Random Acts (10 page)

“Nope, I have nothing else going on tonight.” Danielle leaned the rake against the tree. She charged the leaf pile, kicking up the leaves just as Ava had done. The little girl squealed in delight. Danielle smiled as bittersweet tears pricked her eyes.
She and Jenny used to play like this.
Ava hung back a second before joining Danielle. They crossed paths, then turned around and ran back toward the pile. Ava, in her eagerness, bumped into Danielle, and the child landed on her backside in the pile of leaves.

Horrified she had hurt her, Danielle extended her hand. “I’m sorry.”

Ava’s serious face broke into a huge smile. She dug her hands under the leaves and threw them up at Danielle. Danielle bent down and scooped up another bunch and tossed them gently over Ava.

“Looks like I’ve interrupted something?”

Danielle spun around. Patrick stood with his arms crossed, a smile playing on his lips. Ava scrambled to her feet and ran past Danielle. “Daddy.”

Patrick planted a kiss on the crown of his daughter’s head and pulled her into an embrace. “How’s my Snugglebugs?”

“
Dad
…” Ava wiggled loose from his grip. Her cheeks bloomed red.

Patrick’s green eyes locked with Danielle’s. She couldn’t read his expression, but her chest tightened, and she quickly averted her eyes. He picked a dried leaf from Ava’s hair. “Does Bunny know you left the yard?”

“I can see the house from here.” Ava bit her lower lip.

“You know better.” Patrick’s tone made the little giggly girl grow solemn. Instinctively, Danielle wanted to tell Ava it was okay but realized it wasn’t her place. Ava was lucky to have a father who loved her dearly.

Ava opened her mouth to protest, but snapped it shut, apparently thinking better of it. She smiled tightly. “Thanks, Miss Danielle, for letting me jump in the leaves.” She lifted her eyebrows in a way Danielle was beginning to realize was uniquely her. “If you want, I can help rake them tomorrow.”

“Even I know when to surrender.” Danielle smiled brightly, trying to convey to Ava everything was all right.

The little girl’s brow furrowed.

“I’m going to hire someone to do the rest.”

“Oh,” Ava said in understanding. Suddenly her face lit up. “Can Miss Danielle come over for Sunday dinner?”

Patrick’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and then he quickly schooled his expression. “I’m sure Miss Danielle has other plans tonight.”

“No, she doesn’t. She told me she didn’t. And Bunny always makes too much food. She’s always saying she cooks for an army.”

A slight curve tugged at the corner of Patrick’s mouth. “Miss Danielle, would you and your grandmother like to join us for dinner?”

“Oh…” Danielle searched for an excuse in the leaves blanketing the yard.

“Please,” Ava pleaded, her green eyes glowing with excitement. “Dad, come on. Tell her she has to come.”

Patrick lifted an eyebrow, his eyes twinkling. “Ava’s persistent. You may as well face the inevitable.”

Danielle ran a hand across her hair and pulled out a leaf. “Let me clean up at least.”

“Yay!” Ava jumped up and down. “Come over as soon as you can.”

Patrick glanced down at his watch. “Make it six.”

As she headed to put the rake away, she turned to watch Patrick walk hand in hand with his daughter to their house. She felt momentary panic. Her heart raced and her mouth grew dry. Was she actually looking forward to the evening? Or dreading it?

She had two hours to decide.

Chapter Eight

The fragrant aroma from the sauce bubbling on the stove made Patrick’s stomach growl. Unable to resist, he reached for the wooden spoon, and Bunny rewarded him with a swift swat on his hand.

“Don’t you dare,” Bunny said, slanting him a glance. She picked up the spoon and stirred the sauce for good measure. She put the lid back on the pot before stepping away from the stove.

“Just a little taste.” Patrick lifted his hand, holding his thumb and index finger an inch apart.

“You can wait for our guests to arrive.” His mother glanced at the clock on the wall. The big hand had recently swept past the hour mark. “Shouldn’t they be here already?” Annoyance laced her tone, making Patrick wonder if this had been such a good idea.

“They’ll be here soon.” Patrick slipped into the kitchen chair across from his daughter. Ava shot him a furtive glance, then went back to drawing butterflies and flowers with chalk on a piece of purple construction paper.

“I’m making a picture for Miss Danielle,” Ava announced.

“I see.” Patrick planted his elbow on the table and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. Ava was growing very fond of Danielle. He understood. But what would happen when she left? His daughter would be crushed. Maybe he should put the brakes on whatever it was he was doing with Danielle before anyone else got hurt. Keep it strictly business.

After all the pain his daughter had already experienced in her short life, his heart ached. He wanted to protect her from all of life’s disappointments. But life didn’t work that way, did it?

The doorbell chimed and Ava bolted from her seat, her art project flapping in her hand behind her as she raced for the front door. She undid the lock, tucked the paper under her arm and pulled the handle with both hands.

A crisp breeze whirled into the foyer, and Patrick grabbed the door to stop it from slamming against the wall.

“Hi, Miss Danielle,” Ava bounced on the balls of her feet. “I made you something.” She pressed her masterpiece against the screen door to show Danielle.

“Oh, it’s beautiful.” Danielle stood under the porch light, her auburn hair flowing over her shoulders, billowing in the breeze. She held a large bouquet of flowers in one hand and a covered pie plate in the other. A breath hitched in Patrick’s throat.

“Let the woman in,” Bunny called from the kitchen.

Feeling a little sheepish for staring, Patrick reached past his daughter and pushed open the screen door. Danielle stepped into the foyer and placed the pie on the front-hall table. Separating the bouquet into two bunches, she handed one to Ava. “Thank you for having me.” Ava’s green eyes lit up. Such pure joy.

Patrick glanced down at the remaining flowers in Danielle’s hand. “For me?”

A smile tipped the corners of Danielle’s delicate lips. She held up the pink and purple flowers. “I thought they’d match your eyes.”

Ava frowned, her brow furrowing like it did whenever she got confused. “No they don’t.”

“I believe she’s being sarcastic.” Bunny approached the group, her face in a pinched expression, rubbing her forearms. “There’s a chill in the air. Come in. Close the door.”

Patrick pushed the door closed, brushing past Danielle as they jockeyed for position in the tight foyer. The clean scent of her hair tickled his nostrils. He lingered for the briefest of moments, enjoying the proximity.

When he stepped back, Danielle offered the flowers to Bunny, who handed them to Ava. “Child, put some water in the glass vase on the hutch and set them on the kitchen cabinet.”

His daughter skipped away with the flowers, always happy to have a job of some importance.

“Gram thanks you for the invitation, but she’s tired,” Danielle said, wringing her hands in front of her.

“I understand. I’ll send you home with a plate for her,” Bunny said. “I’m sorry about your sister. We’re praying for her at church.”

“Thank you.” Color infused Danielle’s cheeks. “And this…” Danielle picked up the dish she had set down. “I brought a pie. It’s one of those frozen ones you heat up. I hope it’s okay. It’s all I could find at the grocery store on a Sunday.”

Bunny waved her hand in dismissal. “I’m sure it’s just fine.” Her lips curved into a small smile, but her eyes seemed flat. “I already made a dessert anyway.”

The color on Danielle’s porcelain cheeks grew deeper.

“We missed you at church service this morning.” Bunny’s perfectly groomed brow arched in disapproval. Without waiting for an answer, she added, “If I remember, your mother wasn’t much of a churchgoer either.”

“Mother, I don’t imagine our guest wants to be interrogated,” Patrick said.

“I’m just—”

“Bunny…” Patrick scooped the plate from Danielle’s hands and angled his face away from her to give his mother his best be-good stare.

Smiling, Patrick turned to Danielle and slipped his hand in hers and led her to the kitchen. “Sorry about that,” he whispered in her ear, “she has a certain charm.”

“I remember.” Danielle pulled free from his grasp and smoothed her hands on her jeans. He immediately missed its warmth. “Maybe my coming over here wasn’t such a good idea,” she whispered, her long hair brushing against his cheek. He had to refrain from reaching out, touching her hair, breathing in its clean scent. His resolve to keep her at arm’s length was quickly deteriorating.

Ava popped up from where she had been collecting the vase from the bottom cabinet. “Bunny made my favorite dinner.” She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly. “Spaghetti and meatballs.”

The spicy aroma of sauce and garlic made Patrick’s stomach growl. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“I am.” Danielle stood with her hands clasped in front of her.

“Well, go on now.” Bunny stepped into the kitchen and shooed them away. “Go on now and have a seat. Dinner is about to be served.”

“Can I help with anything?” Danielle asked.

“No. You’re a guest.” Bunny picked up a tray of garlic bread and shoved it toward Patrick. “
You
can carry this.”

Once in the dining room, Patrick pulled out a chair for Danielle, taking the opportunity to whisper in her ear, “I’m glad you made it.”

Danielle looked up, a question in her wide eyes.

When Ava entered the room, Patrick asked, “Did you wash your hands?”

“Yes, Dad.” The young girl seemed exasperated. She plopped down in her seat and stared across at Danielle. “Are you moving in next door?”

Danielle visibly swallowed. “No, I’m only visiting. I’ll have to get back to my law practice soon.”

“You keep bad guys out of jail, right?” His daughter’s eyes rose expectantly. “Like on the cop shows on TV?”

Both Bunny and Patrick turned toward Ava at the same time. The young girl shrugged. “Sometimes when I’m flipping the channels I see them.”

“No, not that kind of lawyer,” Danielle said, a smile in her voice. Patrick tried to imagine her in a crisp black suit arguing cases in a court of law. Danielle exuded a quiet confidence she’d lacked when she was a teenager. “I work for a law firm that mostly handles corporate real estate. We help people buy and sell office buildings downtown.”

Ava nodded, a tiny line creasing her forehead. “So you don’t help people buy houses or anything?”

“Sometimes, but not often.”

“Oh.” Ava shifted toward her grandmother. “Bunny sells houses. Maybe you could move here and work in her office.”

Bunny and Danielle locked eyes. Tension zinged between them. The older woman spoke first. “My office is not very exciting.”

“Are you showing houses next Saturday, Bunny?” Ava asked, twisting the noodles on her fork.

“Dear, you know Saturday is my busiest day at the office.”

“Maybe Miss Danielle can take me to the fall festival at church. Jenny was going to take me…” Her small voice drifted off.

“Ava, we’ll talk about that later. It’s a week away,” Patrick said, keenly aware of Danielle’s gaze on him.

“But you said you had to work and Bunny has to show houses…” Ava shifted in her seat, a pout on her lips.

Danielle shrugged. “I don’t mind. One way or another, I’ll be here next weekend.”

“You’ll be here that long?” Patrick asked, trying to keep his tone casual.

“I’ll be back and forth.”

Patrick nodded and watched Danielle spread her napkin over her lap. His precious daughter stabbed a meatball, a brilliant smile lighting up her face.

“Yay! I’m going to the fall festival with Miss Danielle.”

Patrick’s contented mood evaporated. How would his daughter deal with it when Danielle left for good?

The delicate teacup clinked against the matching saucer. “Thank you, Mrs. Kingsley. Dinner was delicious,” Danielle said.

“Please, call me Bunny. Everyone else does. I’m sorry your grandmother wasn’t feeling up to the company.” Bunny’s eyes drifted to the stairs where Patrick had ascended with his daughter to tuck her in for the night. “I’ll be sure to make her a plate.”

“Thank you.” Danielle crossed her legs and adjusted the napkin on her lap, smoothing the soft white linen across her thigh.

“So—” Bunny turned her assessing gaze to rest squarely on her guest, “—how long
do
you plan on staying in town? I know how real estate is. It’s not something you can be away from for long.”

Danielle cleared her throat. “There are people in my office to handle my clients, if necessary.” She neglected to mention Tina Welch. There was no one to help Tina while she was gone.

Bunny lowered her chin, her perfectly sculpted bob didn’t move. Her lips spread into a thin line. “That’s okay with you? Handing your clients over to your coworkers?”