Page 55 of Pity Parade

Paige beats me to the punch and asks, “Who?”

“Primrose Jenkins.”

Paige looks confused. “Why her?”

“Prim has a degree in forestry,” Tim answers. “I thought she might have some ideas on how Heath could use the land he’s buying.”

That makes sense. At least that’s what I think until a petite brunette woman walks toward us. She looks like a miniature Barbie doll. She’s wearing a short skirt, a twinset, and hiking boots. The pearls around her neck belie the casualness of her footwear. “Tim!” she gushes before hugging him. “I was so happy to get your call.”

Tim smiles. “I’m glad you could make it, Prim.” He gestures toward Heath. “This is Heath Fox. He’s buying the acreage on Elk Lake Road.”

Prim bats her eyelashes while staring at him like he’s her favorite deep-dish pizza. “I’m very happy to meet you.” She sounds like the Big Bad Wolf chatting up Little Red Riding Hood.

Tim gestures toward me and Paige. “Of course you know Paige, and this is Trina.” She doesn’t even look at me.

Instead, Prim tells Heath, “I have a thousand ideas for your land.”

He smiles at her engagingly before saying, “I can’t wait to hear all of them.” If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was flirting with her.

I suddenly want them to sit with us so I can keep an eye on them. “There’s plenty of room at our table for the five of us,” I announce. I scoot my chair over and add, “Have a seat.”

Paige’s eyes pop open in surprise that I’m the one trying to make this happen, but she jumps on board. “Yes, Heath, do. Five brains are better than three. And you never know, Trina and I might come up with some good ideas.”

Heath offers a small shrug. “Sure, why not?” Prim finally looks at me but only long enough to glare.

Meanwhile, Tim goes over to a vacant table and takes one of the chairs so that we have enough. Once we’re all seated, he asks, “Do you all need a few minutes with the menu, or do you know what you’d like?”

It seems we’re all ready, so Tim signals a passing server to take our order. Once that’s done, he tells Heath, “Prim has developed a lot of hiking trails in the area, so at a minimum you’ll want to take her out to your new property and have her scope out the best places to lay paths.”

Heath smiles at Prim and asks, “How did you develop an interest in forestry?”

“We camped a lot when I was a kid. I loved it.” Her eyelashes flutter again as she asks him, “Are you very outdoorsy?”

“I’ve lived in Chicago most of my life,” he says. “So, while I love to boat, and go for runs, I don’t get as much time outside as I’d like.”

She lays her hand on his arm possessively. “Where do you like to vacation?”

I can’t tell if Heath is enjoying her attention or not. He tells her, “This is the first summer in a long time that I’m taking a real vacation.”

“Ah, a workaholic, huh?” She laughs like this is the funniest thing ever. Then she tells him, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get out more often.”

She’s definitely coming on to him, and I don’t like it. I particularly don’t like that he’s not setting any boundaries. Which is why I decide to have a little fun of my own. “Remember that wonderful night we spent in Chicago?” I ask Heath.

His eyes twinkle with amusement. “What night was that, Trina?”

“You know, it was a couple of nights after that charity auction.” I’m referencing our one and only date, but Prim doesn’t know that.

“Oh, that night. What about it?”

“Didn’t we talk about how nice it would be to go camping?” I’m totally making this up, but my comment has its desired effect. Prim looks between me and Heath with great interest. “Are the two of you a couple?”

Before he has a chance to answer, I repeat the very thing he told Daniel about us. “We’ve dated.”

“Are you dating now?” she wants to know.

Heath doesn’t answer, so I tell her, “We recently went to a fish fry and a party together.” I allow a small smile to form as I add, “And then there was that lovely early morning on the pier.”

Tim and Paige share a look while Prim seeks clarification. “So, you are a couple?”

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