Ava suggested, “Maybe Darius would prefer a beer.”
“Ew. I hate beer—well, okay, I never had it. But you know it does smell bad and...” About then, Sylvie caught herself. She slapped her fingers against her lips. “Oops. Sorry, Mommy.” And then she filled Darius in on the rules. “I’m not s’posed to talk about food I hate, and that includes drinks and that includes beer.”
“I understand,” Darius replied solemnly. But his eyes kind of twinkled when he added, “And yes, I would love a beer.”
So Ava sorted out the drink situation, and Darius helpfully tore the tops off the pizza boxes so they could get at the delicious-smelling pies. Then they all dug in.
Sylvie talked nonstop, about school, about how much she’d enjoyed her Saturday night sleepover with Annabelle, and then about Christmas, one of her very favorite subjects. “Tomorrow night, we’re going to start dec’rating our tree. Mom, maybe Darius can come and help us...”
Darius said nothing; he waited for Ava to give him his cue. She sent him a grateful glance and redirected her daughter toward the pizza and salad she’d barely touched. “Eat your dinner, Sylvie. That is, if you want to ask Darius to play a video game with you afterward.”
That did the trick. Sylvie cleaned her plate and drank her milk. Then Ava let her drag Darius up to her room for a tour. Ava cleared off the table and wrapped the uneaten pizza in plastic for him to take home. When the two came back down, they played a video game in the living room for an hour, after which Ava joined them for a rousing—and endless—game of Uno. Finally, Sylvie went upstairs for her bath.
Ava and Darius barely had time to get second beers and settle in the living room before Sylvie came flying downstairs again dressed in flannel pajamas and asking if she could read Darius a story before bed. Just in case that might be okay, she’d brought the book of choice down with her. It was Bear Stays Up for Christmas, which was only forty pages. Sylvie knew that book by heart.
Dare said, “I’d love a Christmas story.”
Sylvie jumped up on the couch beside him. “Mommy, come sit here.” She patted the cushion on her other side. Ava took the offered seat, and Sylvie read the story.
After such a thrilling evening with Sylvie getting the Blueberry king all to herself at her own house, Ava half expected trouble getting her to bed. But Sylvie surprised her. Once she turned the last page of the story, she thanked Darius for coming over and said good-night. Ava followed her up the stairs.
Sylvie waited until she was snuggled under the covers before she made her move. Gazing up at Ava through big, hopeful eyes, she asked plaintively, “Mommy, can’t Darius please come to help us dec’rate tomorrow night?”
Ava wanted to say yes. Because it had been a nice evening. Darius had been wonderful, and Sylvie had clearly loved every minute of it.
But Ava had to be careful not to give her daughter the wrong idea. One night was enough for now. “No, honey.”
“But if you would only ask him, I’ll bet he would say yes. I tried to ask him, but you didn’t let him say if he would or not. He doesn’t have any children, Mommy. He doesn’t have a family at his house. Who’s he gonna dec’rate with? I think it should be us.”
“Let it go, Sylvie.”
“Mom...” Sylvie stretched the three-letter word into at least four syllables.
Ava pressed a kiss to Sylvie’s forehead and went to the door. “I love you,” she said tenderly as she turned out the light.
Sylvie didn’t answer. She shifted on the bed, rolling to her side and facing the wall.
Ava didn’t push her. Sometimes a mother has to call a draw a win—but then, just as she turned from the doorway, a small voice said, “Love you, Mommy. G’night.”
The slight tightness in Ava’s chest eased. “Night, sweetheart.”
* * *
Downstairs, she found Dare waiting in the living room. He patted the sofa cushion next to him, and she thought of Sylvie earlier, patting the cushion for Ava to sit by her while she read her story. They were both far too charming, her daughter and her would-be lover.
She went and sat beside him. “You’re amazing with Sylvie.”
“And why do you sound annoyed about that?”
“I’m not. Just cautious.”
“Yes, you are. Always.”
She opened her mouth to defend herself—and then thought better of it. Why argue with the truth? She was cautious, and she had no plans to change.
He wrapped his arm around her. She thought about Sylvie again, about the strong possibility that a curious seven-year-old might creep down the stairs to see what the grown-ups were up to.
Better to be somewhere Sylvie couldn’t witness things she shouldn’t. Ava got up again. “Come with me.”
He rose without a word and followed her around through the dining room and into the master bedroom. “A cutthroat game of Uno and I get to see your bedroom?” He grabbed her arm as soon as she’d turned the privacy lock. “What a night.” He pulled her close. And then he lowered his mouth to hers.
At last.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave herself up to the sheer perfection of his kiss, walking backward and pulling him with her as his lips worked their special magic, and she dared to hope that maybe this would be it—the night their Christmas fling finally really began.
She led him to the bed and pulled him down onto it. For several lovely, thrilling minutes, they made out like the teenaged lovers they never got to be.
But when she eased her hand down between them seeking his zipper, he caught her wrist.
She groaned—and not with pleasure. “You’re kidding me.”
He chuckled. A purely evil sound. “It’s too soon.”
“God. You’re such a tease.”
They lay facing each other across the bed. He pulled away enough to look at her as he ran his fingers along her temple, and then back into her hair the way he seemed to love to do. His touch felt so good.
She gave up pushing for hot, sexy action and let herself simply enjoy looking into his beautiful eyes, loving his rough-tender touch as he stroked her hair and brushed the back of his hand down the side of her throat.
And then he kissed her again, slow, deep and sweet.
She sighed when that kiss ended. “Maybe you have a point. Taking our time isn’t half-bad.”
He didn’t say anything, just kissed her some more.
A little later, in the front hall, after he put on his boots and his coat, he said, “Rocky Mountain Christmas is Saturday.” It was Justice Creek’s big holiday season kickoff event. Every store on Central Street would be open at 8 a.m. “You going?”
“Wouldn’t miss it. I have an open house that afternoon, so Sylvie and I will go early.”
“I might run into you. Just, you know, by accident.”
She liked that idea far too much. “And if you did, where would this accident happen, exactly?”
“I’m thinking coffee and a muffin at Bravo Catering at eight.” Bravo Catering, which included a bakery, was Elise’s shop. Elise and Jody had joined forces a couple of months ago, with Elise opening up her catering and coffee shop adjacent to Jody’s flower shop, Bloom.
Saturday was three days away. Did that mean she wouldn’t see him until then?
Maybe she should just go ahead and ask him over to help with the tree tomorrow night. Sylvie would be thrilled. And later, once Sylvie was safely tucked into bed, there would be more kisses. If she couldn’t have sex with him, she needed lots of kisses, and she needed them often.
His mouth curved in that way he had—almost a smile, but somehow not quite. “So. Saturday at Bravo Catering?”
Today was almost over. So really, it was only two days before she’d see him again. She’d gone years of her life without seeing him, without kissing him.
Two days wouldn’t kill her.
“Eight o’clock,” she said. “We’ll be there.”
* * *
Ava and Sylvie started on the tree as soon as Sylvie got home from school the next afternoon. At five, Ava’s mom and dad dropped by. They volunteered to help. After a quick meal of soup and sandwiches, they all got down to work.
By Sylvie’s bedtime, they had it all done, with the tree in the window, the big, lighted wreath on the front door, the holiday swags draping the staircase and the Christmas village scene on the mantel.
Sylvie wanted her grandma and grandpa to tuck her in, so Grandpa Paul hoisted her onto his shoulders, and the three of them went up the stairs together. About twenty minutes later, Paul and Kate came back down.
Ava offered coffee, and they sat at the kitchen table together.
“It was so much fun, honey,” Kate said of the Thanksgiving reunion in Idaho. “Wish you were there.”
“Sorry I had to miss it.”
“Did you manage to make it to the funeral?”
“I did. It was a beautiful service.”
“You gave Bill and Seth our best?”
“I did—more coffee?”
Her dad shook his head. “World Series of Poker main event at nine thirty.” Her dad loved his poker tournaments. “We need to get going.”
So Ava walked them to the front hall.
Just as she was about to usher them out the door, Kate remarked much too coyly, “Sylvie tells us you had company last night.”
Ava was ready for that. “We did, yes. Darius Bravo dropped by with pizza. He’s helping out with the Blueberry Christmas project this year, and all the girls are half in love with him.”
“You went to school with him, didn’t you?”
“We were both in high school at the same time for one year, yes.”
“And now you’re dating him.”
“No, Mom. I’m not.” Or at least, not exactly. “He came over, and he brought pizza. He played video games with Sylvie. It’s called hanging out, and it is not dating.”
“Ah. Well, that’s nice.”
“Mom, don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t. You know that.” She absolutely would, and they both knew that. “So, then. It was just a friendly visit?”
“Just friends. Exactly.”
“Well, Tom doesn’t care much for him. I think your brother still holds a grudge because Darius fired him all those years ago. But Darius has always seemed like a nice young man to me. And so handsome and successful, too.” Ava knew her mom didn’t care in the least how successful a man might be. Kate just thought Ava cared, which annoyed Ava to no end.
“Mom. I make my own success.” She tried to say it without heat.
But apparently, she failed. Her mom looked wounded. “I only meant that he seems like a fine man.”
Ava’s dad spoke up then. “Kitty Kat. Time to go.”
Kate patted his arm. “All right, Pauly-Wally.” Ava purposely did not roll her eyes at the corny pet names her parents had for each other. “So you’re not going out with him? You’re really just friends?”
“That’s right, Mom. Just friends.” It was only half a lie. She wasn’t going out with him.
But they were so much more than friends—or they would be, as soon as Darius decided he’d driven her crazy enough with desire that their Christmas fling could finally start.
* * *
He was there waiting for them at Bravo Catering Saturday morning, wearing a leather bomber jacket over his jeans, his winter gloves on the table.
“Darius!” Sylvie ran to him. “Can we sit with you at your table?”
“As a matter of fact, I was hoping you two might come along.”
“You were? Good, because here we are!” Sylvie threw her arms wide with excitement.
“Excellent. Hello, Ava.” He gave her one of those looks that set fire to all her secret places.
“Darius. Great to see you.” She pulled out a chair and dropped her giant red shopping tote to the floor beside it as Sylvie took off her hat and mittens.
Darius pushed back his chair. “Hold the table. I’ll get the muffins and drinks.”
Sylvie tugged on his hand. “I want to help.”
So Ava ordered a cinnamon muffin and coffee, and Sylvie and Dare got in line.
Elise came out from behind the counter to say hi. Ava gave her a hug and started to ask how Jody was doing. But she had no clue how much Elise knew at this point, and it seemed wiser not to get into it.
So she settled for asking, “Is Jody next door?”
“Oh, yeah. She’s here all day.”
Darius and a starry-eyed Sylvie returned with muffins and hot drinks. They sat down to enjoy the treat, and Elise went back to work.
A few minutes later, Quinn, Chloe and Annabelle Bravo showed up. They grabbed extra chairs, and the six of them sat together. When it was time to hit the street and shop their socks off, they decided they might as well all go together—and Ava suggested they should drop in at Bloom first and say hi to Jody.
Dare shot her a knowing look. “Good idea.”
They all filed through the open ironwork door between the two shops and found Jody behind the counter at Bloom. Ava thought she looked much better than the week before, with more color in her cheeks.
Was that the beginning of a baby bump beneath her red tunic sweater? If it was, nobody else seemed to notice. There were hugs and happy greetings all around. Jody had cute plastic dragonfly bracelets for the two girls.
Within a few minutes, it was time to go. Ava grabbed Jody in a final hug and whispered, “Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks. I will.”
And that was it. They filed out the door and onto bustling Central Street.
In the next three hours, they went up one side of Central and back down the other, hitting just about every store. Darius and Quinn hauled around the ever-increasing number of shopping bags without complaint.
By noon, the girls were getting droopy. And Chloe suggested they all stop for lunch at Clara’s restaurant, the Library Café.
Ava said yes, though the timing would be tight. She should get to her open house by one thirty to set up. And she had to drop off Sylvie at the Blueberry clubhouse before that. But she’d parked in the big lot in back of the café, so that helped. Darius put all her shopping bags in the Suburban before they went inside.
The restaurant was wall-to-wall with hungry holiday shoppers, but they got lucky and didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes after Darius put his name in at the front desk, the hostess led them through the busy restaurant toward a cozy nook at the back.
Halfway there, Ava heard her mother call, “Well, hello, honey!”
She glanced toward the sound, and there was her mom waving madly. Her dad waved, too. They were just getting seated at a table near the two-story wall of bookcases that gave the restaurant its name. And Ava’s parents weren’t alone. They’d brought along her brother Tom and his family. Her mother spotted Darius in Ava’s party and didn’t even try to hide her gleeful grin.
“Gramma, Grandpa!” Sylvie crowed and then, more shyly to her ten-and twelve-year-old cousins, “Hey, Joe. Hi, Andy.” The boys granted her the barest nods of acknowledgment and Sylvie started toward them.
Ava caught her daughter’s arm and kept her moving forward, simultaneously waving and signaling to her parents that she’d come back as soon as they were seated.
They made it to the table by the window a minute later. “I’m just going to run back and say hi to the folks,” Ava said. “I won’t be a minute.”
“I’m coming,” Sylvie announced. “And Annabelle needs to come, too. She likes Gramma Kate.”
“Yes!” Annabelle agreed wholeh
eartedly. “I want to come, please.”
Ava sent Chloe a questioning glance, and Chloe gave the nod that Annabelle could go. “Only for a minute,” Ava warned. “We have to get back so the waitress can take our order.”
“Maybe I should go and say hi, too,” Darius suggested wryly. Ava sent him a quelling glance, and he shrugged. “All right, be like that. Go without me.”
Which of course had Sylvie crying, “Mommy! Darius wants to come, too.”
By then, Ava was wondering why they were doing this at all. She should have just waved at her mom and dad and left it alone, but she’d kind of freaked there at the sight of her parents and Tom. She didn’t really want her mom to see her around Darius and get more ideas. And Tom didn’t even like the guy, so she’d probably get grief from her brother for being anywhere near the rich Bravo who’d once fired him.
Ugh. Everything was getting way too complicated—and not just concerning the question of who would go and say hi to her parents.
At least Dare took pity on her and came to her rescue with Sylvie. “I was just kidding, Sylvie. I need to stay here and keep Quinn and Chloe company. You guys go ahead.”
Ava made her move, herding the two girls ahead of her back the way they’d come.
Her mom got up as they approached the table. She hugged Ava and then bent down to greet Sylvie and Annabelle.
“Hi, you guys...” Ava gave a generalized wave to her brother, his wife, Libby, and their boys.
Tom just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “Hangin’ with the upper crust, huh, Ava?”
Libby sent him a sharp look. He winced, which meant she’d probably kicked him under the table. Libby was a sweetie. She knew how to handle Tom. “So we’ll see you tomorrow then?” Libby asked brightly. Tomorrow, the Janko family would get together for Sunday dinner at Seven Pines.
Ava gave her sister-in-law a grateful smile. “We’ll be there—and Sylvie. Annabelle. Come on, we need to go order our food...”
Back at the table, the overworked waitress had already come by once to take their orders. She’d promised to return in a few minutes. It took her longer than that. But finally, they had their food and drinks.
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