Finding Love in Payton (18 page)

She chewed her lip. "I want a future with you in it,
too, but I don't understand why you think you have
to have a home and a large savings account in order
for us to make it work."

He glanced at Dinah. She looked confused and more
than a little irritated. Now he felt really silly. "Because
I want to provide for you, Dinah. I want to take care
of you."

She stepped back. "I think your costume has addled
your mind."

Now he was thoroughly confused. "What's wrong?
Are you upset that I told you I wanted to marry you?"

"No. I'm upset that you thought conditions had to
be perfect in order for us to do so." She ran her fingers
through her hair, making the flipped ends curl up even
more. "Jeremy, I don't need all those things. I don't
need to be taken care of. I already have a home, a
business ... a life."

And he, obviously, didn't have any of those things.
And, though she was telling him she didn't expect him
to have a home and a full time job, he felt their absence even more. "I know that."

"I don't need you to provide them for me."

Dinah's voice was clipped, almost hard, and her
lack of understanding made him lose his temper.
"Maybe you don't need money or a home, but you do
need a husband, someone to love you," he pointed out
angrily. "You need someone who will accept you no
matter what, who will be there for you through thick
and thin. And Bryan ... he needs a father. Someone
who wants to be with him, to take him to the hospital
when he gets hurt. To play with him in the sandbox,
to hold him when he's sleepy. He needs me, and so
do you," he finished softly.

Dinah's eyes filled with tears. "Jeremy, that isn't
what I meant, you misunderstood me."

He shook his head. "No, Dinah, you've misunderstood me. Everything I've done all summer was with
you and Bryan in mind. I don't need you to want to trip over yourself in a rush to marry me, but I do want
you to take me seriously."

"I do," she said softly.

"Do you?" He gripped the front porch banister
tightly, doing his best to school his emotions so he
wouldn't do something else stupid and start explaining
himself again.

"Then why do I have to keep explaining myself?
Why do you hold me at a distance? Why are you denying something that could be so beautiful between
us?" He sighed, a gurgle from Bryan making him realize that this was not the place to have an argument.
Not on the front porch in front of Bryan. "I better get
going."

"Jeremy ..."

"I'll see you later," he said, over his shoulder, more
than ready to get out of her way. His pace quickened,
and seeing several guys he knew from high school, he
joined them, letting them give him grief over being in
the production.

For the first time, he was actually glad he was about
to pretend he was in a battle. At least then he could
vent off some of his anger.

Dinah fought back tears as she watched Jeremy
storm away. She'd meant every word she'd said, but
she hadn't meant to state it like that. And she really
hadn't meant to blurt out everything without time to
explain why she said those things.

But instead of getting him to understand her motivations, she'd run him off. She glanced at Bryan, and
with a feeling of surprise, she realized he'd fallen
asleep. With a sigh, she sat on the old wooden porch
beside him, leaning her back against the cool wood.

He'd talked about wanting to marry her and Bryan,
of her needing someone to love; of Bryan needing a
father. But did he need her just as much?

She had a feeling he did.

She thought again of all the things he'd said. He
wanted to provide for her. To take care of her. All of
those goals were noble, indeed.

She wanted a marriage, a different one than she'd
had with Neil. She wanted one in which she felt like
an equal partner. One in which she could face problems and crises with a friend, a lover. With someone
who was certain to be by her side for years to come.

She wanted Jeremy. She loved him. With a start,
she realized that she'd loved him for quite some time,
now. But how could she show him?

More soldiers walked by, along with more than one
lady in full regalia. She waved to a few, told a man
she'd hope he'd survive the battle, chuckled at the
sight of a pair of moms armed with oversized beach
bags, picnic baskets, and a small army of children to
watch.

And then Marianne McKinley walked by and Dinah
knew she'd just found her answer. "Mrs. McKinley, could I speak with you for a moment?" she asked,
jumping to her feet.

Mrs. McKinley approached. "Hey, Dinah. What are
you doing here?"

"I've been doing some serious thinking, and I need
your help."

"You going to the reenactment?"

"I was, but I was kind of hoping that I could take
advantage of the empty streets and do something first."

"I'm game. What's on your mind?"

"I have quite a bit of money saved up, and I was
hoping that perhaps you could help me help buy a
house."

Marianne's eyes practically glowed. "This sounds
better than any old reenactment ... ah, don't tell
Joanne I said that."

"I won't, if you won't tell Joanne that I feel the
same way." She stepped down the stairs. "Here's my
plan," she began, enlisting Mrs. McKinley's aid in her
own battle to win Jeremy's heart.

Lying on the wet grass, pretending to be dead, and
ignoring the sounds of a fierce battle raging around
him, all gave Jeremy a lot of time to reflect on many
things. First off, he thought it would have probably
been a good idea to tell the city not to water the grass
just an hour before a hundred men were about to lie
down on it.

Next, Joanne really needed to go on a vacation. She
was stressed, irritable, and was sporting a nasty cut
from a not-quite-plastic saber. She was also driving
everyone crazy. He needed to discuss with Stratton the
benefits a Mediterranean Cruise would have for his
wife. Perhaps planning a trip to somewhere far away
would give her something else to do besides organize
historical activities.

And last, but not least, Jeremy knew he needed to
find Dinah and apologize to her. He'd taken every
word she'd said, added his own unhealthy mix of insecurities to it, and pretty much ruined whatever
chance he'd had with her.

And he managed to do it while looking like a geek.
That was the final straw.

Two cameramen approached. Jeremy closed his
eyes and did his best to remain completely still and
lifeless. He had to admit that the fake blood along his
thigh did look pretty real and repulsive. It was going
to look awesome on tape.

Thirty more minutes passed, then with a loud pop
from a cap gun, the reenactment was over. People
clapped, bowed, clasped hands, and groaned from
muscles being cramped in one position for too long.

As usual, his family had planned a party to celebrate
the occasion. Before he'd messed everything up with
Dinah and Bryan, the three of them had intended to
attend.

Deciding to skip out before any member of his family could either ask him where Dinah and Bryan were,
or subject him to a thousand questions, Jeremy quickly
picked up his canteen, hat, and wooden rifle, and
walked towards the walking path near the river. He
would just have to follow the path, cut through the
back of the country club, and then he'd practically be
at the house where they'd fought.

Quickly he strode off, keeping his head down so no one would recognize him. He maneuvered around a
pair of boys fishing in the river, between two bike
riders on the path, then approached the back of the
country club, the greens looking curiously empty.

But then something caught his eye. Two figures doing an activity very different than golfing! As he approached, he saw it was none other than Payton and
Priscilla, kissing like there was no tomorrow. "Hey,"
he called out, just because he was feeling ornery and
they'd caused him so much grief.

Payton looked up from Priscilla's face with a scowl,
then grinned as he recognized Jeremy. "Hey. How was
the battle?"

"Died in the first round of fire."

"Too bad."

"Yeah. Grass was soaked."

Priscilla pointed toward his leg. "Great looking injury."

"Thanks." He gestured to the two of them. "The two
of you look pretty great together, if you don't mind
me saying so."

Both Payton and Priscilla burst into wide smiles.
"Thanks!" Priscilla called out. "Once we stopped arguing, we figured there was a lot of things keeping us
together."

"Have I thanked you for your help?" Payton asked.

"Nope."

"Thanks!"

"No problem. By the way, I need the day off today."

"You got it."

With a wave, Jeremy strode on, the couple hardly
noticing he'd left them.

At last, he reached the top of a small hill, and started
his descent toward Dinah. He hoped she'd be home.
They had a lot to discuss, and he had some groveling
to do, as well.

He walked on, feeling mildly uncomfortable in the
damp wool. As he unbuttoned the first two buttons, he
decided to make a slight detour and walk by his dream
house. It was time to once and for all forget about that
place. He had other things to concentrate on, other
things to worry about besides where he was going to
live.

His footsteps slowed as he approached the stone
bungalow on Maple. With a sense of shock, he noticed
that the for sale sign had been removed, and another
sign hung from the rails on the front porch.

A deep sense of sadness overwhelmed him as he
realized he'd been too late. He'd let his insecurities
and annoying sense of what was right cloud his desire
to have that house.

Oh, well. It figured the house would sell the day he
finally decided to talk to Dinah about it.

This was typical of the kind of day he was having.
Hopefully his talk with Dinah later in the day would
turn his luck around, and she'd forgive him. Really, if
he was honest with himself, the house meant nothing
without her and Bryan to share it with.

It was amazing that the new owner had managed to
have the electricity turned on, and even had a mat near
the front porch. He glanced at the sign. "Welcome
Home, Jeremy."

He came to a dead stop and looked up.

There, peeking out the window, stood a beaming
Dinah, Bryan in her arms. "Hey, soldier," she called
out. "Care to come in for a spell?"

He couldn't believe his eyes. Striding up the steps,
he glanced at everything in confusion. "Dinah?"

She came out on the front porch to meet him, a wide
smile playing on her lips. "Hey."

He brushed his fingers along Bryan's soft hair, then
gazed into her eyes. "What's going on?"

She set Bryan on the floor, next to a basket of his
favorite bowls and spoons. "After you left, I spoke
with Mrs. McKinley."

"Marianne?"

She nodded. "All I could think about was my harsh
words driving you away," she said, her tone serious.
"I couldn't bear it."

Feeling shameful he countered, "It wasn't you ... I
said those things and left without even letting you explain yourself, or telling you something, too."

She pointed to the front stoop. "Can I tell you
now?"

He nodded, and sat beside her.

"I was so worried about loving again. About getting
hurt again," she said admitted quietly. "I let myself focus on things that didn't matter, like our age differences, or how other people might think of us being
together ... instead of what was in my heart."

His blue-gray eyes glowed. "What is in your heart?"

"Happiness," she said with a smile. "Love for you."
How happy I am with you."

"I've let myself worry about silly things too," he
admitted. "I worried that you wouldn't want me unless
I could provide for you like Neil did."

She clasped his hand. "I only wanted you, not another Neil." She sighed. "After hearing you talk about
your love for me, how you were willing to do so much
to make me feel loved, I realized that your motives
were from your heart. Just because I don't need you
to provide for me financially doesn't mean I don't
need you. I do need you, in all the ways you said. I
do love you, Jeremy."

He held her close, then laughed as she wrinkled her
nose when she came in contact with the wet wool.
"Help me get this off, would you?"

"With pleasure."

She easily complied, and the freedom Jeremy felt
clad only in a T-shirt lifted his spirits. That, and Dinah's wonderful words. "I love you. That's why I want
to marry you. I should have told you that first off. I
should have told you that weeks ago."

Her pretty brown eyes softened. "I love you, too ...
and ... I want to marry you, too."

His heart slammed into his chest. Forcing himself to breath deep and not rush things, he gestured to the
house. "What happened here?"