More Than Words: Acts of Kindness: Whispers of the HeartIt's Not About the DressThe Princess Shoes

by Brenda Jackson

  She cuddled under the covers, not wanting to think about the time and energy she’d devoted to her last relationship with a man. All the hours she had spent trying to make Lonnie happy, to make him appreciate her. Did she really want to go through that again? Especially now, when growing her business should be her top priority?

  But then all she had to do was remember how much she had enjoyed herself today, how special being with Paul had been. A part of her was convinced that having Paul Castlewood in her life wouldn’t be all bad.

  * * *

  THE NEXT MORNING Paul found Heather in the kitchen, sitting at the table, eating breakfast before school. She’d been in bed by the time he’d gotten home the previous night. She glanced over at him now and smiled. “Hi, Dad. Did you enjoy yourself in Savannah yesterday?”

  He crossed the room, heading straight for the coffeepot. “What makes you think I was in Savannah having fun?” He’d made absolutely certain not to mention anything on the phone about Michelle being with him.

  “Come on, Dad, I know that you and Ms. Chapman were together. By now I’m sure the entire town knows.”

  He frowned. “What do you mean, the entire town?”

  “Eli Sessions’s mom saw the two of you while she was in Savannah, shopping. She couldn’t wait to get back to town and tell Lois Dunlap.”

  “I see,” he said, sitting down at the table with his cup of coffee. And he did see. It was called small-town gossip.

  “I think it’s cool.”

  He smiled as he took a sip of coffee. “You would. But don’t get your hopes up. There was nothing much to it. We just had lunch together.”

  “And dinner.”

  Paul grinned. “Okay, we had lunch and dinner.” He checked the clock on the stove. “Shouldn’t you be leaving for school about now?”

  Heather smiled. “Yes. I will in a moment. I just want to know one thing.”

  He lifted a brow. “What?”

  “Will you take her out again? Are the two of you an item?”

  “You said you wanted to know just one thing,” Paul teased. “Choose which one.”

  “Okay. Are the two of you an item?”

  “Depends on what you mean by ‘an item.’”

  “Dad!”

  He set his coffee cup down. “All right. All right. To answer your question, the answer is maybe. That was our first date.”

  “So you would call it a date?”

  “That’s what I’d call it, but I’m sure your generation probably has another name for it.”

  Heather rolled her eyes. “It’s still called dating, Dad.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” He stared at his daughter for a long moment. “So what do you think?”

  “About you seeing Ms. Chapman?”

  “Yes.”

  A huge grin covered Heather’s face. “I told you what I thought. I like her. I think it’s cool.”

  He grinned back, thinking just how much he loved his kid. “Yes, I think it’s cool, too.”

  * * *

  MICHELLE HUNG UP the phone. If another person called to congratulate her on reeling in Paul, she was going to scream. She’d all but snapped at Lori Coffee, telling her in no uncertain terms that Paul Castlewood was not a fish, he was a man. Men didn’t get reeled in. She sighed in disgust. That was the one thing she could do without in a small town—everyone wanting to know your business. She and Paul had shared lunch and dinner, not made plans for a lifetime commitment. Why did everyone assume they had?

  The phone rang again and Michelle was about to ignore it when she glanced at the caller ID. It was her friend Brittany Howard, who worked at the headquarters of AANMA. They’d met in college, and Brittany was the person who’d been instrumental in bringing Michelle on board as a volunteer outreach service coordinator. Both she and Brittany suffered from asthma. Giving each other support during their college days had made the condition a lot easier to cope with.

  What Michelle enjoyed the most about her volunteer work was the part she played in giving the public a greater understanding of asthma. AANMA was growing by leaps and bounds, spreading the word through a number of national events and other outreach programs.

  She quickly picked up the phone. “Britt? How are you?”

  “Fine. I’m just calling to make sure you got enough supplies for the school nurses.”

  Brittany’s question made Michelle recall the incident with Heather. Paul still hadn’t acknowledged that she had had an asthma attack.

  “Plenty, thanks,” Michelle told Brittany.

  They talked for a few minutes, and Michelle had just hung up when she heard a loud knock at her door. From where she was standing she couldn’t tell who was there, but she could see the car parked in front.

  Paul.

  She thought of the number of calls she’d received that morning and figured he’d gotten wind that the whole town was talking about them. Was he upset? Was that the reason he was at her house before ten o’clock in the morning?

  Michelle sighed as she headed toward the door. There was only one way to find out.

  CHAPTER

  SIX

  DURING THE DRIVE over to Michelle’s house, Paul kept asking himself what he was doing. Why on earth would he want to become seriously involved with a woman after all these years? A woman he’d known less than a month.

  The answer was blatantly obvious the moment she opened the door. He experienced a storm of emotions that only she could stir up inside of him. Was she worth all the craziness of waking up in the wee hours of the night just to recall a smile that he couldn’t forget?

  Yes, she was worth it.

  He sighed deeply, and when she gave him the smile that had been his downfall from the first, he couldn’t help but return it. “Good morning. I hate bothering you so early, but we need to talk.” Paul knew what he had to do, what he had to say.

  Michelle nodded and stepped aside, closing the door behind him when he entered. “I know why you’re here,” she said.

  He placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Do you?”

  “Yes.” She moved away from the door to stand in front of him. “My phone hasn’t stopped ringing all morning, and I apologize for that.”

  He lifted a brow. Evidently there was something he was missing. “Your phone has been ringing all morning and you want to apologize to me for it?”

  “Yes.”

  “You want to tell me why?”

  She went over to the sofa and sat down. “Someone has spread a rumor that the two of us are seeing each other.”

  “And?”

  She frowned. “And that’s not true.”

  He moved to sit in the chair across from her. “We did spend the better part of yesterday together in Savannah.”

  “Yes, but it wasn’t what everyone assumes.”

  “Maybe not. However, we did share a kiss.”

  He could see the blush that appeared on her face. “I know but—”

  He held up his hand, stopping what she was about to say. “Does it bother you that people are thinking that way about us?”

  She shrugged. “No, but this is a small town and people will quickly assume what you might not want them to assume. I’m catering your daughter’s birthday party, which means we’re involved in a business relationship. I don’t want to jeopardize that. And I’m beginning to think of you as more than a friend and don’t want to jeopardize that, either.”

  He took a deep breath. She still wasn’t getting the point he was trying to make. He eased out of his chair and walked over to where she was sitting. “Scoot over for a second.”

  He saw the surprised look on her face, but she did as he asked, and he sat down beside her. “Now, then, let me explain something to you.” He smiled, and for the first time in a long time felt he was doing something right.

  “I like you,” he said bluntly, taking her hand in his. He remembered walking around and holding hands with her yesterday. It had seemed like the most natural thing to do. “I mean
, I genuinely like you, Michelle, and I’d like to get to know you better. I propose that we become involved.”

  She blinked. “Involved?”

  “Yes, involved. You know, you, me, doing things together like we did yesterday. Sharing lunch and dinner, an occasional movie, walking in the park, holding hands.” He raised their joined hands. “I like holding hands with you.”

  He leaned back against the sofa and studied her expression. “So what do you think about that?”

  * * *

  MICHELLE REALLY DIDN’T KNOW what to think about it. She would be the first to admit that she had enjoyed their time together yesterday. And hadn’t she reached the conclusion that he was a very likable guy? When he’d brought her home last night and kissed her, it was a kiss destined to become embedded in her brain cells forever. And hadn’t she decided that having Paul in her life wasn’t such a bad idea?

  Or was it? There was still one thing that bothered her, namely his willful blindness to Heather’s condition.

  But should Michelle let that one thing stand in the way? If she kept working on him to acknowledge his daughter’s asthma, would he eventually come around, or continue to close her out? He wanted them to become involved, so at least that was a start, but still, she refused to rush into anything. He had pretty much defined just what “involved” meant to him, and it all sounded great, but she couldn’t help remembering Lonnie and all the time and effort she’d put into making things between them work only to find out she’d wanted more out of their relationship than he had.

  She gently pulled her hand from Paul’s and rose to her feet. She stared down at him. “It’s been a while since I’ve been involved with anyone. Maybe I tend to expect more out of relationships than I should.” She might as well be honest. “The last guy I dated, I ended up living with for a while when I thought things between us were pretty tight. Then he got a promotion at work that made it imperative for him to move to another state. But he didn’t think I was important enough to move with him.” She paused for a moment and then added, “I came home from work one day and he was packing.”

  She saw Paul’s jaw stiffen and knew he was angry on her behalf even before he said anything. “It was his loss. Any man who would walk away and leave you behind can’t have been in his right mind.”

  His words touched her in a way that was hard to explain. All she knew was that she suddenly wanted to be held by him, so she eased back down beside him.

  As if he knew what she needed, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It seemed he was trying to wipe away her hurt, and she appreciated the effort.

  When he ended the kiss, he still held her close. “So do we become involved, Michelle?” he asked in a deep, husky tone.

  She looked up at him. “Yes, but do you have any objections to holding off until after Heather’s party?”

  “No,” he said quietly. “I don’t have any objections as long as there’s a good reason you want us to.”

  She shrugged. “This is a small town and I want to stay focused on giving Heather the best birthday party possible. I want the attention to be on her next week, and not on us. We owe her that.”

  Paul threw his head back and laughed. “No wonder Heather likes you so much.”

  Michelle lifted an eyebrow. “She does?”

  “I told you that.”

  She nodded. “You said she liked me—but a lot?”

  “She likes you a whole lot. Now, I’ll go along with what you want. We’ll wait until after Heather’s party, but then we begin acting like a normal couple.”

  Michelle wasn’t sure such a thing was possible in Lake Falls, especially when he was considered such a hot prospect. But before she could say anything else, Paul was kissing her again.

  CHAPTER

  SEVEN

  “NICE PARTY. And these are for you, by the way.” Michelle smiled up at Paul before accepting the beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers. She lowered her head to inhale their fragrance. They smelled simply divine. “Thank you. What are they for?”

  “This.” He indicated the room. “Like I said, it’s a nice party and it wouldn’t have happened without you.”

  Although she felt he was giving her far more credit than she rightly deserved, she knew what he meant. Ravine Stokes, the party planner, had come down with the flu a few days before the event and Michelle had stepped in to take her place.

  “Thanks,” she said, following his gaze around the room. The main thing was that Heather was pleased with her party.

  “Well, it’s almost over. Now we can concentrate on other things.”

  Paul’s words made her shiver. There was no way to stop the anticipation flowing through her.

  “Do you think everyone is enjoying the food?” she asked as a way of changing the subject. His grin indicated he had caught on.

  “I don’t know why they wouldn’t be, since you did an outstanding job. If Brian Frazier eats another one of those lemon squares, he’s going to leave here with puckered lips.”

  Michelle grinned. Paul was right. The teen had gobbled up a number of the treats already.

  “I have to make a drive to Brunswick on Thursday. Do you want to come along for the ride?”

  She looked at him. “Brunswick?”

  “Yes. I’m meeting with a potential client there. I thought that afterward you and I could do lunch.”

  What he proposed sounded like fun. “Okay. I’d like that.”

  He checked his watch. “Time to make our rounds. That Summers girl is missing again.”

  Michelle nodded and walked beside him as he moved around the room. Earlier, the two of them had watched as Rachel Summers had tried coaxing Brad Parker to go outside with her.

  When Rachel was nowhere to be found, Michelle followed Paul into the kitchen and stepped outside—just in time to interrupt a kiss.

  “The party is inside,” Paul said, startling the two teens.

  Rachel, who was only fifteen but acted older, smiled over at them. “You’re right, but we thought we would get some fresh air.”

  Paul didn’t smile back. “Not tonight. I guess you’ll just have to settle for the stuffy air inside until your mother comes for you.”

  Brad didn’t say anything, but nodded before following Rachel back inside.

  “The Summerses need to keep a closer eye on that girl,” Paul said when the pair was no longer within hearing range.

  “I agree.” Michelle had been around Paul and Heather enough that week to know he took parenting seriously. Although it was obvious Heather had a crush on Jason, she always behaved in a respectful way.

  The remainder of the party went well, and by midnight, all the kids had left and the food had been eaten. Heather offered to help with the cleanup but Paul and Michelle convinced her they could handle things and that she should go on to bed and rest after such a busy day.

  “You’re lucky, you know,” Michelle said to Paul while they were taking down the streamers and balloons. “Heather is such a wonderful girl, and I’m not just saying that because she’s your daughter. Rachel Summers could learn a few things from her.”

  Paul nodded. “I hope you’re right.”

  Michelle hoped that she was right, as well. Having a friend like Rachel had to be a challenge for Heather. Although Rachel had been with Brad outside, Michelle had noticed the girl making a play at one time or another for all the guys at the party. “Would you and Heather like to come over for dinner tomorrow?”

  Paul couldn’t help but smile as he pulled Michelle into his arms. “Is that going to be our official way of announcing to everyone that we’re involved?”

  She tilted up her head and smiled back at him. “Yes, I think that would be a perfect way.”

  * * *

  IT WAS CLOSE TO two o’clock in the morning when Michelle arrived home. Paul had insisted on following behind her to make sure she got there safely. She had waved him goodbye and then on impulse had blown him a kiss before going inside. She was tired, but in a good way, an
d was glad the party had been such a huge success.

  Before getting into bed, Michelle glanced over at her flowers. They were beautiful and filled her bedroom with their fragrance. The bouquet had been a nice gesture on Paul’s part and she appreciated his thoughtfulness. Over the past week she’d discovered that she and Paul were so at ease with each other. She’d been busy putting the final touches on the party and he had been busy meeting a deadline for one of his clients’ websites. But they had managed to talk on the phone late at night, when most of Lake Falls was asleep.

  And now they had decided to make everything public.

  As she got into bed and snuggled under the covers, she was again reminded of the kisses they had shared. She had enjoyed each and every one of them. She had made a number of mistakes with Lonnie, mistakes she didn’t intend to repeat. But she had a feeling that Paul was genuine in his affection and would never do anything to lead her on. Now that the party was over they could turn up the heat a bit, and she could hardly wait.

  CHAPTER

  EIGHT

  A WEEK LATER, as Michelle sat across the table from Paul, she couldn’t help but reflect on the amount of time they’d spent together. He had joined her for dinner on Sunday with Heather. On Tuesday night, Paul and Michelle had gone to the movies. They’d had breakfast together on Wednesday morning, shared dinner in Brunswick on Thursday and here it was Saturday and they were dining together again. This was their first public dinner date in Lake Falls.

  “How is your meat?”

  Her smile widened. “Wonderful. They may be a mom-and-pop operation, but Wilson’s Steakhouse serves the best steaks on the East Coast.”

  Paul chuckled. “I have to agree.” He leaned back in his chair. “So do you have a busy week ahead?”

  She met his gaze. “No more than usual. The Foyers are celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary and I’m meeting with their daughter to plan a menu. The guest list, I understand, will be well over a hundred people.”

  “That’s a lot of food.”

  “Yes, but I’m going to enjoy doing it.” She took a sip of her iced tea. “And by the way, I’m having several young people over next Saturday. All of them have had an asthma attack at some point. As part of AANMA’s awareness drive, we’re having a guest speaker who is going to show us how to use a peak flow meter and holding chamber and discuss the benefits of a written asthma management plan.”