Project Love (Cascade Brides Series) (3 page)

Charity shot a dark look in Daniel's direction, deciding
she was no longer interested in drawing out the recalcitrant man.

Chapter Three

The following week, Charity felt the weight of the
weather. If oppressive heat wasn't good for her, neither was chill
damp. Her chest ached. She'd had to use her abuterol inhaler daily,
which was a bit unusual. It had rained steadily since Monday. The
little bits of ivy that had been missed in her abatement efforts was
no doubt reconstituting like jungle weed, mocking her efforts. And
now as Thursday began, she was faced with another empty weekend.

Jill popped her head in the door. “Hey, is Jessie
around?”

“
He's on break,” Charity said, glad to see a face
that wasn't gloomy. “Want me to go get him?”

Jill twiddled with one long braid. “Um, nah. I just
have another poster I'd like to put up. Don't know if I'd get a
better response with or without his permission.”

“
Let's see it,” Charity said.

Jill entered the shop and headed to the counter. She
slid a new poster toward Charity. “This one is a little late, but
still could help. It's for raising awareness on pet altering. They're
looking for volunteers to hold signs on the roads near the animal
clinic where they'll be doing free neutering and spaying Sunday.”
She shook her head. “Too many unwanted litters, you know?”

Charity stared at the poster which showed an adorable
puppy surrounded by fluffy kittens. “I'd love to get a kitten.”

“
The animal clinic is also having a reduced cost
adoption day the following week. You should check it out.”

Shoulders slumping, Charity propped her chin in her
hand. When she was ten, she'd found a stray kitten, fluffy orange and
half-starved, near the edge of the woods. But when she got it home,
her sisters freaked and demanded she take it back.
I would've put
up more of a fight if my eyes weren't almost swollen shut from the
little kitty
. “Actually, I have allergies. Probably couldn't
get any critters even if I wanted to.”

“
Well, if you do, think
rescue
, 'kay?”

“
Okay. And I'll put up the poster. I can't imagine
Jessie would be upset when it's only good for a couple of days.”
With a quick check to make sure the shop's current customers were not
in need of service, she followed Jill outside.

“
This one can go,” she said, peeling up the ivy
abatement group poster.

“
Even better,” Jill said, replacing it with the new
poster next to
Canticle For Liebowitz
. She rolled up the old
poster, stuck it in one of the pockets of her overalls, then brushed
her hands together. “There.”

“
It's a bit crooked.”

Charity twisted around at the sound of a male voice. She
was shocked to see Daniel standing under the awning, grimacing at the
poster.

“
So it is,” Jill said good-naturedly. She reached
out and corrected the oversight.

Daniel cleared his throat. “I need some coffee.”

Charity raised her brows. “Well, you came to the right
place.”

He took a breath. “I mean, I have a rather large
order.”

“
I'll catch you later,” Jill said, giving a quick
wave before heading down the sidewalk.

“
See you soon!” Charity turned back to Daniel. He
wore his usual white button down, askew tie, and dark slacks. A shaft
of weak sunlight between the awnings picked out lighter brown
highlights in his dark hair. “I guess we should go in and make it
official.”

He nodded as if distracted. “Uh, lead the way.”

Okie dokie
. Charity reached up to pull open the
heavy glass door, but Daniel beat her to it. Holding it open, he
ushered her ahead.

Jessie was at the counter when they entered, a quizzical
look on his face.

“
Drink order,” she said by way of explanation.
Slipping behind the counter, she faced Daniel with a professional
countenance.

He stared at her for a moment, then dug in his pockets.
A moment later he pulled out a scrap of paper. “Okay, I need three
large macchiatos, two medium and one large Americano, one small caf
é
au lait, and three medium coffees with cream.”

Jessie began the order as Daniel handed the list to her.
She looked at the dark, scrawled handwriting and was glad he'd read
it out. There was no way she could decipher such penmanship. Charity
looked up at him. “Is that everything? No pastries or cookies?”

“
That's everything,” he said, straightening.

“
So nothing for you?”

His eyes widened. “Oh, yeah, could you add a large
black coffee to the list?”

Charity smiled, finding his distracted air somewhat
amusing. She turned to assist her boss.

“
You gonna need help getting these back to the
office?” Jessie asked Daniel.

“
Oh, yeah, I guess so.”

“
Charity, better grab your coat.”

Keeping her face composed, Charity went to the back
room. It wasn't an unusual request. She'd taken orders to nearby
businesses before. This was no different than any of those other
times. So why was her pulse fluttering? After pulling on her
cardigan, she returned to the counter. Jessie had assembled several
drink carriers into a doable configuration.

“
How far are we going?” she asked.

Daniel picked up the fullest carrier. “Two blocks. I
think the rain has let up.”

Charity went to the other side of the counter and
grabbed the second carrier. “Lead the way.”

He looked at her for a moment, his face registering her
words. “Uh, yeah.”

Jessie went ahead to hold open the door.

Once they were outside, Charity inhaled the moist air.
Despite making it hard to breathe, she loved the smell of the rain,
especially when the leaves were rotting and the moss was creeping.
Right now, however, it smelled a little like wet exhaust.

“
This way,” Daniel said, and hurried up the
sidewalk, dodging the empty caf
é
tables and chairs. He took her up the street that led to the
busier road populated almost exclusively with heavy-duty businesses
such as law offices and architectural firms, all in a mix of old
brick and new steel construction.

Struggling to keep up with his long stride, she noticed
the way the passing cars and bicyclists wavered in the damp. The
chill had given way to a rising heat.
Ugh,
she thought as
sweat prickled along her skin.
I didn't need my cardigan.

A security officer held open the door of a shiny glass
office building, nodding at Daniel as he passed. Daniel paused inside
the door and held out the drink carrier. The guard looked at the
marked cups and pulled one from the formed cardboard.

“
That's real nice of you. Mr. Tabor. Thanks so much.”

Mr. Tabor. Daniel Tabor
. Charity regarded her
customer, silently testing the name.

“
No problem,” Daniel said. He smiled at the guard.

She blinked. That smile changed everything. Gone were
the lines of strain and soulful brown eyes. A flash of white teeth
and even the slight flicker of a dimple arrested her.
Whoa, momma
.

When he looked back at her with his usual expression,
she almost wondered if she'd imagined the sight. He turned and headed
down a hallway.

They stopped at several doors in a building filled with
retro furnishing, twisty metal wall art, and anonymous wooden doors
leading into glassed-in offices. Daniel tapped lightly with his foot
and employees came to each door, delighted with the coffee.
Apparently Daniel had done it as a treat. Several women sent him
especially warm smiles. A couple flicked condescending looks her way,
which she met with impassive disinterest.

Once all the coffee was handed out, Daniel disposed of
the carriers in a recycling container designated for cardboard
situated in the break-room. Then he led her back to the main doors.

“
Everyone seemed surprised by the coffee.”

He glanced back at her as they walked silently down the
carpeted hall. “Oh, yeah, I thought it would be something nice on
such a dreary day.”

“
Ah.”

They exited the building after another nod and smile
toward the guard.

Charity stopped just outside the door. “Thank you for
choosing Rose City Java for your beverage needs.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Oh, no problem.”

“
Maybe I'll see you tomorrow...Mr. Tabor.”

Brown eyes surveyed her. Serious brown eyes. “You can
call me Daniel.”

“
Okay, Daniel. Thanks again.”

“
Wait, I'll walk you back to the coffee shop.”

She sent him a funny look. “I know the way back, so no
worries.”

“
I know you do,” he said gravely. “But I still
want to walk you back.”

“
Oh, okay.” Charity clasped her hands together and
looked at him expectantly.

Ducking his head, Daniel started off down the sidewalk
at a slower pace than the previous trip.

She had no clue why he wanted to walk her two blocks.
Maybe he just wanted an excuse to get out of a stuffy office...into
the stuffy air outside. Hmm. She shot looks in his direction as they
strolled, wondering why he'd never smiled at her in all the months
he'd been a customer at Rose City Java.

Charity licked her lips. “Are you in any way unhappy
with my service?”

He paused mid-step and looked down at her with a frown.
“Unhappy? Of course not.” His frown deepened as he shoved his
hands in his pants pockets and resumed walking. “Am I not tipping
enough?”

She opened her mouth in surprise. “Oh, no! I mean,
you're extremely generous! That's not it at all.”

“
Then why the question?”

Oh, great. Me and my big mouth
.
What to say?
She firmed her lips
.
Why don't you smile at me? Yeah, right.
Charity floundered for
something sensible. “Um, I guess you seem so serious at the coffee
shop. I mean, you aren't chatty there like you are at work.”
Yikes.
Shoulda tried harder
.

“
I was chatty?”

She smiled nervously. “Well, compared to how you are
at the coffee shop...”

“
I don't know anyone at the coffee shop.” He cleared
his throat. “I mean, I am acquainted with a few people there but—”

“
But you haven't reached that all-important chatting
stage?”

A muscle jumped in his jaw. “I guess.”

They arrived at the shop. “Well, thanks for walking me
back. It was very kind.”

Daniel stopped and regarded her with a strange
expression. Then his gaze went to the posters in the window. “Can I
ask a personal question?”

Charity stiffened, wondering what was coming next. “Uh,
sure.”

“
How old are you?”

Wasn't expecting that!
She narrowed her eyes.
“I'm twenty-four. What about you?”

“
Twenty-seven.” He shook his head. “You look so
young. I wasn't sure whether you were even eighteen.”

She lifted her chin. People thinking she was younger
than her years was a common annoyance. It went hand in hand with
thinking she was weak and stupid, too. “Eighteen is very much in my
rearview mirror. Why?”

His eyes widened with something akin to panic. “Why?”
He looked toward the posters as if for answers. “Uh, would you like
to hear a canticle?”

“
What?” She glanced between him and the poster.
“Right
now?
”

Daniel closed his eyes briefly. “No, not like that. I
mean, at my church. I attend the Lutheran fellowship in the
neighborhood. The services are high church, liturgical, if that makes
sense.”

It didn't.
“High
church...meaning canticles?”

A corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. “Yes.
Would...you be interested in attending with me Sunday?”

It was Charity's turn to panic when she realized he was
asking her on a date...a church date, even. Her heart thudded dully
in her chest. If the local community church in her neighborhood was
nosy, surely something as formal as a Lutheran church would be even
more so. And going with Daniel? The man who refused to smile? What
was up with that?

A new notion occurred to her that sent her thoughts into
a tailspin. Oh, no, this was not a date. This was
outreach
. He
was concerned for her soul. Probably had some church-sponsored goal
of asking ten people throughout the week. Maybe that was why he
brought his co-workers coffee. Trying to butter them up or something.
Daniel saw her not as a potential friend but as a goal to be reached.
Her sliver of pleasure at running an errand with him shriveled up and
died.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Jessie in the
window, waving her in. Several patrons stood at the counter waiting
to be served. Charity glanced up at Daniel, struggling to find the
right words. Her gaze fell on the posters. Then focused on the
puppies.