He lifted his hand, then dropped it to his side. “I thought I’d better tidy myself up. I’m seeing the lawyer in the morning.”
She grinned at the blushing six-foot-five man in front of her. “You look very handsome.”
“Thanks. I think. I like your dress, too.”
Paris looked at the rainbow and unicorn print on her 1960s-inspired skirt. “I needed a pick-me-up this morning, so I chose my happy skirt.”
“What happened?”
Telling Richard too much about her dysfunctional relationship with her mom would only make her feel worse.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“It’s okay. My mom called me last night. She isn’t impressed with my decision to open a flower shop.”
“Come on, Dad,” Jack yelled from the veranda steps. “The muffins are ready.”
“We’re coming.” He looked at Paris with a rueful smile. “If you haven’t guessed, Jack loves muffins. Why doesn’t your mom think it’s a good idea to open a flower shop?”
“She thinks I’ll enjoy it for a year or two, then get bored.”
“Is this part of the stickability thing you told me about?”
“It’s more than that.” She looked at the veranda. “Jack was serious about having a picnic.” Richard’s son had taken the paper napkins out of the box and opened them, covering enough of the wooden deck to accommodate three large muffins.
“It’s the company he likes more than anything.”
Paris blushed. “That’s a nice thing to say, but I think the muffins have made the biggest impression.” She joined Jack on the deck and grinned. “This looks great.”
“Thanks. Do you want a muffin?”
“Yes, please.”
With a flourish, Jack scooped one up and handed it to her. “This is going to be our house.”
“You’re really lucky. Have you chosen which bedroom you’ll have?”
Jack took an enormous bite of his muffin and nodded. “Yep. Grandma’s going to sleep in the room beside mine, but only when she visits.”
“She must be excited.”
Richard looked a little worried. “She is, but she had a similar reaction to your mom.”
For some reason, that made her feel better. “Once she sees the house and where it’s located, she’ll want to visit as often as she can.”
“Grandmas are the best people in the whole world,” Jack said with pride.
Paris couldn’t agree more. “My grandma would have liked coming here, too, but she died a few years ago.”
“Do you think she can see what you’re doing from heaven?”
Paris leaned toward him. “I have a feeling she sees everything, even the things I don’t want her to know about.”
“That’s what Dad says about Mom. She went away when I was three, and now she’s in heaven.”
“I’m sorry.” She glanced at Richard. It was difficult to know what was going through his mind.
“It’s okay,” Jack said quickly. “I didn’t spend much time with her. When Dad was in the army, I lived with Grandma and Granddad.”
