“Go ahead.” He had to admit, he was enjoying the music she’d brought back into his life. When had his life become so silent? He didn’t really know.
Charley fiddled with her phone, then a Christmas song started playing. She swayed her hips to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” He tried not to look but wasn’t very successful. She was too cute for her own good.
“What’s your favorite Christmas memory from when you were a kid?” she asked.
“I don’t know.”
She tossed him a sour look. “Come on. You celebrated Christmas, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“What kinds of things did you do? Go caroling? Decorate a tree?”
He thought back to his childhood. “The house was always decorated to the nines. My grandfather loved the holidays. I remember one year he took me to see The Nutcracker in Denver. I thought it was the most magical thing I had ever seen. The dancers were so graceful with elaborate costumes, and the set was amazing.”
Charley’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve always wanted to see that. My parents aren’t into ballet, so they never wanted to take me. It’s been on my bucket list forever.”
He picked up the spatula and started transferring shapes to the cookie sheet. “Really? I bet I could get us tickets. They’re running it all week at the theater in town.”
“Oh, my gosh. That would be amazing. I’d love to go.” She grinned at him and the room brightened. How did she do that? Make him feel happier with just a smile?
“Then it’s settled. When these are in the oven, I’ll check the tickets on my iPad.”
“Do I need to dress up for something like that?”
“Most people do. It’s in the old theater. Built in the 1920s and completely restored.”
“I can’t wait to see it.” She picked up a spoon and started stirring the mixture in the bowl.
He picked up the cookie sheet he’d completed and opened the oven. Dorothy walked into the room, her night robe on. “What are you guys going to do with all these cookies?”
Charley shrugged. “Normally I’d wrap up some plates and take them to the neighbors. Are there any neighbors around here? This house is so secluded, I can’t tell.”
Dorothy smiled. “We have neighbors. You just need to know where to look. The people around here like their privacy. I can go with you to deliver the cookies tomorrow.”
“Great. And I need a nice dress too. Maybe your boss would let you take some time off for shopping?” Charley gave Alexander a pleading look.
“A dress? What did I miss?” Dorothy’s gaze bounced between the two of them.
This was going downhill fast. Since when did he become so lax? He sighed. “I’m going to try to get tickets to The Nutcracker.”
“A date?” Dorothy smiled.
“No,” he and Charley said at the same time. He rubbed his neck. “No. She’s always wanted to see it. I’m just taking her because it’s on her bucket list...” Why did he feel so stupid?
Dorothy gave him an ‘Oh, really?’ look. “Okay.” Then she turned to Charley. “I know the perfect place to get a dress. We can go after lunch. You don’t mind, do you?” she asked him.
He couldn’t say no now. Not after The Nutcracker being his idea and everything. “That’s fine.”
Unsure of how things had gone this way, he simply finished his task of rolling out the rest of the dough and making them into cookie shapes. If he thought too much about it now, he would spoil his good mood.
A few minutes later Charley set the timer then washed her hands in the sink. “We have ten minutes until this last batch comes out. Let’s go download the music app for you and I can show you how to make a playlist.”
He nodded. “All right.” He’d given up trying to say no to Charley. It never worked. If he gave in to her, he’d be happier. He followed her to the living room and sat next to her on the couch.
She held out her hand. “Give me your phone.”
He pulled it out of his pocket and unlocked it, then handed it to her. She opened the app store and started downloading something.
“Do you have a favorite song?”
“Not really.”
“You like The Nutcracker. Do you like classical music, then?”
He thought about it. “Yes. I do.”
“All right. That’s easy. There’s tons of classical music we can download.”
He leaned a little closer to her, the vanilla smell growing stronger. He tried to ignore it. “I also liked that music that was playing on the radio when we were looking at the lights.”
“Manheim Steamroller? Great choice. I love them. The app can find other songs like that if I tell it to find similar things.”
He was having a hard time concentrating. All he could think about was the way her body was pressed up against his side. “Okay,” he said, his voice coming out husky. What was wrong with him?
She tapped his phone screen for another couple of minutes before handing it back to him. “There. You have a classical playlist and I added a channel for songs like the Manheim Steamroller one.”
He looked down into her eyes, which was a mistake. The fire Thomas had started in the fireplace danced in the reflection. His throat swelled as he gazed at her. “Thanks.”
She turned away from him and he saw something white behind her hair. He reached out and tucked her hair out of the way. And then he chuckled. He leaned down close and whispered, “You have flour in your ear.”
“What?” She swiped at her ear and he chuckled.
“Yep. You’ve been walking around with flour in your ear.”
She giggled. “Well, at least no one could see it. I’ll have to shower really good tonight.”
Dang, he didn’t need that mental image in his head. Luckily, Charley seemed to realize this because she changed the subject really quickly. “Do you think we can get a tree?”
“I was wondering when you were going to ask.”
She pointed to the large window next to the fireplace. “It would be perfect right there. So you can see it outside.”
He nodded. “Yes. That’s a great spot.”
“Where’s the best place to shop for a tree around here?”
“Shop for one? I own twelve acres of land on this mountain. There are plenty of trees right here.”
She leaned back. “You’re kidding me. You mean, you’d go chop one down? For real?”
He chuckled, shifting back into the seat. “Of course. That’s how we’ve always done it.”
“Oh, my gosh. I’ve never chopped down a tree before. This is going to be awesome!” She clapped her hands together and bounced in her seat. “I can’t wait. Can we do it tomorrow morning?”
“Are you ever going to clean out the rest of my garage?” He grinned at her and she poked him in the side.
“You are so mean. Work, work, work. That’s all you think about.”
“And yet, somehow you find a way to drag me to the mall to sit on Santa’s lap.”
Charley let out a belly laugh. “Oh, that reminds me. I have to put that picture up. Can I use your mantle until I get home?”
“Don’t you dare.” He returned her poke in the side and she giggled and squirmed. “You’re ticklish, aren’t you?”
“No, please. Don’t. That’s torture.”
He couldn’t resist the temptation, his hand reaching out to her side. She squealed and tried to get away from him, but he grabbed her around the middle. She laughed as he found her best ticklish spot. “Stop!”
“What are you two doing in here?” Dorothy came in, a book in one hand, a cookie in the other.
The cookie reminded him they were supposed to take the sheet out, and Charley must have been thinking the same thing because she hopped off the couch. “Oh, the cookies!”
Dorothy waved her hand. “Don’t worry. I took them out. You two can just go on doing whatever it is you were doing.” She exchanged a look with Charley before she walked out of the room.
“What was that about?�
� he asked.
“Nothing.” Charley pointed toward the kitchen. “We’d better go frost the cookies.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” He stood, feeling foolish for once again acting like a lovesick teenager. Why did he always lose his head when Charley was around? What was wrong with him?
Chapter 13
Charley stepped over a mound of snow, her hands in her coat pockets. Her breath came out in puffs of fog. She hadn’t brought any boots. She didn’t own any. No need for boots in the winter in Florida. “Are we almost there?”
Alexander turned around and nodded at her, a backpack slung over one shoulder. “Yep. I see the perfect one, just a little way up this hill.”
“Good. Because this snow is slippery.”
He reached back and held out his hand. “Sorry. Let me help you.”
She couldn’t say no to that. She took his hand and he pulled her up onto a nearby rock jutting out of the mountainside. He smiled at her. She’d been noticing a lot more smiles out of him lately.
“I didn’t think about the climb.” He looked down at her flimsy shoes. “Do you want to wait here?”
“Heck, no. I want to help chop the tree down. We don’t have trees like this where I live in Florida. I may never again get this chance.”
“All right. I’ll help you. Tell me if I’m going too fast, okay?”
“Deal.” She held his hand as he took several steps. Her shoes slipped once, but he grabbed her so she didn’t fall on her behind. “Thanks,” she said, breathless.
“You’re crazy. You know that?”
“You’re the one who said this is how you always find a tree.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. But we wear boots when we go mountain climbing.”
He said it like he was talking to a child and she couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re such a dork.”
“A dork?”
She nodded, realizing that he was still holding her close. His mouth was only inches from hers. If she stood on her tiptoes, she could...she banished those thoughts from her head. No way was she going to make that mistake again. She was not out there to make out with Mr. Norris, no matter how sexy he looked in his leather jacket. What was the matter with her? Had she no self-control at all?
His smile faded and his gaze dipped to her lips. “Then I’ll try not to be so dorky. Isn’t chopping down a tree a manly thing to do? Doesn’t that mean I can turn in my dork card?”
She stood there, his arms around her, staring at the way the light showed the flecks of gold in his eyes. Her heart pounded out a staccato rhythm. What was he saying to her? She couldn’t think anymore. All her nerve endings came alive and all she could do was stare into his eyes. His smile widened and his laugh lines crinkled. “Come on. Let’s chop a tree down.”
He helped her up to a precipice where he stood back and surveyed the area. “There. That one.” He pointed to a tree. It was smaller than the trees surrounding it. “It’s perfect, don’t you think?”
She wasn’t sure her voice would work, so she just nodded. He set down his backpack and took a saw out. “Do you want to try?” He held it out to her.
She grinned at him, finally able to snap herself out of her awkwardness. “Of course.” She took the saw from him.
He held back some of the branches. “You’ll have to get down in there. Luckily, this little one isn’t too thick.”
She started sawing at the trunk. Alexander showed her how he was holding the tree back a little so it didn’t pinch the blade as she sawed through it. When it finally snapped and fell, she let out a squeal and did a victory dance. “I can’t believe I chopped down a tree. Well, not chopped. I thought maybe we’d use an ax or something, but the saw probably worked better.”
Alexander chuckled at her. “You get chatty when you’re excited.”
“I know. Sorry. One of my faults.”
“Come to think of it, you get chatty when you’re nervous too. And when you’re scared. And when you’re—”
She whacked him on the chest, his leather coat taking the brunt of it. “Stop. You’re not allowed to make fun of me.”
“Who made up that rule?”
“I did. Just now.” She laughed. “Now, how are we going to get the tree down to the house?”
He pulled a rope from the backpack. “That’s why I chose a small one. Can you imagine me trying to drag one of these monsters down the hill?” He pointed to the trees that were twice the size.
“Nope. You’re smart.”
He tied the rope to the trunk then began dragging it behind him. He held out his arm. “Better hang on. I don’t want you slipping down the slope.”
“Thanks.”
It took a little time getting the tree into the house, but once it was sitting in the tree stand, Charley stood back and admired it. “You picked a great tree.”
He gave her a bashful smile. “Let’s find the ornament box.”
Charley looked at the clock. “Ooh, can we decorate it later? I told Dorothy I’d go deliver cookies with her.”
He nodded. “Sure. That’s fine.” He took a step back and shrugged out of his coat. “I have work to do anyway.”
Had she hurt his feelings? She wasn’t sure, but he smiled at her and she felt better. “Maybe after I go shopping?”
“No, we can decorate tomorrow. We have The Nutcracker tonight and Dorothy threatened me if I didn’t take you out to eat before the show, she would put something nasty in my food.”
“What?” Charley could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. “Why would she say that?”
“Apparently she thinks I am taking you out on a date, even though we both told her it wasn’t.”
Charley’s stomach got a fluttery feeling. A date. Dorothy was trying to set them up again. Probably because she told her about the kiss. But it wasn’t a real kiss and this wasn’t a real date. Right? Charley took a step toward the kitchen. “She’s silly.”
As she left the room, she mentally smacked herself. Silly? That’s what she came up with? How stupid. Dorothy met her with a box in her arms. “I’m ready to deliver the cookies.”
“Good. Because I’m ready to get out of here.”
Dorothy followed her out to her car. Once they were seat-belted in, she motioned to the house. “Everything okay between you guys?”
“We’re fine.”
Dorothy shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”
Charley didn’t want to talk about it, but she knew Dorothy wouldn’t stop until she said something. “I mean it. We’re fine. It’s just a bit awkward since the kiss. And you,” she said, pointing. “You’re pushing us to have a date tonight. That’s even more awkward.”
Dorothy laughed. “You both need a night out. And going to dinner and a theater production won’t kill you. If you don’t want to call it a date, then don’t. But we’re finding you an amazing dress.”
Charley couldn’t argue with that. “I can agree to an amazing dress.”
They delivered the cookies then went back to the house. Dorothy went into the kitchen to make lunch, and Charley decided she’d better go to the garage and get at least one or two boxes done today. The garage wasn’t going to clean itself.
After Dorothy called her in for sandwiches, she sat at the table. Alexander sat across from her. He fussed with his shirt collar. “You have a preference where you’d like to eat tonight?”
“Nope. I like all food.”
“Chinese?”
“Sounds delicious.” She picked up her fork and stabbed a noodle.
“Italian?”
Charley made a face. “What part of ‘I like all food’ is hard to understand? I haven’t met a meal yet that I didn’t like.”
Alexander pointed to her with his fork. “How do you stay so thin, then?”
“Now, you’re just trying to flatter me, aren’t you?” Charley smiled at him, although secretly she made a mental note to get him something really great for Christmas.
“No. I’m seriously trying to figure out if yo
u have a favorite restaurant.”
He did look a bit uncomfortable. Maybe she should make this easy on him. “Okay, let’s go Mongolian tonight. I saw a Mongolian grill not too far up the road from the Goodwill. The smells coming from it are always delicious.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Chapter 14
Alexander fussed with his bow tie. Why was he so nervous? He wasn’t going on a date, no matter what Dorothy said. It was just two people going out together. Not romantic at all. Then why could he not get his fingers to stop shaking?
He looked into the mirror. Since when did those lines form by his eyes? He was only thirty. Why did he suddenly feel so old?
His phone made a noise and he checked the time. They needed to leave soon or they would miss their reservation. He sighed and shrugged into his suit jacket. There wasn’t anything he could do about his laugh lines now.
As he walked down the staircase, Charley came into view. He swallowed, his heart pounding hard against his rib cage. She was stunning. She wore a black dress and her hair was pulled up in such a way that made her look five years older. He couldn’t believe the transformation. She was beautiful.
When she saw him, she smiled and it made her glow. “There you are. I thought I was going to have to go up there and bang on your door.”
He felt his face heat. “Sorry. I was having a tie issue.”
“I sympathize. I don’t think I could tie one of those things if my life depended on it.”
He smiled. “Good thing it doesn’t.”
She laughed and Dorothy came out of the other room. “Are you two ready to go? You’d better scoot. It’s getting late.”
He held out his arm to Charley and she took it. His heart worked overtime. He tried to ignore it and not act like a stupid teenager with a crush. “See you later, Dorothy.”
His nerves subsided as he drove into town and their conversation turned light. After they were seated at the restaurant and had ordered, he turned to Charley. “I saw a few more things in the auction box today. Have you come across anything of great value?”
“Sadly, no. Just a few more items made from silver. I did find a bracelet that might have diamonds on it. I couldn’t tell if they were real diamonds or not. You’ll want to take it to a jeweler to get the value.”
Christmas with the Recluse Page 8