Far from Perfect (Perfect, Indiana: Book One)

by Longley, Barbara

  He flipped her onto her back and covered her with his delicious male hardness and warmth. “Can you meet me halfway here? Forgive me, Ceejay.”

  “I have. I’m not mad anymore. I—”

  “Noah?” Ted called from the living room.

  Ceejay shoved herself out from under him and scrambled off the bed. Curse her idiot cousin.

  “Why do you do that?”

  “Do what?” She ran her fingers through her hair.

  “Pull away from me like you’re ashamed.” He sounded hurt and more than a little angry.

  “Noah, you here?” Ted called again.

  “I’m not ashamed, it’s—”

  “Never mind.” Noah rose and headed for the door. “I’m here. Hold on,” he called back.

  Ceejay followed. It was embarrassment, not shame. How could he not know the difference? Here she’d come to make amends, and somehow she’d managed to hurt him again.

  “I haven’t been in here for years.” Ted stood in the middle of the living room, surveying his surroundings. “The place looks good.”

  The minute her cousin spied her exiting the bedroom, his eyebrows shot up, and his eyes flicked from her to Noah and back again.

  Wonderful. “I brought Noah some food.”

  “He’s eating it in bed?” Ted smirked. “Let me guess. You’re—”

  “Now do you get it, Noah? He’ll be torturing me for the next decade. If this doesn’t make my reasons for leaving clear, I don’t know what will.”

  “She’s right, you know. I will tease her. I’m really good at it.”

  “You have something to say to me, kid?” Noah crossed his arms in front of him, widened his stance, and straightened to military posture. He stared at Ted with a steely expression, and Ceejay caught a glimpse of the commander he’d been. His shoulders were broad, his waist trim, leading to narrow hips—heat sluiced through her in a rush. She had to look away, and turned her gaze to Ted.

  “Yeah.” Ted raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry I came at you like I did. It won’t happen again, and I hope we can continue to work together without any hard feelings.”

  “Apology accepted.” Noah nodded once. “Maybe I’m hungry after all.” He ran his hand over his belly and studied the food on the counter.

  Noah hadn’t looked at her since she’d jumped away from him. Were the two of them too screwed up to work their way toward common ground? Maybe two birds with broken wings could never fly, and no matter how much she wanted him, they’d. First order of business would be s . His always remain grounded. She had to get out of there. Without a word, she slipped out the door, giving Ted a knuckle to the shoulder as she passed.

  “Ow. Why do you keep hitting me?”

  Ceejay held Matt’s death certificate in front of her. It had taken her an entire day to work up the courage to take a look. Paper and ink with an official-looking embossed stamp, that’s all it was. It didn’t seem real, this declaration that the boy she’d given her heart to, the boy who had fathered her child, no longer existed. Lucinda would never meet her father. Like she’d never met hers. The piece of paper in her hands represented another kind of abandonment—the permanent kind.

  Lord, she needed time. Time to come to grips with Matt’s death, Noah’s connection to him, the Langfords...Why didn’t anybody get it? This had all come at her too fast. Sighing, she folded the certificate up and tucked it into the envelope with her insurance claim. On her way to work, she’d stop at the post office, make copies of everything, and send it off.

  At least she’d had a fantastic phone interview this morning, and for a great job too. And despite the awkward way she and Noah had ended the Fourth of July, they were talking again. She had a lot to be thankful for. Everything was falling into place. Her dreams were finally coming true, and she wanted to share her news with someone. Not just anyone—she wanted to tell Noah.

  Ceejay fixed herself an iced coffee and another for Noah. The day was overcast and humid, and the chilled glasses beaded with condensation immediately. She placed them on the veranda table and walked down the stairs to peer up at the scaffold. He wore a tool belt low on his hips. His muscle shirt emphasized his well-defined biceps and the width of his shoulders. She took a moment to appreciate the view before calling out. “Hey, do you want to take a break? I brought iced coffee.”

  “Sure.” Noah climbed down and settled himself at the table. He accepted the glass she handed him. “Thanks. You’re looking happy this morning.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  “I PLAN TO TAKE YOU somewhere fancy Saturday night, Ceejay. Dress up.” Noah took a sip of the coffee she’d brought him and watched for her reaction.

  “Great.” Color flooded her cheeks. She looked everywhere but at him. “I should go get Lucinda up from her nap.” Her chair scraped against the wood as she rose. “Then I have to get ready for work.”

  Noah bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as she fled. He’d figured out right away where her thoughts had taken her. Hell, he’d practically seen the wheels turning inside her head. She expected him to fade from her life once she moved, so a date or two seemed safe. Wrong.

  He was beginning to understand how her mind worked. The pleasant thrill of triumph bounced around his insides. She’d agreed to go out with him, and he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. Now all he had to do was figure out where to take her.

  He leaned back into the frilly cushion. Stretching his leg out in front of him, he surveyed the sawdust and scattered tools on the Lovejoys’ front lawn. After he finished his coffee, he’d clean up and go for a run along the riverbank with Sweet Pea. Time to get back in shape, and the new prosthetic made jogging possible. Maybe he’d buy some weights and a bench.

  Jenny’s neon-green Beetle bounced along the ruts in the gravel driveway and pulled up next to his truck. Noah got up and went down the stairs to help her with the bag she always carried home from the diner. “You’re just the woman I wanted to see.”

  “I am?” Jenny handed him the canvas sack and turned to retrieve her purse from the front seat.

  “Yep. I need your help.” He work in a hospital?”

  Jenny unpacked the leftovers and put them in the fridge. “I’m all ears.”

  “I have a date with Ceejay Saturday night, and I want to take her somewhere special. Any suggestions?”

  Her brow rose, and she stopped fussing with the food to stare at him. “Ceejay agreed to a date?”

  Noah nodded, and his smile disappeared. Maybe she didn’t want her niece involved with a head case like him, not to mention his connection to Matt.

  “Good for you.” Jenny folded the canvas bag and shoved it into the broom closet. “She hasn’t said yes to a date since the end of her sophomore year in college. It’s about time.”

  A surge of relief made him shaky enough to pull out a chair and take a seat. “You don’t mind?” He ran his hand over the back of his skull. “I know I have...issues, but—”

  “Stop it, Noah. I couldn’t be more pleased.” Jenny took the seat across from him. “Now, let me think. You’ll want to take her somewhere romantic.”

  “I was hoping you might know of someplace near a theater. Do you think she’d enjoy seeing a play?”

  “I do, and I know just the place.” She reached over and patted his arm. “The Red Geranium in New Harmony is close to a theater. The restaurant is lovely, romantic, and the food is wonderful. The theater in town used to perform Shakespeare every summer.” Her tone grew wistful. “I wonder if they still do.”

  “You’ve been there?”

  “My husband proposed to me at the Red Geranium.” She sighed. “So long ago. New Harmony is far enough away that you’re not likely to run into anyone Ceejay knows. She’ll like that.”

  “Uncle Noah!”

  Lucinda ran straight for him, and he hoisted her to his lap. “Hey, sweetheart, all done with your nap?” She nodded and leaned against him. Strong emotion welled up. He couldn’t love her any more th
an he did if she were his daughter. God, he wished she were his daughter. He never would have walked away from the two of them. What the hell had been wrong with Matt?

  “What’re you all up to in here?” Ceejay walked in wearing her scrubs. Sweet Pea ambled by her side.

  “Just visiting.” Jenny winked at him.

  Ceejay picked her car keys up from the counter and slung her purse over her shoulder. “Are you free to watch Lucinda Saturday evening?”

  “It’s Harlen’s turn to host bridge night, but I’m sure he won’t mind trading.”

  “I’ll have Lucinda fed and ready for bed before I leave.”

  “Where are you going on Saturday, Mommy?”

  “I’m going out on a date.” Ceejay tousled Lucinda’s hair.

  “Who with?” Lucinda’s fingers edged up toward her mouth.

  Noah caught her hand in his. “With me, if that’s all right with you.”

  Lucinda twisted around to look up at him. “Why can’t I come?”

  “Who would stay home with me if you go what that means.”t c with Noah and your mom?” Jenny feigned a look of sadness.

  “Harlen can stay with you, Aunt Jenny. I want to go with Uncle Noah and Mommy.”

  “Maybe next time.” Ceejay leaned over and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “I’m off to work.”

  He watched her leave. Sitting in the Lovejoys’ kitchen with Jenny across from him and Lucinda on his lap filled him with a sense of rightness and belonging he hadn’t experienced in a long, long time. Normal. He had to blink back the sudden sting behind his eyelids. Lucinda reached around and patted his cheek as if she knew what he was feeling.

  The phone mounted on the wall rang, and Jenny pushed herself up from her chair to answer it. Noah savored the new feelings as he held his niece close. He let his mind wander to Saturday and his first date with Ceejay. Would she like it if he bought her flowers? He needed to get on the Internet, make reservations, and see what was playing at the theater.

  “That was Gail Offermeyer.” Jenny took her place at the table again. “Their mare foaled early this morning with twins. Gail invited Lucinda over to see the new babies and to stay for supper.”

  Lucinda slid off his lap. “Can I go?”

  “I told them your mom can bring you tomorrow. I’m not feeling up to par this afternoon. All I want is a good sit down on the porch with my feet up and a glass of sweet tea.”

  “I can take her.” The words were out of his mouth before he had time to think.

  “You sure?” Jenny’s eyes went wide. “I know how hard it is for you to be around strangers, and you’ve never met Gail.” She gave him a pointed look. “She hasn’t had the opportunity to thank you for saving their baby girl from certain death.”

  Was he up to Gail’s gratitude? No. A fine mist of sweat broke out on his forehead. “I’m sure. You’ll have to give me directions.”

  “The Offermeyers have the farm about two miles down the highway. You can’t miss it. Take a left on the dirt road where you see a small school bus shelter that looks like a miniature barn. Denny’s folks built it when he and his brother and sisters were growing up.”

  “Let’s go.” Lucinda tugged at his hand.

  “I have to clean up first. I’ll come get you in a little while.”

  “I’ll call the Offermeyers and let them know you’re bringing her,” Jenny said as she rose from the table.

  Thirty minutes later Lucinda was buckled into the car seat in his truck, and they were inching their way down the Lovejoys’ driveway. “Ted needs to get a grader over here to fix this road,” he muttered.

  “Uncle Noah?”

  He glanced at her in his rearview mirror. “What is it, sweetheart?”

  “How come I can’t go out with you and Mommy?”

  “Sometimes grown-ups like to do things that wouldn’t be much fun for little kids, but I promise we’ll all do something together again soon.”

  “Like the zoo?”

  “Sure, or maybe we can see a movie and go out for pizza afterward. Would you like that?” and forced himself to concentrate Noah c

  “I love pizza.”

  “You and I are out together right now, aren’t we? And this time your mom didn’t get to come with us. That’s just how it is sometimes.” He watched her in the rearview mirror as she processed that bit of information.

  “Uncle Noah?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “I wish you were my daddy.”

  Noah’s throat closed. “I wish I was too, but we might have to settle for my being your uncle. It’s the next best thing.” He stopped the truck and turned to face her. “You know I love you, right?”

  She nodded, her eyes solemn. “I love you, too. That’s why I wish you were my daddy.”

  He reached out and smoothed a curl out of her face. “Nothing would make me more proud.” Could he make it happen? Even if nothing came of his relationship with Ceejay, maybe he could adopt Lucinda. Little girls needed fathers to love and protect them. Lucinda deserved that, and if she were his, he’d see to it that Allison got to be the doting grandmother she longed to be. He put his truck back in gear and turned onto the highway. Ceejay would never agree.

  Resolve coursed through his veins. A new challenge.

  Noah splashed aftershave on his palms and rubbed his face and neck. He took the new shirt and tie off the hanger and put them on with military precision. Scrutinizing himself in the small bathroom mirror, he went over his mission.

  Directions to the Red Geranium and the New Harmony Theater were tucked into the glove compartment of his truck. Check. Tickets to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream would be waiting for them at the will call window of the theater. Check. Showered, shaved, and dressed. Check. He glanced down to make sure he wore matching shoes. Check. He’d brushed his teeth and gargled with mouthwash. Check.

  Ten minutes till go time.

  His stomach flipped. His first date with Ceejay. Hell, his first date with anybody since...crap. He couldn’t even remember his last date. What would they talk about during the hour-long drive to New Harmony?

  When did I turn into such an idiot? We talk every day. He grabbed his sport coat off the bed and moved to the living room to sit on the couch. He had nothing to do and eight minutes to kill before he could knock on her door without appearing too eager.

  He should’ve bought her flowers. Maybe a single rose. Next time he would. He glanced at his watch again. Sitting here was driving him nuts. Maybe if I walk real slow...He shot off the couch and headed for the door.

  Noah took note of the SUV parked in the driveway. Damn. He’d hoped to leave before Sheriff Maurer arrived. He sucked in a breath and knocked. The door opened. Sheriff Maurer stood between him and the Lovejoys. “Sheriff.” Noah greeted him with a nod.

  “I hear I missed all the excitement on the Fourth. You did a good thing, son.”

  “I was nearby.” Noah shrank away from the words of praise. “Someone else would’ve gone in after Celeste if I hadn’t, and Sweet Pea got to her and forced himself to concentrate Noah c before I did. I noticed you weren’t there.”

  “I was held up at the station. Holidays are always busy days for us. Made it for the fireworks, though.” He stepped back and held the door open. “I understand you’re taking Ceejay out this evening.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You remember what I told you. I’m protective when it comes to the Lovejoys.”

  “How could I forget?” Noah gritted his teeth and slid through the door past the sheriff.

  “Uncle Noah,” Lucinda called from the second-floor landing. She wore a summer nightgown, and her curls were still damp from a bath. “You’re dressed up.”

  “I am, and I see you’re all ready for bed.”

  Lucinda nodded, and Ceejay appeared behind her dressed in a short, floral print sundress with thin straps where the sleeves ought to be. The dress emphasized her sweet little figure, and the high-heeled sandals she wore drew his eyes to her shapely legs as s
he walked down the stairs.

  “She reminds me so much of Jennifer at that age,” Sheriff Maurer muttered.

  Noah raised an eyebrow and glanced at the older man.

  “Harlen, will you help me move the food into the dining room?” Jenny came out of the kitchen with a ceramic bowl full of coleslaw in her hands.

  Sheriff Maurer’s posture straightened. “Be glad to.”

  “My, don’t you look handsome.” Jenny smiled at Noah.

  “Thanks.” Noah moved to the door and opened it for Ceejay. “We should be going.” He got a whiff of her perfume as she passed by. She always smelled good. Their date was just starting, and all he could think about was holding her in his arms and kissing her good night—all night. Once the door shut behind them, he leaned close to whisper in her ear, “You look fantastic.” Her head tilted toward her shoulder like maybe his breath sent a shiver down her spine. He hoped so.

  “So do you.”

  Noah opened the door to his truck and helped her in, then took his place at the wheel. “I hope you like Shakespeare. I’ve got tickets for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We’re having dinner first.”

  “I’ve never seen a Shakespeare play, but I’ve read a few.”

  “Never seen Shakespeare? Where’d you go to college?”

  “The University of Evansville, and yes, they have a theater. I just never had the chance to go.” She smoothed out the skirt of her dress. “Being a single parent is a full-time job, and so is taking a full load of college credits, plus I worked at the diner.”

  Great. They’d been in his truck, what, all of ten minutes, and already he’d stuck his one good foot in a cow pie. “How are your plans for the big move coming along?”

  Her expression brightened, and Noah settled back to listen as she chattered on about her move and taking Lucinda on their first real vacation. He loved the sound of her voice and the way it washed over him like soft summer rain. He nodded and made the appropriate responses, encouraging her to continue.