had walked him to the door, he had stood there, breathing in her scent, taking in her beauty and appreciating her caring nature. Although she wasn’t interested in marriage any more than he was, she would make some man an exceptional wife.
The words she had spoken about his part in Heather’s upbringing had touched him. He had recognized early on that being a single father wouldn’t be easy, and if his in-laws had had their way he never would have gotten the opportunity to try. For some reason they’d felt it was their right to raise Heather after Emma had walked out, and that he couldn’t go it alone. He had proved them wrong.
He didn’t want to dwell on the past, but remembering those times made him appreciate how things were now.
As Paul parked in front of his house, he could see Heather on the porch, leaning against a column and talking to a boy named Jason. Paul couldn’t help noticing that Jason had begun hanging around a lot lately. Heather claimed they were just friends, but Paul was beginning to wonder.
His daughter’s face lit up in a smile when she turned and saw him; however, Jason was ready to crawl under the porch. The kid always seemed nervous around him, and Paul smiled, thinking that was a good thing.
“Dad, got anything for me?” Heather asked, leaving Jason standing on the porch as she raced over to him.
Paul chuckled. Nothing had changed. She’d been asking him that since the time she was able to talk.
“I stopped by Michelle’s house and she sent some baking for us to sample,” he answered.
“Wow! That’s cool!”
He glanced at the youth. “Hello, Jason.”
The young man smiled hesitantly and waved his hand. “Hello, Mr. Castlewood.”
“And how are you?”
“Just fine, sir.”
“And your parents?”
“They’re fine, too. Do you need help getting anything out of your car?”
“No. But thanks for asking.” Paul hated admitting it but Jason wasn’t such a bad kid. He had good manners, was respectful and didn’t have any tattoos or piercings...at least not in plain sight.
“So you saw Ms. Chapman again?” Heather’s excitement couldn’t be missed.
“Yes, I saw her.”
“That’s good.” She was almost beaming.
“And why is that good?”
“Because I think she’s nice. I like her.”
He chuckled again. “You just met her yesterday.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
He studied his daughter, wondering just what she meant.
Both Heather and Jason dived into Michelle’s baking as if it were the last food they would eat. They sang her praises while gobbling down a huge portion of the treats, along with tall glasses of milk. A few hours later, before Jason left, he drummed up enough courage to ask if Heather could go to the movies with him the weekend following her sixteenth birthday.
Paul didn’t have a good reason to turn him down, especially since he’d told Heather she could begin dating once she turned sixteen. He realized his little girl was growing up, and one day he wouldn’t be the most special man in her life, which meant he really needed to start getting a life of his own. His position on marriage hadn’t changed, but there was nothing wrong with having a female friend, someone to date on occasion, who wasn’t clingy. He’d dated a few clingy women in the past. They’d thought they could storm into his life and become the center of his world, replacing Heather and his common sense. He had proved time and time again that wasn’t possible. He couldn’t ever see himself letting go and losing control with any woman.
Except possibly Michelle.
There was something about her that had caught his attention from the first. And the remarkable thing was that she hadn’t been trying. He could understand why Heather had immediately liked her. The thought of her giving up her career to care for a dying parent touched him.
As Paul slid between the covers that night, visions of Michelle danced in his head, and he wasn’t sure whethe
r or not that was a good thing.
CHAPTER
FOUR
MICHELLE SMILED WHEN SHE looked through the peephole and recognized her visitor. She opened the door immediately. “Heather? This is a pleasant surprise.”
She stood aside as the young girl entered, her smile a replica of her father’s. “Hello, Ms. Chapman. Dad gave me your business card and asked that I call you with the information about the number of people attending my party. But when I saw you were only a short walk from school, I decided to drop by instead. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. How is school going?”
“Fine. I figured moving to a new town would be hard, meeting a bunch of new friends and all. But everyone here in Lake Falls is nice. I can’t imagine living anywhere else now.”
Michelle chuckled. “Yes, the town kind of grows on you, doesn’t it? By the way, how’s your dad?”
“Dad’s doing fine. He’s busy building webpages for his clients.”
“Sounds interesting,” Michelle said, leading Heather toward the kitchen.
“It is. I’ve watched him do it a few times and he seems to enjoy it. One day he’s going to show me how it’s done.”
“You like working with computers?”
“Not as much as Dad, but they’re okay.”
When they reached the kitchen, Michelle offered Heather a chair at the table. “I was about to fix a snack. Would you like to join me?”
Her guest beamed. “Sure. Do you have any more of those nutty cheese bars? They were delicious.”
Michelle laughed. “Yes, I’m sure I have some more around here. They’re one of my most popular treats. People call and request them all the time, and I make a batch every day for Lilly’s Café.
Michelle studied Heather. The last time she had seen her had been right after her asthma attack, an attack Paul still hadn’t acknowledged. In fact, he had quickly left the other day when she had asked him what the doctor had said about Heather’s condition. Michelle was quite sure he hadn’t taken her to the doctor for a follow-up appointment. Unfortunately, some of the parents she came in contact with through her work with the AANMA didn’t believe asthma was a permanent or a dangerous condition. Too late, they discovered it was something they should have taken seriously, and their child should have been on a management plan.
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