Georgia Sweethearts. Missy Tippens
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have small group meetings, Bible studies and—”
A forced laugh burst out of her, as if she was trying to blow off the painful glimpse of her childhood. “Now I feel like one of your projects.”
The ease with which she dismissed his concern spoke volumes. She was an expert at covering the hurt.
This wasn’t the time to talk business or marketing. “Just know the invitation stands. We’d love to have you anytime. We meet at ten o’clock Sunday mornings at Frank’s Pizza Place, downtown Corinthia.”
“At a restaurant?”
“Yeah. Frank’s a member of the congregation and offered the space. But it’s a tight fit. That, and the noise in the kitchen while they prep for lunch can be distracting.”
A tentative smile revealed a little dimple forming at the left corner of her mouth. She pulled her lips back over her teeth, almost self-consciously. “I imagine growling stomachs distract, as well.”
“Especially mine.”
When she laughed, his heart squeezed in his chest. He suddenly wished...what? That he could keep making her laugh?
She grabbed a cloth at the end of the counter and swiped it over the wooden surface, her dimple still in place. “I can’t keep up with the dust.”
He had no business wanting to make her laugh. He should pray for her, for God to heal her painful past. “I appreciate you showing me around. Hope to see you on Sunday.”
The moment of friendliness ended as she reestablished the barrier, eyes cooling, smile tempering. “Thank you for the information on the church services.”
Her insinuation? Thanks, but no thanks. He suspected she blamed God for her rough childhood. If so, would she ever agree to rent the space to a church?
* * *
Lilly had played phone tag for days before finally getting an appointment to meet with her great-aunt’s accountant, Mr. W. R. Andrews. Afterward, as she escaped his office, she wished she hadn’t bothered.
Jenna, manning the shop but leery of handling customers with a baby to watch, had asked Lilly to take Will with her to the appointment. Which hadn’t made the news easier to swallow.
Working around Will’s warm jacket, she strapped him in his car seat, kissed his cheek then closed herself in the front seat of the car. She shoved her hands into her hair, grabbed hold at the roots and tugged as she voiced the growling sound she’d wanted to make for the past half hour.
Will giggled as if she’d given the funniest performance ever.
Outside the confines of her vehicle, the peaceful little town of Corinthia mocked the turmoil inside her. A grand courthouse sat in the middle of the quaint downtown square, surrounded by little shops, a white-steepled church and a library. But nothing about the picturesque scene could calm her after the meeting she’d just had with Talitha’s tax guy.
She turned to Will. “You’re probably hungry, aren’t you, sweetie? Let’s go eat lunch.”
“Mama.”
“Mommy is working right now.” And would hopefully get in the swing of retail sales with a child around. “You get to eat lunch with me today,” she said with a smile, pitching her voice to reassure a tired, hungry boy who wanted his mommy. And who’d patiently sat through the appointment.
Apparently, Aunt Talitha’s record keeping left a lot to be desired. Nothing had been computerized. She’d thrown receipts in large manila envelopes and just filed them away at the end of each month. Mr. Andrews, a kind, elderly man who had patted Lilly’s hand and tried his best to reassure her, said that Talitha had piled everything in a box and brought it to him to deal with quarterly.
He’d then calmly informed her that he’d had to file for a tax extension while her great aunt had been sick, and that if Lilly would pile everything in a box and bring it to him, he would take care of it.
Her heart raced from thinking about it again. Lilly couldn’t afford to pay him for the hours it would take to wade through hoards of receipts. She needed to get a handle on the finances herself. Pull together the sales numbers and receipts into a file and then take it to Mr. Andrews to prepare the tax forms.
She took a deep, slow breath and tried to push away the worry.
One step at a time. Her job for the afternoon was to dig through all the records and come up with a new bookkeeping system. But only after feeding Will and—
A knock on the car window made her jump.
Daniel. Smiling at her.
His perfectly even, white teeth and movie-star-blue eyes set her on edge. Made her want to temper her own smile to hide the fact she’d never had braces to fix the slight overlap of her two front teeth.
She fumbled for her keys so she could get power to roll down the window. She still couldn’t figure him out—his good humor, his laughter, even when she hadn’t exactly welcomed him.
He’s offered to do the work I can’t ask Ned to do now that he’s left Jenna. She’d tried not to panic since Jenna had dropped the bomb about their separation. And now they had the additional worry over possibly having to pay an accountant for more hours than they’d anticipated.
“Sorry I startled you again,” he said as the window slid slowly downward.
“I didn’t see you standing there.”
“Hey, buddy,” he said when he spotted Will. Then he leaned down to look at her. “So what’s got you tearing out your hair?”
Oh, no. He’d seen her fit of frustration. How embarrassing. “A meeting with Aunt Talitha’s accountant. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Are you headed to the shop?”
“I’m about to take my nephew to lunch. This is Will, Jenna’s
baby.”
Daniel stuck his head in the window to look across the headrest into the backseat. “Hey there, Will. I’m Daniel. How old are you?”
Lilly drew away. The man was way too close. And smelled way too good, like shampoo and some expensive cologne. “He’s ten months, Daniel. Sorry, but he’s not going to hold a conversation with you.”
Her comment drew a laugh...and attention from those baby blues. Too close. Entirely too close. And smiling like he cared. Right there in her face, so close he could shift by mere inches and touch his lips to hers and—
She scooted toward the steering wheel, placing herself at an odd angle, but at least putting distance between them.
Thankfully, he had the sense to know he had invaded her space and hauled himself back out of the window.
She slumped into her seat and nearly gasped out loud as her lungs sucked in air once again. She’d never experienced anyone filling a space quite like Daniel Foreman. Had never had anyone affect her so. And yet, despite his charisma, his regard made her feel...significant. As if he wasn’t just trying to charm her, but truly cared.
“Lilly, let me take you and Will to lunch. I’d like to discuss something with you.”
Visions of baby food splattering on her face—or, worse, on his—sealed her decision. “Thanks, but no. We wouldn’t be good company. Landing food into his mouth can be a challenge.”
His eyes sparkled and the faintest of lines crinkled at their edges. “Oh, but, Miss Barnes, I thrive on challenges.”
A shiver slid through her—from the cold March air blowing inside, of course. Not the deep timbre of his voice or the fact he seemed to dare her to join him.
She resisted the urge to roll up the window and escape. “I planned to make it quick. I have to get back to the shop to help Jenna.”
“I can