A Little New Year's Romance (5 page)

Allison nodded slowly. “I think so.”

“I have to say, in all the years I’ve done this, that has to be the most unique reaction I’ve ever seen.”

“What do you mean? Reaction to what?”

“Being recruited to help with the food drive.”

“No. That wasn’t it at all.” Allison gave the woman a slight smile.

“Maybe. But I’ll bet that’s what brought it on.”

She thought about that for a moment. “I guess you’re right.”

“So. Are you gonna get it off your chest willingly, or do I have to drag it out of you.” There was a playful tone in Maggie’s voice.

Allison chuckled with amusement. Why not? She’d been holding it in for too long, anyway. Maybe it was time to tell someone about it.

“When my father was killed,” she began, “I was so angry at God for letting it happen. It was my eighteenth birthday, and Dad was on his way home from work. He’d called before he left to tell me he’d found the perfect gift for me.”

“Oh, sweetheart! That’s so sad. But you must know God didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“Yeah, I know.” Allison paused for a couple seconds. “I was always ‘Daddy’s little girl,’ and I never thought he’d be taken from me before he grew old. I always thought parents were supposed to get old before they died.”

“I can only imagine how hurt you must’ve been.” Maggie reached out and patted Allison’s hand.

She sniffled. “I was devastated. Not only was my father killed by a drunk driver, but he died on my birthday. I never got his gift, and still don’t know what he bought for me.”

“Wow! You got a triple dose of it that day, didn’t you?”

Allison let out a dry chortle. “I guess you could look at it that way.”

“Now tell me. What brought this about? Hmm?”

“Well, not long after all that with my Dad, I decided nothing was ever gonna hurt me again. So I built up a defensive barrier to protect me from the pain.”

“That makes perfect sense to me.” Maggie seemed to be paying special attention.

“Back there,” Allison pointed her thumb over her shoulder toward the front door of the church, “I heard stories that some of the volunteers were telling, and I could feel that wall come tumbling down. I don’t understand why, but that’s what happened. After that, I felt like I was suffocating, and needed to get some air.”

“Aha! I get it now!”

~~*~~

Allison was befuddled. What did Maggie get? How could she possibly know what was going on when Allison, herself, was at a loss for an explanation?

“What do you mean?”

The older woman fixed her muted green eyes on Allison’s stormy grey ones. “You’ve been mad at God for all these years, and now He’s brought you to a place where He can get to you. You still want to be mad at Him, though. Don’t you?”

Allison considered Maggie’s words. “I guess you’re right. Again.” She tried to smile.

“Now that He’s gotten through, you finally had the chance to grieve over your father’s death. You got hit with a double whammy today. It’s no wonder you’re in such a state right now.”

She made a brave attempt to hold her weak smile, but lost the battle as the tears flowed anew.

Maggie placed an arm around her, drawing her close. “Listen to me. God knew that you needed to heal, so he allowed Daniel to come into your life and bring you here. That wall had to come down so you could finally work through your grief.” Reaching her free hand into her pocket, she brought out a tissue, and handed it to Allison.

Wiping her face and dabbing at her nose, Allison slowly regained some of her composure.

“So, what am I supposed to do now?” She searched Maggie’s eyes.

“Allow yourself the time to get beyond your father’s death. You’ll know when you get there.”

“How will I know? Will I just wake up one day and everything will be okay?” Allison tried to keep the sarcasm from her voice, but some slipped through anyway.

Maggie chuckled. “You’ll know because one day you’ll realize that thinking about your Dad won’t hurt anymore. You’ll know because that day will come when you only remember the love he had for you, and all the good and happy times you had together.”

Again, Allison paused to consider the older woman’s words. “Thanks, Maggie. I don’t know why, but you seemed to know the right answers.”

Maggie grinned. “I was once where you are. For different reasons, of course. But my wall had to come down, too. Once that happened, I was able to face the real problem and deal with it.”

“You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“Nope. Not at all. It’s the truth. And I’ve been a happy woman ever since then.”

Allison couldn’t resist the urge to hug Maggie tight. Upon her release, the older woman rose to her feet and held out a hand to help Allison stand up.

“We’d better get inside before we freeze out here.”

“Wouldn’t that be a sight? The two of us frozen like statues on the top step of the church!” Allison couldn’t hold back the hilarity of that thought.

Laughing, they went inside. Daniel was coming across the vestibule as they entered.

“Ah! There you are!” His eyes were directed toward Allison. “I was looking for you.”

“You were?” Allison let a teasing tone slip into her words. “Why would you be looking for me?”

He grinned. “I saw the expression on your face while we were sharing our stories. I thought you might have fled in terror.”

“Nonsense!” Maggie interjected. “We were just having a little womanly heart to heart chat. Weren’t we, dear?”

“Yes, we were.” Allison tilted her chin upward in playful defiance. “That’s exactly what we were doing.”

Daniel’s grin remained. “Did my name come up?”

“Oh, it may have. But only briefly, I assure you.”

“So… you’re not gonna tell me what it was about, are you?”

“Dunno. I haven’t decided yet. Although, I suppose we didn’t discuss any vital secrets, so there’s a possibility that I might.”

He burst into a spirited laugh. “I’ll be waiting to hear all about it.”

“Don’t hold your breath, though.” Allison walked past him to the basement door. She burst into a fit of laughter when she turned to see Daniel still standing where she’d left him. He was staring at her with confused amusement on his face.

~~*~~

What could the women have talked about to bring on such a noticeable change in Allison? But then, was it necessary for him to know? Whatever it was, the difference in her was clearly noticeable. The sad, lonely woman he met yesterday seemed to be gone, replaced with a vibrant, happy one.

He must have had an odd look on his face because Allison let out an energetic laugh as she turned toward him. Then she disappeared down the stairs to the basement. He couldn’t move his feet for a few seconds, but when he was able, he followed.

Over the next few hours, he noted that she was more animated, more involved in conversation with the other volunteers. Allison had gone through a transformation during the short break earlier, and he was determined to learn what had brought it about in her. He decided to take her to dinner. Maybe then he could get her to tell him about it.

Daniel finished packing the last box just after six o’clock. Looking around, he noticed only a few volunteers still adding the final items, then bringing them to the area with the other filled boxes. The day had been busy, but now the work was over. He felt the satisfaction of a job well done, but one item remained on his list of things to accomplish before the day was complete.

He squatted in front of his son’s wheelchair. “Hey, buddy. I wanna ask Allison out to dinner, so I’ll get Mrs. Woodrow to take you home. Do you mind?”

“It’s okay with me. She’s nice.” Dylan always seemed to understand him. “Is she your girlfriend?”

That question threw him off kilter. Maybe his son saw something that Daniel hadn’t noticed. “Why do you ask that? I hardly know her.”

“I know you like her, Dad. A lot.” Dylan’s face was serious. “And so do I.”

“Well, we’ll see. I’ll do my best.” He saw a gleam of hope in the boy’s eyes. “Wait right here while I go ask her.”

Dylan beamed his winning smile at him, and Daniel felt the familiar tug on his heart.

Looking around as people were leaving, he spotted Allison moving to a quiet corner. He caught up to her as she reached into her purse.

“There you are. I was wondering if you need a ride.”

She glanced at him, a grin on her face, and a cell phone in her hand. “To be honest, I was just about to call a cab.”

“I’d be happy to take you home, but you have to do something for me first.” He hoped that didn’t sound sappy or desperate.

A slight chuckle escaped her. “And what would that be, Mr. Trotter?”

“Have dinner with me.” He saw her hesitation, and quickly added, “My treat.”

“Okay. Suppose I agree. What happens after dinner?”

“I will drop you off at your home, then return to my own. That’s it. Nothing else.” He tried to effect a pleading look with his eyes. It must have worked.

She seemed to titter with pleasure. “Well, since you’ll be a perfect gentleman for the duration, I’ll accept your invitation.”

He was sure the smile on his face made him appear to be a schoolboy again, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was she accepted his invitation, and he was delighted. An evening with her was just what he needed to end his day.

“Great! Let me get Maggie to take Dylan home, then we can go.”

“Why would you need Maggie to take him home?” Her eyebrows knitted together.

“She’s his nanny. I have to work, so I can’t be with him constantly.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking for a second.”

He smiled. “It’s okay. There’s no way you could’ve known that.” He paused for a beat. “Meet me at the curb out front in about five minutes.”

“I’ll be there.”

Daniel went back to where Dylan was waiting for him. “Okay, buddy. Mrs. Woodrow will be taking you home, but I’ll try to be there in time to put you in bed.”

“Yay! Dad has a date!”

CHAPTER SIX

She’d come a long way since waking up that morning. Allison couldn’t remember when she’d had a better day. Yes, there was the moment when she broke down on the front steps of the church, but that was the start of her new day—maybe even her new life.

Now here she was at a nice, cozy little Italian restaurant with a stunning, handsome gentleman, the aromas of flavorful spices and tomato based sauces tickling her nostrils. Was it possible for her to ask for more? Not really. This was the closest to a dream becoming reality that she could have ever imagined.

“So. Have you decided whether you’re gonna tell me about your talk with Maggie.” Daniel’s eyes showed expectant interest.

“Hmm… I suppose I could.” She couldn’t suppress the chuckle that bubbled up.

“I can’t wait to hear this.”

“Well, when the others were telling their memorable deliveries, something happened to me.”

She told him everything she’d discussed with Maggie—not sparing the tiniest of details—and even mentioned losing her job. When she was done, their food order had arrived, and she took miniscule a sip of her wine.

Daniel seemed deep in thought for a full minute as he twirled the spaghetti in his fork. “I have to agree with Maggie’s assessment. I think we were meant to collide on the street yesterday.” He grinned at her. “But I also think there’s more in store for us.”

“I’m not sure I know what you mean.” She had a hunch, but she didn’t want to own up to it.

“Oh, I think you do.”

Why was he wearing such a smug expression?

“Is that right?” She could play this game as well as him.

“Yep. And I’ll tell you why, too.”

She swallowed her bite of lasagna. “Okay, Mr. Smarty Pants. Tell me why.”

He almost choked on his meatball. “Mr. Smarty Pants, eh?”

“Uh huh.” She took another bite.

“Alright, then. I’ll tell you why. Because you felt it too, didn’t you?”

Oh, no! There it was. Daniel’s admission that he’d felt the jolt from the handshake, also. But how did he know she felt it? Had her reaction been so transparent that he couldn’t miss it if he’d tried?

“I see I was right.”

“About what? What do you think I felt?” She couldn’t help herself. Oddly, she felt trapped, like a hunted animal—cornered with nowhere to run.

“You know what I’m talking about, Allison. I saw the look in your eyes when I mentioned it. Don’t try to pretend it didn’t happen.”

“Pretend what didn’t happen?” Why did she insist on this futile attempt to deny it?

He set his fork on the edge of the plate and fixed her eyes with his intense deep brown ones.

“Okay. If that’s how you want it, I’m declaring ‘Game Over.’ I’ll tell you what I felt, and I know you felt it too. I saw it in your eyes.” He paused. “When you shook my hand, it felt like you’d hit me in the chest with a super strength taser. There. I’ve admitted it, and now it’s your turn.”

There was that smug smile again. He was right, though—she had felt it. So why did she have to get all defensive? She wasn’t ready for this, but she knew she had to tell him the truth.

She inhaled, filling her lungs to full capacity, then let it out in a long, slow sigh.

“Yeah.” It came out as less than a breathy whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes. I felt it, too. Shocked me from my hair all the way to my toes.”

“That’s interesting.”

“What? The fact that I finally confessed.”

He let out a miniscule chuckle. “No. I meant it’s interesting that you felt it in your hair.”

“To be honest, I was surprised it hadn’t gone up in flames.” Now that she’d said it aloud, the image it conjured in her mind made it seem ridiculous. An uncontrollable giggle took hold of her for nearly a minute.

Apparently, the humor wasn’t lost on Daniel, either. As soon as she was able to contain herself, she noticed that his chortling was coming to an end also.

His eyes searched hers. “So. Now that we’ve both acknowledged the attraction, what do you propose we do about it?”

~~*~~

He hadn’t expected his question would make her gag on the lasagna. That wasn’t even on the list of reactions he imagined possible. But it happened, and he was ready to help her dislodge the food from her windpipe if necessary. Luckily, that wasn’t the case, and she soon swallowed it.