Finding Love in Payton

by Shelley Galloway

"Thanks."

  "Welcome." Payton glanced toward the kitchens again. "What do you think I should do about Priscilla?" he asked, revealing that his mind was on far more than diners in the restaurant.

  "Do?"

  "She hates me," he explained, a crease forming between his eyebrows. "I kind of lied to her about the country club so she'd work here, and now she's counting the days until her contract is up."

  Jeremy pretty much figured telling Payton that lying to employees was not a good idea, so he went for a safer approach. "Did you tell her you were sorry?"

  "Only about a dozen times."

  What else could a guy do when saying sorry didn't work? Since he'd never gotten too involved with any of the girls he'd dated, the problem was a little foreign. Finally he remembered Missy's birthday. "Roses."

  Payton looked at him in surprise. "Roses?"

  "Girls like flowers," he said, recalling how excited Missy had been to get flowers from her husband. "Roses seem to go a long way to solving all problems."

  Payton brushed a non-existent piece of fuzz from his suit. "You may have a point. In fact, I think I'm going to do that. See, I'm crazy about her. I have been from the moment I saw her." He glanced at the kitchen again. "Weird, huh?"

  Jeremy had a feeling Payton wasn't the only one who was crazy. He thought about Dinah practically nonstop and they had even less in common than Payton and Priscilla. "No, not so much."

  Payton tilted his head towards Dinah. "You serious about her?"

  "I barely know her."

  "By the look on your face, I'd venture to say that hardly matters." He chuckled. "Go punch out and have a good time."

  "You sure?"

  "Heck, yes. Someone needs to have a good night tonight. We both know it's not going to be me."

  Jeremy didn't need to hear that twice. After agreeing to meet Dinah at the bar, he went to go change clothes and clean up.

  All of a sudden, he had a date.

  Dinah rubbed her hands on her thighs and tried to look relaxed. It wasn't easy, though. She and Neil had dated in college for three years, and then had been married almost two when he died.

  Add two years to that ... and it had been a long time since she'd dated. She felt strange and conspicuous, and more than a little odd, especially since she had the uneasy feeling that Jeremy Reece had probably just had a date the night before.

  Probably with someone who needed a fake ID to get a glass of wine, someone whose body was perfect, not faintly lined with stretch marks. Oh, she wasn't going to lie and pretend she wasn't attractive on some level. She worked out and walked, watched what she ate. She still looked pretty good for her age.

  But that was just it ... she looked pretty good for a woman a few years from thirty.

  And Jeremy Reece, with his movie star looks and muscular physique, could still make high school girls weep with crushes. Oh, he was going to have a time teaching high school.

  "Oh," she murmured to herself as he walked toward her, a smile on his lips, wearing a dark blue button down and jeans so faded they were almost white. There was really something about him that was just mesmerizing.

  "I'm sorry," he said as soon as he sat down next to her. "Getting cleaned up took a little while longer than I expected."

  "It's okay."

  He leaned forward, searching her gaze, like he really did care. "You sure? Priscilla, the new chef, had a few questions about the club and the town, and she looked so desperate I couldn't just walk away."

  Dinah was pretty sure he couldn't. Jeremy didn't look to be the kind of guy who walked away from anything. Ever. "I've been just fine," she said. "Just thinking how long it's been since I've sat in a bar."

  He looked concerned. "Hey, I wasn't thinking. Do you want to go somewhere else?"

  She placed her hand on his arm. "No. I'm fine."

  His muscles clenched under her fingers, and at that moment, Dinah had a pretty good idea that Jeremy was just as nervous as she was.

  He gazed at her again. "Would you like to go for a walk? It's pretty out, and a little quieter."

  Dinah glanced around the bar. It was pretty quiet where they were, except for a group of older men around the TV and two couples smoking in the back corner. But just thinking about being with him, being completely alone with him, was an opportunity she couldn't bear to pass up. "Yes," she said, "I'd like that."

  He looked pleased. "Great," he said, hopping down from the barstool. "Here, let me help you," he added, taking her elbow.

  She felt a little tremor as he clasped her bare arm, and felt almost tingly when he kept his hand at her arm, guiding her through the country club. And then finally they were outside. Stars and fireflies dotted green around them, making the night seem almost magical. "Let's go this way," he said, letting his fingers run down her arm until their fingers joined.

  She let him hold her hand, and couldn't believe that something so innocent could cause such a feeling of happiness. Valerie had been right. Having a date was something to be happy about.

  They said nothing for several minutes. Dinah was content to just walk along the sidewalk toward a park at the edge of the golf course, feeling her hand encased in his.

  "I'm glad we're doing this," Jeremy finally said. "I hope you didn't feel trapped."

  Trapped? "I was going to say I bet you felt that way. My parents ... I don't know what was going on with them. I guess they were excited to even think I was interested in a man again."

  He turned to her. "And are you?"

  She glanced at him through the corner of her eye. What could she say that wouldn't embarrass either him or her? Not much. "I guess I stated that wrong," she said with a soft chuckle, trying her best to sound like she walked with guys in the dark all the time. "What I meant to say is that I haven't dated anyone since Neil died."

  His footsteps slowed. "Why not?"

  Now there was a question she hadn't even dared to ask herself.

  "I hadn't wanted to, for one," she told him honestly. "And ... there was no one who interested me, for two. And three ..."

  His footsteps slowed. "And three?"

  "Well, not a lot of men want to date a woman who has a two year old." She glanced at him then, trying to see what he thought of her words in the dim light. But only shadows played across his cheeks, shielding his thoughts from her gaze. "My days and nights are pretty packed, between work and Bryan. There have been moments I've looked pretty harried. Most men would like to date a woman who at least looks like she's put together."

  They walked some more. "And then, there's the whole idea of accepting another man's child. A lot of men don't want to take that on, either," she said, then almost bit her tongue. What was she doing, trying to convince Jeremy to stay away from her?

  Jeremy nodded. "I can understand that."

  Her heart fell. "You can?"

  "Sure. A lot of guys, and girls too, I guess, would want to meet someone and start their own families." He shrugged. "It's a natural feeling."

  "I agree," she said, recalling just how many nights she and Neil had stayed up, thinking of names for Bryan. What would Neil have done if she'd already had a baby? Would he have pursued her as doggedly? She doubted it.

  "I'm not one of them, though," Jeremy finally said.

  His confession brought her to a halt. "Pardon me?"

  He looked at the ground for a long moment, now that they weren't making any pretense of walking at all. "I said ... although I can see the difficulties, I'm not one of those guys who would be bothered by a woman who already has a baby," he said slowly, as if each word was measured.

  Their conversation suddenly seemed a lot more intimate than holding hands. "Really?"

  "Really. It would be a pleasure ... to get to date a woman who is already so mature."

  Mature. That didn't sound good. Right up there with matronly. Instantly thoughts of stretch marks appeared once again in her mind. "Is ... is that how you think of me?" she whispered. "As a mature woman?"

  He shook his head.
"I can't even place how I think of you," he admitted with a flash of white teeth in the dim light. "Though I have to tell you that right this minute ... the last way I'm thinking of you is as a mother."

  Dinah knew in her heart that she and Jeremy hardly knew each other, that there were a thousand obstacles and reasons that prevented them from being together. But, there was a portion of her heart that didn't care. A part that only wanted to think of how good it felt to wear a flirty sundress and to have someone notice.

  Her heart beat in staccato to think that an attractive, single, extremely available man would ever think of her in his own time. "How have you thought of me?" she asked again.

  "That I'm lucky enough to be alone with you. That I hardly even know you ... and that I'm dying to kiss you right here, in the middle of the golf course," he said with a wry smile.

  Her lips formed a small `O'.

  He looked at the ground again. "Childish, huh? Here you are, wanting to have a real conversation, to talk about our feelings, and all I'm thinking is that your hand feels so good in mine, that your shoulders look so pretty and tan in that sundress, and that I'd bet money that your lips would feel like heaven." He chuckled. "I'm sorry."

  He was sorry? For making her feel desirable? Speechless, Dinah fought for the correct words to tell him that he had nothing to be sorry about. How she would love to kiss him, too. How even though she had an adorable baby at home there was a whole lot more to her than being a mom.

  He sighed, ran fingers through his hair and started walking again. The charged moment relaxed, making Dinah wonder if she'd only imagined the tension between the two of them. "I heard from my sister Denise today. Would you like to hear a story about her?" he asked, breaking the silence as they walked toward a street light.

  "Sure," she said, clasping her hands in front of her in order to not feel so sad that he'd dropped her hand.

  He smiled at her. "Well, we're pretty close, since she's only three years older than me. And she's always been something of a complainer."

  "Is that right?"

  "Oh, yeah. You name it, something is wrong with it."

  She had to smile at his explanation. "She sounds tough to live with."

  He chuckled. "She was ... though she'd tell you she's merely a perfectionist, and that she works really hard to do things just right. Anyway, a few years ago, back when Kevin had just started working and Cameron, Joanne, and Denise were in high school, Denise brought home an injured squirrel."

  Dinah's mind spun as she tried to keep track of all the names. Once again she tried to recall all five Reece siblings, in order. Kevin was the oldest, followed by Cameron, then Joanne, then Denise, and finally Jeremy. "An injured squirrel?"

  "Yep. Poor little thing must have fallen from its nest, or been injured by an animal, or something. Anyway, it was the meanest little furry creature you can imagine."

  "What did your parents say?"

  "My dad talked about rabies and diseases, my mom tried to get Denise to keep it in the garage ... and the rest of us gave her grief over the poor little thing. None of us saw it as anything but an ugly nuisance."

  "That doesn't sound very nice."

  "It wasn't. But the thing hissed and growled. And it was pretty ugly, too. And it kind of limped around." Jeremy gazed out into the empty greens before them before turning back to her. "But Denise couldn't stand it. She was sure it needed help. She called up the vet and asked if they'd look at it."

  "And the vet said. . ."

  "You bet." They walked some more, and Dinah couldn't remember ever having such a nice time. "Well, my mom refused to take the squirrel to the vet. She kept saying it was just going to die."

  "I can't imagine your mother being so mean."

  "You're right. She's a very nice lady ... but she also was on a budget. Five kids, one in college, another one about to go ... my mom had a pretty good idea that this squirrel on its last legs-literally-was going to cost us a week's worth of groceries. So Denise made Cameron take her."

  Dinah had to laugh as she tried to imagine what her own older brother would have done. "Cam?"

  "He just got his license, and Denise knew he'd stayed out thirty minutes past curfew the weekend before and wasn't afraid to blackmail him in order for him to say yes."

  Dinah laughed. "So off they went."

  "Yep. Cam driving, complaining all the way, Denise holding this very injured, terribly mean squirrel in a cardboard box. Joanne and I went along for the ride."

  "What happened?"

  "The vet said the squirrel was in a lot of pain, probably had some kind of internal bleeding, and gave it a shot to put it to sleep."

  Dinah winced, imagining the whole crew of siblings supporting Jeremy's sister. "Oh. Poor Denise."

  Jeremy nodded. "She started crying, right there in the vet's office. Talked about how it never really got a chance to have a good squirrel life." He waved a hand. "It was something out of a really bad soap opera."

  Dinah chuckled. "What did the vet do?"

  "He hugged her. Told her something about how she had done the right thing by taking care of it so it wouldn't suffer." He gazed out at a thicket of trees. "Cam took her out to ice cream, and the rest of us got a cone, too." He smiled softly. "It sounds horrible, but that was a great afternoon. It was the first time we were all part of an adventure without our parents. We went home that night, never saying a thing."

  "Well, all of you were there except Kevin."

  Jeremy shook his head. "Kevin never did any of that stuff. He was always too mature."

  Dinah breathed deeply, enjoyed the aroma of cut grass, the sounds of crickets and bull frogs. She imagined Jeremy being so excited to be on a grand adventure with his older siblings. "So, did Denise ever tell your mom that Cameron took her to the vet?"

  "Oh, yeah. We told Mom and Dad the whole gory story a few years later one night at dinner."

  "What did your parents say?"

  "My mom looked at Denise and squeezed her hand and said that that was what made her special. Some people were able to handle difficult situations while others liked to push them away. She said she admired Denise for doing something about the squirrel, even if the outcome wasn't what she had hoped for."

  "What did the rest of you say to that?"

  "Nothing. Cam had sworn us to secrecy and bribed us with ice cream," he said, with a fond smile. "Even two years later we knew better than to say much."

  He laughed again at the memory. "I guess I told you that because you remind me of Denise in a lot of ways, Dinah."

  She couldn't have been more surprised. "How?"

  "You've taken on difficult situations, cried a little bit, and have done your best. You've started a business so you could spend time with Bryan, you've let people help you when you've needed it, and you don't complain." His voice lowered, the new pitch putting her nerves on end. "I think you're pretty incredible. Your accomplishments awe me, just like Denise's stubborn need to do something about a little animal that no one cared about awed me, too."

  She didn't know what to say to that, though she was touched. "Thank you."

  "You're welcome."

  They came to the end of the path. The outline of the clubhouse stood bold in the distance, illuminated by a ring of ornate iron street lights. But darkness hung around them, blanketing them like a heavy cloak. "Would you like to go back inside for a cup of coffee or a drink?"

  She would, but there were too many conflicting emotions brewing through her at the moment. Too many feelings burning inside her that she wasn't sure she was ready to discern and handle. "I'd better get on home," she said, though her feet didn't want to move. She was having such a good time, and was so attracted to Jeremy. It was really too bad she was feeling so confused about everything.

  He squeezed her hand. "All right."

  She tried to think of something else to talk about, anything that didn't involve her. "How's work?"

  "It's fine. Good money."

  "So, you're looking for a hous
e?"

  "Yep. I want an old one, like Cameron and Joanne live in. Some place with some history to it." He glanced at her. "Is yours like that?"

  "Goodness, no. It's in a new subdivision, and has the same floor plan as at least a dozen other houses in the neighborhood." Then, because Neil had picked it out and she felt guilty for putting it down, she said, "I like it."

  "Missy and Kevin have a new house, too. Missy teases us sometimes, says that old plumbing and electrical work is overrated. I'm drawn to the older places, though. And some of them are in my budget."

  Their pace increased, and within minutes they stood by Jeremy's car. "Ready?" he asked, already opening the passenger-side door.

  "Ready."

  He helped her in, then walked to the driver's side. Dinah had a curious sense of dejd vu. It had been so long since a man had done that for her that she felt as if she was back in high school.

  Jeremy pulled out of the parking lot, then switched gears as he drove down the almost empty street with the kind of satisfaction that only a man can get out of a well-built sports car. "I like your car."

  "Thanks. It's old, too," he said with a chuckle. "This represents hours of waiting tables in Columbus."

  "You do that, huh? Work hard to get exactly what you want?"

  "I do," he said, after getting directions to her house. "I'm patient and hard working, and I don't mind waiting until I get exactly what I want."

  An offer hung in the air, and Dinah could tell that Jeremy was certain she was worth waiting for.

  Was she? She didn't know anymore. All she did know was that she couldn't risk kissing him until she knew how her feelings stood. After all, she couldn't just think of her future, it was Bryan's future as well.

  When he pulled into her driveway, behind her parents' car, he turned to her. "I'm glad you stayed late and went for a walk with me."

  "I am, too."

  "I'm going to go look at houses on Sunday, but then I thought I'd go have some lunch on the bike trail. Would you and Bryan like to come?"

  "I don't know."

  "Oh."

  She heard the disappointment in his voice and tried to explain. "I guess I'm not sure what my feelings are for you," she said before even weighing how her words might sound. "How I feel about dating you."