Instant Father. Donna Gartshore
took every ounce of self-control he had to say lightly, “I guess I meant I’m more of a fix-it kind of guy. I don’t suppose you have any light bulbs that need changing, or a furnace filter that’s overdue for a swap?”
Charlotte studied him with a puzzled look on her face. “You want to spend your time here fixing things?”
“Or whatever needs doing.”
“I thought you’d come here to get to know people better?” she asked.
She was right, of course, and he would do whatever it took, as long as Tyson was safe and happy here. He just wouldn’t go shoot hoops with a group of men who would bring back memories of how the jocks in school had treated him.
“I do want that,” Paul said. “But I think you can get to know people working on projects together. Plus, these older buildings usually have a lot of neglected areas because no one has the time or inclination to get to them—kind of like you and your house,” he couldn’t resist adding and grinned to see how flustered the sometimes prim schoolteacher could look.
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, waving her hand. Then she said, “I just thought of something—wait right here.”
Paul stood there, wondering what she had in mind. Charlotte returned a few minutes later, looking pleased with herself.
“We have more than our quota of volunteers tonight,” she said, “so I’m getting Stephanie to take over for me and I’m going to take you on a tour of the place and introduce you to a couple of gentlemen who have been keeping a long-running list of the things that never get done.”
Again, he had conflicted feelings about Charlotte. She appeared to be so engaged in helping him and Tyson, which he supposed went along with her role as a teacher and a volunteer. But he couldn’t allow himself or Tyson to get too attached to her. The end of the school year would come before they knew it, and it was very likely she would be gone.
Besides, what reason would he possibly have to get attached to her besides wanting what was best for Tyson?
Soon, he found himself engaged in conversation with Ralph Meyer, a retired police officer, and Joe Rockaberry, who had owned the grocery store in town for years before selling it to his son-in-law. They both had an avid interest in keeping things shipshape at the church. It was clear that their white hair and aging bodies had no impact on the sharpness of their minds or the validity of their ideas.
As they chatted about what Paul could help with, a quietly optimistic voice in the back of his mind said, I can do this. This is all going to work out. He caught Charlotte’s eye then, and was warmed by the encouraging nod that she gave him. But again he reminded himself not to count on her encouragement too much. His entire life had taught him that he couldn’t really count on anyone. Ever.
“We should sit somewhere,” Joe suggested. “Put some kind of plan together.”
The remainder of the time went by rapidly, as the three men sat in one of the meeting rooms and decided what projects would take priority. Soon Paul found himself back at the classroom door, waiting for Tyson to come out. He tried not to, but he caught himself watching for a glimpse of Charlotte’s blue plaid shirt and the bounce of her ponytail.
Just then, Tyson came out of the room, chattering the instant he saw his uncle.
“We had so many stories, Uncle Paul! Did you know David slewed Goliath even though he was way smaller and did you know that Max is my new friend and that she’s a girl, not a boy, even though her name is Max, and I want to come back next week, okay, can we?”
When he finally stopped to take a breath, Paul smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself so much. Yes, we can come back.”
Tyson jumped around excitedly. “Hey, Max,” he said to the little girl who had come to stand beside him, “I get to come back next week.”
Max was tiny and blonde, wore pink overalls and had pink ribbons on her pigtails, so Paul was amused at how deep and froggy her voice was. “That’s great, Ty!”
Just then, he spotted Charlotte across the room. She was smiling at a woman and holding a wriggling child in her arms while the woman put her coat on.
Then he saw the library door open and a bedraggled woman emerged, looking like she’d just awoken from a nap. She held Michael’s hand but seemed detached from him.
He saw Michael look over at Tyson and frown. A shot of apprehension went through Paul, but Tyson was engrossed in making silly faces with Max and hadn’t noticed.
He reassured himself that the boy wasn’t in Tyson’s class. The evening at church had gone better than he’d expected, and he didn’t want anything to spoil it.
Charlotte’s peal of laughter bounced across the room. Paul looked over to see that she was giggling at the antics of a toddler. He noticed other eyes were on her, too. Michael’s mother’s frown mimicked her son’s.
Charlotte had said she didn’t know them. So why was the woman looking at Charlotte like she was angry at her about something?
Charlotte came over to Paul and Tyson and said, “I’m really glad you came tonight. I hope you had fun.”
“I sure did,” Tyson said.
“It was great,” Paul said. “I’m sure we’ll be back. Thanks for introducing me to Ralph and Joe. They’re great guys.”
“You’re welcome,” Charlotte said, her eyes shining with pleasure. “See you soon.”
Paul found himself thinking that was something he hoped would happen. He definitely wanted to see Charlotte again soon.
On her way home from school on Thursday, Charlotte popped into the pharmacy to pick up one of her favorite women’s magazines to read with her evening tea, and also to ask Stephanie how the rest of the night had gone with the literacy volunteer group.
“I felt bad about leaving you guys,” she said. “But it was Paul and Tyson’s first time there, and I wanted to make sure that they felt welcome.”
Stephanie looked over the rim of her glasses at Charlotte. “I’m sure you did,” she teased.
“Oh, stop it,” Charlotte protested in a light tone. Because she was in her mid-twenties and not married, it went with the territory to be teased about every eligible man that came along. But still, she wished others would understand that she had no idea when she would seriously consider marriage. She was still trying to decide her life, let alone trying to incorporate a relationship into the equation, even with someone as undeniably attractive as Paul.
“All joking aside,” Stephanie said, “the group was great. We missed you, of course, but we got a lot done. You know, it’s not just reading that they need help with, it’s a whole bunch of practical things, like how to take public transportation, how to open up a bank account, that kind of thing.”
“I know.” Charlotte nodded. “We really have to make sure that we remember that many of them are starting a whole new life here and the things we take for granted are things that are totally new to them.” She added, “I noticed that boy Michael and his mother were there again, too. Has anyone had a chance to find out more about them?”
Stephanie shook her head. “I think a few people tried, but they don’t make themselves very approachable. I have the feeling that the church isn’t so much a place they want to be as a place they’re using to get away from something, if that makes any sense.”
Or from someone? Charlotte found herself wondering. But before they could explore the subject any further, an older gentleman stepped into the pharmacy and Stephanie excused herself to assist him.
Once she was home, Charlotte sliced up some vegetables into the