Free A Valentine for Kayla by Kimberly Rose Johnson Page A

other philanthropists tossing money my way, I don’t see that we have much choice but to accept your offer.”
    â€œDon’t sound so excited.” He tried to curb the sarcasm in his tone but failed miserably.
    â€œHey, I didn’t ask for your help with the float.”
    â€œMaybe not, but you sure didn’t turn me down, either.”
    â€œOkay, fine, but I didn’t know who you were then. I thought you were an ordinary guy. Not a famous singer.”
    â€œYou have something against famous people?”
    â€œNo. Only you!” She crossed her arms and spun away from him.
    He felt sucker punched. Her words hit their mark, but he refused to let her win. He cared about Kayla and the people in this town. He would not allow her to cut him out just because he had a life before he came here.
    He stepped across the room until he was close enough to rest a hand on her shoulder. “Why me?”
    â€œBecause you humiliated me,” she said softly, and turned to face him.
    The hurt in her eyes made his gut tighten. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He didn’t understand what he’d done other than not tell her he was DJ Parker. Could that be why she was so upset? Whatever it was, it didn’t matter right now. He just wanted back in Kayla’s life—wanted their friendship back, wanted to continue getting to know her. “Please forgive me and let me help you.” He longed to caress her soft cheeks and kiss her until she forgot about the pain he’d caused her, but he forced his hands to his sides.
    She looked into his eyes and something changed. The hurt was gone, but something new was in its place. “Okay. I would appreciate your help.”
    â€œYes.” He pumped a fist. “You won’t regret this.” He spread the designs out on the worktable and explained his vision for each one.
    They tossed around the pros and cons of the designs and ended up deciding on his simplest idea. He’d pull a flatbed trailer decked out in a flower garden with a stone bench under an arch.
    Kayla made a copy of the design and handed him the original. “I’ll take care of the flowers if you can deal with the rest. I’ll get you the names and numbers of everyone I think would be willing to help.”
    â€œThanks. About dinner?”
    She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think that’d be a good idea with your girlfriend in town.”
    â€œI told you Estelle is not my girlfriend.”
    â€œThat’s not what she says.”
    He raked a hand through his hair. “Who are you going to believe? A woman you don’t know or a man you do know?”
    Kayla raised a brow as if to question whether she knew him. She walked toward the door that divided the workroom from the storefront. “No worries, Derek. You don’t owe me an explanation. We had a nice time together, and now I’d like to keep things between us professional.”
    He rushed forward. “But I really like you, Kayla. I want to see where this leads between us.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t think so. We’ll work together on this project, but that’s it.”
    There was no use arguing now. But if it was the last thing he did, he’d find a way to get her to change her mind about him.

Chapter 8
    T he Flowers and More delivery van drove up Derek’s driveway and stopped about fifty feet from where he worked on the float. He slid the hammer into his tool belt and waved.
    Charlie got out and sauntered in his direction. “The women asked me to stop in and see how things are going.”
    The screen door slammed. Derek looked over his shoulder and winced. Estelle stood there with crossed arms.
    Charlie’s startled eyes slammed into his. “Why is she still here?” He kept his voice low. “I heard she’d left town a week ago.”
    â€œShe was lying low for a few days, and it’s turned into