Nick brightened. “Is that what this is? I feel like singing.” He hummed an unrecognizable tune.
Robyn picked it up, humming along for a few bars, and then sang, “… is coming to town.”
Nick jumped in snapping his fingers. “He’s making a list. Checking it twice.”
Gabe was sure there were illegal substances involved. Nick never hummed, and he certainly never sang. And that silly smile on his face? That hadn’t been there since third grade.
They sang together, adding a goofy, big finish at the end that included Robyn’s jazz hands. Gabe sat back and watched his kid brother open up. Where had the years gone? Not wanting to think about time marching on, he grabbed several dishes and headed for the sink.
“Gabe has a great voice—he just doesn’t want anyone to know about it.” Nick elbowed him in the ribs as he dropped a handful of silverware into the sink. “He entertains the shampoo in the shower every morning, though.”
Gabe’s whole neck and face burned with embarrassment. He had no idea Nick could hear him through the walls. He should have, though—how many times had he yelled at his brother to turn down the music?
“That’s something I’d like to hear.” Robyn glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. It was like she knew that he couldn’t take the full scrutiny of having her study him and was nice enough to give him some space. He appreciated her consideration, and he really liked the flirty tilt to her lips. She had great lips. They looked like two bows touching at the ends.
He jerked his eyes off her mouth and turned on the water to let it warm up. He wasn’t going to sing. But if he did sing a carol or two, Robyn would be the one he would feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable in front of. She had this way of looking at him that went right through his walls.
However, there was no way on this snowy earth that he was going to sing in front of Nick.
“Hey, Nick,” Robyn asked, “do you have homework?”
He nodded and then caught himself and cast a quick look at Gabe. “Not that much.”
Busted, Gabe thought. He was about to start in on Nick for not telling him earlier, but Robyn stayed his words with a soft hand on his forearm. Her touch was like a jolt of electricity—waking him up and lifting him off the ground. It also stuck his tongue to the roof of his mouth.
“I’ll wash dishes if you do homework, and then we can have dessert in thirty minutes—how’s that?” Her sweet request was so much nicer than what ran through Gabe’s head. He would have told Nick to stay up there until it was done, and he’d be skipping dessert if he was missing so much as one assignment.
“Sure.” Nick headed toward the stairs as if it was no big deal for him to do homework—even though it was a very, very big deal.
“Don’t let him fool you. He’ll go up to his room and play video games for a half hour,” Gabe grumbled at his back.
Nick’s shoulder hunched as if Gabe had thrown things at him.
Robyn’s grip on his arm tightened. “I trust him. If Nick says he’s doing homework, then he’s doing homework.”
“Yeah,” Nick threw over his shoulder before bounding out of sight.
Robyn nodded once as if that was that.
Gabe decided to let it go. Nick had done a great job cleaning the house this afternoon. The counters were clear of dishes and wiped clean. The floor was swept and the rugs straightened. There was a fine layer of dust on the entertainment center, but Gabe didn’t know if there was Pledge in the closet or not. In fact, he wasn’t sure what cleaners were in there. Thankfully, they had dish soap for the dirty dishes. They were complete hooligans.
While he’d been musing over his brother’s newfound abilities, Robyn had filled the sink with sudsy water and had already washed three plates. He stepped up to dry. “We have a dishwasher, you know.”
She smiled shyly. “Are you going to make fun of me if I say I like washing dishes?”
“Yep,” he quipped. “That’s sketch.”
She giggled. “Fine. Then I won’t say it.”
He liked her giggle. It was charming and throaty and downright sexy. His thoughts turned warmer, and he spoke low. “Thank you for dinner. It was … an experience.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “How so?”
“Well …” He stacked the dishes as he dried. “It felt homey. We don’t get a lot of that around here.”
“That’s a huge compliment.”
“It is?” He wished he could draw back his surprise.
Robyn handed him a slippery, soapy glass. Her gray eyes had a light behind them, one that drew him in. He leaned closer to her before he realized what he was doing. Her body was warm, and he wanted to hold her close. “It is. Home represents all the best things in life. Safety. Warmth. Family. Acceptance. Love.”
“I wouldn’t know,” he said low. “My life hasn’t exactly been full of those things.”
She leaned into him, her gentle curves fitting against his side. “I’m sorry for that. I wish I could change that for you.” She hummed “Silent Night” for a moment. “You know, most people only get two shots at a family—the one they are born into, and the one they create. You get three. The one you were born into wasn’t all that great, but you and Nick get to make it what you want. You can choose to make this one all that much better.”
“It’s harder than I thought it would be.”
“Anything that’s worth as much as family is is going to ask everything from you.” Her hands worked faster than his, filling half the sink with dishes waiting to be rinsed and dried. She hummed again, and soon the words filled his head.
He began to sing softly. “… loves pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face.”
She hummed louder, a beautiful alto to his bass. This woman complemented him in so many ways and was so different in others. She was all Christmas and festive and positive outlook on life. And he was all Grinchy without decorations or gifts under a tree—or a tree! If he were to look at his house as a representation of what he wanted in life, then he manifested emptiness and a lack of effort.
Not that he was going to run out and buy a bunch of decorations. No sir. He wasn’t going to get sucked into the commercialism and give an easy buck for big business.
Singing was nice with Robyn, though.
They finished the song, barely loud enough to be heard on the other side of the kitchen, and yet the words had been written on his heart. He’d never forget these few minutes and the peace they brought if he lived to be a thousand years old.
He put his arm around Robyn’s back, drawn to her, wanting to hold her close and keep this sense of safety she’d brought into his house. She turned in to him, her sudsy hands landing on his chest. Her forehead wrinkled. “I just ruined your shirt.”
“You didn’t ruin anything. You can’t.” He searched her eyes, looking for a sign that she wanted out of his arms, that she didn’t want the kiss he was dying to give. He couldn’t find a reason to back away. What he did find took his breath away. She had the ingredients for a lifetime connection, including love—if he dared reach for it—enchanting humor, attraction, courage, power, and promise.
“Robyn, I’m not like you,” he whispered in warning. “You’re Christmas joy and caroling—I’m a Scrooge.”
She shook her head. “You’re more than that, Gabe.” She brushed her fingers over his cheek, and he closed his eyes. Had he ever been touched so gently?
He cupped her cheek with one hand and leaned in, brushing his lips over hers. In that brief moment, something inside of him shifted. He could hear carols, smell cookies baking, and taste vanilla. The whole experience was overwhelming, and yet it only whetted his appetite. He pulled her closer, her body molding to his in the most delightful way. “Robyn.” He whispered her name on her skin.
Hmm. Her eyes fluttered as if weighed down by the desire pulsing between them. He had to kiss her again, couldn’t have stopped himself if he’d tried. This time, when their mouths came together, he angled her head and deepened the kiss.
Robyn’s hands wound in his hair, and he was lost to her. Lost in her. This is what a kiss was meant to be—not the pale, drab versions he’d experienced before, but this thrilling, tingling, tumbling moment in time that felt like eternity and went by in a blink.
Chapter 12
Robyn
Robyn paced the small hotel room, her phone in her hand and her sisters on a video chat. She’d brought them together because her small Christmas project was getting out of hand. After a short recount of the evening—in which she proudly explained Nick had completed three math assignments in thirty minutes, thanks to the promise of her chocolate mousse pie—she announced, “I kissed him!”
No one moved. She thought the picture might have frozen on her phone—glitched. So she ran her finger over the screen. “Hello?”
Suddenly, they all started talking at once.
“Woot!” called Frost. “I’m sending you three I-just-got-kissed outfits for tomorrow. I wish I’d known about the date; I would have prepared your wardrobe differently.”
“Ho Ho Ho,” Ginger said over the top of her. “It’s going to be a holly jolly Christmas!”
Lux covered her flaming cheeks. “I don’t need details—but I’ll take them if you’re dishing out.”
“What is the matter with you?!” Stella yelled, drowning out the cheers. “You have a televised date tomorrow night with a man who could be the love of your life, and you’re kissing the security guard!”
“Way to kill the mistletoe buzz,” groused Frost. She flipped her long, white hair over her shoulder.
“What’s the big deal?” asked Ginger. “Kissing is a good thing.”
“A very good thing.” Robyn winked at the camera.
Lux covered her mouth and ducked to hide her giggles.
“Besides.” Robyn ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m not sure I want to go out with this mystery guy. I didn’t like the idea of them filming a date in the first place, and I do like Gabe. Maybe I should go after him.” She bit her lip.
“No, no, no.” Stella wagged her finger. “If you like him, you have to go out with this other guy.”
“I’m not following your logic.” Lux folded her arms over her Captain America tee and gave Stella the stink eye. If things didn’t add up, Lux was the first to point it out.
“Nothing makes a woman look more desirable than to have other men chase after her.” Stella grinned, triumphant.
“I’m afraid Stella’s right.” Joseph appeared in the screen right over Ginger’s shoulder. “One of the things that drove me nuts was hearing about Ginger’s other dates on the radio.” Having contributed a male perspective, he kissed Ginger’s cheek and moved out of the screen. Ginger’s eyes followed his flannel back appreciatively.
Frost leaned closer to her camera, blocking out the piles of letters behind her. “Robyn, the real question is, is Gabe the one?”
Robyn leaned away, unsure of her answer. “I don’t know.”
They all rolled their eyes in unison. “How can you not know?” demanded Ginger.
“Yeah, you’re the one with the unnaturally strong truth gene,” added Lux. She’d done extensive research on their genetic makeup several years ago. Unfortunately, none of her breakthrough findings could be published, because their genetic code, having been altered by Christmas Magic, was unique in the world. Scientists would spot the anomalies in a heartbeat and call her a liar and her findings false. Still, she had figured at what point their genes altered. So that was something.
Robyn tugged on her ear. “It’s difficult for me to separate my Santa sense from my own emotions. I knew he wanted—no, needed to kiss me. So, was I drawn in by his need and my instinct to care for others, or was it because I actually wanted to kiss him?”
“I get that,” said Frost. “It’s like when I see a pile of mail; I have to sort it. It’s compulsory.”
“Right, but this isn’t reading letters,” argued Stella. “This is a kiss.”
Quik scooted next to Lux in the screen, his arm around her back. “Can I chime in here?”
Robyn buried her face in her hands. Was the whole family going to weigh in on her dating life? “Might as well.” While they were at it, they should patch in Grandma and Gramps—no doubt they’d have a few words of advice to give.
“I submit that you wanted to kiss him.” Quik pointed at the tabletop.
Lux turned her attention on her husband. “Explain that hypothesis, please.”
Stella made gagging motions at their goo-goo eyes.
“Gabe can’t be the first guy to want to kiss Robyn.” He lifted his finger and shook it. “And yet she hasn’t gone around kissing every guy who has that desire. Ergo, she wanted to kiss him.”
Robyn sealed her lips shut. The truth, that there were precious few men who’d wanted to kiss her over the last three years, did not need to come out of her lips. She’d been on enough dates that they could go ahead and think she was a hugely desired woman. Her throat squeezed, and she gritted her teeth. When the pressure was too much, she finally gasped, “I haven’t had the opportunity to test that theory.”
Stella sat up. “That’s perfect!”
“What?” everyone asked at once.
“We’ll use the date tomorrow night to test that theory. If this guy wants to kiss Robyn, and she can resist him, then we know she wanted to kiss Gabe.”
Lux and Quik were the first to nod. “It’s an awfully small control group. Normally we’d like to use at least ten other men,” said Quik.
“I’m not going out with ten men—we don’t have time!” Robyn pointed out. That got her another round of head nods. “We’re 20 days away from Christmas Eve—which is the last possible moment I could wrap this up.”
“You’re punny.” Ginger winked.
Robyn rolled her eyes. “Speaking of deadlines, how are things back home?” Roxy’s report was not good. The Alaskan kitchen was doing fine, but they couldn’t make enough treats for the world. The North Pole kitchen struggled at best.
Stella cleared her throat. “We’re doing fine. The toy machines have been tarped off. Our biggest problem now is rusting. The older equipment has been here a long time. I think Christmas Magic kept the elements from interfering with production, but the water breaks metal down. It’s happening at an accelerated rate.”
“The mail room is slowly flooding. Preservation is an issue.” Frost twisted her white hair through her fingers. “We’re working on channeling the water to the stables, where it can run outside. But that’s creating a problem of its own.”
“How so?” asked Quik.
“It freezes once it hits the edge of the ice castle and creates a dam. The stable elves break it up and throw it outside, but it’s a constant task.”
He nodded. “Let me come take a look at things. Maybe if we pipe the excess water straight into the ocean, we’ll have a better time of it.”
“I’ll take all the help I can get.”
“What about the kitchens?” asked Ginger.
Robyn checked her notebook. “The off-site baking can’t keep up with worldwide demand. We’re going to be short this year.”
“I won’t stuff the stockings so full, then.” Ginger’s crestfallen face was enough to pile a mountain of guilt on Robyn.
“I promise, I’m trying to fall in love. It’s just … not easy.”
“We believe in you,” said Lux. The others echoed the statement.
For a Kringle, the words I believe in you were stronger than any others. Believing in Santa, even when you grew too old for dolls or trucks, was a magical gift—a way to give back to the man, or woman, who dedicated time and energy and love to making others happy and bringing Christmas cheer to the whole world.
Robyn took courage from their faith in her. “I appreciate it.”
Stella grinned wickedly. “You know, if you want to test this kissing theory out, I could arrange more participants.”
Robyn shuddered. The idea of lining up a group of men under the mistletoe s
cared her to death. “No! Thank you very much for the offer, but I’m happy with our sample of one.”
“Maybe I’ll test it out, then.” Stella winked.
“Stella,” Ginger warned. “I will put you on the Naughty List.”
Stella lifted her chin. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
Robyn laughed. “Stay off the Naughty List for me this year. I have enough to worry about, okay?”
Stella huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. It wasn’t an agreement, but knowing her sister, it was as close as Robyn was going to get to one.
Another worry popped up. “How am I going to know if he’s jealous?”
All her sisters started laughing.
Robyn’s hackles went up; she hated being laughed at. Call it a firstborn thing, but she liked to be taken seriously.
“Believe me,” said Ginger between giggles, “you’ll know.”
“That’s so helpful. Thank you so much. I’m going to bake something now, and I’m not sharing with any of you.” Robyn tapped the “end call” icon and glanced around the crowded hotel room. She had a mini fridge and a microwave. This wouldn’t do, not if she was staying in town for the next week or so. She sent an SOS to Stella to find her a place with an oven. Then she pulled the ingredients for caramel popcorn balls out of her purse and set to work. The challenge of creating greatness with only a microwave took up enough of her attention that she was able to put her nerves on the back burner.
However, as soon as she was in front of a Hallmark movie, enjoying her treat, her stomach flipped over like Donner enjoying a night out. She had three caramel balls before she could breathe normally. Kissing a stranger was way out of her comfort zone.
Kissing Gabe, however, had felt totally natural. She wasn’t nervous as he’d looked deeply into her eyes and leaned in. She hadn’t second-guessed where her hands should go or if she was too into it or not into it enough. She’d just kissed.
And it rocked her world.
She dropped her head in her hands. If only she could hear her heart under all the Santa genes that seemed to take over when she was around Gabe.
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