About thirty minutes later, Darius and Peyton were seated at a table at Books & Bakery after ordering chicken soups and turkey with provolone sandwiches. Darius had ignored the knowing looks from Doreen, Ean, Megan, and Ramona.
“I had an idea for the fundraiser while Ms. Helen was giving us a tour of the center.” Peyton dug into her soup.
“What?” Darius drank his iced tea.
“A birthday party and dance.” Peyton beamed at him. “January tenth, the day the center opened, is a Saturday in 2015, too. We should host the fundraiser then.”
Darius considered her announcement as he ate his soup. “That’s only five weeks away. Does it give us enough time?”
Her small body seemed to vibrate with enthusiasm. “We can make this work.”
“We could ask the center’s director to let us host the dance in their activity room. It’s large enough. And that way people can see where their donations are going.”
“That’s brilliant.” Peyton clapped her hands together. “We’ll charge an entry fee, which would include dinner. All proceeds will go to the community center.”
Discussions of what they would need, what it would cost, and potential event sponsors carried them through their meal.
Peyton pulled her electronic tablet from her purse. “We need to pick committee members.”
Darius took a deep drink of iced tea. The cool bite of it helped with what he was about to say. “My father volunteered for the committee. I’m sorry. I should have talked with you first. But he asked me as I was on my way to meet you.”
“I think it’s great that your father’s on the committee.” Peyton reached across the table, covering his hand with one of hers. Her touch sent a jolt through Darius, making him lose his train of thought. “My mother and I have volunteered together on a lot of committees. Those are some of my favorite memories.”
; Somehow, Darius didn’t think he’d have a similar experience with Simon. “How many other people should we get for the committee?”
Peyton gave that some thought. “Five. With you, me, and your father, that will give us eight members. If we need additional volunteers, they could help outside of the formal committee.”
“Good point.” Darius wrote in his reporter’s notebook. “I’ll come up with some more names.”
“I want to make sure the university is represented on the committee.” Peyton typed into her tablet. “We’re Trinity Falls residents, too. We should be involved in the center’s fundraiser. I’ll ask two other professors to participate.”
Her words put a damper on his mood. “Are you going to ask Vaughn?”
“That’s a great idea.” Peyton did more typing.
Darius’s grip on his pen tightened. She’d misunderstood him. “Is there something going on between the two of you?”
Peyton blinked her surprise. “You and I had something before Thanksgiving break. How many ‘somethings’ do you think I could have at one time?”
“You’ve spent a lot of time with him.”
“Are you jealous?” Peyton’s eyes widened with disbelief.
“Yes.”
Peyton’s honey-and-chocolate-milk complexion took on a rosy hue. She blinked again, then a slow smile stretched her full lips.
“Wow.” She returned her attention to her tablet. “Should we invite your mother to join the committee? She might feel left out if your father’s on it and she’s not.”
Why was she changing the subject? “So there’s nothing going on between you and Vaughn, right? I just need some clarification.”
“No, there’s not.” Peyton put her elbow on the table and set her chin in her palm. She gave him a look that scorched him. “Is there something between us?”
“I’d like there to be.”
“We’ll see.” She went back to her tablet. “What about your mother being on the committee?”