Redeeming Claire Read online

  Claire paused. “Where did you go to school?”

  “The University of Denver.”

  “No way.” Claire’s eyes widened in disbelief. “I graduated from there.”

  Although Dottie was several years older than Claire and they had obviously run in different social circles, it was still fun to meet a fellow alumni. To talk to someone who’d been there. Someone who knew the little bistro a few blocks from campus that had been Claire’s favorite place to have lunch, and the story behind that certain English professor who had given all the freshman fits.

  Dottie might be the before picture in a make-over, but she was sweet and unpretentious, and Claire—who normally wouldn’t have given the woman a second glance—found herself enjoying their conversation.

  “You doing okay?” Tony stopped next to Claire’s chair, and his hand dropped to rest lightly on her shoulder.

  A shiver traveled up her spine. Claire lifted her face and smiled. “Fine. How about you?”

  “Great.” He nodded. “I’m enjoying getting to know everybody.”

  “Dottie and I were just talking about the University of Denver.” At his blank look, she added, “Where I went to school.”

  “Right.” The dimple in his cheek flashed before his gaze shifted to a tall man across the room waving him over. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Take your time,” Claire said, and found she meant the words. It had been a stressful day, and Dottie was like a soothing tonic to her frazzled nerves.

  “He sure is handsome.” Dottie’s gaze followed Tony across the room before returning to Claire. “But then you’re a beautiful woman. You two make such a perfect couple.”

  Claire’s lips curved in a satisfied smile. Dottie was right. She and Tony were the best-looking couple in the room. The only other pair that even came close was Adam and Jocelyn.

  Claire caught sight of the willowy blonde making her way across the room. Her lips tightened. She’d already been introduced to Jocelyn Wingate, and Claire hadn’t been overly impressed. The woman was attractive and stylish but seemed too taken with her own self-importance.

  Right after they were introduced, she’d had to mention that not only was her husband on the church council, he was also the mayor of Millville. Mayor of Millville. Claire choked back a snort of laughter.

  Another big fish in a small pond.

  “Claire!” Jocelyn collapsed into a nearby chair and greeted Claire like they were old friends. “I’ve talked my little brains out, and I’m simply exhausted.”

  Claire raised a brow and bit back a pithy retort. Why had she ever promised Tony she’d be good tonight?

  “I saw you over here all by your lonesome and thought I’d come over.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Claire saw Dottie’s face redden. It was true that the attractive Jocelyn would normally be more Claire’s type than the plain Jane she’d been visiting with, but still Dottie had been nothing but kind. Claire refused to let the comment go by unchallenged and relished the idea of taking Jocelyn down a peg in the process.

  “Actually I wasn’t alone, Jocelyn. Dottie and I have been talking.”

  Jocelyn’s gaze shifted to Dottie, and a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes lifted the blonde’s lips. “Why, I didn’t see you over there.”

  Jocelyn’s wide-eyed innocence didn’t fool Claire in the least. She’d used that same trick too often not to recognize it.

  Dottie smiled pleasantly and took a sip of her tea. “Really? I’ve been here the whole time.”

  Claire’s estimation of Dottie inched up a notch. She liked people with spunk.

  “You’re fortunate to be able to mix right in with your surroundings.” Jocelyn laughed. “I couldn’t blend into the woodwork if I tried.”

  A surge of unexpected anger swept through Claire, tempered by the truth of Jocelyn’s words. She glanced at Dottie and shot her a reassuring smile.

  Dottie was nondescript and could easily be overlooked. Jocelyn, with her long blond hair, big blue eyes and angelic face, would be noticed in any crowd.

  It wasn’t the accuracy of the words that bothered Claire, it was the way they were delivered. Although not necessarily malicious, they were spoken with no thought or concern given to the other person’s feelings.

  The callous disregard hit home and reminded Claire of another woman who often spoke before she thought. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and shook aside the momentary discomfort. She may have been blunt at times, occasionally out-spoken, but had she ever been deliberately cruel? Not that she could recall, anyway. But a voice in the back of her head noted her memory was nothing if not convenient.

  It didn’t matter at the moment. After all, it was Jocelyn’s behavior under scrutiny right now.

  “How do you like Millville so far?” Jocelyn asked, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the air.

  “Actually, I haven’t seen that much of it,” Claire said tersely. “I just got here today.”

  “Let me give you some advice.” Jocelyn leaned forward. She whispered conspiratorially but loud enough to easily be heard. “Don’t expect too much and you won’t be disappointed.”

  In spite of herself, Claire’s lips twitched.

  “How can you say that?” Dottie said indignantly, obviously forgetting that Jocelyn had directed the comment to Claire and not to her. “Millville is a wonderful town.”

  “Spoken like a true Chamber of Commerce member.” To Claire’s surprise, instead of being upset at Dottie’s intrusion or the censure in her tone, Jocelyn laughed. “You sound just like Adam. He says to give it time. Says I’m going to love the town. Well, I’ve been here six years and I still can’t say that I love it.”

  Dottie opened her mouth, but Claire spoke first, putting an end to any further discussion of the town and its virtues. How much could you say about a town with a population under a thousand?

  “I take it you’re not from here?” Claire asked.

  “I’m from Chicago.” Jocelyn smiled, her teeth perfectly straight and white. “Adam and I met at Northwestern.”

  “A good friend of mine, Kelly St. John, went there,” Claire said. “I know it’s a big school, so I don’t suppose you—”

  “Oh, my goodness.” Jocelyn clasped a hand to her chest. “Kelly and I used to hang out together all the time.”

  Jocelyn chattered nonstop, and Claire discovered not only did they know many of the same people, but Adam had once interned at a company in Chicago owned by Claire’s father.

  “It’s such a small world,” Jocelyn said. “I can’t believe how much we have in common.”

  It was true. Still, as shocking as it was, she liked Dottie more than she liked Jocelyn. And more than she liked herself.

  Dottie shifted in her seat, the bright smile still on her face but fading fast.

  Claire widened her smile to encompass both Dottie and Jocelyn. “It is amazing how we’ve all connected.”

  “We’ll have to go out sometime soon,” Jocelyn announced. “Drive to Des Moines for dinner and a movie or maybe go on a picnic.”

  “Either beats sitting around doing nothing. Count me in,” Claire said. “What about you, Dottie?”

  Dottie hesitated, and Claire glanced pointedly at Jocelyn.

  “C’mon, Dottie,” Jocelyn said. “It’ll be fun.”

  “I have to ask John.” Dottie smiled tentatively. “But I’m sure it will be okay. As long as I can get a baby-sitter.”

  “What are you ladies cooking up?” Adam Wingate’s smile included all three women.

  The mayor was an attractive man around thirty with light brown hair and twinkling green eyes. For someone so young he already had the polished manner of a politician down pat.

  “I’ve told Claire and Dottie we have to get together. If you guys are nice we might even let you come along. Let you take us out to dinner,” Jocelyn said. “Or maybe if the weather holds we could do a picnic.”

  Even considering the ants and bugs, a picnic s
ounded better to Claire than a trip to Des Moines. What kind of name was that for a town, anyway? And why even have the S at the end of each word if you weren’t going to pronounce it?

  “If we had a picnic we could make fried chicken,” Dottie said eagerly. “And potato salad.”

  Claire could only stare. Surely the woman didn’t plan to make it herself? After all, that’s what KFC was for.

  “We have the cabin on Hampton Lake.” Jocelyn’s gaze shifted to Adam. “We could take the ski boat out.”

  “Whatever you all decide is fine with me,” Adam said. “John and I were friends in high school. It’d be great to get together. Plus this would be a good opportunity for us to get to know our new pastor better. And, of course—” Adam smiled at Claire “—his bride-to-be.”

  “Whose bride?” Tony’s rich baritone sounded behind Claire.

  “Your beautiful fiancée is filling your social calendar,” Adam said with an easy laugh.

  Tony’s gaze settled on Claire, and she could read the approval in his eyes. “Whatever Claire decides is okay. My schedule’s wide-open.”

  “Pastor, could you come over here a minute?” Mrs. Sandy called to Tony from across the room. “You, too, Mr. Mayor.”

  The two men had barely left when Dottie rose. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to call the sitter.”

  She disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Jocelyn and Claire alone.

  “Adam seems like a nice guy,” Claire said.

  “He is.” An unmistakable look of love filled Jocelyn’s eyes. “He’s got more friends than anyone I know. His family has been here for five generations. He’s one of them. I, on the other hand…”

  “Don’t tell me.” Claire held up a hand. “You’re the outsider?”

  “You got it. And believe me, this is a new experience for me. Usually I don’t have any trouble fitting in.” Jocelyn shrugged, but Claire could see the hurt reflected in her blue eyes. “But here—” she paused “—sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever fit in.”

  “I say if they don’t like you, who needs them?” Claire took a sip of her drink. “It’s their loss.”

  “Exactly.” Jocelyn lifted her glass and clinked it against Claire’s. “I’m glad you’re moving here, Claire. I think you and I could be good friends.”

  Surprisingly, despite her rather negative first impression, Claire had to agree. It was too bad she wouldn’t be around long enough for that friendship to bloom.

  “Tell me what you know about the people here tonight.” Claire’s gaze swept the crowd. She’d learned long ago from her father the importance of scouting the opposition. If Tony was to retain his position, he needed to know the score. “And don’t leave out anything.”

  “What’d he say?” Tony pulled a chair next to Claire and sat down.

  “Not a whole lot.” Claire glanced around and changed the subject. “Where’s the landlady?”

  “In bed. She was dead on her feet. Said to tell you good-night.”

  It was almost midnight, and the members of the church council and their spouses had long since left. Claire had been on the phone with her father when Tony had started helping Mrs. Sandy with the cleanup.

  They’d just got the dishes cleared when Claire had motioned Mrs. Sandy into the den. Tony had been curious to find out how Claire’s father had responded to her call, but Claire had made it clear when she’d slammed the door in his face that she wanted to talk to Mrs. Sandy alone. So he’d finished loading the dishwasher instead.

  “I’m surprised she went to bed before dawn. The woman is a workaholic.”

  “I think she has to be to make ends meet.” Tony glanced curiously at Claire. He didn’t want to talk about Darlene Sandy. He wanted to talk about Claire. And her father. And that all too brief phone call she’d made from the den. It had barely lasted five minutes. He didn’t know if that was a good sign or not. “How was your father?”

  Claire shrugged and studied her long red nails. Tony reached over and took one of her hands. “What did he say?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” She pulled her hand from his and brushed her hair from her face. “I’d kill for a couple of Dove bars right now.”

  “Dove bars?” Tony frowned.

  “Sometimes a woman just needs chocolate.” She drew a ragged breath. “This is one of those times.”

  “You want me to see if Mrs. Sandy has any in her freezer?”

  Claire shook her head. “I already looked. All she has are ice-milk bars.” A look of disgust crossed her face. “Why even bother?”

  “What did your father say?” The ice cream wasn’t important. She was just trying to change the subject, but he wouldn’t let her.

  “Nothing that I didn’t already know.” She stood and turned her face to the darkened window so all he could see was her reflection in the glass. “He told me what a big disappointment I was. Asked me how a man could succeed in every other part of his life, but be such a failure in raising a daughter.”

  “How did that make you feel?” He’d never particularly liked the phrase. But it had been drilled into him during his counseling classes at the seminary, and it popped out automatically.

  Claire whirled. “How do you think that made me feel?”

  Hurt mixed with anger on her face, and he knew he’d better tread cautiously. “I think it must have been hard.”

  She plopped down in the chair and blew out a harsh breath. “I thought I meant something to him. I thought he cared about me.”

  “I’m sure he loves you,” Tony said gently. “Maybe you caught him at a bad time.”

  “I should have known you’d take his side. You men are all alike.” Claire snorted in disgust. “Wouldn’t you think he’d have been glad to hear from me? To know I was okay? Instead he immediately starts babbling about this important conference call he has scheduled and how he needs to keep the line free.”

  “Did you get a chance to ask him about the money?” Ever since the credit card incident Tony knew the money worry had been foremost in Claire’s mind.

  “I asked him.” Claire’s lips tightened.

  “And?”

  “He said no.” She met his gaze. “He didn’t ask any questions, didn’t want to know why I needed it, just kept talking about that stupid conference call.”

  There was a lot he could have said, but he sensed this wasn’t the time for platitudes. He patted the spot next to him on the sofa. “Sit by me.”

  She shook her head and crossed her arms across her chest.

  “C’mon.” He shot her his most engaging grin. “I promise I won’t bite.”

  Indecision showed on her face before she took a few steps and sat beside him. The light floral scent of her perfume wafted about him.

  He inhaled. “You smell great.”

  “According to Daddy that’s all I’m good for,” she said with more than a hint of bitterness in her tone. “Looking good, smelling good, being a trophy on some guy’s arm.”

  Tony knew Henry Waters. Although he could see Henry thinking such thoughts, he couldn’t imagine him ever saying them. Especially not to his own daughter. “I can’t believe your father said that.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t say those exact words, but that’s what he meant.”

  “It doesn’t make sense.” Tony shook his head. “He knows what you’re capable of. Why, you practically ran his advertising department.”

  “Doesn’t count,” she said with more than a hint of dramatics. “I was working for him. That’s not the real world.”

  “What about your time in D.C.?” He and Claire had met at a party when she’d first moved to Washington. She’d worked for a public relations firm, and he’d been at loose ends then, not sure what he wanted to do with his life.

  “I’m sure he’s written it off as some sort of fluke.” Claire heaved a heavy sigh. “The man has his mind made up, and there’s no changing it.”

  “Did you tell him about us?” Surely the man would be happy his daughter had f
allen in love…. Tony stopped and reminded himself that love wasn’t part of this picture.

  “He didn’t care.” Claire waved a dismissive hand. “He gave it three weeks. Said either I’d be sick of you by then or you’d be sick of me. Said he’d seen it happen too often in the past to think this time would be any different.”

  Tony grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “Well, we’re just going to have to show him.”

  Claire’s expression was clearly skeptical. “You think we could actually make it four weeks without killing each other?”

  “Four weeks? Piece of cake.” Excitement surged through Tony. If she stayed in Millville for a month, that should be more than enough time to convince the church council what an asset he could be to the community and to the congregation.

  “I don’t know. It would be a record for me.” Claire laughed, and her dark eyes sparkled. Tony couldn’t help but think how pretty she looked.

  “I know you’d rather be anywhere but here,” he said in a soft voice. “But I am glad you’re staying.”

  “Of course you are,” Claire said. “The longer I’m here, the better it is for you.”

  Tony had to admit that was part of it, but nowhere near the whole story. He liked having Claire around. She was like a breath of fresh air. Funny he’d never thought of her in that way before. “By the way, you did a great job tonight.”

  “I almost went into withdrawal,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “No deep voices, no sports stories, no pats on the butt. I’m not used to hanging around women.”

  “Adam said you’re the first woman Jocelyn has warmed up to since she moved to Millville. And John told me Dottie thought you were wonderful.”

  “Be careful. All those compliments will go to my head.” Claire rubbed her forehead with one hand.

  Tony narrowed his gaze. “Do you have a headache?”

  “That father of mine would give anyone a headache.” Claire winced.

  “Miss Waters, this is your lucky day,” Tony said. “I know just what you need.” He reached over and turned down the light. “Slide a little closer.”