“I’m not sure. It’s one of Blooming Lovely’s busiest days.”
“It won’t matter if you’re late.” Andrea checked her watch. “I have to go. Let me know when the shelving arrives and I’ll help you put it together.”
“Thanks. That would be great.”
As soon as Andrea was gone, Paris returned to the kitchen and picked up her pen. Shelley had offered to go over everything once she’d answered the questions. Hopefully, when the loans officer saw her application, she wouldn’t say no. If she did, Paris would be disappointed, but there was always a silver lining to everything that happened. Sometimes, you just had to search a little deeper to find it.
Chapter 5
Richard glanced at the paper hearts and red balloons strung around the large meeting room. Coming to The Welcome Center for a party celebrating love and romance wasn’t high on his list of priorities. But, Jack had insisted, and he couldn’t say no.
“Do you like the flowers?” Jack asked excitedly.
Each table held a vase filled with red and white daisies. “They’re great. Is that what you were doing this afternoon?” Jack and some of his friends had met Paris here after school. Their top-secret mission was to decorate the room without anyone, apart from Pastor John, seeing it.
“We made the flower arrangements and put the chairs around the tables. Pastor John had already blown up the balloons and hung them everywhere.”
“You did a good job.”
“There’s Charlie and Andy.” Jack pointed to two of his friends. “Can I talk to them?”
“Of course, you can. I’ll be waiting over here.”
As soon as Jack left, Andrea Smith, Charlie and Andy’s mom, stood beside him holding two glasses of juice. “I thought you might like this.” She handed Richard one of the drinks. “Jack didn’t know if you’d be here, but it’s great you could make it.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” he said with a smile. “Jack reminded me at least a dozen times about the party.”
“They’ve been planning it for the last couple of weeks. The hospitality class made the food, and Mabel Terry donated the juice and decorations.”
Richard looked across the room. There was enough food to feed half of Sapphire Bay. “Everyone’s been busy.”
Andrea nodded. “I saw Paris yesterday. She’s excited about opening a flower shop.”
“I hope the bank approves her loan.”
“So do I. You know, you have a lot in common.”
He frowned. Paris had just walked into the party wearing a white dress with red hearts sewn around the hem. A red cape with glittery edges sparkled as she waved to someone she knew. Richard couldn’t think of anyone he had less in common with.
“We’re the complete opposite.”
Andrea shrugged. “Maybe on the outside, but you both came here to start over. You’re stubborn, determined, and put other people before yourselves. And, if that isn’t enough similarities, you’ve also started your own businesses. Just think of all the advice you could give her.”
“I’m not looking for anyone special in my life. If you think Paris and I—”
“I wasn’t trying to play Cupid.”
“That’s good because I’m happy on my own.”
Paris chose that moment to look across the room. When her eyes connected with his, a jolt of electricity shot through him. That wasn’t anything unusual where she was concerned. Paris got under his skin and taunted him with her quirky sense of humor and ridiculous positivity. He was attracted to her, but he wouldn’t do anything about it.
He was old enough to realize that physical attraction wasn’t what kept people together. What kept them together were all the things he’d never be able to give anyone.
“Don’t look so worried,” Andrea whispered.
That was easy for her to say. Jack had hurried across to Paris and was grinning like he’d discovered a pot of gold. It didn’t matter to his son that she was wearing an over-the-top costume or that nearly every person in the room was looking at her.
To his dismay, Jack pointed to him, then said something to Paris. Her smile disappeared and she shook her head.
