“Italian.”
He shut her door and walked around the car to climb into the driver’s seat. Then he turned to her. “You do know that means Larry’s Pizza on the square, right?”
Jennifer laughed. “Of course.”
Shane started the car and pulled out onto the street. “Italian it is.”
After a few moments, they were walking into the restaurant together. The heavy smell of dough and cheese made her mouth water. Shane pulled out a red vinyl chair for her at a table for two. She pointed to the large gumball machine sitting in the corner by the front door. “Remember that time we walked here as kids? We each got a gumball. Those things were so big we could hardly close our mouths around them.”
Shane grinned. “I haven’t thought about that in a long time. You were upset that I got the pink one, so we traded.”
“You always knew what to do to make me happy.” Jennifer picked up a laminated menu from between the salt-and-pepper shakers and scanned the items, even though she knew what she would get.
He did the same, and when the waitress came she took their drink orders, brought them their sodas and pulled out her notepad. “Do you know what you want?”
“I’ll take the ravioli,” Shane said. “I haven’t tried it yet.”
“Sure.” The waitress gave him a flirty smile. “And you?”
She was talking to Jennifer, but her eyes were still on Shane, which was annoying. Jennifer felt like slapping the woman. “Can I have a personal-sized pan with pineapple and cream cheese?”
The waitress wrinkled her nose and finally looked at her. “I don’t know if we have that.”
“You do,” Shane said. “She always orders that.”
The gal wrote something on her pad. “Okay, then. I’ll have them make it.”
After the waitress left, Shane gave her a funny look. “Why are you so predictable?”
Jennifer leaned back in her chair and scoffed. He would label her as predictable. “I just know what I like and I go after it. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
Shane stiffened for a second before picking up his Coke and taking a sip. Then he set it back down and folded his fingers together. “Nope.”
“So, tell me. What’s been going on with your life? I feel like we haven’t talked in ages.”
A guarded look came over his face. “Nothing much has been happening. I work at the feedlot. Come home smelling like cows. Mom has a nurse checking in on her while I’m not there. Otherwise, I’m at home with her.”
“And what about college? Are you ever going to finish school?”
His gaze flickered to his drink, and he fiddled with the straw. “Someday.”
He seemed uncomfortable with her line of questioning, so she changed the subject. “How’s the old gang from school? Do you ever see Pepper or Hank? I heard they were still around.”
Shane stared at her. “Those were your friends,” he said, his tone flat.
“What are you talking about? They were everyone’s friends. We all went to the same school. The same parties.”
“No. We didn’t.”
She had to lean forward to hear him, his voice was so quiet. She waved away his bad mood. “Oh, come on. I swear I saw you at the parties. You just hung out with that short kid. What was his name?”
“Lance.”
She clapped her hands together. “Yes! Lance. You and he would go everywhere together. What’s he up to now?”
“I think he designs video games for a living.”
“Ha! Really? That’s so him.” Their food came and Jennifer picked up a slice, taking a bite. The sweet and creamy flavor filled her mouth. “Mm, that’s the good stuff,” she said after she swallowed. Then she pointed to his plate. “Do you like their ravioli?”
“It’s decent.”
“You should have gotten the meat lovers pizza. I know you like that one.”
“I did when I was twelve,” he said quietly.
She cocked her head at him. He really had changed since she’d known him. “Huh. I guess.”
They sat in silence for a while longer while they ate. After their food was gone, Jennifer wiped her hands on her napkin. “Should we see what’s playing at the theater?”
Shane didn’t answer right away. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “I actually told my mother I would put up the tree tonight. We’re behind on Christmas decorating.”
A jolt of excitement shot through Jennifer. It had been years since she’d gotten into the holiday spirit. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d put up a tree. “Awesome. I’ll string the lights.”
He looked at her like she’d just swallowed her fork. “What? You want to help?”
“Sure. Come on. Let’s go decorate your tree.” She stood and gathered up her trash.
He hesitated, then joined her. “Okay. First we have to go pick one out.”
Chapter 4
Shane turned the steering wheel, pulling out into traffic while Jennifer played with her phone. What was he doing? Why didn’t he make some kind of excuse and drop Jennifer back off at home? He must really like to torture himself.
When he got to the tree farm, he opened her car door for her and reached down to help her up. The second her soft skin slid into his, he regretted the motion. Warmth traveled up his arm, and his heart stuttered. As soon as she was out of the car, he let go and shoved his hands in his coat pockets. He couldn’t get all gaga over Jennifer again. It was obvious by their dinner conversation she saw their past very differently than he did. He had to be careful or he would just cause himself more heartache.
“Should we start over there?” he asked, pointing.
“Sure.” Jennifer took a step toward the row of trees. “Looks good.”
He followed behind her, watching her inspect the trees. She fiddled with the branches as they walked, running her hand over the needles. Curious, he finally stopped. “What are you doing?”
“I read that if you gently grab the inside of a branch, then pull your hand toward you, if the needles come off, your tree won’t last very long. But if they stay on, it’s a good tree. I’m just testing these.”
“You read that? Where?”
Her cheeks turned pink. “I Googled it on my phone as you drove.”
That’s what she’d been doing on her phone? He smiled down at her, forgetting his resolve not to like her. “That was sweet of you.”
“I wanted to seem knowledgeable. I’ve never picked out a tree before.”
He gaped at her. “Never? Doesn’t your mother put up a tree?”
“Yes, every year.” She looked up at him. “But it’s plastic.”
“That’s a travesty.” He said it with a straight face, but when Jennifer cracked a smile, he couldn’t hold it in and laughed.
“A travesty, huh?” She slid her hand through the crook of his arm. “Then I guess I should thank you for opening up this new world to me.”
Her slim frame pressed next to him, and his heartrate sped up. How many times had he imagined Jennifer on his arm? And how often did he have to watch her hanging on someone else? He wanted to pull away, but her smile was so genuine, he couldn’t. “Yeah. I guess so.”
She looked up at the night sky. “Oh, it’s snowing!” She raised her hands into the air as a few flakes drifted down. “How magical is that?”
A flake landed on his eyelash and he blinked, trying to get it off. Jennifer laughed and reached up to brush it away with her thumb. She paused, staring up at him, and the mood shifted. His gaze dipped to her lips. He’d often imagined kissing her back in the day. What would she do now if he did?
And then he realized how crazy that was and pulled back. He couldn’t kiss Jennifer. What was he thinking? “Thanks.”
She exhaled, her breath coming out in a fog. “Yeah.”
He pointed to a tree. “What do you think of this one?”
Jennifer tested the branches and gave it her approval. “It’s healthy. And I like how it’s tall but no
t too wide. I think this would make a great tree.”
He nodded, patting her shoulder. “We have it, then. Let’s get it.”
Half an hour later, he was dragging the tree into the house, Jennifer laughing as he struggled with it. He shot her what he meant to be a glare but he was sure it came out all wrong when he laughed as well. She ran to open the door. As he neared, she called out, “Go a little to the left.”
With Jennifer’s help, he was able to drag the tree into the living room. He lifted the tree into the stand and heard a scraping sound. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me I bought one that was too tall.”
Jennifer shifted on her feet, her hand up to her mouth. “Um…”
He tightened the stand and stood back. The top bent over as it pressed up against the ceiling. He looked at it sideways, biting his cheek. Jennifer pressed her lips together, obviously trying not to laugh. “It’s not so bad.” She stepped back. “It just looks like you lowered the ceiling.”
He couldn’t help it. He laughed. Jennifer joined in, and soon they were almost in tears. When they finally stopped, he shook his head. “I’ll see if I can find a different tree.”
“No, I like this one. It has character.”
“The star won’t go on the top.”
“Sure, it will. We can make it work.” Jennifer plastered on a bright smile, and Shane turned away. He didn’t want to admit her smile warmed him. He couldn’t be thinking about how pretty she looked with her cheeks pink from the cold. Or how her laugh took him right back to high school when he had an enormous crush on her. He had to back away or she could destroy him.
Shane pulled a little clay snowman out of the ornament box and put a hook on the loop. He handed it to Jennifer so she could hang it on the tree. He liked how the lights reflected in her eyes, and how she smiled when she took each ornament from him. They’d been decorating the tree for over an hour. All the lights were strung and there were only a few last ornaments to hang. The fire crackled, making the room cozy.
She stood there, studying the figure. “That’s adorable. Did you make this?”
He chuckled, shifting on the couch. “When I was seven.”
“I love it. There are so many homemade ornaments on your tree. It makes it so personal. It’s really nice your mom kept all the ones you made as a kid.”
There was a sad tone to Jennifer’s voice, and Shane wasn’t sure what it meant. “Didn’t you make ornaments when you were growing up?”
“Yes, but Mother threw them away the next year.”
Shane stared at her, horrified. One of the best things about Christmas was getting to look at all the things that brought back those happy memories. He swallowed, his throat tightening at the thought of a mother who could toss something like that so easily. “She did?”
“Our tree has a theme. All manger scenes. She’s collected them from all over the world. It really does look neat.”
“Yeah, but why throw away the things you made? Didn’t that hurt your feelings as a kid?”
She avoided looking him in the eye and shrugged. “I guess. But Mom always said she enjoyed it for a whole season and it was time to declutter.”
“Ouch.”
“I tried not to let it hurt. She likes a tidy house.” Jennifer turned and hung the ornament on a branch. “But I like seeing what you made when you were little. I think I’ll have a tree like this when I get married and have kids.”
“So, that’s a goal of yours, then?” Shane cringed. Why did he ask that?
She turned back around, her gaze connecting with his. “Of course. It’s always been my goal. That’s why…” She stopped and pinched her lips together.
Shane didn’t want to press, but he was curious. “Why, what?”
She shook her head. “It’s stupid.”
He reached into the box for the next ornament, but his fingers only scraped the bottom. He set the box aside. “I’m sure it’s not.”
Jennifer sighed and plopped down on the couch beside him. She twisted her fingers together, the silence between them stretching. Finally, she looked up at him. “I shouldn’t have gotten engaged to Mark,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.
“Why not? Weren’t you in love with him?”
She blinked, moisture gathering in her eyes. “I knew things weren’t right between us. We were fighting more. I should have known things weren’t going to work out.”
Shane’s heart went out to her. Jennifer was the sweetest girl he knew. She had a tender heart. He placed his hand on hers. “How would you have known?”
She blinked as a tear traveled down her cheek. “I was being naive about the wedding.”
“No. You see the good in people. You always have. That’s not naivety. That’s your kind nature showing through.” He reached out and brushed a tear from her face with the pad of his thumb, his fingers threading through her hair. It was so soft, he couldn’t stop himself. She closed her eyes and leaned into the palm of his hand.
“You’ve always been good to me,” Jennifer said.
Shane couldn’t stop himself. He pulled Jennifer closer until he could smell her coconut shampoo. He cupped her face, her smooth skin under his rough hands making his heart beat faster. She opened her eyes and he was swallowed up in her blue gaze.
“Why didn’t we date in high school?” Her words came out quiet, almost a whisper, but they pierced his soul. He slowly backed away. He couldn’t look at her, those large innocent eyes staring at him, and tell her what she’d done to him. She had no clue.
“No reason,” he said, turning away from her, swallowing the pain from so long ago as it rose up in his throat.
He suddenly stood, looking at the clock on the wall. “Wow, it’s late. I didn’t realize. I’d better walk you home or your mother is going to give me the stink eye.”
Jennifer laughed. “Stink eye? What does that even look like?”
He wasn’t sure, but he gave it a try, and she made a face. “You look constipated.”
“I guess I’ll have to work on that.”
Shane helped Jennifer into her coat, then walked her to her mother’s house. As he stood on the front porch with her, she quickly lifted up on her toes and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Thanks for tonight. I had a lot of fun.”
He swallowed, trying not to show how stunned he was she’d kissed his cheek. “I had fun, too.”
“See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah. See ya.”
He squeezed her hand and turned away. As he walked home, he resolved not to be disappointed if he didn’t see her tomorrow. She was busy. And in ten days she would be returning to her life in New York. No need to get all tangled up in something that wasn’t going to be.
Chapter 5
Jennifer stepped out of the shower, toweling off as the smell of breakfast came wafting up the stairs. Her mother was making blueberry waffles. She swallowed, her mouth watering already. Her mother hadn’t made her waffles in forever.
As she dressed, thoughts of Shane kept invading her privacy. He’d grown into such a handsome man. His voice was now low and had a sexy timbre. And he smelled amazing. She had the best time last night. And she was pretty sure he’d been close to kissing her. She closed her eyes and imagined what that would be like.
“What are you doing?” Her mother stood in the doorway, her hand on her hip.
Jennifer felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she pulled her cardigan around her. She was sure she’d been standing there making a kissy face at no one. “Nothing.”
“Come on down for breakfast.”
The familiar sound of chopping wood came from outside and her mother walked to the window. “Oh, there’s Shane. You should ask him to come eat with us. He likes blueberry waffles, right?”
Oh. My. Word. So, that’s why her mother made them. Shane’s favorite back in the day. How could she have forgotten? She sighed and slipped into her boots. “I’ll go ask.”
“Perfect.” Her mother gave her a smile, and she couldn’t help but return it.
Even though her mom was stepping over the line, she had to admit she wanted to spend more time with Shane.
Jennifer slipped into her coat and walked outside, through the same footprints she’d left yesterday. Shane was once again sporting a pile of wood in his arms and walking toward his house. “Hey,” she called.
He turned and smiled. “Hi. We keep meeting like this.”
“I know. Weird, huh?”
He wasn’t wearing a coat, just a T-shirt that hugged his chest muscles. “Need another fake date?”
“Um, no. Mom is wondering if you want to come over and have breakfast with us.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Yeah, I guess she has stopped matchmaking me with Fishy Jerry and now has someone else in mind.”
He chuckled. “I see.”
“So, you game?”
He slowly nodded. “All right. Let me put this inside, then I’ll be over.”
She watched as he disappeared into his house. Then, as she waited, she got a wicked idea. She snuck over to the gate and slipped into his yard, gathered up a handful of snow, and packed it into a snowball. Then she hid behind the fir tree.
Shane came out, still without a coat. As he crossed his yard, she tossed the snowball. It landed on his shoulder and he yelped.
Jennifer couldn’t help it. She laughed.
Shane swiveled around, the shock evident on his face. “You threw snow at me?”
“It’s called a snowball. Pretty much the only fun thing you can do with the stuff. Remember when we were kids, and we’d build forts and have an epic snowball—” She was interrupted by an ice-cold ball of snow whacking her in the face. “Oh!” She wiped bits of snow from her cheek. “You’re gonna get it now!”
She ran as he sprinted across the yard away from her. She gathered up a snowball and threw it as hard as she could. It missed him.
He laughed. “I’m going to get it? Really?”
“You are! Just hold still a second.” She scooped up more snow, but missed him again.
“When is the payback coming? Because I don’t see any.” His broad smile taunted her.
Love, Snow and Mistletoe: Four Sweet Christmas Romance Novellas Page 2
