Finding Love in Payton

by Shelley Galloway

  "Jy!" the little boy cried, dropping the dog and toddling over to Jeremy.

  "Hey," he said, kneeling down on the floor as well. "You know my name."

  Dinah laughed. He seemed to know just what to say. "I'm glad you came over this morning, even though we'll see each other tonight."

  "Promise?"

  "Promise. And not just because I wanted to get your costume done, either."

  "That wasn't the only reason I stopped by, if you want to know the truth."

  "I was thinking," she began, only to be interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

  "I'll get it for you," Jeremy offered.

  "Thanks."

  Within minutes, he was leading Valerie into the family room, chatting with her about school and education courses. Bonnie followed them both, her tail wagging with pleasure.

  "Hi, Dinah," Valerie said. "I forgot whether you wanted me this afternoon or not. Are you going to the store?"

  Dinah almost couldn't think of a thing to say, she was so mesmerized by the sight of Jeremy and Valerie together. They looked so ... right. Both about the same age. Both had bright-eyed, all-American good looks. Like a slap in the face, she was brought to the truth that once again, she had no business being with Jeremy Reece.

  Realizing Valerie was waiting for a reply, she said quickly, "Oh, thanks, but it's okay. If I do go in, I'll take Bryan. The weather's not supposed to be that great, it will probably be really slow."

  Valerie looked at her strangely. Then glanced at Jeremy as if she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. "Are you sure?"

  "Positive." She cleared her throat, trying to sound peppy. "Urn, gosh, Jeremy, did you go to Ohio State, too?"

  "I did."

  "I guess the two of you must have so much to catch up on, especially since Val is an education major."

  He looked completely puzzled. "We'll have to talk all about that one day," he said to her politely.

  Dinah grasped for another topic. "Oh, and I bet you two might have even gone to the same parties and didn't even realize it. Were you both in the Greek system?"

  For the first time since she'd known Valerie, the girl treated her to a teen-aged look of disdain. "I was a Delta Gamma."

  "Phi Delt," Jeremy said obediently.

  A long, uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Dinah searched to think of anything else the two might have in common.

  "I need to go," Valerie said, standing up abruptly. "See you tomorrow, Dinah?"

  "Yes. At nine A.M., if you don't mind."

  "I don't mind at all," Valerie said, bending down to give Bryan a hug. Bryan wrapped his chubby hands around her neck, gave her a wet kiss, then plopped back down to his set of bowls and containers.

  With a sigh, Dinah watched her go.

  Jeremy stood up. "I think I'll get going, as well."

  "Are you sure? Would you like some coffee, or something?"

  He shook his head no. "See you at six tomorrow?"

  She scanned his face quickly. It was if someone had put a curtain over his eyes, they looked masked and distant. "Is something bothering you?"

  If anything, his posture became more rigid. "Yeah, but it's nothing you need to worry about."

  "I'm a good listener."

  "Are you? I don't think you've heard one word I've said to you yet."

  She stiffened at his sarcastic tone. "I don't think I understand."

  After glancing at Bryan for a second, Jeremy stepped forward, lowered his voice. "Dinah, at the risk of sounding completely idiotic, I think I need to make myself as clear as possible. I like you."

  Taken aback, she said, "I like you, too."

  "No, not as a friend," he corrected, his gray-blue eyes stormy. "Not as Bryan's mom. I like you in every single kind of romantic way you can imagine. A lot. A whole lot. I know we haven't spent hours together. I know we need time to see if we can even have a relationship that can last, but I thought after our dinner the other night, after the times we've spent together over the last few weeks ... that you felt the same way.

  She closed her eyes. "I do."

  "Do you? Then why in the world would you be pushing Valerie and me together?"

  "I didn't do that," she protested, though her heart was telling her she certainly had.

  "It felt that way to me. And to Valerie, I think. She kept looking at you like you were crazy."

  "I just thought that maybe the two of you might want to get to know each other."

  He exhaled slowly. "Why?"

  His question caught her off-guard. "What do you mean, why?"

  "Why do we want to get to know each other? Because I'm going to need to know Bryan's baby-sitter in the future? Because I need just one more collegeaged girl as a friend?"

  She looked away. "I don't know what I was thinking. She's just so cute, and sometimes I look at you and feel so old." She whispered the last part, embarrassed by both her behavior and her feelings. "I'm having a tough time admitting not only to myself but to other people how I feel about you."

  Triumph gleamed in his eyes. "So ... tell me. Say it out loud. How do you feel?"

  She shrugged. "Smitten," she said, though she felt ridiculous even saying such a thing out loud. Lord, he must be thinking she was so silly.

  He burst out laughing. "I'll take that."

  She really wasn't following him. "What?"

  He closed the space between the two of them and gripped her hand in his. "I'll take smitten. I'm smitten, too." Briefly he raised her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles, the gallant gesture making her knees go weak. "See you tomorrow night?"

  "I'll be there."

  "I'm warning you, it will be crazy."

  "I like crazy."

  He laughed again, his voice ringing carefree and boyish. So charming. "Bye, Dinah. Bye, Bryan," he said, brushing the boy's head with his hand.

  And then he was gone, leaving Dinah to wonder what had just happened. "Bryan, I think I'm going steady now," she said, sitting on the floor near her son.

  "Gate."

  "I think it's gate, too," she said with a chuckle as she rearranged the containers for him one more time.

  Something had to be done about Priscilla and Payton. Now not only were they complaining to him about each other all the time, but they'd branched off and started to enlist help from other employees and board members as well.

  Jeremy knew this because his dad, along with ten other people who should have had many more things to do, left the board meeting with nothing new to report but a "he said/she said" detailed report of the latest events of Payton and Priscilla's love life.

  "Think I'm going to take a break from the club until all this is ironed over," his dad said to him with a sigh, which made Jeremy panic all the more.

  If things didn't get settled down soon, no one would go to the club, Payton would start laying off workers, and Jeremy would be out of a pretty darn good temporary job.

  Then he really wouldn't be able to get that house.

  It was time for some drastic measures. "We need to talk," he announced, entering the kitchen just as Payton and Priscilla were about to launch into an quarrel centering on the merits of Texas, small Ohio towns, and the importance of honesty in relationships.

  Priscilla looked fired up and ready to injure her boss within seconds.

  Payton just looked bewildered and starstruck.

  Enough was enough.

  "We need to talk," he repeated a little more loudly. "Pull up some chairs."

  Amazingly, they both did as he asked. "What's wrong?" Payton asked.

  "You two."

  "Me?" Priscilla said archly.

  "You and Payton. I think it's high time the two of you stopped blaming the other person for imagined problems and started really listening to each other."

  Payton frowned at his highhanded manner. "And tell me again why you are involved?"

  Jeremy tried his best not to crack a smile. "Because you made me involved! You've been driving me crazy for a month, and now you've
sought the advice of ten cranky board members."

  "Hey, one of them is your father."

  "I know every one of them very well, Payton. Just as you do." He sighed, already dreading hearing his father complain about the atmosphere at the club. "Priscilla, eventually you will also know all these people very well. And, let me tell you ... you don't want them involved in your personal life."

  "I didn't ask them to be."

  "I was merely soliciting their advice," Payton protested.

  Priscilla scowled. "You were merely using your power and influence to veto my vote."

  "Your idea was dumb."

  "My idea was better than yours ... which was idiotic."

  Jeremy glanced from one to the other with a worried expression. If things didn't settle down soon, he'd have World War III on his hands. Sticking his thumb and pinky in his mouth, just like Kevin had taught him years ago, he blew fiercely.

  Both Priscilla and Payton froze.

  Payton looked impressed. "What are you doing?"

  "Trying to gain some control of this situation. If you two would ask me-which you haven't, I might addI think the reason you two are having such a difficult time working with each other is because there's something between you."

  Both looked at him blankly. "You two obviously like each other," Jeremy finally stated.

  "I do not!" Priscilla protested. "Honestly, Jeremy. Don't you have your own girl problems?"

  "I do. And I'm trying to work them out. Maybe that's why I'm so in tune with yours."

  "Thanks, but no thanks," Priscilla stated. "I've managed to live my life thus far without some wet-behindthe-ears college graduate tell me how to fall in love."

  "Ah," Jeremy said, pleased.

  "What?"

  "You said, `fall in love'."

  Priscilla's green eyes narrowed. "I meant that in a generic way."

  "Do you notice that Payton had been conspicuously silent so far?"

  Both he and Priscilla turned to Payton, looking as cool as always across from them. Honestly, did the guy ever sweat? "I'm noticing now," Priscilla said. "What do you think about all this?"

  "You might be surprised."

  Her voice softened. "Why is that?"

  Payton looked away. "Mainly because I think that part of what Jeremy is saying is exactly right."

  She stared at him in shock. "Which part?"

  "The part about feeling something for you."

  Jeremy nudged him with his foot, practically stepping on it. "Say it. Tell her what you're thinking."

  He sighed deeply. "When I first saw you in Houston, I was starstruck."

  "Starstruck? I wasn't famous."

  "How about lovestruck, then? That's the only way I can explain how I was feeling at that moment. The way people do when they see their idols in Hollywood. Breathless. Foolish. I saw you and I knew that we should be together."

  "You've never said anything like that," Priscilla blurted, her expression incredulous.

  "Because I knew you would say no. I knew if I came right out and told you I wanted to see you again, you'd tell me a dozen good reasons why we shouldn't."

  "Well, yeah ... we lived in different cities, we like different movies, music, and sports. You have this way about you that is always, eerily perfect, while I'm always a mess." Her voice drifted off. "I could go on for quite a while."

  Payton raised an eyebrow. "See what I mean."

  Jeremy leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "So you tricked her into coming to Ohio."

  "Pretty much," Payton admitted. "I knew if I told you the club was really great, but about as far from as nouveau-trendy as McDonald's, you would turn me down flat."

  Priscilla gasped in frustration. "But you said those things."

  "And you believed me. Even after meeting Baron McKinley, who rhapsodized over the thought of having egg rolls on New Year's Day." He eyed her seriously. "I think there was a part of you that wanted a reason to come here, too."

  Priscilla said nothing for a long minute. "You're right, I guess. I was looking for something new ... and I was attracted to you ... and it just didn't make any sense. Things weren't supposed to happen that way."

  "Like how?" Jeremy asked before the conversation got too out of hand. "What do you mean?"

  "I mean that Payton, Ohio was everything my family said wasn't for me. They said I needed to live in the city, expand my resume, date men who were in the society pages, who were old school. I met Payton, then saw Payton, Ohio and realized I was just about to toss all my life-long plans away. I wasn't sure I could handle it." She sighed. "It was a whole lot easier to just blame Payton for my faults than face my insecurities."

  "So you took it out on me?7

  "You deserved some of it."

  '41 did."

  Her gaze softened. "But, I did too."

  Jeremy pursed his lips, uncomfortably aware of the many similarities their story had with his relationship with Dinah. Oh, sure ... he hadn't lied to her. And Dinah wasn't the type of girl who would take out her revenge on him.

  But, there was that feeling that she had snuck up on him, that they had snuck up on each other. He had instantly, completely known there was something about her that he never, ever wanted to give up.

  Like Payton, he'd been willing to do whatever it took to win her over. Life with Dinah wasn't the way he'd planned it would be. It wasn't how he'd planned to fall in love. And the timing wasn't terrific, either. But there was something there that was worth every sacrifice and tweaking of his former goals.

  Because the alternative was unthinkable. He couldn't live without her. How could he, anyway? She was all he could think about.

  "Jeremy?" Payton asked, his eyebrows raised.

  "Huh? Oh, sorry," he said, realizing that he'd started daydreaming. He stood up. "Can I trust the two of you to be alone together and not do foolish things with big knives?" he asked, gesturing to the large set of knives displayed on the magnetic strip.

  "You can," Priscilla said with a laugh. "Believe it or not, I think this is the first time that harming Payton is actually the furthest thing from my mind."

  "Well, thank heaven for small favors," Payton said, stepping closer to her.

  Feeling good about his match-making skills, Jeremy knew he was not needed any longer. "My job here is done. I'm going home."

  "Got a car today?" Priscilla asked.

  He laughed. "I do. Thanks for the offer, though."

  And with that, he strode off, feeling better about pretty much everything.

  "No ma'am. I don't have any books on gardening. This is pretty much only a fiction bookseller," Dinah replied to the elderly caller, trying to keep her voice as upbeat and positive as possible.

  "Fiction?"

  "Yep. All my books are pretend." She paused. "You might try the library, though. Or ask Mrs. Wexner down the way. She always has a beautiful garden."

  The lady's voice brightened. "I know Marta Wexner."

  Dinah smiled, pleased to have helped out in some way. "I feel certain she could help you figure out what's been eating your pansies."

  "I think you're right."

  "Yes, ma'am. Bye, now."

  With a chuckle, Dinah hung up the phone. "If I had a dime for every person who wanted something that I don't have ..."

  "You'd have a small fortune, I image," Daphne Reece finished with a laugh.

  Dinah chuckled, too, though she was terribly interested as to why Daphne had decided to pay her a visit that afternoon. During the two years she'd been open, Dinah couldn't ever recall the woman being a customer.

  Her answer came right away. "I'm meeting Marianne McKinley here in a few minutes. She's going to show me that house Jeremy's interested in."

  "Is Jeremy going, too?"

  "No." Daphne picked up two of the newest best sellers, scanning the back covers. "He's at the club, then has a meeting at school with a few of the teachers in his department."

  "He said that house is beautiful."

  "Fro
m what Marianne told me, I don't think beautiful is quite the right adjective to use. But it is supposed to be unique." She gazed at Dinah, speculation in her eyes. "Just the type of place that needs some tender loving care."

  "Sometimes those are the best kinds of places."

  "I suppose you've never wanted to move out of your place."

  Her comment took Dinah by surprise. "Actually, I probably would, if I ever got married again," she admitted. "My home has too many memories to start over in."

  "It's been hard for you, huh?"

  "Sometimes, sometimes not."

  Daphne looked uncertainly at the door, then as if she made up her mind, stepped forward. "When Jeremy first told me about you, he wore an expression I'd only seen on my kids' faces just weeks before they got engaged."

  Dinah didn't know what to say to that.

  "And, I have to tell you ... at first I wasn't too thrilled about seeing my youngest son so ready to grow up and get married."

  Thinking of Bryan, Dinah said, "I guess I can imagine that feeling."

  "But after seeing you and him together, I realize I was wrong."

  "Mrs. Reece, I don't know if we're quite at the place where you're imagining."

  "I know that. I guess I just wanted you to know that if you and Jeremy ever do decide to become more serious, you two have my blessing." She glanced out the window again. "Ah, here's Marianne. We'll stop by afterwards and tell you more about that house."

  And before Dinah could even raise a hand to wave her off, Daphne was scampering down the front steps of her store, her high-heeled sandals clicking as she went.

  Dinah watched her leave, then sat down for a moment, pleased when Bonnie woke up from her nap long enough to walk over to be petted.

  "I guess I do need to make some decisions, huh, Bonnie?" she asked, rubbing the dog's long soft ears. "All this time I've been content with my life, content to just live ... not get too emotionally involved. Afraid to get hurt again."

  Bonnie glanced up, her velvet brown eyes softening in what seemed to be understanding. Dinah pressed a kiss to the top of her nose. "But that's not really fair to anyone, is it?"