Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
It was warmer than usual for January, making the evening perfect for the party Paula was heading to.
She had opted for her fuchsia shirt—the bright color suited the weather and the occasion.
She was looking forward to seeing James and Laura again, and the noise of happy people gathered for the private party at The Sweet and Savory Table greeted her as she entered the café.
Someone clinked a glass, and the conversation died down so James could speak. “Thank you all for coming here today.” James stood in front of the crowd, with Laura and Josh close by, and the boy looked from James to Laura with love and adoration.
Despite her feeling down about her failed relationship with Jackson, Paula’s smile was so wide it hurt her face.
To see the three of them together was wonderful and made her hopeful.
Even with a dark past, Josh had found his way to the light.
“We’ve invited you here today to share our joy at making Josh a permanent member of our family.
Without all your help and support, we couldn’t have done it. ”
James exchanged a glance with Josh, and the boy gave a small nod. James placed his hand on Josh’s shoulders and guided him forward. The boy gave Laura a smile and raised his chin. “I would like to say something, too,” he spoke into the silence.
“First, I want to thank Mom and Dad for taking me in and supporting me. It sounds really good to be able to call them that. I haven’t had much in the way of a real family the last few years, but Mr. James and Ms. Laura took me in and kept me, even when I got in trouble with the police.
The last few months”—Josh swallowed. James gave a reassuring squeeze to his shoulder, and Josh continued—“have been really hard, and I’m grateful for all the people who stood by me. So thank you all.”
Paula swallowed a lump in her throat and blinked rapidly to avoid the tears forming as Josh shared hugs with Laura and James.
James added, “On behalf of my wife and our son, we thank you all for coming. Thanks to Suzie, Sonja, and Connor for welcoming us here at The Sweet and Savory Table. They and their crew made a wonderful meal. Please enjoy.” People applauded, cheered, and offered a few whistles as well.
Among the guests, Paula recognized a number of people from Club Indigo, and she was surprised at how many she considered friends.
Paula also spotted Laura’s father, Dan, his wife Beatrice, and Suzie’s children—Tim and Abby.
As she was scanning the party she glimpsed the one person she didn’t want to see, and she moved to where she hoped she wouldn’t be noticed—the children’s table.
“Aren’t you Aunt Laura’s police friend? I saw you at the wedding,” a young person inquired.
Paula smiled and turned her attention to the girl. Abby looked beautiful in a dark blue dress. Soon, the young men would be crowding Suzie and Connor’s doorstep.
“Yes, I am.” Paula answered.
“Are you here to arrest Josh?”
Paula’s mouth dropped open. “No. Why would you think that?”
“Josh told Tim, and I wasn’t supposed to hear, but I did, and so I know you took Josh’s fingerprints and all, and now he’s in some kind of trouble,” Abby said, without coming up for air.
Ah, okay, now things made more sense.
“It’s true that Josh had some contact with the police, and I was the investigating officer. I’m not the reason he’s in trouble,” Paula explained. “The problem with listening in on people is that you don’t always get the whole story.”
Abby’s eyes widened, and she whispered, “How did you know I was doing that?”
“I’m the police. We know these things.” Paula made an effort to stay serious, but she ruined it by chuckling.
“I’m kidding. I know this from experience.
You miss a lot of information, that’s all.
Josh isn’t in trouble anymore. He has to do some things over the next few years to make up for what he did, but unless he makes a big mistake or a bad choice, there’s no reason to think he’ll have to deal with the police again. ”
Abby pursed her lips and looked over the crowd. Paula followed her gaze and found Josh. The girl’s cheeks had flushed an attractive pink shade. Interesting!
“Do you know Josh well?” Paula inquired.
Abby nodded. “Josh is Tim’s best friend, and we see him every Saturday, sometimes at our house and sometimes at Aunt Laura’s.
He comes over during the week, too. We play outside when the weather is nice.
Well, mostly Josh plays soccer with Tim, but I’m outside, too.
” Paula made an encouraging sound, and Abby didn’t need more prompting.
“And of course we play with the trains together, too. And— And Josh helped me with my geography last month. I got an A.”
Paula couldn’t suppress a smile. “That sounds nice.”
“Yes,” Abby sighed, her expression dreamy. “He’s very nice.”
Ah, young love, so beautiful and fragile.
“I agree. He is pretty great,” Paula agreed.
“Are you talking about me?” someone asked playfully behind them. Before Paula could answer, Abby jumped up and embraced the tall blond man behind them. “Mr. Chris!” she exclaimed in delight.
Chris swung Abby into his arms. “How’s my favorite girl?”
Paula felt her mouth curl up again. She hadn’t smiled this much in weeks.
Yes, it was good to be here with friends and to see how happy the newly formed family was.
Life had dealt Josh a rough hand, but now things were looking up.
She glanced around the room again and felt paralyzed as magnetic blue eyes locked with hers.
Paula sucked in a shocked breath as Jackson’s heated glance skimmed her body and returned to her face. Was it hot in here, or was she having a hot flash? Paula tamped down the urge to fan herself, pulled her gaze away from Jackson, and started talking with Chris.
“Do you come here to eat often?” Her question sounded lame, but she needed something to say.
“This was always a good place to have lunch, but with Suzie baking and breakfast happening, it’s so much better. Those pastries in the morning are something else.”
“Trust you to have a sweet tooth, Chris.”
Paula didn’t hear his next comment as her thoughts kept drifting toward Jackson. Chris was nice and entertaining—and an incorrigible flirt—but he wasn’t Jackson. He didn’t have his magnetism. Paula forced her attention back to Chris. “I’m sorry did you say something?”
“You know, sweetheart, if I didn’t know you were Jackson’s sub, I’d be heartbroken.” He teased her with a wicked grin.
“I’m not Jackson’s sub.”
Chris let out a belly laugh, and she felt her face flush again.
Menopause, it has to be!
“The two of you can’t keep your eyes off each other.”
“Yeah, well I don’t deny we have great chemistry, but I’m not built for the kind of relationship Jackson wants.” Paula gave a noncommittal shrug, as if the admission didn’t tear her apart.
“What do you mean?” Chris cocked his head and frowned at her.
“I don’t like to give away as much control he wants to have,” she answered.
“Don’t tell me Jackson isn’t open to renegotiating if something doesn’t work between the two of you?” Chris asked in disbelief.
Paula blinked in confusion. Change the contract, but she?—
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t think I’m submissive, after all.” She couldn’t talk about this any longer. Why had she picked Chris to divert her attention? She started to turn away.
“Stop.” The command in his voice, more than the word itself made her halt in her tracks. Chris invaded her personal space, and she stayed rooted to the ground, unable to pull away from his command.
“Not submissive, huh.” Chris brushed his knuckles over her cheek before stepping away from her, breaking the spell.
“Sweetheart, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably a duck.
” With that, he tipped two fingers against his temple in a mock salute and sauntered off in the direction of the drinks table.
What the hell?
Paula watched Chris’ retreat and nibbled on her bottom lip, before shaking her head and looking away. Again, Jackson caught her eye on the other side of the room, and she took the only option she could think of.
Paula headed toward the door and exited the party like a burglar would run from a police officer.