“Sounds… lovely.”
He chuckled. “Lovely, no, lively, yes. Most of us know we don’t have professional-grade talent but have fun with it. Often, it turns into a competition of who can sing the loudest.”
“Is there a list of songs to choose from?” Her smile returned. “It’s been a while, but I can roll with the best of them.”
“Libby connects her laptop to the speakers and streams the songs. The only rule is nothing with explicit lyrics.”
“Because we’re in church?”
“Right.” His smile was confident, but once he broke eye contact with her, he became keenly aware again of the attention on them.
The hushed silence spoke louder than any words could. He realized every person in the room had listened to his brief conversation with Deena, and he could reasonably assume the gossip mill was in full swing.
To keep things moving, he initiated introductions. “Everybody, please welcome Deena Frasier to our group. I met her earlier this evening while making a delivery for Mom, and she’s decided to join our fun.”
Darla bounced in front of them. “I’m Darla Rochon. We’ll probably meet again as I’m an associate at Jasper Properties, but I wanted to welcome you personally to Jasper Lake First Community Church.”
“Thank you. This is a beautiful church and town.” Deena cast him a smile before returning her attention to Darla. “I believe I’m going to enjoy my time here.”
“Perhaps you can join us for Sunday worship.”
Mac cringed at Darla’s overeager attitude. Inviting Deena to church wasn’t bad, except Darla had the wrong motives. “Let’s give her time to settle before bombarding her with questions.”
“It’s okay.” Deena released him and stepped toward Darla, but not before giving him a pointed glance. “I’ve not attended a church service in years, with my full schedule and all, but that should change.”
Darla’s eyes widened, and she gave her own directed stare toward him. “You’re welcome here any time.”
“What time do the services start?”
“We have Sunday school at nine forty-five and the worship service starts at eleven,” Marley answered.
“I’ll have my assistant add it to the schedule.” Deena looked at him. “You’ll be there, won’t you?”
“Yes.” Convinced he’d fallen asleep and existed in a dream world, Mac pinched his arm. Deena’s unconcealed interest in him didn’t make sense—he was a typical, small-town guy with average looks and nothing to offer a massive celebrity like Deena. Maybe, though, she was the distraction he needed to move past Phoebe.
His gaze traveled to the double doors, lingering, longing for Phoebe to walk through, but the only person he saw was Deena’s bodyguard who observed Deena’s every move and surroundings.
Chapter Five
“You should have seen him, Trix.” Phoebe threw the dishrag on Trixie’s counter in a fit of irritation. “He practically fawned all over her.”
“That doesn’t sound like the Mac I know.” Trixie unbuckled her toddler daughter Alice from the booster seat at the table and let her run free.
“Right? It’s like that snobby Deena has a grip on him.” She huffed as she put a dry plate in the cabinet. “Oh wait, she did have a hold on him. Those perfect, manicured fingers wrapped around his arm like she owned him.”
Trixie burst into laughter. The hand over her mouth did nothing to disguise or muffle the sound. “I’m sorry, but you have it bad.”
“No, I don’t.” Phoebe puffed out her cheeks and put another dish away. Slowly, she exhaled. “Fine, I do, but I need to move on. Mac and I are meant to be friends, that’s all.”
“Maybe you are, or maybe this isn’t the right time.” Understanding filled Trixie’s voice. “Can I tell you something without you getting mad?”
Phoebe leaned on the counter behind her. “Do I have a choice?”
“Yes.” Trixie’s soft tone indicated she’d honor her sister’s wishes. “You also have a choice whether you listen to what I say or ignore it.”
Trixie was the youngest Graff sister, but life experience had given her wisdom beyond her years. For that reason, along with the confidence her sister would only speak from a place of love, Phoebe agreed. “I can’t promise I won’t get mad though.”
“Fair enough.” Trixie handed her a cup of peppermint tea then carried her own into the living room.
