Sweet Baklava by Debby Mayne

Author:Debby Mayne
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Love and Support
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Published: 2011-03-16T23:00:00+00:00

Nick got to the church barely on time. His mother had asked him to help her get some things out of the shed when they got home from St. Nick's, so when Steph stopped by on her way to church, he'd handed her a note to give Paula.

He made it through the double doors about three seconds before the music started. After a skimming glance around the room, he spotted Paula over on the side—not where they'd ever sat before. He slid into the empty space next to her.

"Hey," he said softly.

She held up his note. "What's this all about?"

"It's some information about where I live in Texas."

"Why?"

"We'll talk about it later." Nick pointed to the front of the church, where the pastor stood with his hands lifted to get everyone's attention.

Something was bugging Paula; Nick sensed it. Normally very calm in church, today she fidgeted— first with the corner of the service bulletin and then with the edge of her sleeve, something he knew she did when she was worried.

Nick felt Paula's presence throughout church. As they stood together, he had to resist the temptation to put his arm around her. And when they sat, he wanted to grab her hand and savor the softness of her skin. As she turned, he caught the fragrant scent of her hair and longed to bury his nose in it. But he didn't do any of that. He remained sitting there. Like a soldier. Without feelings.

Every so often Paula cut a glance his way. He smiled every time she did, but she never held the look long enough for him to have any idea what was going on between them.

After the last hymn, Paula seemed antsy to get out of there. "Whoa, Paula, what's going on? Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head and glanced down. "I'm not feelin' so good."

"Are you sick?" He placed his hand on her shoulder and guided her off to the side so people could pass.

"I don't know, Nick. It's just . . ." She lifted her free hand and let it fall down to her side.

"What happened?"

When she finally looked at him, he saw that her eyes were bloodshot and her skin looked pale. "I got a call early this morning."

"Your mother?"

She nodded. "I'm so confused about everything."

"C'mon, let's go for a walk. You need to talk about this."

"I don't know, Nick. You have enough on your plate."

"Stop." Nick stepped in front of her and tipped her face up to his. "The only thing I want on my plate is you, Paula. If you're upset, I need to know what it's all about. I want to help you." He tweaked her nose. "I'm here for you."

He knew her well enough to know that when she tilted her head like that, she was thinking about what to do next. He held his breath until she nodded.

"Okay, let's go outside."

The church property sat on one of the natural beaches, so they put their things in their cars and headed down the shell-covered trail.

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