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Angie’s words sank in, and though she loved the idea, it seemed impossible. “You might be right.” She scrutinized the tables overflowing with casseroles and platters. “I think you’re definitely right about the food. I see people heading that way.”
Angie looked again. “Then we should round up everyone, I suppose.”
“Can I help?”
“I was thinking about inviting El to sit with us.” Angie gestured toward his house. “Do you mind asking him?”
“Not at all.” She bounded from the chair and retraced her steps toward El’s front yard. As she approached, Doug crossed the street with a dish, set it on the table and approached her.
“Hi.” He gave her a hangdog look. “I’m afraid I hadn’t been very welcoming when Mr. Barnes introduced us.” He tucked his hands into his pockets again.
Was that a nervous habit or a way of binding his hands to keep them out of mischief? She grimaced at her thought. “You’re forgiven. What’s in your dish?”
A faint grin curved his full lips and she spotted a different side of him emerging. “Baked beans. You know. I open a can, pour them into a casserole, add a dash of Worcestershire sauce, dice up onions and cocktail wieners and bake. It’s one of my limited bachelor dishes.”
Her pulse skipped, wondering how this nice-looking man escaped getting caught up in wedding bells. She often wished she’d made a wiser choice. “I don’t think marriage is for everyone.”
His eyes narrowed slightly until he shrugged. “Maybe, but in my case life got in the way, I suppose.”
Digesting his words, she realized life had got in her way, too. “And you have Kimmy to care for. You must be a special uncle.”
“Not really. Love motivates.” He looked downward as if embarrassed. “Speaking of Kimmy, I hope she’s at Angie’s. I forgot the beans and went inside for a few minutes.” He shrugged.
“She was playing ringtoss in the front yard.”
He craned his neck to check for himself. “She’s in good hands. When you go back would you ask her to come home? It looks about time to eat.”
“Sure will.” She turned toward El, noticing he had a card table sitting with two chairs on his front lawn.
El smiled as she arrived.
“Angie asked me to invite you down to her table to eat.”
He gave her a wink. “Tell her thanks, but I’ve already made plans with Birdie. Angie’ll understand.”
“Birdie?”
He grinned as if she were in on a joke.
“Okay, I’ll tell her. See you later.” She headed back to Angie’s, curious about El’s sudden friendship to Birdie.
When she told Angie, her eyes widened like a full moon. “You are kidding.”
“No. He said you’d understand.” She anticipated an explanation, but Angie only stared at her with her mouth agape.
Finally Angie chuckled. “Birdie has been one of those neighbors everyone’s tried to ignore.” She released a long breath. “But you realize El has a loving heart. One day, he asked me to befriend her because he suspected part of her problem was loneliness.”
“He asked you?”
“Me.” Angie rolled her eyes.
“Why?”
She shrugged.
“I’m not sure since I was the one who called her a gossip. I felt ashamed, but I did it because he asked. I baked cookies, of all things, and went to visit, but she wasn’t home. I praised the Lord for the reprieve.”
Nina couldn’t help her chuckle. “And then what?”
“Birdie appeared at my door a couple days later saying she’d heard I’d been snooping around. When I told her why I’d come, she actually apologized in her own way, and softened a bit. She even had a bounce to her step when she left.” She lifted her shoulders. “Maybe she’s been thinking about her behavior and realizes she’s chasing people away rather than making friends. I have no idea but something happened.”
“Good for you.”
“Have you met Rema?”
Nina checked the direction of Angie’s gaze and spotted a woman heading their way. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Then it’s time you two meet.” Angie flagged her over. “I thought you were missing the party?”
“No, I goofed. I thought my casserole was warming in the oven.” She shook her head. “But I’d forgotten to turn it on.” She lifted the cover. “I hope I’m not too late.”
“People have just begun to eat.” Angie motioned toward Nina. “Rema, I don’t think you officially met Nina Jerome.”
Nina extended her hand, and then recalled Rema was holding a heavy casserole so she let her hand drop. “I’m glad to meet you.”
Angie rested her hand on Rema’s shoulder. “If you have no other plans, please join us. We have lots of room here.” She motioned to the picnic bench and the long table she’d butted up next to it.
“No plans. I’m just being neighborly.” She gave a shrug. “Thanks for the invitation.” She tilted her head toward the food. “I’d better get this to the table before everyone’s eaten.” She turned and hurried down the street.
Nina eyed the food line and spotted Doug standing alone in front of his house. A lonely feeling crept through her. She’d been doing the same thing since Todd had turned his back on her. Alone. Her memory kicked in, and she snapped her finger. “Doug asked me to tell Kimmy to go home so she can eat.”
Angie eyed the line and then turned toward Rick. “Time to eat.” She pointed down the street.
Carly bounded across the grass with Kimmy on her heels. “Can Kimmy eat with us? We have room.” She gestured to the long folding table.
Angie looked down the road. “Kimmy, you need to ask your uncle Doug first. If he says yes, tell him we have plenty of room at our table and he’s invited, too. I don’t want him eating alone. Okay?”
Kimmy nodded, and Carly jumped in on the task.
Angie grinned. “Okay, you can both go, but wait down there. We’re going to get in line, too.”
“I’ll go with them.” Before Angie responded, Nina followed behind the children. As she neared Doug, she scrutinized him in a way she hadn’t before. When they met earlier, she’d noticed his good looks but not his physique. He had to be nearly six feet with a lean waist and a great set of shoulders. She liked his executive haircut that seemed to have a mind of its own.
Doug stood as she neared, and she hoped he hadn’t noticed her steady gaze. By the time she arrived, the girls had already given him the invitation.
“I’m sorry, Doug. I almost forgot to deliver your message, but here she is.” She chuckled, hoping he would smile. “You might as well join us.”
He hesitated, a thoughtful expression growing.
“I’m sitting with them, too. Makes it more of a party.”
“Please, Uncle Doug.” Kimmy’s plaintive urging did the trick.
“Why not?” He shrugged, and again his hands vanished into his pockets.
Nerves or a habit? She longed to know which.
When Angie arrived, the kids joined her, and then she and Doug fell into line.
When Nina spotted Doug’s baked beans, she took a big spoonful and he gave her a smile. Surprised, she grinned back, liking that he’d finally let her see a new side of him. The man was too attractive to not smile. She completed her plate with a slab of ham, but chuckled when the girls headed for the hot dogs. Kids and hot dogs.
“I’ll check out desserts later.” She tilted her head toward the array of goodies and maneuvered her way back to Angie’s table with Doug’s smile the sweetest treat of all.
* * *
Doug stared at his plate, wishing his appetite would return. He’d become overwhelmed by too many things. He’d always been a responsible person, sure of his decisions and able to roll with the punches. Not lately. He’d weighed the reasons, and the best answer he found was Roseanne’s accident and feeling unprepared to be a temporary father figure. Though he could handle a multifaceted career, he had no idea how parents kept up with a child’s energy and needs. No wonder he’d hesitated looking for a wife.
He looked at Nina. Something about her captured him. Although nice looking, she wasn’t a woman most men would call beautiful, yet he saw a kind of beauty. He admired her long wavy hair, the color of a chestnut, sort of brown with hints of red. She tied it back, and he longed to see it flowing around her shoulders. Her eyes tilted downward, and though she held a direct gaze, something in her eyes seemed haunting. She had an appeal that went deeper than physical beauty.
Delving his fork into pasta salad, he stopped his musing. Women hadn’t penetrated his hardened mind for years, so why now? His job kept him busy, and he’d always tried to be there for his sister, whose life hadn’t been the smoothest. And then sweet Kimmy. That broke his heart.
He swallowed hard, forcing the pasta down his throat and following it with a long drink of iced tea.
“You’re quiet.”
Nina had leaned close enough for him to smell her fragrance, like fresh-picked fruit. “Sorry.” He managed a grin. “My mind got tangled somewhere. I think in your scent. You took me away to an orchard. I could almost hear birds singing.” A flush grew on his cheeks. “Sorry, I got carried away.”
Nina grinned. “It was a lovely compliment.” She paused while a question flickered in her eyes. “What kind of birds?”
He laughed and it felt odd. “I’ll have to think about that.”
When she chuckled, his spirit lifted. How long had it been since he’d really laughed?
Though they had been talking drivel, his shoulders had eased, and a good feeling rolled through him. He glanced toward Kimmy to make sure she was behaving. But he had no need to worry. She and Carly were talking and giggling like old friends. “I’m glad the girls have each other. I moved here at a terrible time. I’d thought Roseanne would be back by the time moving day arrived, but with the accident...” He shook his head.
“Kimmy seems to have adjusted well. You’re, apparently, doing a good job.”
“I’ve misled you if you think that. Every day was a struggle until Carly came along. I was trying to balance my work hours with child care hours. Can you imagine my telling her bedtime stories?”
“I can.” Her grin broadened. “You have a nice speaking voice, and I’m sure you can read.” She added a wink. “And, most of all, you love her. I can tell.”
His cheeks warmed with her compliment. “Thanks. I do love her.”
“You’ll make a good dad one day.”
Her comment addled him, and not knowing what to say, he changed the subject. “What brought you to Owosso?”
“I work in public relations, and I was tired of traffic and high-priced apartment rentals. I couldn’t afford a house in the city. So when I learned we had a branch in Owosso, and I could transfer, I jumped at the chance. Home prices are much better here. Payments are less than my apartment.”
“I found that to be true, too. But do you like small town living?”
“I’ve only been here a few weeks, but I think I do. It’s friendly. Have you ever had a block party in downtown Chicago? Or Detroit?”
He chuckled, but before he responded, Angie’s voice cut through their prattle.
“What are you two laughing about?”
“The weather.” Nina grinned. “About apartments in the city versus owning a home out here.”
Angie’s fiancé, Rick, nodded. “I’m with you on that one. Not so much the price but the space and freedom. Carly loves the yard. My apartment doesn’t have one.”
Angie rose. “Anyone ready for refills?”
Rick eyed the girls. “More food, ladies, or dessert?”
Kimmy bounced beside him. “Me, too, Uncle Doug?”
After he gave her permission, Angie and Rick left for the food table with the girls while he and Nina stayed behind, making small talk, but he enjoyed it. For so long he’d feared that a woman might think he was coming on to her and not just being friendly. But Nina had a way about her that gave him no worries that she was looking for romance.
More at ease, he returned to their discussion. “I’m guessing our places are similar. Mine has three bedrooms and a good-sized dining room.” He doubted she cared, and he disliked small talk, too, but that’s all he could come up with.
“Mine’s similar. Would you like to see it?”
“Sure, but let me check on Kimmy first.” He rose and spotted Angie returning with the girls. “Will you keep an eye on Kimmy for a few minutes? I’m going—”
“No problem.” She flashed a playful wink. “Have fun.”
Nina arched an eyebrow. “It’s only... Never mind.” She brushed her words away and rose. “We don’t need to explain, do we?”
“Not at all.” He enjoyed her lighthearted spirit and joined her on the sidewalk, heading to her home. Though he’d passed her house often, he’d never really noticed its homey look. It had a porch on half of the front and the other side, an overhung alcove with attractive wide windows. His home lacked the warmth and was more streamlined. Too much like him. “It has a friendly feel, Nina. Like you.”
“Me?” Her voice rose. “I’m just boring.”
“To yourself maybe, but not to me.” Hearing his honesty startled him.
“Thank you, Doug.” Her stunned expression set him back.
She opened the door, and they stepped inside. “This is the living room, naturally.”
The size surprised him. “It’s like a great room. I like the corner fireplace.”
She didn’t comment. “Dining room.” She made a sweeping gesture.
He slipped his hands into his pockets, uneasy that he had no awareness of what she was thinking. He noted the wide archway added even more space to the already-large living area.
Nina gestured to the doorway leading from the dining room. “And the kitchen.”
She stepped inside and he followed, noting numerous cabinets but minimal counter space and a pair of folding doors. “Is this a pantry?”
