Project Love (Cascade Brides Series) (21 page)

“
Does she need any help?”

Charity shook her head. “I already helped her set
everything up.”

Daniel eased down next to her and debated whether or not
to take her hand. He cleared his throat. “I went over your
fund-raiser paperwork. It's impeccable, and means the committee is
actually a little bit ahead of schedule.”

“
Thanks,” she said, her attention on Holly's bedroom
door. “I've had a lot of practice.”

“
Fund-raising?”

“
Working with charities—” She wrinkled her nose.
“Working with projects and causes and stuff.”

“
You've been a tremendous help. Thank you.”

She sent him an absent smile. “No problem.”

“
Will you still be attending the auction?”

Charity looked at her hands. “I'm...I haven't thought
that far ahead.”

“
Would you consider going as my date?”

A pause. “I'll let you know as the time gets closer.”

“
Why not now?”

Her eyes sought his. “Because we might not be getting
along at that time.”

“
So your answer is...pending?”

She bit her lip. “Why do you always have to push?”

Daniel struggled to
avoid a frown. “Why do you always have to push
away?
”

Charity opened her mouth to speak but Holly's door
suddenly opened.

Stifling a sigh, he turned his attention across the
room. Holly brought out two easels, then returned with one shrouded
canvas, followed by another.

“
If for some reason, these aren't what you had in
mind,” she said, a slight shakiness to her voice, “then you're
not obligated to purchase them for the auction.” Taking a breath,
she turned and pulled away the shrouds.

Daniel stood up to get a better look. In an
arts-and-crafts town like Portland, he had no idea what to expect,
but he had to admit his surprise. Colorful brushwork slowly
materialized into recognizable forms. “These are superb, Holly.
Really amazing. It's like I think I'm seeing one thing, then realize
it's something altogether different.”

She colored up at his words, then lifted her chin as if
the praise had been expected all along. “There is the matter of
price. You didn't mention your budget, but I'm asking five hundred
apiece.”

“
Done.” He smiled and held out his hand. “I
suspect they'll go for more at the auction.”

“
Do you think so?” Her hand trembled slightly in his
before she pulled it away.

“
I do. And the office manager of my firm might be
interested in seeing your portfolio if you have other pieces
available for sale.” He pulled a business card from his wallet and
handed it to her. “Give me a call next week and I'll have her
contact you for an appointment.”

Holly's eyes gleamed. “Great. Thanks, Daniel.” She
released a breath. “I'll get these wrapped for you so you can take
them home tonight.”

“
That'd be great. Thanks again, Holly.”

She nodded before disappearing into her room.

“
Well, you just made her day,” Charity said,
bemused.

“
What can I say? She's a great artist.”

“
I found that out myself a few days ago.”

He raised a brow. “And yet you've lived with her how
many years?”

Charity put up her hand. “Don't start.” She headed
to the kitchen to clean up.

Daniel followed. “I just mean you might've known
earlier had you—”

“
Drawn her out?” Her eyes flashed. “Like I said,
I'm not perfect.”

“
Whoa, I'm getting a sense of deja-vu here.”

“
Maybe it's a message.”

“
Charity,” he said in a low voice.

Holly emerged from her room with bubble wrap and a large
roll of brown paper, ending the conversation. With an apologetic look
to Charity, he went over to help with the wrapping.

From the kitchen he
could hear the sounds of forks and cups landing in the sink none too
gently and his hopes of ending the evening on a high note deflated.
Me and my big mouth
.

It took about half an hour to carefully wrap the
canvases and bundle them down to his car. Afterward, Holly thanked
him for the opportunity and for dinner before disappearing into her
room.

Charity had finished
cleaning the kitchen. It literally gleamed from her efforts.
Yikes
.
Daniel wanted to talk to her but needed more privacy than the
apartment afforded.

“
Would you come down to the car with me?”

As she regarded him with a steady gaze, she seemed to be
debating the merits of either response. Finally, her shoulders sagged
and she followed him out the door.

Once the door was closed behind her, Daniel stopped on
the landing. “Charity, I'm sorry that I upset you.”

She leaned against the door and crossed her arms over
her chest. “I'm not sure why you're bothering to apologize since
I'm pretty sure upsetting me was your intent all along.”

“
Not 'upsetting'. I just want to talk things through.”

She shook her head. “This is why I broke it off,
Daniel. I don't want to play these word games with you. I don't want
to walk some tightrope every time we're together.”

He closed the gap between them but refrained from
touching her...for the moment. “I don't either. But we also need to
get some things out in the open.”

Her brow arched. “Like?”

Help me, Lord
.
Daniel dreaded making her angry, but he could see no other way to
have a healthy relationship. “You know I'm concerned about your
situation with your sisters.”

“
Which is my business.”

“
Mine, too, if we're going to be together.”

Her mouth compressed into a thin line.

“
And until you tell me flat out you don't want to see
me again...until you tell me you don't care about me, I'm going to
assume you do.”

“
I did try to tell you once,” she said, her tone
simmering.

“
And yet your kisses tell me something else.”

He was rewarded with a death stare for his comment, but
he plowed on. “Here's the rub, Charity. If you can't work out the
issue with your sisters, it will affect every relationship you have,
including ours. You think I want you to have some fluffy outcome with
your sisters on its own merit? That'd be great, but I have a little
more self-interest than that. Until you deal with your feelings for
them, you won't deal with your feelings for me.”

“
You're going too far,” she said, her voice
strained.

Daniel touched her arm, needing to be close to her. “All
I'm asking is this. If they call, pick up. Have the conversation. If
they're monsters, if they heap more rejection on you, then that's
that. You'll know where you stand.”

Charity swallowed. “They're probably not exactly
monsters.”

His hand moved to her shoulder where her dark hair hung
down in silky waves. “I'm just asking you to take the risk. The
outcome is never guaranteed.”

She looked away. “What if we have some big
reconciliation?”

“
Is that a bad thing?”

“
I honestly don't know.”

He smiled and looped a lock of her hair around his
finger. “If they don't want anything to do with you, then it's
their loss.”

“
Maybe they have a
good reason for wanting to avoid me. Maybe
I'm
the monster.”

“
You said they've tried to reach you, so I doubt
that's the case.”

She made a face.

Daniel stepped closer, but slowly, so she had the chance
to stop him.

She didn't. He touched her cheek with his knuckles,
reveling in the softness of her skin. “Do we have a deal?”

Her dark eyes shimmered in the low light from the
landing. “What if I say no?” she whispered.

“
I'll still love you. No matter what.”

“
But?” she said, sounding a little breathless.

“
But I just don't want there to be a pattern of
avoidance and denial in our relationship. I just want us to have a
fresh start...a real chance.”

She gazed up at him, her cheeks flushed. Daniel felt
like he could see every emotion in her eyes. She may have had some
idea she could hide her thoughts, but her eyes gave everything away.
That's how he knew she wasn't the bubbly, happy-go-lucky barista.
That's how he knew she was hurting. And that's how he knew she was
open to being kissed at this very moment.

“
So I don't have to seek them out?”

“
Just respond if they call. That's all.”

Her mouth quirked. “I have a feeling there's more to
it than that.”

His gaze dropped to her lips. “I can't tell the
future. I can only appreciate the situation at hand.”

“
That sounds so engineery.”

He smiled. “Charity, can I kiss you?”

“
I feel like you're using undue influence on me.”

“
I have to press the advantage where I can.”

She reached up and wrapped her fingers around his tie.
Giving it a tug, she met him halfway.

Daniel slid his arms around her waist, exulting in her
response.

Maybe there was hope after all.

***

I am such a pushover
.

Charity rubbed lemon oil into the appliances early the
next morning at work, wondering why she'd acquiesced to Daniel's
weird demands.

All he had to do was kiss me, and I'm all 'oh okay
I'll take my sister's call no problemo'
.

Ever since the moment he'd left, her stomach had been in
knots, waiting for the dreaded call. And yet she also knew the phone
might never ring.

So her worries might be unfounded.

Or life was about to take a turn for the worse.

In a way she just wanted it over with. Take the call,
meet and greet, then cheerfully ignore each other for the next
decade. Maybe her sisters felt the same way, worrying every time
their phones rang that it might be her.

Not like they had any reason to feel that way. She
hadn't been the one bossing and demeaning them at every turn. No,
she'd been the sickly one, the one who didn't understand why her mom
wasn't getting better. The one who never stopped asking where her
father had gone. The one who always needed medical care aside from
Mom.

I was the needy one. The clingy one.

I was the Evelyn
.

The damp rag dropped from Charity's fingers. She pressed
a hand to her head, wondering if she was coming down with Daniel's
cold.

“
Everything okay?” Jessie asked, coming up behind
her. He scooped up the rag and held it out.

“
Um, yeah. Thanks.” She took the rag and went to the
sink to wash it out.

“
Are you sure? Because you don't look too chipper.”

“
Is that all you care about?” Charity asked moodily.
“My attitude?”

“
It's what my customers care about. Happy customers
make a business succeed. So yeah, your attitude affects my business.
Actions have consequences. It's a symbiotic thing, you know?”

She turned to him and frowned, wanting to change the
subject. “What if it's the pastries?”

His brows went up. “Huh?”

“
Yesterday I had to
throw out a bunch of unsold product. Mostly pastries. Doesn't
that
affect your bottom line?”

He leaned against the counter. “How many did you throw
away?”

“
Twenty.”

He made a face. “Ouch.”

“
Yep.”

“
What else got tossed?”

“
Just a few unsold muffins. And by the way, instead of
throwing them all out, can we give them to a mission or something? It
seems like such a waste.”

“
We were able to last year. But there's some new law.
A person got sick or something, so now no one can give out day old
breads or food past the pull date.”

“
Well, phooey.” Charity wrung out the rag. “Hey,
you said you would ask the bakery about scones. Have you done that?”

“
Totally forgot.”

“
Make a note, okay? It's the season for scones.”

He put up his hands. “All right, I'll make the call.
But you'll be happy to note I did get approval for the care home
auction poster.”

“
Oh, that's good.”

“
You sound
so
excited.”

“
My feelings have no bearings on the matter, Jessie.”

“
I'm telling you it's symbiotic.”