“Nick…”
He paused, his pulse thudding. “What is it?”
Candace shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Tell me,” he insisted.
She hesitated, then said, “Do you still want me to come with you and Jennie to the carnival on Sunday?”
Nick was sure that wasn’t what she’d planned to say, but he didn’t challenge her. “Of course.” The coward in him added, “Alison and her husband, Richard, and her boys will no doubt be there too. It’s a great day out.”
Nick didn’t want Candace guessing how pleased he was that she’d agreed to go.
Ten
A welcoming banner festooned with hearts fluttered over the arched entrance to Valentine’s Garden Super Center.
“How did you manage to arrange for so many roses to be in bloom for today’s carnival?” Candace asked Nick as he pushed Jennie’s stroller under the arch covered in cascades of red, pink and white.
Nick’s mouth slanted. “Good planning—I leave nothing to chance.”
Candace gave him a narrow-eyed glance. Before she could react, a cloud of red, heart-shaped balloons floated toward them. A teenager wearing a T-shirt proclaiming Valentine’s… Gardens of Love emerged from behind the bunch and held a balloon out to Candace.
“Thank you.” Candace smiled and accepted the red heart. Bending forward, she tied it to the stroller. Jennie’s eyes lit up and her hand reached out. At her touch the balloon bobbed away, and Jennie squealed with pleasure.
Nick laughed. Straightening, Candace met his dancing eyes. There was a moment of pure, joyous accord, before she came to her senses and walked away quickly, leaving Nick to follow with the stroller.
She couldn’t allow herself to forget that Nick had wanted to get her out of her daughter’s life. Candace knew the battle wasn’t over yet. Nick was a hard-nosed businessman; he’d simply be choosing his time to regroup and attack again. She dared not let her guard down.
Inside the garden center, a lively sight met her eyes. The area around the coffee shop had been transformed, with extra tables and chairs arranged on the cobbles, and red-and-white petunias cascading out of planter boxes. On the wooden adventure playground children swarmed down rope ladders and over wooden battlements, and beyond the playground red, blue, and yellow canvas booths had been set up. In the nearest booth three young women were painting toddlers’ faces, while the booths beyond housed hook-the-fish, a skittle lane, a balloon twister and an assortment of other festive activities. “Goodness, it is a carnival.”
“Close enough.” Taking one hand from the stroller, Nick placed it under Candace’s elbow and guided her through the crowd while deftly maneuvering the stroller with his other hand. Instantly, shivers skittered across the bare skin where his hand rested. Candace forced herself to pretend she hadn’t noticed.
In the farthest corner a table had been cleared, and a waitress descended on them, brandishing menus. Nick’s hand released Candace, and he drew out a chair for her and then parked the stroller with a suddenly heavy-eyed Jennie in the corner beside them.
“There are pony rides and more booths down by the lake—even a kissing booth,” said Nick.
Candace sat, determined not be drawn into a discussion about kissing. The lingering sizzle from where his hand had rested was more than enough. She didn’t need any mention of kissing to heighten the constant warmth that enveloped her whenever Nick was nearby. So she changed the subject. “It’s all too much for Jennie to take in. Look, all the excitement, and she’s almost asleep!”
Nick laughed, then greeted the waitress by name, took the menus and passed one to Candace. “What would you like? I recommend the berry smoothies.”
“A smoothie sounds lovely.” Candace was relieved that Nick hadn’t pursued the topic of kissing booths.
The waitress gathered up the menus and departed. Candace glanced around. A little way off, an old-fashioned gazebo swayed with a trio of musicians. Plenty of older customers—and some younger couples—sat on the benches scattered throughout the carnival scene, enjoying the music. Her mother would’ve loved this…
But the days for this kind of pleasure were past for Catherine Morrison. “You’ve catered to everyone—all ages,” she said, trying not to let regret take hold at the thought of what her mother had lost.
Nick nodded. “Our Valentine’s Sunday carnival is part of the annual social calendar for many of our customers. Some have been coming for years. Old couples. Young families. At the heart of it all, everyone wants love…a family…and a home.”