“I’m doing well enough.” Lee shook it, his expression bemused. “From a business point of view, I guess.”
“What does that mean?” Dylan shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Well, I had a talk with Rae,” Lee began, but when Dylan scowled, he added quickly, “Don’t worry. I wasn’t coming on to her. You should know that by now. We’re only friends.”
“Yeah, me too.” Dylan couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice.
“I was arguing your case.”
“She’s already made up her mind. I’m not going to force myself on her.”
“Don’t give up. Not after I worked so hard to put in a good word about your stellar character as a potential father to her children.”
Dylan blinked. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I like Rae and because, believe it or not, I like you. Plus, I’ve never in my life seen two people who fit together as well as you two do. You’re both good people, and you deserve each other.” Jason shot Dylan a knowing look. “Give her a little time to think about things. I take it as a good sign that, after I talked with her, she left in a hurry to take an early lunch. She was gone for a full hour. Amelia said she almost never does that.”
“You think she was considering what you’d said?” Dylan asked, trying to keep his hopes in control.
“Amelia said she and Jasmine set up a conversation to challenge some of the things Dr. Aurora says. ThenIgave Rae some things to think about. We’re all rooting for you, man.”
The gates burst open and hope flooded through Dylan for the first time since she’d pushed him away. Butterflies of anticipation did battle with the worry knotting his stomach. Was there a chance she’d come to trust him?
“Thank you,” Dylan said, humbly.
“All you have to do is name your first son after me.” Jason grinned and strode away.
18
Dylan wasn’t in a mood to go to the mall. It’d been an exhausting week. His spirits had dropped when Rae said nothing. He’d only seen Preston and Beth once in passing. He missed them all. If he had his way, he and Jayden would vege at home. But Amelia had begged him to come, saying Micah would take the little dude, and Dylan would do anything for her.
Making his way to the mall food court, he wondered what she was up to because he was pretty sure she was up to something. It was so like her to try to involve him in hopes of cheering him up. He searched the tables and finally found her sitting with a group of people. Then he recognized the faces. It was her church choir. He’d gotten to know them last year when he’d helped them with a flash mob at this very mall. What were they up to?
Dylan slid into the empty seat across from Amelia.
“Thanks for coming,” she said.
He glanced at the others at the table. “You guys doing another Christmas flash mob this year?”
“Not Christmas in late August,” she said with a wink.
A chill went down Dylan’s spine. Amelia wasn’t going to try to get him to sing in front of an audience without any preparation, was she?
“Don’t worry,” she said patting his hand that had started to shake. “Be patient while we get set up.”
When Amelia rose from the table, so did the others. She gestured for him to take the seat she’d been in. It would give him the best view of the empty center section where they’d performed last December.
Dylan made the change but promised himself he’d not let her suck him into an impromptu performance. Yes, he loved to sing but not in front of people. Last year’s event had been a thrill, but the stage fright had nearly killed him.
It seemed so long ago. Back then, he’d been hopeful about a future with Rae. He rubbed his temples. It appeared the helpful comments from Amelia and Jason hadn’t worked. Rae’s silence about anything personal had sent Dylan looking at apartments again. His current complex had granted him a thirty-day extension on his lease, so at least he wouldn’t be stuck where he was for another year. He wondered if she’d eventually look for work elsewhere. It’d be a shame. She was very good at what she did.
Music started from the center of the food court, and he looked up. The choir stood close together rather than spread out as they’d done at Christmas. Shoppers who’d come to the food court for lunch were starting to realize something was about to happen and were pulling out their phones.
Dylan recognized the music: Celine Dion'sBecause You Loved Me.Was Amelia going to do a solo? She had a beautiful, rich voice, and she wasn’t terrified to sing in public. The choir surprised him by humming the first verse of the song. They did a great job with the harmony.
As the verse was ending, the choir members had eased away from Amelia. A dark-haired woman stepped beside her. It took Dylan a second to register it was Rae.
Electricity charged through him. Her hands shook, and his heart went out to her. He’d only agreed to sing for her once she’d said she’d play the piano for him. She had a great voice, but she didn’t like to sing in front of people. Like him, it terrified her. Yet there she stood, evidently prepared to sing in public. Leave it to Amelia to have conned Rae into doing it.
