The Firefighter's Twins. Heidi McCahan

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ and I don’t let Liam eat peanuts, just to be safe.” Shay felt the curious stares of the other guests as the boys continued wailing. “I was concerned about cross-contamination.”

      “My daughter’s the birthday girl. She has a severe allergy, too. Trust me, I can guarantee this cake is completely acceptable.” She set the ice-cream container on the table. “I’m Caroline Walker, by the way. You probably know my husband, Trent, from the station.”

      Man, he felt like an idiot. He wished the ground would open and swallow him whole. Shay dropped his gaze to the boys’ plates. “Here you go, boys. I’m sorry. Daddy messed up.” He slid the plates back in front of them. “Go ahead. You can eat it.” He offered his hand to Caroline. “Thanks for clarifying. I’m Shay Campbell, and this is Aiden, Liam and my mother, Belinda Campbell.”

      “Nice to meet you.” Caroline shook his hand. “Do you mind if they have more ice cream? We bought way too much.”

      Aiden and Liam’s pathetic sniffles disappeared as they shot cautious glances in Shay’s direction. “It’s fine. You may have more.”

      The conversation around him ebbed and flowed again, much to his relief.

      “See?” Mom patted their little hands. “Everything’s going to be okay. By the time you’re finished with that yummy cake and ice cream, I bet it will be time to watch Ella open presents.”

      “We’re glad y’all could come today.” Caroline added a tiny scoop of ice cream to Aiden’s plate, and he grinned up at her.

      “Thanks for the invitation. This is quite a treat.” He’d been counting the minutes until the party ended and he could get the boys home for nap time. More ice cream would probably derail their afternoon routine. But a sugar high was a small price to pay for inflicting such pain on his innocent little boys. They’d suffered enough already.

      “Are you all getting settled in your new place? Trent said you’re in that neighborhood behind the farm?”

      Shay nodded. “Meadow Crossing. Yeah, it’s...great.” He pictured the moving boxes still stacked against the wall in the detached garage. Sometime soon he’d carve out time to tackle those. Getting the boys settled in their new bedroom and unpacking their toys was as far as he’d gotten. Well, that and the kitchen essentials. Even with Mom’s help, establishing a new routine and helping them cope with Monica’s absence was all he could do.

      “How about you, Mrs. Campbell? Are you close by?”

      “My husband and I live in the new retirement community a little closer to town. But I stay with the boys when Shay’s at the station.”

      He grimaced. Did she have to tell everybody about that? It wasn’t a secret that he didn’t have a wife, but the looks of sympathy and awkward silence that usually followed made him uncomfortable.

      If Caroline was surprised by the revelation, she hid it well. “That’s wonderful. We have family nearby, too. It’s such a blessing, especially when the guys are on duty. This is a great group of people, Shay. We treat each other like family, so if you need anything, let us know.”

      “Thanks. I will.” He forced a smile, ignoring Mom’s triumphant look.

      “I better serve some more ice cream. Oh, wait.” Caroline surveyed the gazebo. “Huh. That’s weird. I thought for sure she’d stop by. I wanted to introduce you to Natalie McDowell.”

      Shay’s gut clenched. He wasn’t here to make new friends. “That’s okay. I’m not exactly—”

      “I heard Chief Murphy assigned you to her fall festival committee. I thought you might want to say hello before the first meeting.” Caroline shrugged. “She manages this farm. I’m sure things are hectic today, with Maria almost giving birth and all. Maybe she’ll stop by later.”

      Visions of a sundress, boots and a golf cart raced through his mind. Uh-oh. Based on their previous interaction, she’d be less than thrilled about his assigned role. He wasn’t really crazy about it, either. Working closely with an attractive young woman only put him and his broken heart on a pointless trajectory. Between Monica’s sudden departure, the move from Virginia and caring for two toddlers, there wasn’t space in his life for a new relationship. He couldn’t fathom falling in love again, anyway. Especially not with someone as strong-willed and determined as Natalie.

       Chapter Two

      After attending the early service at church the next morning, Natalie sat at her kitchen table, eating a sandwich while scrolling through her email on her iPad. There were a hundred things to do today, and all she really wanted was a quiet afternoon at home. And possibly a nap.

      A message from Forever Love dropped into her inbox. She stopped chewing and let her finger hover over the screen. Did she even want to read this right now? Her brief meeting with Karen after the Maria debacle had ended on a cryptic note. While Karen had taken several pictures with her phone and asked plenty of questions, she’d driven away after offering a quick handshake and the standard “we’ll be in touch.”

      Oh, why not. What did she have to lose? She opened the message.

      “‘Dear Natalie,’” she read out loud, “‘it was wonderful to meet with you and see your delightful venue. Magnolia Lane is everything I hoped it would be.’”

      Natalie’s pulse sped as she devoured the rest of the message silently. “Forever Love is actively working to expand its reach into the greater Raleigh area. Our research indicates this market has tremendous potential. We have a proposition we believe you’ll find very appealing. Our firm is interested in acquiring your business. Secondly, we’d like to offer you a position as an event planner here in our Charlotte office...”

      Natalie gasped. “What in the world?” She read the details again. Sell Magnolia Lane? The thought had never crossed her mind. But working for an elite firm like Forever Love—now that she’d dreamed about often, especially in the lean times when she’d struggled to open Magnolia Lane. Having someone else in her corner to brainstorm strategies for dealing with high-maintenance brides, or share the burden of upkeep and help secure new vendors when the caterer went out of business... Forever Love’s proposition felt like a breath of fresh air.

      Easy. Natalie heeded the warning in her head and forced herself to focus on the message’s closing lines. “My business partner and I would like to give you some time to consider our offer. If you’re available, we’d like to discuss this via a video conference call on Thursday, October 2, at 1:00 p.m. Please respond at your convenience and indicate your availability...”

      “Yes, yes, I’m available.” Natalie’s fingers trembled as she clicked over to her digital calendar and scrolled to October 2. Even though it was less than two weeks away, thankfully she was still free. She scheduled the call with Forever Love.

      A dozen questions flew through her mind, but a quick glance at the clock revealed she had all of five minutes to get out the door and over to The Grille to make sure Nolan, the new manager, was prepared for the after-church lunch rush. If he had everything under control, she’d have just enough time to walk across the highway to the fall festival committee meeting.

      After typing a brief response and accepting the meeting request, Natalie pushed back her chair and tucked her iPad inside СКАЧАТЬ