Finding Love in Payton (14 page)

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."

"From 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?"

She thought of Bryan, of her parents ... of Jeremy.
Each was there for her. She only needed to decide how
much she was willing to give to Jeremy. Was she
ready to love again? To maybe get hurt?

With the way her body felt like jelly every time she
was near Jeremy, Dinah had a feeling that she already
had her answer.

She already was falling in love again ... and it
didn't matter whether she thought she was ready or
not.