And that was bad. This was Lisa’s friend, and Jen had only just moved back. With Lisa already thinking that Jen took the easy path by marrying a guy with money, the last thing she needed was Lisa thinking that she was doing that again—fooling around with the guy who could renovate her home.
When people told the story later—when Drew told this story later—she wanted to make sure that they could tell the story with pride. She wanted Drew to see his mother building something on her own, not leaning on a man to make it happen. She wanted to prove Lisa wrong, because deep down she had a needling feeling that her sister had a point... She’d loved Sam, but she’d also loved the life he’d offered her.
She’d wanted security, and she’d paid for it! Well, not this time. She was going to earn this on her own.
Jen turned off the water and flung back the curtain. She shivered as the cooler outside air hit her body and she grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself. There was a big cabinet with doors next to the sink, and she’d already arranged her toiletries inside, leaving a full shelf for Drew. He was old enough now that he’d started quite the collection of hair supplies and body sprays, and she arranged the bottles that had been brought in boxes on the middle shelf, looking at half bottles of gel, teen face cleanser and some temporary hair dyes he’d kept from last Halloween. It all made her feel a bit misty. She missed her son.
Jen dried her hair most of the way, letting her natural curls define the rest of what her hair would do that day with the help of a bit of mousse, then she headed barefoot to her bedroom. She could hear the bass tones of men’s voices downstairs as Nick and his team continued working on the cabinets.
Jen got dressed into a cozy, cowl-necked sweater and a pair of leggings, then smoothed some face cream on and did just the basics for her makeup. She was just giving her curls an extra shake to loosen them up when her phone rang. It was Lisa, and Jen sighed.
“Hi, Lis,” she said.
“Hi,” Lisa said. “How are you doing?”
“Good.”
There was a pause. “I’ve got an evening shift, and I normally swap babysitting with a friend of mine, but she’s got the flu, and I’m stuck.” Lisa’s voice softened. “I’ve got childcare lined up for the daytime, but tonight I could use a hand...if you were free.”
“You’re asking me to babysit?” Jen asked, and she couldn’t help but smile. Lisa had been so self-sufficient all this time that the request for help surprised her.
“Yeah, I’m asking...” Lisa said. “I mean, I know your place isn’t exactly toddler proof, though.”
“I’d love to,” Jen said. “It’s a great chance to hang out with my nephew.”
“Is it safe?” Lisa asked uncertainly.
“I’ve raised a toddler of my own,” Jen replied. “And I can keep him safe. That’s a guarantee. Besides, the third floor is just fine. And I’ll keep my eyes on him the entire time. And maybe my lips just plastered to that squishy face.”
“Okay...” Lisa sounded mildly stunned. “I thought this would take more convincing.”
“Lisa, I’m nicer than you think,” Jen said. “Besides, I think Bram likes me, too.”
Lisa laughed. “Okay. Thank you. I’ll bring him by your place around five.”
“Perfect. See you then,” Jen said.
As Jen opened her bedroom door, she heard footsteps on the stairs and Nick appeared at the top of them. He hesitated, then shot her a smile.
“I’m checking on the bathroom,” he said. “How’s the shower working?”
“Good. It was nice and hot. I can’t complain,” she replied.
“You mind?” he asked, gesturing toward the room in question.
Jen shrugged, and Nick went into the bathroom and looked around. Jen paused in the doorway, watching him as he felt along seals, stretching to reach. He was a big man, and she couldn’t help but notice the bulge of his biceps. Nick tested the taps a couple of times.
“Satisfied?” she asked with a small smile.
“Are you?” he asked, and he caught her gaze. The bathroom suddenly felt smaller with him in the center of it, and his dark gaze moved over her in a warm sweep.
“I definitely am,” she replied. “This will be perfect—completely functional. And like I said, the water is nice and hot.”
Did that sound like flirting? She hoped not.
Nick nodded. “I always double-check. I’ll sign off on Bert’s work then, and cut him a check. He’s got Christmas plans. Imagine.”
“He’s one of the lucky ones,” Jen said. “What’s he doing?”
“He and his wife are going to see their son and daughter-in-law in Denver,” Nick said. “He’s got a new grandbaby to spoil.”
“That does sound nice,” she admitted.
Nick dropped his gaze and licked his lips. “I’m not sure if this is really bad form, but...what are you doing tonight for dinner?”
She felt her heart speed up just a little. He was right—it would be a terrible idea. Their veiled flirting was one thing, but...
“I’m babysitting,” Jen replied. “Why?”
“Oh... So definitely busy,” he said, and some red tinged his cheeks.
“I’m babysitting here,” she amended. “So I won’t be far away, exactly. In fact, if I left the curtains open, you could probably watch me chase a toddler.”
Nick chuckled. “That would be very creepy of me. But I picked up a beef roast, and there is no way my daughter and I are going to finish it. I just thought...maybe you’d like to help me out with that.”
“You’re cooking, huh?” she said. “That’s tempting. But I’ve already got a two-year-old I’ll be wrangling.”
“Does he eat beef?” Nick joked.
Jen laughed. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“I doubt he’d make much of a dent on my roast, but what if I invited you both?” Nick asked. “Besides, my place might be a bit safer for a toddler. Theoretically. If we watched him really closely. There’s fewer loose nails and whatnot—that’s for sure.”
He had a point, not that she needed a lot of convincing to let him make her a homemade dinner.
“Thanks. I’ll double check with Lisa to make sure she’s okay with it, but I’d like that,” she said, and when she smiled, he gave a quick nod and turned toward the stairs again.
“Okay, so I’ll count you in,” he said. He glanced over his shoulder once, and the warmth in his gaze belied the casual tone of his words. This felt like a date.
* * *
NICK TROTTED BACK down the stairs, and he couldn’t help his smile. Whatever was developing between them wasn’t wise—he knew that. But his daughter would be there, and so would Lisa’s boy, so that would change the dynamic.
He hadn’t been planning on asking Jen over, but it had come out of his mouth before he could think better of it. He wanted to see her—simple as that. He was a grown man, and he could keep the rest under control.
The rest of the day, he and Floyd worked on cupboard doors and finishing the insides of the cupboards and drawers. This was all easier work before the new counters were installed. There were a few problems—a large section of wall came away behind the sink, and so they needed to repair the wall behind the cupboards first. But one step at a time the kitchen was coming together, and he was pleased with their work.
Around five, the peal of the doorbell echoed through the house, and he glanced out of the kitchen to see Jen opening the big front door. Her sister was there, and he walked over to say hello.
“How are you doing?” Nick asked, giving Lisa a smile.
“Hanging in there,” she replied. “How’s my sister treating you?”
She glanced around but didn’t venture farther inside.
“She’s a taskmaster,” he joked. They talked for a couple of minutes, a diaper bag was handed over and then a wide-eyed toddler
, who reached back for his mother and started to howl when Lisa kissed his cheek and left.
Jen stood there for a moment, holding the little boy, then she looked up and caught Nick watching her.
“He’s mad,” Jen said, readjusting the little guy in her arms. “Bram, sweetie, it’s okay. Mommy’s coming back. You’re just going to play with Auntie for a little while. That’s all.”
Bram sniffled and looked at her, then the tears started again. He wriggled and a boot dropped off his foot. Nick remembered this stage of things—toddlers had their ways of letting their displeasure be known.
“We’re pretty much done for the day,” Nick said. “We can clear out, and I can get that roast into the oven. You want to come right over?”
“Do you mind?” she asked.
“We made good progress today,” he replied. “Besides, Floyd’s got a family at home waiting for him, and he makes brownie points with his wife if he gets home a bit early.”
Jen smiled wistfully at that. “Far be it from me to mess with a man’s brownie points.”
“Right?” Nick chuckled. “Just give us a few minutes to clean up.”
As promised, Nick and Floyd cleaned up in record time. Nick picked up the diaper bag for Jen and waited while she wrangled the little guy back into his coat and boots. Then Nick held her coat for her, and as she slid her arm into the sleeve, pausing to readjust Bram in her grasp, he caught the soft scent of her perfume.
“Thanks,” she murmured, shrugging the coat up onto her shoulders, and her blond curls brushed over the back of his hand, raising a shiver on his arm.
“Yeah, no problem...” He let go of the coat and reached for the door. Did she know how she made him feel, or was he successful in hiding it? As long as his daughter was around, that would douse whatever was sparking here and they could go back to a regular friendship, because being friends was the only relationship that would actually last between them.
They headed across the street to his place, and when he unlocked the door and let Jen inside, he could tell that his daughter wasn’t back yet. And he couldn’t help the tingle of relief that they were alone for a few more minutes. The house was silent, and he flicked on some lights to welcome them. Goldie came bounding down the stairs toward him.
“Come on in,” Nick said. “I’ve got some crackers around here somewhere. I mean, they aren’t Goldfish, but if the kid likes sage and oregano, we might be in business.”
He bent down to give Goldie’s ears a rub.
Jen laughed. “Let’s give those crackers a try.”
“Goggie!” Bram said, and he squirmed to be let down. He reached for a handful of Goldie’s tail, and she looked around and gave the toddler’s face a lick.
“Goldie, go to the couch,” Nick commanded.
Goldie hesitated.
“Hey! Now.”
She sauntered over to her spot on the couch, and Nick grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. It didn’t take him long to find the cartoon channel, and Bram’s gaze immediately glued to the screen.
“There we go... Magic,” Nick said, shooting Jen a grin. “You okay with that?”
“Perfectly. He looks happy,” Jen replied.
Nick grabbed the box of crackers from the cupboard and handed them over to Jen.
“As promised,” he said.
Jen shook a few into her hand and brought them over to Bram.
“You do realize we’ll have to vacuum up after him,” she said over her shoulder. “Handing crackers to a toddler is...adventurous.”
“Don’t worry about it. That’s what Goldie’s for,” he replied with a chuckle. “She’ll find every last crumb, I can guarantee it.”
As if to prove him right, Goldie leaned over and delicately removed a single cracker from Bram’s stash with her front teeth and gulped it back.
“Hey—” Nick said. “Those are his. I’ll get you a chewie.”
Once Goldie had her chewie treat, he washed his hands and got to work on the roast. It had been marinating for the past couple of days, and he flicked on the oven and set to work. When he got the roast in, he turned back to find Jen watching him.
“So this is what it’s like in here,” she said.
“You were wondering?” he asked with a half smile.
She blushed. “I’m curious about everything.” Her gaze moved over to the smart artificial tree at the far side of the living room. “Like that.”
He followed her over and watched as her gaze moved over the ornaments.
“You’re the kind of person who puts memories on their tree,” she said.
“Yeah, I guess so,” he replied. “Most of these are from when Amelia was in elementary school.”
“Those little bears are cute,” she said.
He looked down at the ceramic bear choir and shrugged. “Yeah, Amelia used to love those. She’d make them sing the songs she was learning in school for the Christmas concert. I used to look forward to bringing those bears out every year, because it would make her eyes light up.” He felt his throat tightening with unbidden emotion and he took a step back. “You know how it is.”
“I do,” she agreed softly. “For my son, it was the Christmas tree. I always get him a new ornament every year that goes along with his interests. One year it was a Spider-man ornament. One year it was a Monopoly game ornament... You know, whatever tickles his fancy that year. And he loves going through them all and putting them all up.”
“Are you going to do a tree this year?” Nick asked. “Or is it just too much with the move and everything?”
“It is too much, but I promised Drew I would. He’s worried I won’t have a proper Christmas if I don’t put a tree up.”
“He might have a point,” Nick said.
“The silly kid doesn’t realize I won’t have a proper Christmas without him.” She blinked tears back. “Sorry. I’m still getting used to this whole shared custody thing. I’m not sure I’ll ever be used to it.”
“It’s not easy,” he admitted. “And I’m not exactly the guy to give advice about how to make it work. I never did get a handle on parenting this way.”
Jen met his gaze then nodded. “Most people just tell me to tough it out. They say I’ll get used to it, and I should find stuff I like to fill my time. And I get it—that’s probably very sound advice. But I don’t want to find hobbies. I don’t want to miss him less... I just—” She sighed. “I don’t want to be a part-time mom.”
“I got pushed aside,” Nick admitted. “I was always the brawn, and Shari was the brain. Our daughter was more like her mom—and maybe that was just inevitable because she’s a girl. When we were married, I could be the dose of testosterone in the home, and it was generally okay. They’d tease me and roll their eyes and call me a silly man, but it was still okay. But when Shari and I split, I was no longer the dose of testosterone—I became some kind of stranger...” He paused, winced. “I’m not saying that’ll happen to you.”
“You can’t promise it won’t,” she murmured. “Your daughter didn’t miss you?”
“At first, she seemed to, but I couldn’t keep up with her life. Her mom married a guy with a lot of money, and he was able to give her anything she wanted. She didn’t have to ask me for anything anymore, and Chris was...this is going to sound mean, but... Chris wasn’t quite as strong a dose of testosterone.”
Jen laughed softly. “He was more interested in...their stuff.”
“Art. Books. Theater. Lectures. The whole thing. And don’t get me wrong, he’s a better match for Shari in every way. I’m fine with that. Shari and I didn’t work out. But he was also a better match as a father figure for my daughter in every way, and I haven’t gotten over that.”
“She’s still yours,” Jen said quietly.
“Yeah.” That was a fact, but he wasn’t sure it was one that Amelia cared much about. “You
know...she’s got this boyfriend...”
“Yeah?” Jen said.
“His name is Ben. They’ve been on again off again for a couple of years now, and my daughter is now saying that she wants marriage.”
“With Ben,” Jen clarified.
“Yeah.” He sighed. “I don’t want her to make your mistake.”
Jen froze.
“I mean—” He winced. “That might have come out wrong.”
“What mistake?” she said.
“Marrying really young to a rich guy who didn’t appreciate you?” he said.
“Marrying for money,” Jen said. “Is that what you think I did?”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. He’d stepped in it this time, but he couldn’t stop now. He’d better explain himself. “But yeah—a rich guy who won’t see the value in my daughter...a guy who’s never been man enough to commit to her, but has all the money and resources to control her if he decided to—that scares me.”
“Sam didn’t control me,” she said.
“That’s good. I’m not sure if Ben would or not, but when your little girl is looking to tie herself to a man in marriage, you want to know she’ll be okay, and if she’s not, that you can do something for her.”
“Right...” Her cheeks colored.
“I wasn’t meaning—” The front door opened, and Nick turned to see Amelia come inside, and the words died on his lips. Goldie leaped down from the couch and raced to meet her. Amelia had a shopping bag in one hand, and she lifted it up to keep it free from Goldie.
He glanced back at Jen, and she shrugged. Apology accepted? He could only hope.
“Hi, Amelia,” he called. “Glad you’re back.”
“I picked up some ornaments—” Amelia stopped when she saw Jen. “Oh! I didn’t realize you had a guest, Dad. I’m sure I can find something to do—”
“It’s fine,” Nick interrupted. “This isn’t a date, it’s a neighborly visit.”
“Right.” Amelia gave a slow smile, then shot a grin at Jen. “I’m taking my father in hand, by the way. Those old, sad ornaments are about to be replaced. I picked up some stuff that’s color coordinated and understated. I’ll make something of him yet.”
Mountain Mistletoe Christmas Page 12
