A Proposal at the Wedding. GINA WILKINS

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      Chapter Three

      The woman who sat across the coffee shop table from Paul Thursday afternoon was gym-toned and impeccably styled, not a blond hair out of place, her makeup subtle but perfect. Though he knew her to be only fifteen months from turning forty, Holly Bauer looked a good half decade younger. In fact, she’d been mistaken for twenty-one-year-old Cassie’s older sister rather than her mother.

      Appearing to be a polar opposite to his sleek, fashionable wife, Holly’s husband, Larry, was pudgy and habitually rumpled, with a shiny, balding head and kind, twinkling brown eyes. He had a brilliant mind, a generous heart and an infectious smile. Holly adored him, as did Cassie. Paul was fond of the guy, as well.

      Holly sipped delicately from her coffee—black, no sugar—then set the cup on the table. “So, anyway,” she said, continuing the solemn conversation they’d been engaged in for the past fifteen minutes, “I thought you should be told right away. And I believed I should be the one to tell you, rather than Cassie. After all, this move will affect you, too, in a way.”

      “In a rather big way,” he agreed, tugging at the open neck of his polo shirt which felt as though it had somehow tightened. “I’ll miss you guys.”

      Holly had just informed him that she and her family would be relocating in August, only a week after Cassie’s wedding. Holly had accepted an offer from a law firm in Dallas and Larry was taking a faculty position teaching in the engineering department at UT Dallas. The twins were understandably nervous about changing high schools and leaving their friends, but also excited about moving to Texas. Paul had known the move was a possibility, but now Holly had confirmed that it had become a reality.

      “We’ll miss you, too,” she said with a sincerity he didn’t doubt. “The first question Jenna asked when we told them was whether you’ll be moving, too.”

      He supposed he could understand Jenna’s assumption. After all, twelve years ago he’d followed the family to Virginia from North Carolina, where he and Holly had both grown up, when Holly and Larry had moved here for Larry’s career. Without close family of his own, there’d been no reason for Paul to remain in North Carolina rather than settle close to his daughter. He’d found a teaching position very quickly, bought a nice little house with three extra bedrooms for when Cassie and her siblings visited overnight, and he’d been happy here as part of their extended family. But as much as he cared for them, he couldn’t see himself following them to Dallas. Not with his daughter married and living in London.

      He forced a smile for Holly’s benefit, hoping it looked natural. “I won’t be moving to Dallas.”

      Holly nodded as if she had expected that decision. “It’s going to be hard to say goodbye—for all of us,” she murmured, just a little tremor in her voice.

      Reaching across the table, he took her hand and gave her fingers a squeeze. “It won’t be forever,” he assured her. “I expect to be invited to the twins’ birthday celebrations and graduations, and I’ll try to be there if I can get away. And if they want to come back here to visit their friends during vacations and holidays, they’ll always have a room in my house.”

      She squeezed his hand in return before reaching again for her coffee. “It’s going to be terribly hectic for the next few weeks, of course,” she said, her voice steady again. “Getting ready for the wedding, preparations for the move, and the twins will want to attend as many parties and get-togethers with their friends as they can manage.”

      “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

      “Thanks, Paul.”

      He smiled over the rim of his cup at his daughter’s mother. There’d been no romantic feelings between himself and Holly since their youthful infatuation had fizzled away in the stressful reality of teen parenthood, but they’d managed to forge a true friendship during the years. A partnership in a way, dedicated to making sure Cassie had a safe, happy, healthy childhood. It had been quite a successful venture, he mused. But now, as it should, it was coming to an end. Or at the least, it was changing radically. Cassie would always be a bond between them.

      “I ran into Michaela Havers at the bank yesterday,” Holly commented after a few moments of silence, a seeming non sequitur that made him blink a couple of times before replying.

      “Yeah? I saw her at a party not too long ago. She seemed to be doing well.”

      “She was sporting an engagement ring roughly the size of a golf ball yesterday. A recent development, I take it.”

      “First I’ve heard of it,” he agreed. “I knew she was seeing someone, but I don’t think they were engaged when I saw her last. It all happened pretty quickly, I guess.”

      “Are you okay with it?”

      “Absolutely. Michaela and I broke up by mutual agreement. I wish her the best.”

      “So…” Holly toyed with the handle of her coffee cup. “Are you seeing anyone special now?”

      An image of a pretty, petite blonde popped into his mind. Bonnie wasn’t at all like Holly, he mused, other than both being blondes. Holly’s sleekly styled bob was colored by an expensive stylist, her makeup was always impeccable and her outfits were tasteful but obviously designer labeled. Bonnie’s loose golden curls looked entirely natural, she wore little makeup and her clothes were apparently chosen for comfort and convenience. And while he liked and admired both of them, it was the thought of Bonnie that made his pulse rate pick up even as he shook his head. “Not at the moment.”

      He eyed Holly with sudden amusement. “Surely you aren’t worried about leaving me behind all alone and sad when you move?”

      Maybe her cheeks went just a bit pink as she lifted her chin in denial. “Of course not. You’ve made a good life for yourself here. I just wondered…”

      “Don’t worry about me, Holly. I’ll be fine. Actually, I guess you could say for the first time СКАЧАТЬ