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Authors: Betsy St. Amant
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he’d be able to keep a professional distance today as he would have with any other party planner, but the minute she’d stepped out of the car, he realized that wasn’t going to happen.
If they had any chance of working together on the fundraiser and the party for his niece, they were going to have to talk. Awkward as it might be, it would be worse to let things remain unexplained and Marissa wrongfully assume he was no longer interested in her.
Jacob drew a deep breath, certain he could still smell the lingering aroma of Marissa’s lilac perfume.
No, interest was not the problem.
Chapter Six
“I ’ve got four volunteers to manage the ticket booth for the festival.” Liz hung up the office phone and made a bold check mark beside an item on the list Marissa had given her earlier that day. “They said they’ll alternate shifts.”
Marissa made her own check mark in her planner. “Wow, that’s great. I haven’t been able to find anyone willing to do the grunt work yet.” She grinned. “Where have you been all my life?”
Liz laughed, the sound contagious and uplifting like the rest of Liz’s personality. “Raising a kid?”
“I hear you on that one.” Marissa stood from her desk chair and stretched. They’d been making calls for the fundraiser for nearly two hours straight. Judging by the accomplishments on Marissa’s list, the effort had been well worth it.
At least staying busy had been a distraction from the disappointment of seeing Jacob yesterday. It’d been hard not to quiz Liz about her brother-in-law in between their long talks about family and children throughout the day. Maybe Liz would have some insight into Jacob’s sudden mood swing. But it didn’t feel right to ask. Marissa hadno claim on Jacob, despite her heart insisting otherwise. She’d only look foolish.
“Need some water?” Marissa opened the dorm fridge beside her desk and removed two cold bottles.
“Sounds good.” Liz caught the bottle Marissa tossed and unscrewed the cap. “It’s already almost three-thirty. The kids should be here soon.”
Both women had arranged for a joint carpool to drop Olivia and Owen at the shop today so they could continue making progress on the festival for as long as possible. Marissa glanced at her watch. “You’re right. Today sure has gone by fast. I’m really glad you came in.”
“I told you I would.” Liz took a sip of her water. “I’m good at convincing people to do things they don’t normally want to do.” She winked.
“Aren’t all mothers?” Marissa laughed.
“Seriously, though, my church has been great about volunteering, and I knew they would be. They needed to become more aware of the need, that’s all.” Liz lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “They’re nice people—some more stubborn than others.”
Marissa nodded as the dots slowly connected. “So you go to the same church as Jacob?”
Liz hesitated with her bottle halfway to her lips. “Did I just imply my brother-in-law is stubborn?”
“You actually said as much yesterday when you first came to my store.” At the time, the statement from Liz had brought a smile and a feeling of bonding as Marissa had begun getting to know Jacob as well. Now it made Marissa feel like an outsider to a family joke—a family she obviously wouldn’t get to become close to, other than perhaps through her new friendship with Liz.
“As I recall, you didn’t really seem all that surprised.” Liz smirked.
“No—well, not now anyway. Although, I’m not sure if stubborn is the right word.” Marissa screwed the lid back on her water bottle and set it on her desk. It was probably her fault. She’d been out of the dating world longer than most, and there was still the chance she had misunderstood Jacob’s intentions. But why else would he have asked her on a date? Something changed between Friday night, when she left the Boardwalk, and Monday afternoon, when she arrived at his house. The question remained—what?
If they had any chance of working together on the fundraiser and the party for his niece, they were going to have to talk. Awkward as it might be, it would be worse to let things remain unexplained and Marissa wrongfully assume he was no longer interested in her.
Jacob drew a deep breath, certain he could still smell the lingering aroma of Marissa’s lilac perfume.
No, interest was not the problem.
Chapter Six
“I ’ve got four volunteers to manage the ticket booth for the festival.” Liz hung up the office phone and made a bold check mark beside an item on the list Marissa had given her earlier that day. “They said they’ll alternate shifts.”
Marissa made her own check mark in her planner. “Wow, that’s great. I haven’t been able to find anyone willing to do the grunt work yet.” She grinned. “Where have you been all my life?”
Liz laughed, the sound contagious and uplifting like the rest of Liz’s personality. “Raising a kid?”
“I hear you on that one.” Marissa stood from her desk chair and stretched. They’d been making calls for the fundraiser for nearly two hours straight. Judging by the accomplishments on Marissa’s list, the effort had been well worth it.
At least staying busy had been a distraction from the disappointment of seeing Jacob yesterday. It’d been hard not to quiz Liz about her brother-in-law in between their long talks about family and children throughout the day. Maybe Liz would have some insight into Jacob’s sudden mood swing. But it didn’t feel right to ask. Marissa hadno claim on Jacob, despite her heart insisting otherwise. She’d only look foolish.
“Need some water?” Marissa opened the dorm fridge beside her desk and removed two cold bottles.
“Sounds good.” Liz caught the bottle Marissa tossed and unscrewed the cap. “It’s already almost three-thirty. The kids should be here soon.”
Both women had arranged for a joint carpool to drop Olivia and Owen at the shop today so they could continue making progress on the festival for as long as possible. Marissa glanced at her watch. “You’re right. Today sure has gone by fast. I’m really glad you came in.”
“I told you I would.” Liz took a sip of her water. “I’m good at convincing people to do things they don’t normally want to do.” She winked.
“Aren’t all mothers?” Marissa laughed.
“Seriously, though, my church has been great about volunteering, and I knew they would be. They needed to become more aware of the need, that’s all.” Liz lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “They’re nice people—some more stubborn than others.”
Marissa nodded as the dots slowly connected. “So you go to the same church as Jacob?”
Liz hesitated with her bottle halfway to her lips. “Did I just imply my brother-in-law is stubborn?”
“You actually said as much yesterday when you first came to my store.” At the time, the statement from Liz had brought a smile and a feeling of bonding as Marissa had begun getting to know Jacob as well. Now it made Marissa feel like an outsider to a family joke—a family she obviously wouldn’t get to become close to, other than perhaps through her new friendship with Liz.
“As I recall, you didn’t really seem all that surprised.” Liz smirked.
“No—well, not now anyway. Although, I’m not sure if stubborn is the right word.” Marissa screwed the lid back on her water bottle and set it on her desk. It was probably her fault. She’d been out of the dating world longer than most, and there was still the chance she had misunderstood Jacob’s intentions. But why else would he have asked her on a date? Something changed between Friday night, when she left the Boardwalk, and Monday afternoon, when she arrived at his house. The question remained—what?
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