Chapter 18

CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

The McAlisters knewhow to put on a party, not to mention how to enjoy it. Paige smiled graciously as she was introduced to half the residents of Chances Inlet. All of them indulging her with a different tale of how her father and Patricia made life in their favorite place on earth better. She was surprised to see her reserved dad actually blush a few times.

The only other person pressing the flesh as much as Paige was the oldest of Patricia’s sons, Miles McAlister.

“Paige.” He offered his hand to her when their paths finally crossed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you at last.”

“You, too, Congressman.”

Kate cackled from a few feet away. “Don’t you dare ‘congressman’ him,” she said.

Gavin came up behind Miles and slapped his brother on the back. “Yeah, we don’t stand on ceremony in this family. We simply refer to him as asshole or uptight. His wife’s personal favorite is Dudley Do Right. Isn’t that right, Lori?” Gavin winked at the dark-haired woman threading her arm through Miles’.

“If we want the poor woman to come visit her father ever again, maybe we shouldn’t show her this family’s warts just yet,” Lori said.

The McAlister siblings responded with a resounding “why not?”

A young woman who Paige met earlier in the day edged her way into their circle. She was carrying several baby dolls in her arms. Patricia fostered Cassidy Burroughs for several months before the girl left for college last fall. Based on the ferocity of the teasing and ribbing between Cassidy and Patricia’s children, the young woman was an honorary member of the family. Cassidy, in turn, obviously considered the inn her home.

“The course is all set,” Cassidy announced. “Kyle is ready for the first heat.”

Gavin whistled loudly. “We’re ready for the stroller races everyone! Grab a partner and head to the starting line back by the garden shed.”

“Stroller races?” Paige looked down at her wedge sandals. “Nobody mentioned we would be racing. I would have worn different shoes.”

“Of course we didn’t tell you,” Kate said. “You look like a runner. I needed some sort of advantage over you.” She pointed to the sleek white sneakers on her feet.

“You’re welcome to sit this one out, Paige,” Miles suggested. Something about the challenge in his eyes told her she’d endure all kinds of humiliation for not racing as opposed to at least trying. “We don’t expect you to be able to keep up with us.”

Her father wasn’t exaggerating about the competitive nature of the McAlisters.

She squared her shoulders and smiled at Miles. “I’m in.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “You’re sure?”

“She’s sure,” Tanner replied, coming up behind her and planting his fingers on either side of her waist.

The congressman’s eyes narrowed briefly, taking in Tanner’s possessive posture. “And you already have your partner, I see.”

Paige nodded.

Miles’ face relaxed into a broad grin. “That works.”

“You can use my sneakers if you want,” Jane offered. “My partner is still at spring training so I’m not participating.”

“You’re not getting out of it that easily. Ryan would be ashamed of you,” Kate told her best friend. “Deputy Lovell needs a partner. Team up with him.”

The deputy looked at Kate like he’d just been drafted to dig ditches. “Doesn’t Elle need a partner?”

The youngest McAlister, Elinor, or Elle as she was called, was also the runt of the McAlister litter, it appeared. Her petite, lithe build was very similar to her mother, Patricia’s. The rest of her siblings towered over her.

Elle’s eyes were grayer than her mom’s. But it was the red hair that really differentiated her from her brothers and sister. Paige suspected Patricia must have had hair the same color at one time. Elle sidled up next to Gavin.

“Elle is filling in for Ginger.” Gavin glared at his siblings, seeming to dare them to argue. “My wife is not racing while seven months pregnant.”

“Ryan is going to be paying dearly for this when I get to New York next week,” Jane mumbled as she took her place at the starting line.

“Make him pay double,” Bernice said with a wink as she pushed her stroller into the lane next to Jane. “What’s the use of dating a younger man if you’re not going to tap into all that delicious stamina.”

With a deep belly laugh, Elle positioned her stroller in the lane all the way at the end.

Kate scowled at Bernice. “Ick. That image is not nearly as sexy when you consider the younger man is my baby brother!”

“Take your marks,” Cassidy called out. “Ladies will go around the course first. When they get back here to the starting line, they have to unstrap the baby, burp it, and return it to the stroller before their partner can take off for the final lap.”

Lori steered her stroller into the lane beside Paige.

“Everybody set?” Cassidy asked.

“Hold on.” Paige bent down to unclip her wedge sandals. She gingerly stepped out of them before handing the shoes to Tanner.

He looked at her warily. “You sure?” he whispered.

“Summers on a farm make for tough feet,” she replied with a sly grin.

Everyone else stared at her.

“Paige, I’m not sure that’s wise,” Alden warned.

“Can we get a ruling on running barefoot?” Miles said to no one in particular.

“Wait, are there actual rules for this?” Paige asked. “Because if there are, I’d like to see them.”

Tanner chuckled behind her.

“Cassidy went over the only rules to the game,” Patricia interjected. “The runners are allowed to wear whatever they want on their feet.”

Paige smiled smugly at both men.

Kate grinned at Paige. Her eyes brimming with respect. “It’s on, girl.”

Cassidy blew the whistle. Lori took off so quickly that Gavin was shouting something about a false start. Elle was close on Lori’s heels. Jane, on the other hand, was barely putting any effort in, despite Henry’s cries for her to hurry up. Bernice was remarkably spry for someone her age, but no match for Paige.

Paige used the same strategy she used during her competitive swimming days. She maintained a distance of a stroller length behind Elle and Lori, confident she could overtake either woman in the last ten yards of the race based on the longer length of her legs. Kate, on the other hand, was the wild card. Running neck and neck with Paige, it looked as though she was employing the same strategy.

Just then, Kate seemed to trip. “Ow,” she cried.

But when Paige peeked over her shoulder to check to see if she was okay, Kate sprinted past triumphantly.

“Made you look,” Kate shouted.

Gavin and Miles hollered with laughter. Ignoring the sharp pine straw digging into her feet, Paige moved into another gear. The heck with waiting until the final five yards. She was making her move now. She could hear Tanner whooping at the finish line as she turned the corner toward home. One-by-one she overtook Kate, Elle, then Lori.

Whitney jumped up and down when Paige crossed the finish line first. Paige snatched the baby from the stroller and threw it over her shoulder. She strapped the doll back as Tanner gripped the handles. Beside them, Lori was laying a kiss on her husband’s mouth. Tanner moved in as if to do the same, but Paige smacked him on the bottom.

“Go!” she cried. “While they’re dawdling.”

No sooner had Tanner raced off when Elle and Kate each draped an arm over Paige’s shoulders.

“You’ll do,” Elle said.

“Yeah,” Kate added. “I knew you were one of us the moment I met you.”

Tanner was no match for Miles, who was apparently a triathlete when he wasn’t representing his hometown in Washington. Gavin finished second, while Tanner was a respectable third. Paige didn’t mind, though. She was too busy reveling in the newfound friendship she found with the McAlisters. It was a relief not to have to worry they’d find out about Jon and her firing at any moment. After months of hiding behind her anger and shame, she could enjoy herself once more.

The next game they were forced to play involved the baby dolls yet again. Each team had to change their baby’s diaper—using cloth diapers and pins. The couple finishing first would be the winner. Everyone was surprised when Bernice and her significant other, Gus, beat Kate and Alden. Not that Tanner and Paige really tried.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t have to look after Whit when she was an infant. She would have bled to death,” Tanner said after stabbing himself in the thumb with the diaper pin.

Paige chuckled. “I don’t think parents use diaper pins any longer. Your fingers and any future children you have are safe from harm.”

Based on his interactions with Whitney, Paige knew immediately he’d be an amazing dad. Her mouth was suddenly dry at the thought.

Holding the diaper firmly against this thumb, he aimed a thoughtful look her way. “I never thought kids would be part of my future.”

That surprised her. “Never?”

His amber gaze grew heated while he slowly shook his head. “But I’m beginning to wonder if the future I imagined is the one I really want.”

She’d heard that line before. Jon claimed to be married to his work. But upon meeting Paige, he insisted she was responsible for him rethinking his priorities. She sucked in a ragged breath. How could she have been so foolish to believe him?

Tanner isn’t Jon, she reminded herself. She crossed her fingers on both hands for added reassurance.

“What about you?”

His question brought her back to the present, scattering the doubts that were constantly on the periphery of her thoughts. For now.

“Do you want kids?” he asked when she didn’t immediately reply.

“I’m a teacher. My answer should be obvious.”

“Any child would be lucky to have you as its mother.”

She blinked at the moisture threatening behind her eyes. She could feel his stare trained on her. Fortunately, Patricia arrived to save her.

“Who’s ready for cake and the gender reveal?” Patricia announced.

The kids all shrieked in agreement, a mob of them racing to the veranda. Tanner’s sister-in-law was pushing a double stroller with her twin boys up the long drive.

“We should invite her to join us,” Paige said. “I’m sure her little ones would enjoy some cake. And they need to get to know Whitney.”

Tanner’s expression grew solemn. “Whitney will always be my responsibility.”

“I understand that. But we don’t know if she has any other family. The fact that her mother left her with you seems to indicate she might not. She’ll enjoy having cousins one day.”

He jammed his hands in his pocket with a sigh. “I know. And I would kiss you right now for your invaluable wisdom, but I can feel your father’s eyes boring into my back.”

Paige laughed. “He’s not the boss of me.”

“Mmhmm. Just in case, I’m going to leave you alone so I can go say hello to my nephews. Save us some cake. We’ll be up in a minute.”

She smiled softly watching him walk toward his sister-in-law. When Paige turned to join the others on the veranda, it was to find that Tanner was telling the truth. Her father was intently focused on Tanner’s movements.

“Aren’t you curious about whether it’s a boy or a girl?” she asked him once she’d climbed the steps.

“Doesn’t matter as long as the baby is healthy.”

She wanted to ask whether he cared one way or the other about her sex before she was born. Based on her grandfather’s tales of a shotgun wedding between him and her mom, he wasn’t excited about being a father at all, initially. She wondered if he might have returned home more often if she were his son instead of his daughter.

Before she could dig up the courage to ask, Whitney appeared at her side. She slid her hand into Paige’s, pulling her to where Ginger and Gavin were about to cut into the cake. Her father smiled when the little girl grabbed his hand, too. When he lifted her up onto his shoulders so she could see over the crowd, something shifted inside Paige.

Not jealousy. Something on the other side of the spectrum. Something she was afraid to quantify.

“The video is rolling,” Cassidy announced. “Cut the thing already.”

Ginger grinned nervously at her husband. Gavin picked up the knife and hovered above the cake. It was a shame to cut into it. The three-tiered creation featured ballerinas and architecture tools surrounding the bottom two layers. The top layer was decorated with baby things. The inside would either be pink or blue. The crowd counted down until Gavin dug the knife through the fondant, revealing a layer of bright pink cake.

“Yes!” Emily shouted. “Girls rule!”

Gavin handed the knife to his mother before wrapping his arms around Ginger and bending her over his arm for a lusty kiss. The guests all cheered. Bernice took over the cutting of the cake while Patricia wiped tears from her eyes. Paige’s dad bent down to kiss his wife. Whitney leaned in to give Patricia a hug, as well.

Moments later, Paige was finally able to congratulate the happy couple.

“I’m so glad you were here for this,” Gavin said as he wrapped her in a hug.

“Me, too,” Ginger added when it was her turn to embrace Paige. “I can’t believe you’re leaving tomorrow. This week went too quickly. I hope you’ll come back this summer to meet our daughter.”

“I’ve already got dibs on her for nannying,” Kate interrupted.

“Actually…” Paige looked around to make sure only McAlisters and her father were within hearing. “I’m going to stay a little bit longer.”

Her announcement was greeted with stunned silence.

“Uh, just until Tanner can locate Whitney’s mom. I—we feel it would be best for Whitney. To provide come continuity for her right now.”

“Continuity?” Miles mumbled beside her. “Is that what they’re calling it now?”

She jerked her gaze over to him. He wore a sly smile as he placed his arm around her shoulders. “That’s a magnanimous gesture you’re making for Whitney,” he said a bit louder. “And I’m selfishly glad because it means I’ll have more than one day to get to know you.”

“Hear, hear,” Gavin called out just as Kate and Ginger enveloped her in a hug.

“Oh my gosh! This is fantastic news,” Ginger said.

“I’m so excited to hear this,” Kate whispered. “And I heard that ‘we.’ I knew there was something going on between you and Tanner. I’ll expect all the details over wine later.”

Kate would be waiting a while before Paige started dishing. She wasn’t even sure if she could tell Summer. Sure, the arrangement with Tanner solved her employment problem. But only for the time being. The sticking point in the plan? Managing the intense physical attraction between her and Tanner without letting her emotions get out of control. Paige was determined to keep it light and fun. No way was she putting her heart all the way out there to get stomped on again.

Patricia was next for a hug. Paige met her father’s eyes over his wife’s shoulder.

“What about your job?” he asked.

“Oh, um, I’ve asked for a sabbatical.” She hated the way the lie rolled off her tongue so easily. Except it was too late to tell them the truth. She’d already been lying to everyone for a week. “It being a private school, the principal has a lot of flexibility.”

Another lie.

The truth was, her principal went to battle for Paige, only to be overruled by the board.

“Oh, my goodness,” Patricia said. “We have so many things to celebrate today.”

Patricia began to hand out the cake to her family. Paige’s father made his way over to where she was hemmed in against the railing. The back of her neck began to tingle when he gave her a pointed look.

“I’m not going to lie. I’m glad you’ll be staying in town a while longer,” was all he said.

Paige got the feeling he was waiting for her to say something. Or spill her guts. The man could be damned intimidating when he wanted to be.

“Me, too,” she replied quickly. “I’ve enjoyed spending time with your family.”

She thought he might have growled low in his throat, but no words came out. All he did was continue his heated stare, as if he was boring into her skull and reading her mind.

“I would love some cake. Thank you,” Paige said enthusiastically when Patricia offered her a piece. Her father hesitated a long moment before taking his own.

“I’m just going to check on Whitney,” Paige said. “Excuse me.”

Tanner was right. It was possible to feel her father’s eyes burning into her back.