Sweet Baklava (27 page)

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aula thought for a moment. "Probably not."

Nick laughed. "Didn't think so. I'm glad I went along with the plan."

"The very sneaky plan."

"Sneaky but smart."

After they hung up, she called her mother's cell to see how she was doing. Her mother answered right away.

"Where are you?" Paula asked.

"About an hour and a half from home. I guess it was pretty stupid to come down there on a whim."

"It's okay to come visit me, but call next time. What if I wasn't here?"

"I thought about that. Did you have fun at the Papadopoulos house?"

"Yes, it was nice."

"Did you like their gift?"

Paula didn't remember telling her mother about going there. "How did you know about that?"

"Nick called a little while ago and wished me a Merry Christmas. He told me about your surprise."

Paula laughed. "I was definitely surprised."

"Just remember what I said. Always remember what you want, and don't let some man try to convince you to do otherwise. It'll make you resent him."

"Is that how you feel about Mack?"

"Yes. He doesn't understand how I feel."

"Have you tried talking to him?"

"Of course. Why do you think I'm so upset all the time? When he tells me to get a job, I tell him exactly how I feel. And even though he says he understands about the private investigator, he still throws that up in my face."

Paula had heard her mother rant before, and if she did that to Mack, he probably tuned her out. "Why don't you tell him you'd like to talk about it sometime when he's not upset with you?"

"Oh, puh-lease. Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

"No, of course I don't. You're not stupid."
Just misdirected.
"Why don't you and Mack go for counseling?"

"You're starting to sound just like him. He said that very same thing a few days ago. Have you talked to Mack?"

"No, but if you want to save your marriage, it's the logical thing to do. Living without trust is hard."

"You need to think about that too, Paula."

Paula swallowed hard. For once her mother had a point. "Will you at least think about going for counseling?"

"I told you I've been seeing a shrink."

"I'm talking about marriage counseling. With Mack."

"I have to go, Paula. The traffic is starting to get heavy."

Avoidance—another of her mother's techniques for dealing with distasteful subjects.

Over the next several weeks, as Paula prepared for her trip, her mother's words about not letting a man determine her future played through her mind. Until now, she'd subconsciously thought along the same lines as her mom—and that made her shudder. It didn't seem wrong to want to stay in Tarpon Springs until her mother talked about standing her ground to get her way. Now it seemed downright selfish.

She loved Nick, and he said he loved her. It wasn't like they'd just met and let the chemistry take over. They'd had years of knowing each other and seeing the differences as well as their similarities.

"Something seems different about you," Alexa said on the morning Paula was leaving for Texas.

"Yeah? How so?"

"You don't seem worried about the shop. I thought you'd be running around with last-minute lists, giving me instructions, and . . ." Her voice trailed off.

"Making you crazy?" Paula added.

"Well, yeah." Alexa gave her an apologetic grin. "But you're acting like you trust me enough to run this place."

"I do."

"I know, but you don't even seem nervous."

"To be honest, I'm a nervous wreck inside," Paula said. "But it's more about seeing Nick than worrying about this shop."

"Good. That's the kind of nervous you should be."

"Do you think I should bring something dressy?"

"Of course," Alexa said. "You know that little red dress you bought for the Chamber of Commerce event last year?"

Paula nodded. "I'm not sure it still fits."

"Go home and try it on. If it doesn't fit, you can borrow one of my outfits."

Paula opened her mouth to argue that she was supposed to work until noon, when Steph was taking her to the airport, but she stopped herself and nodded. "Okay. I'll do that now."

She'd gotten to the door when she heard Alexa call out, "And don't stop by the Senior Center. No one's there. They're taking the morning off."

Man, Alexa sure did have her number. "Okay, okay, Miss Bossy."

"Just wanted to make sure you knew."

Nick got to the airport early. He'd been pacing like a madman, but his friend Lance shoved him out the door. "You're better off waiting there than here driving me nuts."

"I'll call Beth as soon as we're on our way."

"She knows." Lance pointed toward the door. "Now go."

Waiting had never bothered Nick before, but now that he wanted everything to be perfect, he felt jumpy. He parked in the short-term lot and went into the terminal. It seemed like forever until he spotted Paula walking his way. When her gaze met his, her entire face lit up.

He opened his arms and lifted her off her feet. She dropped her carry-on bags and flung her arms around his neck. "I thought you'd never get here," he said.

"What are you talking about?" she asked as he set her down. She tapped her watch. "My plane was fifteen minutes early."

"Okay, let's go get the rest of your bags."

A half hour later, they were on their way to Lance's girlfriend Beth's apartment. Nick pulled out his phone and punched in Beth's number.

As soon as she answered, he said, "We're on our way."

"Good. Now try to calm down. I know you're excited about her being here, but you have a whole week."

"Okay, I'll try to do that."

After he pushed the OFF button, Paula laughed. "What did you just promise to try to do?"

"Calm down, but it's hard when I'm this excited."

"Why?" Paula asked as she looked out the window. "What are you so excited about?"

"You being here."

"Nick."

He cast a glance in her direction and saw her you've-gotta-be-kidding look. "What?"

"You saw me just a few weeks ago. I'm totally not that exciting."

"To me you are."

She snorted. "Doesn't take much for you then. So are you sure it's okay for me to stay with this Beth girl?"

"Absolutely. In fact, when I mentioned that you might come, she volunteered her place right away. She and Lance met at church. I think you'll like her."

"It's good to know they attend church. Same one you go to?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I went to the base chapel until Lance invited me to his small church that meets at an elementary school."

"Interesting."

They chatted about some of the differences between San Antonio and the Tampa Bay area until he pulled into the apartment complex and wound around toward the back.

"These look like nice apartments," Paula said.

"They are. Beth had a roommate until recently. She's living in a huge two-bedroom apartment by herself for now—at least until she can find another roommate. Your timing is good."

Beth stood at the door of her apartment, waiting. Nick waved, and she met them at the car.

"Hi, Paula, I'm Beth. I bet you're exhausted. I have your room ready, so you can relax for a little while until the guys come back and pick us up for dinner."

"Oh, I forgot to tell her." Nick turned to Paula. "We're taking you to this fabulous Mexican restaurant for dinner."

"Sounds good," Paula said.

After Nick carried Paula's bags to her room, he gave her a quick kiss and whispered, "I love you. See you in a couple of hours."

He left, and Beth took Paula on a tour of the apartment. "Help yourself to whatever you want. Nick said you like sweets, so I bought a bunch of stuff."

"You didn't have to do that," Paula said. "But thanks. I just don't want to be an inconvenience."

"Oh, trust me, you're not an inconvenience. We've all been looking forward to meeting the girl who's had Nick's heart for so long."

Paula gave Beth a curious look. "What?"

"We kept trying to fix him up with nice girls, but he was never interested. Finally, last summer, he told Lance that he's been in love with the same girl since high school."

Paula's heartbeat quickened. "He said that?"

"Yep. He not only told Lance and me, he said it in front of our entire group at church." She gestured toward the living room. "Why don't we sit down in there and relax. Want something to drink?"

"Sure," Paula said. "Whatcha got?"

"Lemonade or sweet tea."

Paula grinned. "Sweet tea will be just fine."

Within minutes Paula felt as if she'd known Beth forever. She was from Mississippi, and her background was similar. Her parents divorced when she was a little older, so she and her mother went to live with her grandmother.

"With Granny there to take care of me, Mama went hog wild with the men, if you know what I mean."

Paula nodded. "My grandmother moved to a retirement center, and she didn't approve of my parents getting a divorce, so Mom stuck around to try to keep her happy. After she passed away, my mother and I moved down to Florida to get a fresh start."

"Aren't you glad?" Beth asked.

"At the time, no. I wanted to stay right where I was, with the friends I'd known since I was little. I hated leaving Alabama, but it wasn't hard to make friends in Tarpon Springs. Nick's cousin came up to me the first day of school and asked if I wanted to join her and her friends for lunch."

Beth tapped her chin. "Is that Alexa?"

"No, it was Steph. Alexa is a little bit younger."

"Nick talks about his cousins, parents, aunts, and uncles all the time. We feel like we know them. I have to admit, Lance and I got a kick out of hearing that his daddy's in the sponging business. I never even thought about people diving for sponges. I just thought you went to the grocery store and bought 'em."

"That's what most people think."

"Nick also told us about your soap and candle shop. It sounds like such a fun life."

Paula told her about how she'd always wanted her own business, and when she had the opportunity to rent space from Nick's uncle, she couldn't turn it down. "Alexa works for me now, and she's taking my business to a whole new level."

"It's good that you have someone you can trust working for you. You're able to get away without worryin' about your employees robbin' you blind."

"I know. I'm blessed."

Beth hopped up. "We better start getting ready for our big date. I hope you like enchiladas. The place we're going has the best in the world."

That night was the start of what seemed like a dream vacation to Paula. Nick was the perfect tour guide, showing her around the Air Force base and San Antonio. The more she got to know Beth, the more she liked her and valued her new friendship. When it was time to leave, she hugged her hostess.

"Come back and stay here anytime. Even if I find a roommate, you're still welcome."

"Thank you so much for everything." Paula made a mental note to send Beth a gift basket filled with a variety of soaps and candles.

At the airport, Nick held her in his arms for a long time. Finally, she had to pull away. "I need to go to the gate and check in."

He nodded. "I might come back home again in a few months." He glanced down then looked back into her eyes. "That is, if you'd like me to."

"Of course I want you to." She dropped her bag on the floor and ran back up to him. After kissing him once more, she backed away. "I'll see you then, Nick."

Paula's heart ached from the moment they parted until she arrived at the Tampa International Airport. Steph had pulled up beside the curb to pick her up.

"How was San Antonio?"

Paula sighed. "Wonderful."

"Did you actually see San Antonio, or were you and Nick too busy staring at each other?"

Paula told her all about the trip and her new friend Beth. "I think you'd like her."

"I'm sure I would." She pulled out onto the road leading home. "I can't believe you haven't asked about the shop yet."

"Oops." Paula giggled. "So how's the shop? Still standing, I hope."