by Aileen Fish
“That’s great, Mom.” He heard the hint loudly—he could look for work locally, too. He didn’t really care what some kid he once played Little League with did for a living. Mom probably wanted him to move back home, too. And Mom would babysit Holly after school when she started kindergarten. He tugged at the collar of his shirt. The idea of moving back was smothering.
“I don’t think Sofia has been dating anyone since she came home from UCLA.”
“That’s too bad.”
Mom looked up at him. “You and she got along so well in school. I was certain you two would start going out together at some point.”
“Please, give it a break.” He shifted on the cold, hard seat. “Sofia and I aren’t getting together. And I don’t see the need to move back here.”
“It would be good for Holly to grow up here.”
“She’s happy with the friends she’s making in Valencia. There’s a girl in our apartment building who’s her age and in the same class. She and Holly play together often on weekends.”
“Oh, well that’s good. You aren’t working seven days a week, at least.”
He didn’t admit he was usually on his laptop and phone while the girls played in Holly’s room. That wouldn’t change no matter where he worked. He had a daughter to provide for. It took a lot of hours to give her the lifestyle he wanted for her.
Sofia directed the kids to their feet, moving through the motions that went along with the song. A local resident wrote the play and its songs, and they’d been doing the same play year after year for as long as he could remember.
In his earliest memories, Sofia had played the littlest angel, the role Holly was given this year. Nick had played the elf, who spent most of his stage time near the little angel. Sofia had been afraid of the crowd, almost to the point of forgetting her line, but he’d whispered to her and gotten her through the moment.
How far Sofia had come since then. Directing the kids in her soft-spoken manner, in full command of the stage, tiny as it was. She’d changed in college. She looked more comfortable in her skin, more at ease with who she was. Not that she’d been totally awkward.
Nick chuckled softly. Yeah, for a few years she’d been totally awkward. But in such a cute way. She seemed to be trying to find herself in a bottle of hair dye, or some crazy fashion trend. The popular girls had teased her, but most of the guys liked it. Probably the only thing that kept those guys from going after her was Nick’s threats of bodily harm to anyone who hurt her, or took advantage of her.
Mom leaned close again. “What was that smile for?”
He instantly frowned. “What smile?” Jeez, he’d have to watch himself. Mom was all set to have something happen between him and Sofia. If it weren’t for Holly, he’d leave the rehearsal now, but his daughter would be disappointed if he did.
He pulled out his phone and checked his messages and email. Since everyone at the office was on vacation, there wouldn’t be much happening that required his response, but it kept him from daydreaming and giving Mom fodder for matchmaking.
He was pretty certain Sofia would want no part of that pairing up, if by some odd chance Mom succeeded at making it happen. Neither one of them had made any effort to stay in touch once he graduated, so there was nothing to base any interest on.
When rehearsal ended, Holly launched herself into his arms. “Daddy! I remember my line. ‘All good children deserve good gifts.’”
“That’s great, honey.”
Katie approached him while the children scattered to find their parents, or just ran about screaming like banshees. Katie hugged Nick. “It’s so good to see you. Are you staying in town long?”
“Until Christmas Day.” He set a squirming Holly down to go talk to her friend.
“That’s great. You can come to the Royal Oak tonight. We’re having our holiday party. You’ll know almost everyone there.”
“The Royal Oak is open again? I thought the Watsons sold it after the fire.”
“They did.” Katie’s chin lifted and her expression turned smug. “I bought it. It’s been open since summer. It’s quite the place to be seen, if I do say so myself.” She burst out laughing, as if the bragging was all an act.
Mom chimed in. “It really is a nice place to eat. Katie does a lot of the cooking, along with her boyfriend. We’ll have dinner there one night while you’re here.”
“I guess I’ll stop by later,” Nick said. “Thanks for the invite.”
He drove Mom and Holly home and dug through his dresser to see what was still in the drawers. He hadn’t lived at home since the summer he graduated high school, when he and Morgan married.
As he expected, what he found was too small and really only suited for yard work if he could fit into it. He hadn’t thought he’d gained weight, but his current waistband was two sizes larger than the jeans in his room. After a quick trip into town for necessities and a couple of shirts and pairs of pants, he ate dinner with his parents, and was ready to face his old friends.
The interior of the Royal Oak was lit up by what Holly called fairy lights, the blinking white strings so popular at Christmas. In the rustic, open-beam room where garlands of greenery draped the walls, the atmosphere was cheery and the crowd large.
Nick ordered a beer at the bar before Katie saw him. “You came! The party is in the back room for the most part, although as you can see, some came for dinner first.” She motioned to the tables filled with young couples. He hadn’t thought there were that many people their age in White Oak.
Katie took his arm and led him back, stopping in front of a guy in his mid-twenties. “I want to introduce you to someone. Nick, this is Juan Diego Santiago, my boyfriend.”
Juan Diego shook his hand. “Katie said you might come by. I suppose you know everyone else?”
Nick scanned the room. “Maybe half of them. Some might have been behind me in school, or moved up here later.” He didn’t see the one person he wanted the most. And he wasn’t going to ask about her and start people gossiping.
“I’ll let you mingle,” Katie said, dropping his arm and wrapping hers around Juan Diego’s waist. “I have to go back out front and play hostess.”
Saluting the couple with his beer bottle, Nick worked his way into the room.
Chapter Four
Sofia laughed at the joke Pauly Keller whispered in her ear, then saw Nick approaching her and her laughter cut off abruptly.
“What?” Pauly stretched on his toes to search the crowd. A few inches shorter than the average guy, he couldn’t see past the three men between him and Nick.
“It’s nothing.” Sofia turned her back to the crowd and took a sip of her drink.
“Ohhh, I see. When did he get to town?”
“This morning. Apparently he’s actually staying the week with his parents.”
“And you don’t want him to know you’re here?”
“Not really.”
“I’ll fix that.” Pauly nudged her a few feet into the corner and pointed at the ceiling. “Mistletoe.”
Before Sofia could look up, he placed his palms on either side of her face and gave her a long, slow kiss. Her eyes widened. The minute he broke away, she snapped, “What was that for?”
“Now he’ll think you’re with me.” Pauly winked, slipping his arm around her shoulders.
She gave him a one-armed hug. “Everybody knows you’d rather kiss him than me. But thanks for the effort.”
“Everyone else knows, but does he?” Pauly tipped his head in Nick’s direction. He grinned. “That frown looks like he wants to bite my head off.”
Sofia stole a glance, but was caught looking. Nick nodded at her, and in two long strides he stood glaring down at them. “Hello, Sofia.”
“Hi. Do you remember Pauly?”
The look Nick offered Pauly could have lit the room on fire. “You were a year behind me in school, right?”
Pauly slicked his hair back with one hand. “I’m surprised you noticed me.”
; Sofia rolled her eyes and poked her elbow in Pauly’s side. If he flirted any harder with Nick, he’d ruin his attempt to make it appear Sofia was taken.
The band chose that moment to begin their first set, and it became impossible to carry on a conversation. That suited Sofia just fine. Until Pauly grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the stage where the crowd was clearing a space for dancing.
The country line dance let her get that nervous energy out of her system. Her feet knew the moves, so no thought was required.
How could her body react this way to seeing Nick after so long? Winter of her junior year, her feelings of friendship had turned into a crush, sudden, hard and unexpectedly. When talk began to steer toward the senior prom, she’d been certain Nick would ask her.
Then Morgan Winslow threw a party for her eighteenth birthday while her parents were out of town. Everyone went. Some of the wilder kids brought beer and wine, and things got even crazier than most of the parties Sofia had been to.
She didn’t see Nick disappear with Morgan, but that was all she heard about in the week that followed. Someone had seen them stumble out of a bedroom, adjusting their clothes.
Sofia had tried to convince herself it could have just been a lot of kissing and a little bit of other stuff, but the next thing she knew, rumor had it Morgan was pregnant. Nick took Morgan to prom, and a week after graduation they ran off to Vegas with both sets of parents to get married.
Turning left in the dance when she should have gone right, Sofia came back to the present in a rush. Pauly grinned and spun her in the right direction. “Daydreaming about me again?” he yelled in her ear.
She shook her head and laughed with him. She would be forever grateful to have a friend like Pauly, who pulled her from her wandering thoughts more often than not.
The song ended and Sofia wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. Desperate for a drink to cool down, she began to walk toward the bar but found her path blocked. She looked up into Nick’s narrowed, hazel eyes. “Oh, hello.” Way to play it casual.
“Are you dancing?”
“At the moment, I’m hoping to be drinking.”
“I’ll buy.” Placing his hand on her back, Nick guided her into the bar area.
Sofia told herself to stay calm. He was only in town for a week. She could get through this.
After the bartender handed her a drink, she sipped. And sipped. The little red straw didn’t offer enough to quench her thirst, but it kept her from having to make conversation a few moments longer.
“This place is really popular,” Nick said.
Sofia nodded.
“It’s great there’s a new place to hang out.”
She nodded again, sipping away on the decorative straw and looking about the room.
“You know, you’ll enjoy that thing a lot more if you throw away the straw.”
She offered him a half smile, half grimace, and gulped some of the fruity ice down.
“Let’s get a table.” Nick motioned to one where Katie was cleaning up some glasses. He led the way. “Is this one free?” he asked Katie.
“It is. Will you be ordering? I can send your waitress over.”
He nodded. Cheyenne, Katie’s best friend, approached with a pad and pen ready, and he ordered some appetizers.
“I’ve already eaten,” Sofia said. She wasn’t going to let this turn into a date.
“So have I. You don’t need to watch your figure. Have a potato skin. We can dance it off when you finish your drink.”
He was acting as if five years hadn’t passed since the last time they spent more than five minutes together. She half expected him to invite her over to play the latest version of Halo on his Xbox.
It was too close to Christmas to try to figure out why someone was acting so odd. She didn’t need any more angst and anxiety. This was already vying with last year for worst Christmas ever.
“How are your parents?” Nick asked.
“They’re okay. Same as always, except Mom’s been in Missouri taking care of her dad.” She couldn’t stop the sadness that settled over her.
“He’s been sick?”
She nodded. “They’re waiting for a spot to open in the dementia wing of the nursing home near where my grandparents live. Grandma can’t take care of him alone anymore.”
“That’s rough.”
“Yeah. It’s been hard on Mom.” Every few days her mom would call, just to get a break from the stress of Grandpa’s wandering off, or getting in the car thinking he was going to work.
“So it’ll be just you and your dad for Christmas.”
It would be, if Dad hadn’t agreed to work a second shift at the cement plant that day so another man could be home with his young kids. And it really ticked her off that she was disappointed not to see him. It was such a selfless act for him to make for those little kids.
She was saved from having to respond when Cheyenne set down a tray of assorted appetizers. Nick motioned for Sofia to help herself first. As she reached for a mozzarella stick, he blurted out, “Have lunch with me.”
She blinked, then set down her empty plate. “It’s a little late in the day for lunch.”
“You know what I mean. Tomorrow after church. Or Monday. Your school is closed for the winter break, isn’t it?”
“It is. We’ve got rehearsal after church, to save the parents from driving there twice.”
“Then, Monday. Or, Mom will probably be cooking a family Sunday dinner since I’m here. You should come.”
Her heart twinged. Barb had often invited her to come for dinner on Sundays during her breaks from college. Nick’s sister Allie and her husband Tom always came and made her feel a part of the family. “I’d like that,” she admitted.
“Great.”
Her mixed emotions must have shown on her face because Pauly rushed over and pulled on her hand. “Come on, they’re playing Disturbia.”
Grateful for the rescue, Sofia mouthed an apology to Nick and let herself be dragged onto the dance floor.
That song was almost over, so they danced through the next one, too. Then Sofia put her hand on Pauly’s shoulder and yelled in his ear. “I’m going back to Nick now. He bought all that food and a drink, I can’t be totally rude.”
Pauly nodded and went in search of another dance partner.
Sofia wound her way through the crowd to where Nick sat, most of the food still on the tray but probably cold by now. She slid into the booth. “Sorry about that. Pauly loves to dance.”
“So I noticed.” He didn’t sound upset. “Are you two dating?”
She almost snorted her drink. “Nooo…” He really didn’t know Pauly was gay? Maybe Pauly hadn’t opened up about his preferences until after Nick moved away. Still, it wasn’t her place to “out” him. “We’re just friends.”
“Is there someone special in your life?”
She was so tempted to give her rote answer that she had twenty-eight special someones this year, but Nick deserved better than that. “No. Not at the moment. You?”
“No. Honestly, I work so much I’m afraid it would take time away from Holly.”
“You don’t think having a woman in her life would be good for her?”
He shrugged. “At some point, yeah. But I don’t want her to think there’s a revolving door bringing them in, then out again.”
“Good point.” Sofia gave him credit for that. Holding her breath to keep from sighing, she reached for a cold potato skin filled with cheese and bacon bits and took a bite.
It wasn’t fair. Nick Randolph shouldn’t be a nice guy. It made it that much harder to keep hating him.
Chapter Five
Nick drove his car to church so Mom and Dad didn’t have to hang around afterward for Holly’s rehearsal. It was nice to see so many familiar faces after the service, all greeting him as he walked Holly across the parking lot to the community center. The air held a crisp promise of winter, but the sky was clear.
He took a sea
t closer to the stage this time, less concerned about distracting Holly now that he’d seen her with the other kids. As usual, it took some time for the more rambunctious children to settle down, but the piano struck a chord and everyone hurried to their places.
Recognizing the pianist from the night before, Nick caught a few glances between Pauly and Sofia as they rehearsed. Added to Pauly’s clinginess at the bar, and the kiss Nick witnessed, he doubted what Sofia said about them not being a couple. So why didn’t Nick do the right thing and back away?
Back away from what? He wasn’t looking to start anything with Sofia. Wasn’t interested in a long distance relationship, even if it was just a couple of hours between them. He and Holly made the drive up to White Oak on a couple of weekends each month anyway, so he could easily find time to see Sofia.
Slow down. The girl was involved with someone else.
Rehearsal passed quickly, and Sofia hugged Pauly, who left without her. Nick and Holly waited until the last of the parents picked up their children, then walked with Sofia back to the church lot where their cars were parked.
As they were parting ways, Nick caught Sofia’s arm. “Why don’t I follow you to your house and give you a ride out to Mom and Dad’s?”
A line appeared between her gently arched eyebrows. “That’s okay. I can drive myself. No need for you to have to go out again later to take me home.”
“It’s no trouble.”
“Thanks, but no. Barb said to come around three so we can play cards before we eat. I’ll see you there.”
Holly waved as she walked toward Nick’s car, echoing Sofia. “See you there.”
At the house, Mom scurried around like he was bringing home a date, something he hadn’t done since…well, ever. By the time he brought Morgan to a family dinner, he’d already made the decision to marry her and be a decent father to their baby.
Breaking the news to his parents hadn’t been easy. Morgan’s parents were thrilled at the thought of a grandchild, regardless of how young Nick and Morgan were.