A Valentine for Kayla (6 page)

* * *

Derek stood beside their table holding a sack. He offered a hand to Kayla's mother. “I'm Derek Wood.”

Her mom took his hand. “Olivia Russell.”

“Kayla said you'd be back any day.”

“Mom surprised me. I had no idea she'd be standing in my doorway when I woke this morning.”

“Grab a chair and join us.” Olivia motioned toward another table with an empty seat.

“I don't want to intrude.”

She smiled sweetly. “But you were looking for my daughter, so you must need to speak with her. I have a better idea. Please take my seat. I have errands to run, anyway.” She pushed back and stood. “It was nice meeting you, Derek. I hope the next time our paths cross, I won't be in a rush.” She strolled away, and right before she left the room, she turned and wiggled her fingers.

Kayla blinked and shook her head. “What happened to my quiet, unassuming mother? That was
not
the woman who left for Florida a month ago.”

He chuckled. “I wondered. She wasn't how I'd pictured her after you talked about her last night. But the two of you could be sisters.”

“I know. Mom carries her age well. But I've always thought she was way prettier than me. She has a timeless beauty about her.”

“Just like her daughter.” He winked.

She raised her palm. “Please don't flatter me. What did you need?”

“I came into town for takeout and wanted to stop in and say hi.”

Kayla grinned. “That's nice of you. How's Helen doing today?”

“She's a little tired. I think she may have tried to wait up for me. I found her asleep on the couch when I got home last night. Otherwise, she's doing well.”

“I'm glad. Sorry she waited up, though.” She yawned.

He chuckled. “Tired?”

“Nope, all this talk about sleeping makes me yawn.”

“Did you have a nice visit with your mom? I really didn't mean to chase her away.”

“Yes, we had a very nice talk. And don't worry. She wouldn't have left if she didn't want to.”

He sensed there was more but didn't want to intrude. Sure, they'd shared a perfect evening together last night, but that didn't give him license to invade her private life uninvited. Boundaries were important in any relationship. Did they have a
relationship
? Maybe not yet, but at this rate they were well on their way. He wasn't sure that was what he needed in his life right now, but he wouldn't close off the possibility, either.

“You okay?” Kayla placed her hand on his.

He nodded. “I should be going.” He slid his hand out from under hers and stood.

Kayla hopped up. “I'll walk you out. I need to get back to work, anyway.”

Derek pulled the door open. “After you.”

“Thanks.” She breezed past, then waited, a soft smile touching her lips. “I just thought of something. I'm on the Spring Festival committee. May I recruit you to help?”

He liked giving back, but was now the right time with his mom's health scare? “I don't know.”

She raised a hand. “Before you say no, I understand you're busy taking care of your mom, but I promise this won't take a lot of your time.”

“That might work, then. Maybe we can get together later and discuss what you have in mind.”

“Sure. We close at four tonight. Jill booked a wedding, so we're closing early. Lucky me—I don't need to be there. I can meet you at Java World, my treat. They make the best mochas in town.”

“How could I say no to that offer?” He grinned and headed to his pickup.

His cell buzzed in his pocket. “Hey, Jerry. What's up?” His manager had given him the space he'd asked for, but if his frequent calls the past couple of weeks were any indication, that was over.

“When are you coming back?”

“I'm not. I told you that.” Derek jumped into his truck and closed the door so no eavesdroppers would hear their conversation.

“I know what you said, but I need you in LA.”

“Not now. I need to be with my mom.”

“This is a mistake, Derek. People will forget about you if you're not in the public eye or putting out albums.”

“Let them forget.” He rested his head against the side window.

“You don't mean that, so I won't hold it against you. I have a strong feeling you'll be back here sooner than you realize. You just need the right motivation.”

“Not gonna happen. And what do you mean, right motivation?”

Silence.

“Jerry?” Since when did his manager hang up on him? A sick feeling gripped his stomach. What was Jerry up to?

K
ayla locked up the flower shop, then darted across the street at exactly four o'clock. The day had dragged ever since she'd seen Derek at lunch. All she could think about was seeing him again.

She pulled open the glass door that led into Java World. The rich aroma of coffee scented the air and put a smile on her face. She looked to her left toward the dimly lit dining area where assorted tables and chairs were laid out—no Derek. Her gaze landed on the walls, where artwork created by local artists hung, each highlighted with its own mini light. It was always fun to see the revolving gallery of sorts.

She stepped into the short line directly in front of her, focusing on the chalkboard listing today's special as a white mocha.

“Hey,” a male voice said softly into her ear.

She startled and whirled around holding a hand over her heart. “Derek! I didn't hear you come in.”

He grinned. “What are you having?”

She pointed to the special on the board. “How about you?”

“Sounds great. Think I'll have the same.”

She ordered their coffees. “We pick them up at the other end,” Kayla said over her shoulder. A few minutes later they each held a steaming mug of chocolaty goodness. She led the way to a table near the back where they were less likely to be interrupted.

They slid into their seats and Derek took a sip from the large navy mug with Java World's logo. “Mmm. You were right. They do make good mochas.”

“How is your mom doing?”

“Not bad. She's back to work. Her business is home based, so that's made it very convenient for her. She probably wouldn't have been able to go back to work so soon if she worked in an office.”

“That's great. I'm happy her recovery is going so well. How's her speech?”

“Not normal yet and better in the mornings than evenings, when she's tired.”

“That makes sense.”

She rested her chin on the palm of her hand. “As you know, the Spring Festival is the biggest event we hold in Oak Knoll, so we go all out. I'm in charge of entertainment. We always have face painting and various booths for the kids to play games. Last year we rented inflatables, which were a big hit. My budget is larger this year, so I'm considering bringing in miniature ponies, as well. What do you think?”

“Any kid would be thrilled. What do you do for the teens?”

She bit her bottom lip. The teenagers always slipped through the cracks, and she had no idea what to do. “In the past, several of them have manned the kiddie stations. What do you suggest? My budget is gone unless I don't do the ponies.”

“I suggest skipping the ponies. What about a dunk tank or movie in the park?”

She pulled a notepad and pen from her purse and wrote his suggestion down. “It's too cold for a dunk tank, but the movie could work. It'd have to be family friendly, though. What other ideas do you have?”

“What about a concert with a local band?”

She shook her head. “We've done that in the past. There should be someone working on that already.”

“You may have the teens covered, then, if the band is good.”

“Margie, the festival coordinator, usually gets the same group every year and they're not bad.”

He chuckled. “
Not bad
isn't exactly a glowing review.”

She shrugged. “I imagine
not bad
is all this town can afford.”

“Where do I fit into this?” He sipped his mocha.

“I'm not sure exactly.” Her face heated. She'd indicated that she had a job for him only because she'd wanted an excuse to spend time with him. “There's a committee to make sure all of this happens.”

“What do you do during the festival?”

“Hopefully nothing. I try to plan to the nth degree, but if someone doesn't show for a shift, I find a substitute. Honestly, I'm pretty busy at the flower shop during the festival. All the stores run a special sale, and I'm stuck at the register much of the time.”

“How about you put me down as a substitute? If you need someone to fill in, let me know.”

“Really? That's nice of you. I was thinking more behind the scenes. Like maybe setup, but I like your idea.” The only problem was she wouldn't get to spend any extra time with him if that was all he did. Her cell rang. “I'm sorry.” She pulled it from her purse and frowned. “I need to take this. It's the festival coordinator.”

“No problem.”

“Hi, Margie. What's up?”

“The mayor wants to do a parade this year! Can you believe it?”

“A parade?” Kayla wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It would definitely complicate things.

“Yes, and he wants all the businesses to enter floats.”

Kayla groaned. “How am I supposed to coordinate the entertainment, run a business
and
create a parade float? It's impossible.”

“I know it will be a challenge for the smaller businesses, but I'm sure you could get volunteers to help.”

Kayla's stomach knotted. This was
not
what she'd signed up for.

“There's one more thing,” Margie said. “I don't know how we could hold a parade with the bounce house and obstacle course inflatables set up on Main Street. It would be a logistical nightmare.”

“What are you saying exactly?”

“Nix the inflatables.”

“But they were a huge hit last year. We saw more foot traffic than ever before, which translates into sales for the downtown district.” She clenched and unclenched her hand. A technique she'd learned as a teen to help release tension.

Derek reached across the table and rested his hand over her fist. “I have an idea,” he said quietly.

“Margie, may I call you back?”

“Sure, but the parade is a go. I'll be sending out emails to all the downtown businesses.”

“Okay.” She disconnected the call and returned her attention to Derek. “What's your idea?”

“You could put the playthings for the kids in the park. There's plenty of green space. The parade will draw more foot traffic than you've ever seen at one time.” He gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it. “And I'll help with your float.”

The park was actually a decent idea. A smile stretched her lips. “Great idea—thanks! I could kiss you right now!” Her cheeks burned as her comment registered in her mind.

“I won't stop you.” He waggled his brow.

Her thoughts immediately shot to their kiss last night. She buried her face in her hands.

Derek chuckled as he pried her fingers away from her face. “I was teasing. But in all seriousness, you can kiss me anytime.” He shot a cheeky grin her way.

Kayla made a face and rose. “You ready to get out of here?”

“Yep.” He got up and held out his hand.

She slipped her fingers through his.

He spoke softly into her ear as they left Java World. “I meant it when I said I'd like to help with the float. Keep me in the loop. Okay?” He stopped walking and they stood facing each other on the sidewalk.

“I will, and thanks.” She looked into his eyes and her heart tripped as she realized she could see them in a serious relationship if things continued to progress as they were. Then again, maybe this was infatuation. She definitely liked him, but she didn't know him all that well. He was such a mystery.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “If you're not too busy, we could do something Friday night. Maybe dinner and movie?”

“I'd like that.” Her skin tingled from his touch.

“I'll call you.”

“DJ!”

“Oh no,” Derek groaned. He gently grasped Kayla's shoulders and looked directly into her eyes.

Kayla's heart beat wildly and fear gripped her. The look in Derek's eyes scared her, more than the idea of building a float.

“Whatever happens next, know that everything I've told you is the truth. I really like you, Kayla.” He released her shoulders and turned toward a woman who kept calling out to someone named DJ.

Kayla moved to get a better view of a petite woman with long blond hair and gasped. “Oh my goodness!” She looked exactly like Estelle Rogers. Kayla was a fan of her movies, except that last one she'd done was awful. What was
she
doing in Oregon?

* * *

Derek's heart beat double time as Estelle stormed toward him, her ridiculously high heels clicking on the sidewalk.

Kayla grabbed his arm. “That's Estelle Rogers! I love her movies! How do you know her?”

“It's kind of a long story.”

Estelle stopped a couple of feet from him and glared. “It's about time I found you. Your mother said you were in town. Why didn't you answer my calls?”

“Kayla Russell, meet Estelle Rogers.”

Kayla held out her hand. “It's an honor to meet you. I'm a big fan.”

“Thanks. Be a dear and run along. I need to have a word with my boyfriend.”

Derek cringed. “Ex-boyfriend, Estelle.” Kayla shifted beside him and he turned to face her. He grasped her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

The light that had shone in Kayla's eyes was gone, and in its place confusion resided. “You have a girlfriend? Why is she calling you DJ?”

“Estelle isn't my girlfriend. We broke up more than six months ago.” His stomach tightened. What a mess! “I'll call you and explain everything later. Okay, Kayla?”