Puppy Love and Mistletoe

by Merrillee Whren

  “So Lily was born while Danny was deployed?”

  Scott nodded. “Danny lived for the day he could be home with his child for good. That made the whole thing so much sadder. He missed those first valuable months with her.”

  “I’m so sorry you lost your good friends.”

  Misery painted Scott’s expression. “It’s been four years, and sometimes I still can’t believe they’re gone. While Danny and I were in Afghanistan, he made me promise that I’d take care of AnaMarie and Lily if anything happened to him. I never dreamed that Danny and AnaMarie would be killed in a car accident that had nothing to do with the service or the war we were fighting.”

  Amelia frowned. “What about Danny’s family?”

  Scott let out a heavy sigh. “Danny grew up in one of the bad neighborhoods in Baltimore. His dad skipped out on his mom when Danny was a little kid, so his mom worked two jobs to make ends meet. She pushed Danny to be the best he could be. She never got to see his success because she was mugged and killed one night coming home from work right before we graduated from college. That was a low point in his life, but thankfully he met AnaMarie. She helped him through it in a way that I couldn’t.”

  “Life can be so unfair.” Amelia blinked back tears as she thought of Lily and her parents.

  “Yeah.” Scott picked up his mug again and took a long drink, then set it down. “I never dreamed I would have to fulfill the promise I made to Danny, not because he died serving his country but because some lowlife decided to drink and drive. They named me as Lily’s guardian in their will.”

  “So you’re her guardian? You’ve never adopted her, even though she calls you Daddy?”

  When Scott didn’t say anything right away, Amelia worried that her questions weren’t welcome.

  “Every time she calls me Daddy, I think of Danny and how he should be here.” Scott shook his head. “It’s hard to think about taking his place.”

  “I suppose it is.”

  Scott leaned back and laced his fingers behind his head as he stared at the opposite wall. “I’ve thought about adopting her.”

  “Then why haven’t you?” Amelia took in Scott’s thorny expression and wished she hadn’t asked the question.

  He continued to stare straight ahead. “Because I have issues of my own. PTSD. It’s better than it used to be, but I’m not sure I would pass muster if I tried to adopt her.”

  Amelia couldn’t imagine the authorities not letting Scott adopt this child after he’d been taking care of her for four years. She was a healthy and well-adjusted little girl. “I think you should.”

  Scott looked Amelia’s way. “That’s what my sister says, too.”

  “You should follow your sister’s advice. Right now Lily calls you Daddy because you’re the most important male figure in her life. You owe it to her to make it official, don’t you think?”

  Silence greeted Amelia. She had probably said way more than she should have. He’d gone four years without making a move to adopt Lily. Why would he change his mind now at her urging? Did she dare ask him to consider what the child would think in a few years?

  “I’ve got a lot of things to figure out, and one of them is you.” Scott reached over and took one of Amelia’s hands.

  His touch sent little shivers down her spine, and she swallowed hard. “Me?”

  “Yeah.” He gazed into her eyes. “We haven’t known each other very long, but you already mean a lot to me. And not only me, but Lily, too.”

  Her heart racing, Amelia could hardly catch her breath. “What are you trying to tell me?”

  He grabbed her other hand as he turned to face her. “I wish this city budget thing didn’t stand between us. It would make it a lot easier to have a relationship with you.”

  Was he going to pursue a relationship with her, or was he going to let city business keep that from happening? Maybe she should agree with his assessment and leave it at that. “True. Even though the mayor arranged our first date, he probably would have a problem if we were really dating.”

  “Yeah. That’s what I figured.” Scott dropped her hands and stood. He walked over to the Christmas tree and adjusted an ornament.

  His response sent Amelia a mixed message that left her wondering what he really wanted. Maybe he didn’t know how to deal with her any more than he knew how to deal with Lily. Amelia wasn’t sure what to say, but she couldn’t let his obvious interest slide.

  Amelia went to stand beside him. “So what do you think we should do?”

  Turning to her, he put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. Amelia forgot to breathe. Every nerve stood on end.

  “I don’t know what you want to do, but I intend to kiss you unless you tell me no.”

  Amelia put her arms around him as he lowered his mouth to hers. A kiss had never felt so right. She didn’t want to think about the city, the budget, or her job. She only wanted to savor the way Scott’s kiss made her feel all the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning who had gotten everything she had wished for and more.

  When he ended the kiss, he held her at arm’s length and stared into her eyes. “I won’t tell the mayor if you don’t.”

  Amelia couldn’t contain the laughter that bubbled up inside her. “I’m certainly not going to tell.”

  “Good. It’s our secret.” Scott pulled her close and just held her for a moment. “But it’s going to be a hard secret to keep.”

  “You can tell Jet.” Amelia looked down at the dog, who sat on his haunches as he gazed up at them.

  Scott leaned over and stroked the top of Jet’s head. “He can keep our secret, but we’d better not let Lily know. She’ll tell the world.”

  “I can just hear her now.” Amelia chuckled as she turned toward the coat closet. “I’d better get home. Thanks for a great evening.”

  “My pleasure.” Scott helped her with her coat. “Would you like to go to a Christmas concert at my sister’s church in the city on Friday night?”

  “I’d like that.” Amelia tied the scarf around her neck. “Maybe I’ll see you at city hall tomorrow.”

  Scott shrugged. “Maybe. It’s amazing how we can be working in the same building and never see each other. I’ve got meetings all day. What about you?”

  “Working on brochures for the summer rec programs. We have to work almost six months ahead, but we’re waiting on the budget to make final plans. You have any idea yet how much our program will be cut?”

  “Not for sure, but don’t plan on spending too much money.” He raised his eyebrows in a warning expression.

  “That’s not exactly what I wanted to hear.”

  “A lot of people in the town government aren’t going to like what I have to say.” Scott let out a loud sigh. “I’m not looking forward to the council meeting next week.”

  Amelia tried to smile as she headed for the door. Foolish should be her middle name for asking about the budget and ending the evening on a sour note. “Thanks again. Good night.”

  Scott took hold of her arm and stopped her before she opened the door. “Amelia, I just want you to know that you’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time.”

  “I feel the same way.” Amelia gave him a quick hug before she went out the door.

  She waved to him as he watched her from the picture window in his living room. Smiling he waved back. Her heart did a little jig as she got into her car.

  On the short drive home, she couldn’t shake a sense of foreboding about the budget. Surely he wasn’t trying to warn her that she might lose her job. She should be on top of the world. He liked her, and he was everything she could want in a man. What did the future hold? She wasn’t sure she wanted to find out.

  ****

  Notes of every description and size cluttered Amelia’s desk. She was working hard on the summer programs, but Scott’s comments lingered in the back of her mind. She hadn’t seen him all day, and she wasn’t going to go out of
her way to look for him. They really did need to keep their relationship to themselves until this whole budget thing was over.

  “Could we talk?”

  Amelia looked up to find Susan Blackwood from the finance department standing in her doorway. “Sure. What can I do for you?”

  Susan closed the door and approached the desk. “Do you mind if I sit?”

  “Go ahead.” Amelia motioned to the chair near her desk and wondered what Susan could possibly want.

  “I just thought I should mention that I saw you and Scott Graham at the parent-teacher program the other night at the school.”

  Amelia frowned inwardly. Why was Susan bringing this up? “Yes.”

  “Well, I wanted to warn you that trying to get on his good side so you can save your department’s budget isn’t fair to the other departments.”

  Susan’s statement hung there like an icicle ready to crash to the ground. Amelia certainly didn’t want to indicate that there was more than what Susan suspected was going on with Scott. “I went because Lily wanted me to see her play.”

  “And who is Lily?”

  “Scott is her guardian.”

  Susan’s mouth hung open for a moment while she appeared to be thinking of a response. “I see. Well, don’t expect favors because you have befriended his ward.”

  “I’m not expecting favors, no matter what.”

  “Good. Then we understand each other.” Susan stood. “Just a friendly warning.”

  “Sure.” In an effort not to feel small, Amelia stood as Susan put her hand on the doorknob.

  “Have a good day.” Susan left without a backward glance.

  Amelia plopped back onto her chair, her heart in her throat. This was crazy. Amelia put her elbows on her desk and leaned her head in her hands. Should she mention this to Scott, or would that only make things worse?

  Diplomacy didn’t come easy to Amelia. She didn’t like to play political games. Surprisingly, in all the years she had worked for the city, she had managed to avoid them until now. She didn’t want to jeopardize Scott’s work. Stepping back from their budding relationship would make things easier all the way around.

  ****

  As Scott waited for Lily to get ready for bed, Amelia’s name popped up on his phone’s screen. His heart jumped into his throat. He took a deep breath before he answered. “Hi, I’m so glad you called.”

  Nothing sounded over the phone. Had he somehow been disconnected?

  Scott pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, then put it back. “Are you still there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is something wrong?” Scott wondered if word had leaked out regarding the cuts to Amelia’s department. He wanted to talk to her about his assessments, but he couldn’t be seen as showing favoritism. These cuts could hardly be called that, but politics in the workplace and government often meant too many people vying for the same money.

  “I don’t know if you’ll be happy to talk to me after what I have to say.”

  Whoa! She didn’t have trouble getting right to the point. “So lay the bad news on me.”

  Scott listened while Amelia told him about her encounter with Susan Blackwood. He couldn’t believe that woman’s audacity to confront Amelia like that. He should have known Susan was going to be trouble. She had shown her unhappiness with his presence from the moment the mayor had introduced them. Scott had guessed from day one that she thought he was encroaching on her territory.

  “So what are you trying to tell me?” A bad feeling settled around Scott’s heart as he blew out a puff of air.

  “I know we were kidding the other night about not telling the mayor, but I can’t be seen trying to influence you.” Her voice cracked. Then silence.

  “Amelia, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, but under the circumstances I shouldn’t go to the concert with you on Friday.”

  “Who’s going to see us in Baltimore?”

  “I don’t know, but I can’t chance crossing that woman. She has the mayor’s ear.”

  “Okay. I don’t want to jeopardize your job or relationship with your coworkers.” Scott closed his eyes. From the beginning, he should have seen this coming. He had wanted to ignore what he knew to be true. He and Amelia were headed to a collision over the city’s budget. No one was going to be happy with the cuts, not even the mayor, who had insisted on getting the town’s financial house in order.

  “Thank you.” A sniffle sounded over the phone. “I hope you and Lily have a Merry Christmas.”

  Scott’s heart sank. “Amelia, this doesn’t mean we can’t see each other for Christmas.”

  “I don’t know what it means, but I think I need to lay low until this all blows over. Just tell Lily Merry Christmas.”

  “Okay. You have a Merry Christmas too, but I hope to wish you that in person.” Scott wasn’t going to let Christmas come and go without Amelia, but he wasn’t going to argue with her now. Did he have much hope of winning her love when she saw the cuts to her department? The parks and recreation department was going to take the biggest hit in the new budget. He didn’t know how he could soften the blow or whether she would even give him a chance to do so.

  “Let’s not go down that road now. Good night, Scott.”

  “Good night, Amelia.” Scott wasn’t even sure she’d heard his goodbye.

  The lights on the Christmas tree blurred in Scott’s vision as he sat on the couch. Was she really worried about what coworkers thought, or was she trying to let him down easy? Maybe he had jumped into this relationship too fast and scared her away. Besides his own defeated feelings, how could he explain to Lily why Amelia wouldn’t be coming over anymore?

  Ready for bed, Lily padded down the stairs with storybooks in her hands. “Daddy, are you ready to read to me?”

  Scott patted the seat beside him on the couch. “Hop up here.”

  “I wish Amelia was here to read to me.” Lily opened one of the books. “I can hardly wait till Friday.”

  Scott put an arm around Lily’s shoulders. “Sweetie, Amelia isn’t going with us on Friday after all.”

  “Why? Is she sick?

  “No, her work is getting in the way.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s adult stuff.”

  Lily scrunched up her face. “You mean stuff you don’t want to tell me.”

  Scott couldn’t help chuckling at Lily’s statement. She was a child wise beyond her years. “I suppose you could say that.”

  “Auntie Nicole says you shouldn’t let Amelia get away.”

  “And how do you know this?”

  “I heard her tell Grandma Janet.”

  So his sister and his mom were discussing his love life, or lack thereof. He could hope that all this city budget business wouldn’t affect how Amelia viewed him, but that hope dwindled when he thought of the planned upcoming meeting with the budget task force in advance of the city council meeting. He was going to be the bad guy in everyone’s eyes except the mayor’s, and even the mayor’s support was suspect.

  Scott read Lily her books, but his brain barely absorbed the words he said. His mind replayed his conversation with Amelia. He needed to remain calm. They would get over the budget crisis, and then they could go on with their lives. At least that was what he tried to tell himself.

  Maybe she wouldn’t be able to get past what his recommendations would do to her department, but she wasn’t the kind of person who would hold a grudge. But how well did he know her? Uncertainty dogged his thoughts as he tried to convince himself that he wasn’t wrong about Amelia. Just like Lily, Amelia was a ray of sunshine in his muddled world. He wanted to believe everything would work out in the end.

  Scott closed the book and laid it on the coffee table. “Okay, missy. It’s bedtime for you.”

  Lily snuggled close. “Daddy, you seem sad. Is it because Amelia can’t go with us to the concert?”

  Scott nodded as he looked at this
all-too-perceptive child. “Yes, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Now off to bed.”

  Surprisingly, Lily hopped up and raced with Jet to her room. Trudging up the stairs, Scott followed, his mind consumed with thoughts of Amelia and how he could possibly make things right with her.

  Lily was already kneeling beside her bed as he entered the room. “You can listen to my prayers, Daddy. That will make you feel better.”

  “Okay.” Scott sat on the bed as he prepared for their nightly ritual. Lily’s prayers always reminded him of Danny and AnaMarie, another thing that tugged at his heart.

  When Lily came to him as a toddler, she was already saying her nighttime prayers. He’d wanted to keep that routine to give Lily some stability, even though she only remembered her parents because of the photos Scott kept for her. But she remembered the simple prayers that her parents had taught her.

  He half listened as the little girl prayed for God to bless all the people she knew and Jet, too. Her little voice penetrated the fog of his thinking.

  “And, dear God, help Amelia and Daddy to be together because she makes him happy.”

  Tears pricked at Scott’s eyes. Not only did Amelia make him happy, but Lily tied all that happiness in a bow. She was better than all the Christmas presents he could ever hope for. His sister was right. His parents were right. Amelia was right. He needed to put in place the measures to adopt Lily. He owed her that. He owed Danny and AnaMarie.

  He wanted to tell Amelia, but she didn’t want to talk to him right now. He had to change that. Christmas wouldn’t be right without her.

  Chapter Nine

  The numbers on the computer screen swam in front of Amelia’s eyes. Taking a deep breath, she rubbed her temples. During the task force meeting and the subsequent city council meeting, she had sat like an automaton while Scott had gone over the figures for the new budget. She had tried her best not to let her consternation show. Everyone had to deal with the cuts, but why had her department borne the brunt of them?

  Scott hadn’t said a word to her before or after either meeting. His job was done now, and he was gone. Gone from her life because she had pushed him away all to please Susan. Ironically, Susan’s warning had been moot. Amelia regretted her misguided thinking.