Finding Love in Payton

by Shelley Galloway

  The Finding Love Series:

  Finding Love's Fortune

  Finding Love's Future

  Finding True Love

  The Love Letter

  Shelley Galloway

  "And don't forget the bananas," Daphne Reece called out to Jeremy as he headed out to the market.

  "I won't, Mom," he replied, edging toward the door.

  She continued. "Don't get the ones with nasty black bruises, or the ones that are pure green. Get bananas that look like they just turned yellow."

  "Just turned yellow. Got it," Jeremy replied, biting his tongue from saying anything else. After all, getting directions in minute detail from his mom had been happening for as long as he could remember. Yet one more thing that came with being the youngest of five children.

  Even if he was twenty-three years old and a college graduate. Even if he stood six inches taller than his mom.

  "Now, about the steaks-"

  He couldn't take any more. "Mom, I can pick out steaks. And I have your list right here." He smiled reassuringly, waving the list in the air for good measure. "I'll take care of it."

  She still looked uncertain. "Do you want to go over the type of bread we'll need one more time?"

  Please Lord, no. "I don't think so. I've gotten you bread before," he said dryly. Then, knowing more was worrying her than perfect ingredients, he sat down on the stool next to her. When she looked up, he curved his head down to meet her gaze. "Why are you so worried about this party, anyway? It's just family."

  "I know, but it's Missy's birthday, too."

  He hid a smile. Missy had now been married to his eldest brother Kevin for almost two years. And if he knew anything, it was that his brother doted on Missynlike the sun rose and set on her. Missy didn't have a thing to worry about, as far as receiving attention. She was no doubt already having a great birthday.

  "Kevin will make it special, Mom. Shoot, I bet he's already delivered a dozen roses to her at work."

  She smiled at the notion. "I bet he has ... but that doesn't mean anything. She needs something special from us. A special party."

  He glanced at the countertops. Each inch of space was filled with bags from Kenwood Mall or card stores. Interspersed with the paper shopping bags were about twenty ingredients for a cake. As usual, his mother had taken a good idea and run with it.

  "Missy's going to be so happy about the party. She'll think it's real special."

  Glancing at the countertops, her face finally softened. "I bet she will. She's just had so many knocks in life, Jeremy. And I know she doesn't have any family here. I just want her to feel part of the Reece family, too."

  Impulsively, he took his mom's hand. "She will, Mom. I bet she already does. We have a great family."

  Her lips curved. "We do, don't we?"

  Oh yes, they did. The Reece family had lived in Payton, Ohio for generations, and were nothing if not a cohesive group. They did things together, supported each other, and so far had married off three of his siblings with enough fanfare for visiting royalty.

  Over the years while he'd been at college, most of his siblings had found their way into adulthood. Cameron became a small town lawyer; his sister Joanne, the director of the Payton historical society and museum. Kevin, his eldest brother, had always been successful, but when he met Missy, he'd begun to actually take time to enjoy life. His sister Denise was off in California, doing her own thing, and he'd just finished his master's program in education and had accepted a teaching position at Payton High.

  His parents meddled and played golf, arranged parties, and cared.

  They were all doing just fine. And he would too, if he could just survive the summer. He'd decided to live at home, work at the country club, and save up some money until he found an old house he loved and wanted to buy.

  Things would be great if his family would ever think about seeing him as anything other than a kid. He seemed to be perpetually seventeen in their eyes.

  He stood up and took the list before his mother could add anything else and grabbed his car keys. "I'll be back in a little while, Mom."

  "All right. Be careful."

  "I will," he said as patiently as he could before stepping out to his car, a spiffy late model convertible RX7. He'd bought it after working two summers waiting tables and felt justifiably proud of it. Some things in life were well worth saving every penny for.

  The early June weather was brisk, and the foliage was glorious. As he drove the winding roads to the market, he passed a few houses for sale and mentally made a note to get on the internet later and check them out. It would be a good idea to have an idea of where he wanted to live sooner than later. There were only so many detailed grocery excursions he wanted to do.

  Finally he arrived at the market, grabbed a cart and proceeded to make his way down the grocery list, stopping to say hi to several ladies who'd been friends with his mom forever.

  Then he was stopped short by a pretty blond and a crying two year old in the cracker aisle.

  His first instinct was to take his cart and run from the screaming toddler, but there was something about the calm way that the woman broke open a box of animal crackers that made him want to see what was going to happen next.

  "Bry, come on now. You need to settle down. How about a camel?"

  The boy stared at her and immediately reached for the cookie. "Cookie," he blurted, and was granted a sunny smile.

  "That's right," she said, like he'd just uttered something profound. "Cookie. Now hang in there so we can get through the rest of our trip."

  Jeremy was impressed. His sister Mary Beth had a girl almost the same age as the baby, so he knew first hand just how ornery a crying toddler could be. "Looks like that did the trick," he said to the blond, liking the way her hair kind of flipped up around her neck. It looked shiny and shimmery, like liquid gold.

  Surprised, she glanced at him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Have you been trying to get by?" She motioned with her cart, like she was about to edge it over to the side of the aisle.

  He stopped her, actually feeling that he was in no hurry to continue grocery shopping. "Not at all. I just couldn't help but notice that you're a real pro with a box of cookies."

  She smiled brightly, revealing a pretty set of white teeth and an adorable dimple. "Some would say I shouldn't be bribing him at all ... or that I should at least be using fruit."

  "I'm no expert, but I think you did great."

  She laughed. "Don't be too impressed, we still have to get through the rest of the store."

  Suddenly going grocery shopping had a whole lot more appeal than it did five minutes ago. "I do, too. If you don't mind, I'll keep you company."

  She glanced at his cart. "Are you sure? You look to be about done."

  He waved his list, which was now a crumpled, scribbled-on mess. "I'm actually shopping for my mother. And she's got quite a list."

  "You shop for her often?"

  "Only lately. And only when she's hosting a party and is going a little crazy." Holding out his hand, he introduced himself. "I'm Jeremy Reece, by the way."

  "Any relation to Jim and Daphne Reece?"

  "My parents."

  She smiled in recognition. "My parents know your parents from the country club. It's nice to meet you. I'm Dinah Cate."

  "Pretty name."

  She tilted her head and chuckled again. "Thanks. And this is Bryan Thomas Cate. He's twenty-two months and a terror."

  Bryan was currently sucking on a cookie and looked rather pleasant. Well, if you didn't mind the cookie crumbs and goo that dribbled down his chin. "He doesn't look too terrible at the moment."

  "Believe me, he's already adopted the Terrible Two's in all of its glory."

&nbs
p; Jeremy walked beside her as they pushed their carts, wondering why he was so drawn to Dinah. Yes, she was pretty, with cute hair and soft pink cheeks. Her brown eyes sparkled. And she did have a nice figure.

  And no rings on her fingers.

  But it still didn't explain his attraction. Could it be her demeanor? So calm, so inwardly happy?

  She seemed so different from most of the girls he'd been dating. Girls who were high maintenance and almost obsessively busy. This Dinah looked completely at ease grocery shopping on a Friday morning; like there was something special about it.

  All he knew was that suddenly he was feeling the same way, too. And wanted to know a whole lot more about her. "Do you work?" he asked.

  "I do. I own Beagle's Books down on Third Avenue."

  "That's new, isn't it?"

  "About a year old. It's small, but I stock the best sellers, and a fairly good selection of mystery and romance books."

  "It sounds terrific."

  "It is for me. Bryan can go there with me sometimes, when my mom can't watch him. I play old big band songs. And my dog hangs out there, too. It's made my life nice."

  It sounded nice. "And your husband? Does he like the place, too?" he asked, ruefully realizing he was being painfully obvious.

  Her steps slowed. "He ... passed away."

  "I'm sorry." He felt like the biggest jerk imaginable, trying to make a play for a widow in the middle of the cereal aisle.

  But she just bit her lip and sighed. "I am, too." She stared at him for a long minute, then added, "My husband died in a car accident right after Bryan was born. So, it's been a while."

  He glanced at her again. At the way she kept a hand on her baby, as if she just liked touching him. At the quiet strength that seemed to emanate from her. He was more drawn to her than he had been to any other woman in years. "Hard, huh?"

  "Oh yeah. I loved Neil. I loved him a lot." Her smile faltered. "At first, I just wanted to dig myself a hole, crawl in, and never get out. But babies have a way of not letting you do that."

  "So you started your own business?"

  "Yep. And learned about all kinds of things." She shrugged. "I still miss Neil, but I've learned that life moves on. And ... I'm learning that it's okay if I move on with it. So, I'm okay." She glanced down toward her son again, brushed a finger against his cheek. "We're both okay."

  Once again he felt a deep, fierce, pull toward her. Clearing his throat, he said, "I just finished school; I did a five year program at Ohio State, got my master's with my bachelor degree. I'm going to teach history at Payton High."

  "Congratulations. I bet you'll be a great teacher."

  "I hope so. I loved student teaching." Suddenly, he felt so young, so immature. His accomplishments sounded pretty run of the mill compared to hers. He wondered what else he could say.

  Bryan fussed again, and Dinah gave Jeremy an apologetic smile. "I think we better move on. His minutes remaining in the cart are numbered."

  The baby did look like he was about to let loose with a loud cry any second. "Okay." He turned to her, studied her features as closely as he could without looking like he was staring. "What did you say your store was called?"

  "Beagle's Books."

  "Maybe I'll stop by there sometime."

  "I'd like that." Bryan wiggled some more. Dinah murmured to him, placed a kiss on his little forehead. "I better go. Nice to meet you," she said hurriedly, then was off down the aisle.

  After another minute, she and her cart had turned the corner and were out of sight. Jeremy stood next to a display of Fruit Loops, struck dumb. Had he really just fallen for that woman? It sure seemed that way. Mentally he replayed their conversation, tried to recall her facial expressions as she'd talked.

  Had she been interested, too? Had her pretty brown eyes given him any hint of approval?

  He couldn't be sure. All he did know was that he would be paying a visit to Beagle's Books in the very near future.

  And getting the rest of his mother's groceries in short order.

  Well, that had been interesting, Dinah thought as she unloaded Bryan from his car seat, using her extra hand to grab two grocery sacks. Had that Jeremy really been flirting with her?

  It had been so long since anyone had that she couldn't be sure. After all, having a baby constantly by your side pretty much fended off any prospective admirers.

  Bryan had fallen asleep in his car seat practically the minute she'd started the drive home, and now, as she carried him inside, his sweet little head lay against her shoulder in a manner of complete trust.

  With one hand she unlocked her front door, set the sacks on her kitchen countertop, and then as quietly as possible, laid Bryan in his toddler bed. Thankfully, he only stretched his legs when he made contact with the cool cotton sheets. With any luck, she'd be able to bring in the rest of the groceries, unload them, and might even manage to sort her mail and have a cup of tea before he woke up.

  Just thinking about having a moment to simply relax spurred her on to complete her tasks as quickly as possible. It wasn't that she didn't love being with Bryan, it was just that she loved sitting quietly for a few minutes every now and then, too.

  Finally she was sorting through magazines and bills, putting each in a stack, sipping on a hot mug of Earl Grey tea, when Jeremy's image came to mind.

  He had been so open, so adorable, that it had taken all her control to not look at him with longing. She figured he was probably used to such reactions, anyway. Men with bronzed skin, blond hair, and piercing gray-blue eyes most likely had garnered such reactions as hers on an hourly basis.

  But there had been something about the way he'd looked at her, like she was special; something about the way he'd pushed his cart next to hers down those few aisles that made her feel tingly all over. And then embarrassed.

  He was at least a few years younger than her. He was just out of college, for goodness' sake! He probably saw her as some kind of weird mother figure.

  She sipped her tea, pausing to reminisce. But he hadn't really seemed that way, had he? And the way his voice had softened when he said he'd stop by Beagle's Books hadn't seemed fake at all.

  Dinah tried to recall if she'd had those same feelings with Neil, but she couldn't remember. Neil had been terribly handsome, but always larger than life and more than a little childish. He'd lived for each day as if it had been his last while she had worried about their future.

  Perhaps it was inevitable that he would get into an accident by driving too fast at night while she was at home-nursing their new baby.

  No, that wasn't fair, she chided herself. She'd loved him. She'd loved his sense of adventure, his spontaneity. She'd loved how he would bring her flowers for no reason and give her backrubs for hours.

  But she'd also learned that his sense of adventure and spontaneity could also be a detriment. He'd forget doctor's appointments or dinner dates. He'd buy something cool for his car but forget about the electric bill.

  They'd learned to make do, but it had been difficult at times. He'd done what he wanted and she'd done what had to be done.

  But then one day he was gone, and she was still there, holding on to what was left of her life. Alone. The emptiness of it all still made her ache.

  "Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma," Bryan called out.

  With a sigh, Dinah set down her cup and hurried to his room. Thankfully she'd had twenty whole minutes to herself. More than enough to feel recharged.

  "Hey, Bry," she said, pulling him into her arms and inhaling his sweet baby scent. "Up already?"

  "Ma-ma-ma-ma."

  "That's right. I'm your mama. And I love you," she said. "Ready for some dinner?"

  He smiled broadly, reached out and grabbed hold of her shirt.

  "How does chicken sound?"

  "Ma-ma-ma-ma."

  She laughed. "I guess it sounds just fine, huh?" And promptly put all thoughts of any other man, even blond, blue-eyed ones, out of her head.

  ccHappy Birthday, Missy," Jeremy sai
d, kissing his sister-in-law on her cheek.

  "Thanks," she said, almost glowing with delight. "I'm so glad you're back from school."

  "Me, too," he replied, thinking once again that Missy was the best thing that had ever happened to his brother. Kevin had hardly moved more than a foot from his wife the whole time they'd been at his parents'. In fact, he looked almost glowing himself. Something was up with the two of them.

  His mother seemed to think the same thing, because she had hardly taken her eyes off her eldest son and his wife during the last hour. "More cake?"

  "No thanks, Mom," Kevin said.

  "You sure? I'll get it for you."

  "Positive."

  "I'll have some," his sister Joanne said.

  "It's in the kitchen, dear," their mom said with a wave of her hand.

  Joanne stood up and shared a look of bemusement with Jeremy. "Guess I can see where I stand around here."

  Jeremy stood up as well, following her into the kitchen. "It's not your birthday, Jo," he said, just to get a rise out of her.

  Playfully she stuck out her tongue. "Hush, little brother, or I'll tell Mom you've been talking about living here until Christmas."

  Just the thought of that set his teeth on edge. "You wouldn't dare."

  Grinning, she teased, "Tell me something good and I won't."

  That was Joanne. Always full of mischief and games. His eldest sister was red-headed, terribly smart, and terribly accident-prone. Her husband Stratton, a physician, seemed tailor-made for her. Her outgoing nature complemented his reserve to a tee.

  But at the moment, Jeremy had another woman on his mind, one he couldn't seem to ignore from the first moment he saw her. "I met someone today."

  Interest sparked in her eyes. "Who?"

  "Dinah Cate." He paused for a moment, trying not to sound too eager. "Do you know her?"

  She tilted her head to one side, her long braid swinging with the motion. "I do," she said, her voice tinged with surprise. "Her last name used to be Ryan. I went to school with her."

  "And?"

  "She's got a baby, Jeremy."

  "I know that."

  Her lips pursed. "She's great. Owns a bookstore."