“Sure, kiddo,” Alison said as she slid the glass doors open. “We’ll make cutout cake slices.”
Their voices trailed off as she slid the door closed behind them. She refused to have the rest of this conversation before virtual strangers so Paige turned to the other side of the table.
“Tuck, Alex, could you give us a few minutes?” Paige asked and waited until the men closed the door.
“It’s nice, dear, that you enjoy the school work,” said Dot, a patronizing note in her voice that was the opposite of the slightly uncomfortable expression on her face. She seemed to bite her tongue for a moment.
“I like my job, Mother—”
Dot cut her off. “But the fact remains that your talent is above decorating school libraries or a child’s bedroom. We only want what’s best for you.” She pressed her fingers to her temple again. “So stressful, wanting the best for children who don’t listen. Hank?”
He nodded and stood, not saying a word.
“Think about what I said, dear. Your work could be hanging in a real gallery if you would only apply yourself.”
Paige didn’t trust herself to reply with the calm she’d perfected over the past few years. So she focused her attention on gathering the plates left at the table. A few minutes later, Dot and Hank were gone. The door slid open.
“And I thought my parents were disappointed when I decided to hike for a living,” Tuck said. His flippant words had the desired effect. The ice chilling the backyard thawed and talk turned to football and Alison’s work at a local winery.
Kaylie skipped onto the deck and finished her juice before running back to the swing set, certain the trapeze was ready for her this time. Alison gathered two serving bowls and started for the kitchen; Tuck followed with the platters of chicken, leaving Paige and Alex alone on the porch.
“I really did think your painting was good.”
“Thanks.” Her word was a whisper, and when she caught sympathy in his gaze she knew a hint of pain still shone through her green eyes. “I’m sorry about that. Alison was supposed to call them to cancel but she forgot.” Paige tossed her napkin on her plate. “I should have been the one to call, but somehow they can still make me feel so small.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“I’ve seen worse.”
“No, you haven’t.”
“I changed my major from accounting to natural sciences my sophomore year. My dad was an accountant. His dad. My mother’s brother. My parents thought I was turning into a hippie or something.”
“Really?” Paige finally looked at him. Alex nodded. “I keep telling myself I won’t do that to Kaylie. I want to be her support, her encouragement. Not a stumbling block to her happiness.”
“Then you will be.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“You’re doing a great job, from what I’ve seen, so far.”
Paige felt herself glow at the compliment. “Thank you.”
Alex shrugged. He was quiet for a long moment, watching the little girl across the yard. He could see this becoming a normal part of his life. He’d always wanted family, kids. And, yeah, he thought that was over when Dee died, but maybe...
Kaylie climbed to the top of the ladder and squinted her eyes at the trapeze swinging lightly in the breeze.
Alex held his breath when she flexed her knees, still studying the handrail. Then she reached forward and jumped. Caught the handle, swung forward and back a few times, giggling madly across the yard. When the trapeze slowed, she dropped to the ground and circled back to the ladder.
“Good job, sweetpea,” Paige called across the yard, clapping for the little girl.
Paige was right. The two of them were a unit. They didn’t need him, not the way he suddenly seemed to need them.
“Would you like to go to dinner sometime? Just us?” The words escaped before he could pull them back. Paige turned, green eyes wide. She swallowed and put her hand to her throat.
“Why? What?” Paige asked, her voice unsteady.
Even if he could, Alex didn’t want to take the words back. He wanted more days like this one.
Maybe Paige and Kaylie were his second chance. Different from what he’d imagined, but second chances didn’t come along every day.
Maybe moving fast was worth the risk. So he repeated himself.
“Do you want to go to dinner sometime? Just the two of us?”
PAIGE REACHED FOR her glass, took a slow sip of tea. Have dinner?
No, that was a bad idea, with a capital B and I for emphasis.
They were supposed to keep this friendly, get to know one another.
Still, her heart had leaped in her chest at his words, and she knew they were so much more than friendly.
Her reaction was similar to the ones she’d had toward her crushes in high school. The flying feeling that accompanied her wild trip to Texas over spring break; the excitement at seeing how her father’s face practically glowed when he learned she was dating one of his students. Every single one of those situations had ended with a loud implosion and weeks of Paige picking herself up and putting herself back together.
Dinner was an exceptionally bad idea.
She finished her glass and, because her hands wanted to fidget, she set the glass away from her and then folded them primly in her lap. Squeezed her fingers until her knuckles turned white as a reminder to remain calm. Poised. Fidgeting was a sign of weakness according to Dot; weakness was not tolerated.
“Are you asking me out on a date?” She wished the words back but it was too late.
Alex slipped his finger around the middle of his glass, making a gap in the condensation on the outside. “Yeah, I am.”
Paige looked through the sliding glass doors, but Alison was nowhere to be seen. For that matter neither was Tuck, and Kaylie was across the yard at the sandbox, having given up on swinging from the trapeze. No one to come to her rescue. No one to interrupt what was going to be a very uncomfortable conversation.
She cleared her throat. “Why?”
“Because you interest me. No one has interested me in...well, a long time.” He squinted as he looked into the bright afternoon sunshine. “I want to get to know you. Dinner seems like a good option.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We barely know each other.”
“That’s how dating usually starts—with two people who don’t really know each other but who want to get to know one another.” He finished his tea. “I think it would be good if I knew Kaylie’s mom a little better.”
Kaylie was the perfect excuse to turn him down, Paige decided. “I don’t date, not really. I especially don’t date men who have a connection to my daughter. She’s just a little girl, she can’t understand the emotions that go into dating—or stopping dating, for that matter.”
“It’s only dinner. A chance for me to get to know Paige, not just Kaylie’s mom. A chance for you to understand Alex rather than the anonymous number on the sperm-donor sheet.”
“We did that already. Coffee last Friday, remember? You know I’m a schoolteacher, I know you’re a park ranger and we’ve already agreed that you’ll start out as Kaylie’s friend before we move to the more serious stuff.” She had to remain firm on this.