After that stirring kiss at his house, he’d avoided being alone with her, and he cursed at this untimely meeting. But the woman who emerged from the foliage had a completely different impact on him than what he was used to.
What the hell?
Before he could wrap his mind around her appearance, Lia spotted him and waved. Her infectious smile bloomed as she headed in his direction. His head spun as he took her in. She’d transformed herself into yet another one of her princess characters. Even her movement was different.
“What are you wearing?” he asked, regaining his voice.
“It’s a ball gown,” she responded as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world to be wearing a floor-length satin and tulle dress in bright yellow with three voluminous tiers, a red wig styled in a fancy updo with ringlets spilling over her bare shoulders and long yellow gloves. “I’m on my way to the hospital to visit the children’s ward. I’ve been so busy with Grady that I missed last week and I can’t disappoint them again.”
Paul groaned inwardly. It was hard to maintain his skepticism about her when this woman kept proving him wrong. First, she’d brought his grandfather back from the brink of death. Now here was another reminder that she gave of her time to bring joy to sick kids. How was he supposed to resist her?
“Which princess are you today?”
“I’m dressed as Belle. From Beauty and the Beast,” she explained with exaggerated patience. “The Disney movie about the prince who was turned into a beast and could only be saved by someone who loved him as himself.” When Paul continued blankly regarding her, she rolled her eyes in exasperation. “I can tell you don’t have children.”
“Why do you dress like a Disney character?”
“Because the kids love it. Sure, they appreciate when I just show up to spend time with them, but when I visit dressed as Belle or Elsa or Cinderella...they are so thrilled.” She grinned. “For a while they can forget how sick they are.”
“How did you get started doing this?”
“I guess you could say growing up I wanted to be a princess. I imagined that I was like Rapunzel or Sleeping Beauty, locked in a tower taken away from my parents. Hidden away. When I got older, I grew obsessed with getting a job at Disney as one of the princesses.”
“So what happened?”
“I became a Disney character.” She made a face that told him it had not gone well. “Only I didn’t get to be a princess.”
“A villain?” he asked, thinking that would be more fun.
“No,” she said. “I was Dale.” She waited a beat and when he didn’t say anything, elaborated, “Of Chip ’n’ Dale. They were chipmunks. I wore a big chipmunk head.” She used her hands to indicate the costume’s size. “It was hot and uncomfortable, but mostly worth it because the kids loved it.”
“How did you make the transition from Disney character to massage therapist?” he asked, the thought of her massaging his brother once again flashing unpleasantly through his mind. He recognized that she’d been baiting him when they discussed it, but still he envied his brother.
“I think I mentioned it was hot and stuffy in that costume. Being a character wasn’t as glamorous as I’d hoped it would be. One of my coworkers was taking classes in massage therapy and it sounded like a good idea. It was a way for me to help people and that’s what I like to do.”
“Well, you’ve certainly had a huge impact on Grady, so I guess you have a knack for making people better.”
“Thank you for saying that,” she said, showing her appreciation with a bright smile that kicked him hard in the gut.
“How are you getting there?”
“I’m going to walk.” She shifted sideways as if to go around him. “It’s only fifteen minutes away.”
Paul stepped to block her path. “Why don’t I drive you instead?”
“Really,” she demurred. “It’s no problem.”
“I insist,” he argued, faltering in his week-long battle to avoid being alone with her.
“I like walking.”
“So do I. I could walk you there.”
She set her hands on her hips and arched one eyebrow. “Don’t you have evildoers to chase?”
“Nope. We just wrapped up a huge investigation so I took the afternoon off.” Paul held out his arm to her in a gallant gesture that caught her by surprise. “I can’t think of anything I’d enjoy more than to watch your performance as Belle.”
“But I’m usually there for a couple hours. I’m sure you have better things to do.”