Sweet Baklava (23 page)

"Girl trouble?" she asked.

"Not really." He stabbed some of the lamb then slowly chewed it as she continued staring at him. Finally, he put down his fork and looked her in the eye. "Actually, I need some advice."

She looked pleased as she pulled out a chair and sat down. "It's about time. What can I help you with?"

He opened up to his mother about his confusion over what to do about Paula. She listened and nodded. It had been a long time since he'd poured out his feelings to her, and it felt good.

When he finished talking, her eyes glistened with tears as she reached for his hand. "You can't rush this, Nick."

"Rush it? But I thought you . . . well, I've loved her for years."

"Yes, I know, but you haven't been together for so long. Why don't you do things differently this time after you leave? Before you leave, tell her you're not giving up. Then send letters, call her, and visit more often."

He nodded. "I can do that."

"Give her time to gather her thoughts and know you mean business."

Nick laughed. "I absolutely do mean business."

She finally stood up and started clearing the table. Nick helped load the dishwasher. "If you don't have anything else for me to do around the house, I guess I can go help Aunt Phoebe with some more of the stuff she said Uncle Apollo's been too busy to do."

No matter how hard he tried, Nick couldn't stop thinking about how to convince Paula they should be together. Phone calls and letters seemed too easy. The next morning, he forced himself to wait until she had a chance to open the shop before he went to see her.

"How'd it go yesterday?" he asked.

"Amazing. Kate was totally open about everything, and Amanda loved church. She recognized a couple of the kids from school, and one of the boys actually came up and talked to her after you left."

"Amanda's a cute girl."

Paula nodded. "She has a fun personality too, once she lets down her guard."

They discussed the changes in Kate and Amanda for a few minutes before Nick managed to turn the conversation to the two of them. "I only have a little time left here, and I'd like to spend as much of it as possible with you. You need to understand that I plan to show you how much I care about you, Paula." He glanced down then looked back into her eyes. "I don't want another of my days here in Florida to go by without seeing you at least once."

Silence fell between them. His heart felt like it would jump out of his mouth. She finally nodded. "I'd like that."

Nothing was concrete besides the fact that they'd see each other every day before he went back to Texas. At least he had that.

A piece of Paula's heart went out the door with Nick. To her dismay, she loved him now more than ever, but she needed to remember that he was about to disappear again. She might not have been able to turn him down, but she could guard her heart in the time he had left in Tarpon Springs. Enough people had let her down before, and she couldn't expect anything to change.

P
aula pulled out her favorite dress then changed her mind. Nick had said he wanted to take her to Bern's, but she didn't want to go to such a romantic place right before Nick left. She'd suggest Crabby Bill's instead.

She pulled on some jeans, a tank top, and over-shirt then stepped into a pair of espadrilles. She tucked her hair behind her ears and put on her standard makeup—a dusting of powder, a touch of blush, some mascara, and tinted lip balm. After a close look in the mirror, she decided to add a little more color to her lips. Then she was ready to go.

Nick showed up on the dot as always. "Been waiting long?" He looked her up and down and grinned. "I guess we're going casual tonight, huh?"

"I guess."

"Care to clue me in? Tonight I want everything to be all about you."

Paula leaned away from him and shook her head. "Okay, what's up, Nick? What's going on? Are you planning to blindside me again with talk of marriage?"

"Maybe."

"You know how I feel. It's pointless to talk about something you can't follow through with."

A forced goofy expression washed over his face. "Are you saying you don't trust me?"

She sensed that she might have hurt his feelings, and he was trying to cover it up, so she playfully put a finger on her chin and gave him a goofy look right back. "That's open for discussion."

"Seriously, where would you like to go?"

"I'll give you a clue. They have the best baked oysters in the world."

"Crabby Bill's, huh?"

"Hey, you're good."

"You need to give me a harder clue next time. I'd sort of hoped to impress you more. You sure you want to go there?"

"Why wouldn't I be impressed by Crabby Bill's?" She gave him a teasing look.

"No reason. They do have good food."

Nick held the passenger door open for her then slid behind the wheel of the Town Car.

"I remember the first time we ever went out to dinner you took me to Crabby Bill's in Clearwater."

A slight grin played on his lips. "And I remember your reaction to baked oysters." He mimicked her "eww" sound and laughed.

"How was I supposed to know how good they are?"

"Good point. I suppose you needed someone to teach you about the finer things in life."

Paula thought about that for a few seconds and nodded. "Yes, you did teach me about a lot of the finer things in life."

"I didn't mean that like it sounded."

"I know, but you really did teach me a lot, Nick. My mother never had the money or the time to take me out to eat. In fact, she didn't even believe in cooking dinner every night. She said it got old very fast."

"That always baffled me," he said. "At my house, I could set the clock by dinnertime."

"Our backgrounds are so different I'm amazed we ever got together."

Nick put both hands back on the steering wheel. "I think that might have been some of the attraction—our differences, that is. I used to watch you and be amazed at the way you processed information. You saw things I never even noticed."

"And you were always so rock-solid steady. I'd never met anyone like you before."

He laughed. "I guess you and I were the heads of each other's fan clubs."

"I think you might have been the only member of mine. Everyone used to wonder what you saw in me."

"That's crazy. My family thought I was dating way out of my league, and they were thrilled about it. I think Mama was happy you came along and saved me from the Kates of the world."

"Speaking of Kate, did you know she's been in to talk to the pastor?"

"I'm not surprised, since you're involved."

Paula frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You have a way of getting people to see the important things in life. So do you know what they talked about?"

"According to Amanda, mostly her. The pastor convinced Kate that Amanda would get so much more out of church if the two of them went together."

"I agree," Nick said. "What does Kate think about it?"

Paula shrugged. "As far as I know, she's agreed to do it. She really loves her daughter."

"Why would she kick Amanda out of the house if she loves her so much?"

"Oh, that's another thing. I finally got Amanda to talk about it, and that was only half the story. Apparently, Kate was being truthful when she told us Amanda knew she wasn't really getting kicked out. They argue a lot, and when Kate gets really mad at her, she tells her if she's so smart, she can just leave and go take care of herself. This time, Amanda said she was gonna do it, and Kate pointed to the door."

"I can't imagine a mother telling her child to do that, even if she doesn't mean it."

"Maybe you can't," Paula said, "but I can."

"I don't remember your mom telling you to leave."

Paula leaned her head back and scrunched her face. "She's the one who always left, remember? My mom ran away from home more than any teenager I ever knew."

Nick nodded.

"Anyway, they had a fight, Amanda called her mom's bluff, and she hightailed it to my shop to tell on her mother, knowing she'd get some extra attention."

"So it was just harsh words spoken in the heat of an argument." Nick shook his head. "I should have figured that. You do realize Amanda manipulated you, right?"

"Yes, of course. I might be a bleeding heart, but I'm not blind. I recognize the need for attention when I see it."

He changed the subject. "So I'm glad my cousins are working out so well. Alexa seems to be in her element."

"Alexa is definitely in her element. She can run that place without me there. I have complete and total trust in her. She and Steph both have been lifesavers."

Nick smiled. "I'm glad, because according to the family rumor mill, Alexa's goal in life is to take your business international, and she's been working on some ideas."

"She does have some great ideas." International, huh? Paula had never dreamed that big, but it sure sounded good.

They were seated right away at Crabby Bill's. "Looks like we beat the crowd," Paula said. "Last time I drove by, there was a line out the door."

As soon as the server took their order, Nick propped his forearms on the table and leaned forward. "We need to talk about where we're going."

"Where
we're
going? You mean where
you're
going. I'm not going anywhere," Paula reminded him.

"I'm talking about with this relationship."

She shrugged. "I think the fact that you're leaving soon and I'm staying here makes that a moot point."

Nick smiled and leaned back. "Not necessarily."

"Long-distance relationships are hard," Paula said. "And I don't think that's such a good idea anyway."

"I don't want to keep talking about the same old thing."

"Then why do you keep bringing it up?"

"I think we can work through the problem, Paula. Where we live is just a place. You and I belong together. I think you know that as well as I do."

Paula couldn't deny she often thought that. She lowered her gaze and lifted her shoulders in a half-shrug.

"What if I decided not to reenlist when the time comes? I can come back to Tarpon Springs for good."

She looked up and met his gaze. "Would you be happy, though? Seriously, Nick, as much as you love the Air Force? We've already talked about that enough."

"At least you got it right this time," he said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Air Force. You used to say Army."

"Whatever. I don't think you'd be happy stuck in Tarpon Springs, working for your dad, no matter how many compromises we make."

Nick held her gaze for several seconds before he slowly nodded. "Paula, if I can have you, I'll always be happy, no matter where I am or what I'm doing."

The thought of Nick staying more than appealed to her, but she couldn't hold him back from his dreams. "No, I don't think that's such a good idea. You don't need to pin all your happiness on me. That's too much pressure for both of us, and you'd wind up resenting me and Tarpon Springs."

"Are you willing to at least give us another try, or do you just want to end it all right now?"

"Whoa." Paula fidgeted with the corner of her napkin. "You don't beat around the bush, do you?"

"I think we're past all that."

"True."

"Then answer me. Are we over for good, or do you think there's any hope for us?"

Paula wasn't about to lie, even if it meant baring her feelings to the one person who could still hurt her. Since he'd laid his feelings on the line, she looked him in the eye and blurted, "I never quit caring about you, Nick."

The corner of his lip twitched, but he didn't smile. "Does this mean what I hope it means—that one of these days we just might . . . well, you know . . ."

She propped her elbows on the table, folded her hands, and rested her chin on her hands. "If you're asking if we might wind up living happily ever after, it doesn't look possible, but . . ." She looked into his eyes. "I guess we can still see each other when you come to town."

"How about coming to see me in Texas?"

"That might be more difficult. I have a shop to run, remember?"

"Yes, and you have some key employees who can take over in your absence. You even said Alexa can run the place without you."

Paula pointed a finger at Nick. "You're right. I did say that."

"I might consider coming for a short visit," she said softly.

"That's all I needed to hear." Nick's grin widened, and her resolve all but melted away.

Paula was always smart, but Nick saw right through her tactic of steering the conversation back to his family, the shop— anything but their relationship or her feelings. Even though they started with the same old argument, she gave him a little more hope each time they were together. And he understood. After growing up the way she did, she was used to feeling abandoned. She wasn't about to put herself in that position again, which was why she didn't want to leave her business in someone else's hands and put her life completely in his.

Every now and then he caught Paula watching him, but when he looked her in the eye, she would glance away. She'd once told him that he was the only person who had a clue what she was thinking.

After dinner they drove to Crystal Beach and walked on the path that ran between the water and the church. They talked a little, but when silence fell between them, Nick felt the strongest connection.

They were almost at the end of the path when Nick stopped, turned Paula toward him, and pulled her close to his chest. He felt a slight bit of resistance, but she relaxed as he wrapped his arms around her. This felt right. Paula had always fit him so well, and that hadn't changed.

When she sighed, he knew it was a sign to release his grip, but he didn't let go completely. She leaned back and looked up at him, a silly grin on her face.

"What?"

She snickered. "Ya know there's a fine line between hugging and holding on so tight the other person can't escape."

He lifted an eyebrow with a challenging gaze. "Are you trying to escape?"

"Maybe."

"Want me to let go?"

She scrunched her face and shook her head. "Nah, I didn't say that."

"So are you saying you like hugging me?"

She bobbed her head. "If I tell you, where's the mystery?"

"Oh, trust me, Paula, with you there's always plenty of mystery."

"C'mon," she said as she pulled away, still holding onto one of his hands. "Let's head on back. I'm done with this walk."

He wanted to think that was all she was done with. As he held the car door, she stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss.

He grinned down at her. "What was that all about?"

"You just look so kissable I couldn't resist."

"Now that's something I need to practice."

"Don't. You'll lose some of the charm."

He tweaked her nose. After he closed the door and got into the driver's seat, he turned to her. "Where to now?"

"How about some ice cream at Strachan's?"

"Your wish is my command."

He got back on Alternate 19 and headed south. A few minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot and found a spot by one of the wooden cows.

"I miss stuff like this," he said.

"I can imagine." She hopped out of the car and waited for him to walk up to the tiny ice-cream shop. After she told him what she wanted, she glanced out the window. "Why don't I go save us a seat at a picnic bench outside?"

The girl behind the counter smiled. "You and your wife make such a cute couple."

Nick opened his mouth to set her straight, but the only thing that came out was, "Thanks."

"What would you like?"

He ordered two double ice-cream sundaes with everything. Paula hopped up to open the door for him then rubbed her hands together. "That looks yummy!" She grabbed her sundae, put it on the picnic table, and glanced at his. "Copycat."

"I know. I didn't want to get something different because you always make yours look so good."

Nick knew Paula was doing everything she could to keep things light, and he suspected this would continue for the duration of his time in Florida. As she chattered with her cute, funny quips, he knew he would never stop trying to prove that he was what she needed.