“Glad enough to take time out of your busy night to dance with me?”
She checked her phone and grinned. “I have thirty minutes of downtime before Antoinette and Gregory are supposed to leave.” She listened to the music filling the room with a gentle beat. “I believe I hear a waltz calling our name.”
Harrison turned her in a slow circle and then walked with her onto the dance floor. “I do believe you’re right.”
And with a skill that impressed Daniella, Harrison led them around the dance floor, creating a little magic of their own.
CHAPTER22
As the wedding guests left and The Welcome Center emptied, Harrison, Daniella, and a few dedicated volunteers were left to tackle the aftermath. The decorations that had transformed the room now lay in piles on the floor, waiting to be packed away.
As Harrison folded the chairs and stacked them against the wall, he watched Daniella direct the clean-up with a quiet, focused energy, despite looking exhausted.
“Do we need to find a new home for the flower arrangements?” he asked her.
She shook her head. “There’s another wedding in The Welcome Center tomorrow afternoon. The couple haven’t organized a lot of flowers, so Antoinette and Gregory were happy to leave them here.”
“That was nice of them.”
“I thought so, too.” Daniella rubbed her eyes. “I’m so tired. Everything that’s happened today is finally catching up with me.”
“Why don’t you grab a cup of coffee while we finish off in here? There isn’t that much to do.”
“I’m okay. The sooner it’s tidy, the sooner everyone can go home.”
Harrison admired her dedication, but she’d had an exhausting day. “I saw your dad this morning. He looks a lot better than I thought he would.”
Daniella paused and her hands stilled on a tablecloth she was folding. “He’s doing well, but it’s been tough,” she admitted, a hint of vulnerability in her voice.
“How’s your mom?”
“She’s doing a lot better. She enjoyed coming to The Welcome Center with me. Pastor John was so impressed with her storytelling that he’s asked her to be a regular guest at the church’s afterschool programs.”
Harrison smiled. “Do you think she’ll do it?”
“I don’t know but, if anyone can convince Mom she’s a gifted storyteller, it’s John. There’s something else you should know. I had a phone call from my realtor yesterday.”
Harrison’s eyes widened. The wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “Has she found a rental for you?”
“Not yet. It wasn’t good news. The house I’m renting has been sold. I have four weeks to find a new place.”
Harrison sighed. He’d asked the realty company to tell Daniella the house had been sold, but the new owner was happy for her to stay. He wanted time for her to get used to having him here without any stress about where she’d be living.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Daniella.”
With a hopeful expression, she held the tablecloth close to her chest. “Have you heard of a house I can rent?”
Harrison shook his head. “It’s about the house you’re living in at the moment. I bought it before I left Nashville.”
Daniella’s eyes widened, a flash of confusion crossing her face. “You... bought my house?”
He rushed to tell her he hadn’t wanted to say anything yet. “Yes, but I never meant to put you in this situation. I called Ellen two days ago and signed the sale and purchase agreement yesterday. They were supposed to say you could stay in the house, not that you had to move out.”
“I didn’t know you were looking at buying a house,” Daniella said slowly. “What made you decide on that one.”
“The same things you enjoy about it. The view’s incredible, and there’s plenty of room to expand the current house or rebuild it from scratch. You didn’t want to buy it, but I knew it’d be a great investment.
The revelation hung heavily between them. Daniella glanced at the volunteers still putting things away and then back at Harrison. “Why would you do that?”
