The Taming of the Bachelor (24 page)

“Honey, you have to eat something before we go tonight,” she said, sitting him down at the table with graham crackers, sliced apples and peanut butter. “Otherwise you’ll faint or something else you don’t want to do.”

He glared at her and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I won’t faint.”

“Good. So eat something or I won’t drive you over.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Life’s not fair. So eat,” she insisted, sitting down at the table with him, pleased to see him get one cracker down and then another. “What are you going to wear tonight?”

“What do I have to wear?”

“Your school didn’t say?”

He shook his head.

“Then maybe nice dark jeans or cords with a button down shirt.” She stole one of the apple slices off his plate. He not only didn’t protest but he handed her another slice. “I like your blue Oxford. What do you think?”

“What’s my Oxford?”

“It’s just a kind of shirt.”

“What makes it an Oxford?”

She chewed on the apple, thoughtful. “That’s a good question. I really don’t know.”

P
aige and the kids left the house at four thirty to walk to the Rodeo Fair Grounds via Court Street and Crawford Park. It was a beautiful late afternoon, the kind of cloudless spring day that hinted at warmer weather to come. The Science Fair’s Open House didn’t start for another half hour, and it was only a fifteen minute walk, but Tyler insisted they be there early and Paige was happy to get out of the house and let the kids run through the park, playing on the park gazebo on the way.

She’d returned from Austin two weeks ago with a new attitude and a fierce resolve to do things differently. She was going to be different. She was going to continue to be bold, and pursue taking risks, and that included doing more socially, like dating.

That’s right. Dating. Real men. Kind men. Successful, loving, available men. Men who wanted wives and kids and enjoyed family life.

So Paige was actually grateful to Dillon for waking her up, and reminding her what was important.
She
was important. Her dreams were important, and he was right. She did deserve to be happy, and she’d find someone who made her happy. Thank you very much.

“Ouch, Mom! You’re squeezing my fingers too hard,” Addison protested, tugging on Paige’s hand as they took the bridge over the train tracks to the fair grounds.

“What? Oh, sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to.” Paige leaned over, and dropped a kiss on top of her daughter’s head, and then glanced at Tyler who was marching next to them, hands in his trouser pockets looking focused and stoic. “How are you holding up, Tyler?”

“Fine,” he grunted.

“What are your chances tonight? How did you think you did?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I think I should win, but I’m not a judge, so...who knows?”

T
he exhibit hall wasn’t exactly packed, but a good crowd had come out tonight to see the projects and discover who had won what.

Paige was thrilled for Tyler when they reached the spot where he’d set up his project and his pristine white poster board with the photographs and results of his experiment were decorated with a cluster of big ribbons.

Tyler took third overall, and first place for his age group, with a special ribbon recognizing his meticulous research and reporting methods.

He was ecstatic, not that a stranger would know, since he wasn’t the kind of kid to sing and dance and draw attention to himself. But Tyler was pleased, and he stood off to the side of his project, arms folded across his thin chest, a very alert, bright expression on his face. He was proud of himself, Paige thought, as well he should be.

“You did really good,” she told him yet again, limiting herself to just patting his shoulder since he’d made it clear during her last hug, that it was to be the last hug, since they were in public, and he was a scientist and an engineer.

“Thank you,” he said, his gaze darting, scanning the crowds.

He’d been watching the people touring the hall ever since they arrived an hour ago. “Who are you looking for?” she asked him. “Grandma and Grandpa?”

“No. No one,” he answered, looking past her, gaze narrowed behind his glasses as it swept one aisle, and then the next.

She tipped her head. “Are you sure you’re not waiting for someone?”

His mouth tightened. “No.” But this time, he sounded a little annoyed, and possibly uncertain.

“Well, I’m going to take Addison around to look at all the displays, and when we return, it’ll be time to go.”

“But the Open House doesn’t end until eight!”

“Honey, I can’t keep Addison standing around for three hours.”

“Then go, and I’ll just walk home.”

“I’m not going to have you walking home at eight. It’ll be dark.”

“I’ll find someone to walk with—”

“He can walk with me,” the deep voice said, coming from behind them. “That is, if it’s okay with you, Paige.”

Dillon.

She swallowed hard, and turned around even as Tyler launched himself at Dillon with a victorious shout. “Dillon,” the boy cried. “You came. You did. I knew you would.”

Tyler was not a demonstrative kid but he was hugging Dillon and then high-fiving him and rocking back on his heels, grinning from ear to ear. “I won in my age group,” Tyler said, still beaming. “Third overall. Did you see that?
And
a ribbon for my methodology.”

Dillon smiled, nodded. “I’m very impressed.”

Tyler just grinned some more.

Paige didn’t know what to do. She’d been so angry with him, and she was still angry with him. And he’d said he wasn’t ever coming back, at least not until Troy and Taylor’s wedding, yet here he was. At an elementary school science fair.

Her eyes burned. Her chest ached. She didn’t know what to think or feel. She didn’t know where to look because all she could see was
him
. All six foot four inches of gorgeous tough Dillon Sheenan.

“Hi Dillon,” Addison chirped, pushing aside the bunting to climb out from beneath the table. “What are you doing here?”

He ruffled her hair. “I came to see your brother’s project.”

Addison made a face. “You thought he was going to lose, didn’t you?”

Dillon laughed. “No. I thought he had a good chance of winning.”

She sighed. “I thought he was going to lose. He is soooo boring.”

Tyler rolled his eyes and Addison reached for Dillon’s hand. “So you didn’t come to see me?” she asked flirtatiously.

Addison was shameless, Paige thought. But Dillon didn’t seem to mind.

“I came to see you, too, squirt,” he answered.

“Squirt?” She planted her hands on her hips. “I am a princess!”

Dillon laughed, and then he looked at Paige, his eyes meeting hers. His smile faded. “How are you?”

Paige didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He shouldn’t be here. “Good,” she said lowly. “Busy.”

“We’re selling our house,” Addison piped up.

Dillon frowned. “What?”

The little girl nodded. “We’re moving to a new house. A new small house. But it will be much nicer.”

He looked at Paige. “Where are you going?”

Paige really didn’t feel like discussing it, here, now, at the Science Fair, and not in front of Tyler, who wasn’t happy about the impending move. Although to be fair, it wasn’t all that immediate since they hadn’t found a buyer yet, and Paige couldn’t purchase a new home until they sold the Victorian, so really, it could be months before anything happened. On the positive side, summer was coming and Sam Melk had assured her that the buyers would be there. Provided she was patient. And priced the house right.

“To a house near TJ,” Addison said. “That way we can play with him.”

D
illon was having a hard time processing that Paige was selling the house. He’d driven past the house earlier, when he’d gotten into town, but he hadn’t seen a for sale sign out front. “You’re using Sam as a realtor?”

Paige smiled tightly. “Keep your enemies close, right?” She looked away.

“But we’re not actually moving into Trey and McKenna’s neighborhood, but looking at one of the new subdivisions on the other side of 89. There are some affordable neighborhoods over that way with new houses that would be good for us. No more plumbing nightmares.”

“Or heating. Our furnace is always breaking,” Addison added mournfully.

He smiled at Addison and yet his attention was fully zeroed in on Paige, who he knew was livid with him. He didn’t blame her, either. Her visit to Austin had ended badly, and at the time he’d thought it was the right thing to do—set her straight—but now he knew he was wrong.

Wrong about many things.

“So can I take you all out for dessert when the event ends?” he asked. “Maybe somewhere for pie or to the ice cream shoppe for sundaes?”

“Sorry, can’t,” Paige said swiftly. “I have to work early in the morning, and it’s going to be a long day since I’m closing, too. A lot of my girls are out since it’s the Prom and I forget, but there’s also something else going on.”

“Sunday?”

“No. I’ve plans.” Paige folded her arms over her chest, her jaw firm, lips thin. “Maybe next time you’re in town we can catch up.”

She didn’t mean it, he thought, seeing the fierce light in her eyes. She would be happy to never see him again.

“I’d like to talk, Paige,” he said, dropping his voice, not wanting the kids to overhear. “We need—”

“There is no
we
,” she interrupted hoarsely, her voice pitched just as low. “There is nothing between us. So thank you for bringing Tyler safely home after the show ends tonight, but other than that, there is nothing to say.” And then she took Addison firmly by the hand, and quickly walked away.

A
t home, Paige refused to let herself think about him. She was never going to think about him. Not ever again.

But once she put Paige to bed she paced back and forth in the living room waiting for Tyler to appear. But eight thirty turned to nine, and then nine rolled into nine thirty and Paige was beside herself.

Dillon had promised to return him safely. Where was Tyler? What were they both doing out? It was going on ten.

Finally a truck rolled up in front of the house, and the headlights turned off. Paige stepped back from the window, holding her breath, praying that Dillon wouldn’t come up to the house. She wasn’t interested in talking to him.