"What was that for?" she asked.
"For not being perfect. If you'd been perfect in the kitchen like you are everywhere else, I'd start to worry I wasn't good enough for you."
It was her turn to kiss him now. And she did. What had started as a disaster had turned into fun. All because of Daniel.
"What did you want to do when you were a kid?" he asked as he pulled out cartons of Cantonese chicken, won-ton soup, and egg rolls.
She bit into an egg roll. "The usual. A ballerina."
"Why didn't you go for it?"
"I did. I took lessons from the time I was six until I was sixteen."
"What happened?"
"This. I grew up. Five feet and ten inches up. When was the last time you saw a ballerina this tall?"
"Did you mind giving up your dream?" he asked, setting the cartons on the table.
"A little." She shrugged. "Then I found a new one. What about you?"
"When I was six, I wanted to be an explorer. You know, like Columbus. Or Balboa. Finding new lands, claiming them for my country. By the time I was eight, I decided to be an astronaut."
Eve tried to picture Daniel as an eight year old boy. He had probably been a tad serious, with questioning eyes and a smile that peeked out at unexpected moments. She liked the image.
She could also picture the children he'd have. Small boys with hair the color of rich chocolate and solemn eyes. He'd be a good father. Image after image crowded her mind, and she shook her head to dispel them. Daniel as a father wasn't a picture she particularly wanted to dwell on. Especially when the children weren't likely to be hers.
Chapter Seven
An invitation for the two of them to have dinner with Sam and Carla Sunday night was a pleasant change from the week he'd spent in Washington. There, he felt that he was constantly on.
On display. On demand. On.
Relaxing with friends was a refreshing contrast. The home-cooked meal, easy conversation, and lack of interruptions eased away much of the tension of the last week.
Following dinner, they relaxed in the front room. Watching Carla cuddle Zach aroused unexpected feelings within Daniel.
"Can I hold him?" he asked.
Carla looked surprised then smiled. "Sure." She settled Zach into his arms.
Automatically, Daniel tightened his hold on the baby, finding he liked the sensation. He skimmed a finger down Zach's cheek. Soft. Involuntarily, he sought Eve's eyes, needing to share the moment with her. The smile that touched her lips had a matching one tugging at his own.
Eve bent over to drop a kiss on Zach's cheek, her hair falling across her face. He grabbed a fistful and held fast. Without stopping to think, Daniel untangled the silky strands from the tiny fingers, his hand colliding with Eve's.
Heat arced from skin to skin. "Hey, fellow, that's no way to treat a lady. Besides, this one's spoken for."
His careless words had Carla and Sam exchanging glances and Eve flushing, whether with embarrassment or anger, he wasn't sure. Probably the latter, he decided. She hadn't given him the right to use those words.
Zach let out a lusty wail that had everyone scrambling to pacify him and distracting them, Daniel noted with relief, from his ill-chosen words.
Eve dangled a rattle in front of Zach. "See," she crooned. "You like that, don't you?"
The baby's abrupt switch from crying to gurgling had the four adults chuckling.
"He's already learned how to get what he wants," Sam said, drawing another round of chuckles.
A suspicious warmth spread across Daniel's chest, causing him to grimace. "I think Zach's due for a diaper change," he said, holding the baby away from him.
Carla reached for her son.
"Let me," Eve volunteered and, heedless of his wet condition, cuddled Zach to her.
Daniel couldn't help it. His gaze followed her until she'd disappeared down the hallway. He managed to ignore the significant looks exchanged by Carla and Sam and hoped they kept whatever it was they were thinking to themselves. The last thing he needed was advice to the lovelorn, even if it was from good friends.
"The boy's already got an eye for the ladies," Sam said.
Daniel could only admire his godson's taste.
* * * *
Later, as he saw Eve home, he thought of the evening they'd shared at their friends' home. He wanted that for himself, he realized. A home and all that went with it—a wife, children, wet diapers and all. As if to punctuate his thoughts, his shirt clung damply to him, and he shifted uncomfortably.
"How'd you like being christened?"
"Christened?" He chuckled as her meaning became clear. "I'll survive."
"Some men wouldn't take it so well. You handled it like a pro."
The compliment pleased him. He'd received honorary degrees from universities, awarded plaques for his work with the homeless, but none meant as much as Eve's words. He had it bad, he thought. The woman had but to give him the smallest bit of praise, and he was lapping it up like a starved kitten licking out a tuna fish can.
It didn't bother him. One more sign that he was well and truly hooked. "Have you ever thought of opening up another shop? Somewhere else?"
Absently, she stacked magazines into piles. "Not really. Why?"
"I was just wondering if you could be happy living somewhere else."
Leave Saratoga? She liked the town—the wide streets and family-owned stores that kept country hours, the quiet neighborhoods tucked in between the business districts. People knew your business and didn't mind telling you how to mind it if you strayed from what they considered the straight and narrow.
Saratoga wasn't without its problems. She knew enough to understand that even small towns weren't immune to the troubles that plagued today's world. Still, it had become home. Home, she'd learned, wasn't a matter of birthplace but of the heart.
Aware that Daniel was waiting for her answer, she tried a smile. "I hadn't really thought about it."
"Maybe someday you will." He left it at that, and she was grateful.
She knew he was coming close to asking for something she wasn't ready to give, didn't know if she'd ever be able to give.
* * * *
Daniel had endured a black-tie affair with local party leaders for as long as he could. After nearly a week away from Eve, he had no desire to spend even a single night making political small talk.
When the last course was over, he nudged Eve. "Let's get out of here," he whispered.
"Can we?"
The longing in her voice had him grinning. "You bet." He took her elbow and guided her through the clusters of people. "How does pizza sound?" he asked once they were in the car.
"Great."
"Do you think anyone's going to notice you're in a tuxedo?" she asked as they walked inside a pizzeria.
He looked down at his tux. He might escape with little attention, but not Eve. She was a knock out in a long blue dress that hugged every one of her five feet and ten inches.
"No one's going to pay any attention to me," he said.
The shrill of whistles from a group of teenage boys huddled in a corner booth made his point. His hand tightened on her waist. She handled the situation with a smile toward the boys that had them blushing and stammering apologies, which she waved off.
She had no idea how special she was. Most women of his acquaintance would have made a scene, but not Eve. She treated the boys with a manner that put them all at ease and defused what could have been a tense situation.
A teenage waitress seated them at a booth and handed them menus. "Be back in a minute," she said and left to flirt with the boys.
"What looks good?" Daniel asked, scanning the menu.
"Extra cheese, ham, pepperoni, green peppers, mushrooms, and onion," Eve said promptly. "And a side order of garlic bread and a salad."
Daniel raised a brow. "If I'd realized you were going to order the whole menu, I'd have brought along more money."
She ignored that. "And a couple of pit
ches of rootbeer."
He repeated the order to the waitress.
One of the boys fed quarters into the jukebox. Music heated up the room. Eve tapped her fingers in time to the beat. Daniel leaned across the table so that she could hear him.
"You like this kind of thing?" he asked.
"Yeah. Does that surprise you?"
A quick grin slid across his lips. "I'm learning not to be surprised when it comes to you."
"I think I've been complimented." She cocked her head to one side. "Or insulted."
"The first. Definitely the first."
They sat back to listen to the music. "Good thing we weren't planning on talking," Daniel shouted over the beat of rap.
Her eyes lit with amusement. She'd bet her favorite loom that he hadn't spent an evening like this in a long time. If ever. He was a good sport about it, though. How many men did she know who would be content to eat pizza at a hangout frequented by local teenagers?
Their food arrived, two deluxe pizzas with the requested side orders. Eve tucked a paper napkin in the neckline of her dress and prepared to enjoy herself.
Daniel laid his napkin across his lap and reached for a piece.
Eve bit into the pizza. "Mmmmm."
He dabbed at her chin with his napkin. "Cheese," he said solemnly.
"It's a disgrace," she said between bites. "Two adults sneaking out of a party just so they can go for pizza."
"Want to go back?" he asked.
She gave him a black look. "You try taking me back, and I'll be forced to hurt you."
"That's what I thought." He handed her another piece.
Rock music, pizza, and paper napkins hardly equaled a romantic evening. But the most important ingredients were there—a man and a woman in love. It occurred to her that this was a moment that would linger in her memory, one she would cherish. The two of them eating pizza in the car, licking their fingers, and squabbling over the last piece like children.
It wasn't the big moments that made up a life, she reflected, but the small ones. That's what she wanted—a string of small memories that added up to a lifetime.
The evening set the tone for the days that followed. Stolen moments in the middle of the day, a meal shared at the day's end, and kisses so sweet that they took her breath away.
Whatever her life had been before, Daniel had changed it simply by stepping into it. She doubted she'd ever be able to look at marbles or pansies in quite the same way again. And it was certain she'd never eat pizza again without thinking of him.
Her lips twitched into a small smile as she remembered how'd they'd snuck away from last night's dinner like naughty children to eat pizza and steal an evening alone.
Through it all, Eve knew she was falling more and more in love with Daniel. She had no one to blame but herself. She'd gone into it with her eyes open, her heart, she thought, safeguarded against the perils of love.
She had no time to worry over it now. The shop was open, and she had a customer waiting.
"I want something for my niece's daughter's wedding," Mrs. Miller said.
Eve felt her spirits lift at the mention of a wedding. Helping customers choose something special for someone they loved was one of the nicest things about owning a shop. Besides, she could always count on Mrs. Miller for the freshest gossip mixed with a dash of compassion.
She'd met Mrs. Miller through Carla. The older woman was the biggest gossip in the church and, possibly, the whole town. She also had a heart to match.
"What did you have in mind?"
"I was thinking about placemats. Maybe a tablecloth. Something flowered."
Eve didn't bother pointing out that she didn't do flowers. Instead, she moved to where she kept linens and gestured to a set of woven placemats.
Mrs. Miller fingered the mats, but her gaze was trained on Eve. "I hear you've been seeing our handsome senator."
Saratoga's grapevine was alive and well, Eve thought. She didn't mind. Not when she knew the curiosity was prompted by caring. "You hear right."
Mrs. Miller gave her an arch look, her baby blue eyes brightening at the confirmation of the gossip. "The Camerons go way back. I recollect Estelle—Daniel's grandmother. She was a Van Buren back then. She had more beaux than a body could count. 'Course I had my share too." Pointedly, she paused.
Eve gave the expected nod and waited.
"Estelle could've had any boy she wanted, but she had her heart set on Henry Cameron. Got him too. They had two boys. First one died in the war. Second one sowed his share of wild oats and then some. Settled down after he got himself married to one of the Sinclair girls and had his sons. Daniel favors him. Of course, the Camerons have always been in public service. When a family's got as much money as they do, what else is there to do?"
Mrs. Miller stopped to catch her breath, giving Eve time to digest what she'd learned. The tradition of service was one Daniel had been born to. Hadn't she already known how deep his commitment to the country ran? Unlike many politicians, he did it out of genuine caring rather than a lust for power.
"He's considered quite a catch," the older woman said, her speculative eyes still resting on Eve.
"Is he?"
Mrs. Miller's smile widened. "You're a pretty girl. And a nice one." Her double chins wagged as she chuckled. "You could do worse than a handsome senator. They say he'll go all the way." She looked about and then lowered her voice. "The White House."
Eve managed a smile. "They could be right."
Clearly disappointed at not receiving more of a response, Mrs. Miller picked out a set of placemats. "I do wish you had something with flowers, but this pretty design is eye-catching enough."
That pretty design was the result of hours spent perfecting the right dyes, but Eve wasn't offended. She understood Mrs. Miller and appreciated the older woman's business. Mrs. Miller had been one of the first to patronize Eve's shop. She'd encouraged her friends to shop there as well. As a result, her shop was extremely popular with the blue-haired ladies.
With the transaction completed, Mrs. Miller said a reluctant good-bye. Eve barely kept her laughter in check at the older woman's frustration with Eve's failure to provide her with additional gossip.
When the door closed, she gave in to the chuckle stuck in her throat. Her amusement faded as she acknowledged what she'd only recently admitted to herself.
Love. She'd shied away from the word until now. If she hadn't been so caught up in convincing herself that all she felt for him was friendship, she'd have recognized the symptoms before now. The ease she felt when she was with Daniel, the trust that came from knowing she could say anything and he would understand, the pain she experienced when they were apart, all were part of love.
She could no longer deny her feelings for him. Hiding from the truth was cowardly. Not to mention stupid. Better to face it. She was in love with Daniel Cameron, and she knew he returned that love. She also knew he was close to asking her to share his destiny.
* * * *
Daniel had enjoyed women in the past. Their softness and compassion, their wit and humor, all the ways that they differed from a man. But there'd never been a woman who was specifically important, as Eve had become, never been a woman who had touched his heart in the same way.
He was in love with her. Daniel had always prided himself on being logical. The logical step from love was marriage. He tasted the word upon his lips, hearing its rightness.
He'd always expected to marry. Someday. The simple fact was the public expected their leaders to be married. Still, he'd never take such a step if he weren't in love.
Now, he was.
Gloriously, wonderfully, irrevocably in love.
A frown chased away his smile as he thought about Eve's reaction. She'd need time to adjust to the idea of marriage. He was prepared for that. Law was an exacting science, one requiring infinite patience and tenacity. Fortunately, he had plenty of both.
The biggest surprise was the he hadn't needed to adjust to the idea. It h
ad simply appeared, full blown, in his mind. Or, maybe, he decided, in his heart. His lips curved into a faint smile. Lately, his heart had taken charge. And he'd never been happier.
* * * *
That evening, he talked about Washington, painting it in such glowing colors that even Eve, who'd been born and raised there, saw it with fresh excitement. But that didn't mean she wanted to live there. Her home was here. How did she explain that Saratoga was the home of her heart, if not of her birth?
"I need…” she began
"What?"
"To belong somewhere." She searched for the words to explain her feelings. "The continuity of being a part of something bigger than myself, the connection of community."
"And you've found that here…in Saratoga?"
She knew Saratoga wasn't without problems. It had its share of crime and homelessness, but it still had a small town flavor that gave her the sense of community she longed for. She'd made a place for herself here. Her art and her friends had seen to that.
"Even though I wasn't born here, I feel a connection." The happiest moments of her childhood had been spent here. In her grandmother's house. "Roots go deep, even second-hand ones."
He understood. That warmed her. It also gave her courage to say what she needed to say. "This is my home. This is where I belong."
"No problem. I like Saratoga. I always have."
"But your work…”
"We can stay here when Congress isn't in session. When it is, we'll travel back and forth. Lots of people do it."
She wanted to scream, But I'm not lots of people. But she kept silent.
"Washington's a beautiful city," he repeated, as if the place itself was what stood between them.
Perhaps, she thought, they focused on that because it was easier, safer, than the real problem. His job.
Her nod was perfunctory. She'd tried making it in Washington. For her father's sake, she'd tried. With his teaching post at Georgetown University, he belonged there. But he'd understood when she admitted that she was slowly dying there and had encouraged her to move to the one place she'd felt truly at home—Saratoga.
Daniel's hands closed gently upon her shoulders. "You know how I feel, Eve. What I want."
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