Any Given Snow Day

by Marie Harte

  Jenna stayed for dinner as well. While Simon asked Mitch a ton of questions, Becca did the same to Jenna.

  Mitch found it amusing as hell to be in the same predicament as a fourteen-year-old girl. One smart enough to realize the same thing, because she shared grins with him throughout the meal.

  At one point, she said, “Simon, enough. Mitch isn’t out to steal your mom’s money or ruin her credit. And I’m pretty sure he’s not after her business either.”

  “Nope. Just her sticky buns,” Mitch confessed. “I hear those are to-die-for.”

  “They are.” Becca smiled.

  Simon stared from his mother to Mitch, nodded once, then ceased with the questions. “Fine. Then Mom has to stop giving Jenna the third degree.”

  “Fine.” Becca patted Jenna on the shoulder. “Besides, it wasn’t the third degree. I happen to like Jenna. I was just catching up with her.”

  “She was,” Jenna agreed.

  “Chicks,” Simon muttered.

  Mitch gave him a commiserating look.

  After the meal, Mitch and Simon did the dishes while Jenna waited for her mother to pick her up.

  “So, you and Mom,” Simon said as they cleaned up. “You’re a for real item?”

  “Yep.”

  Becca was laughing at something Jenna said. He watched them from the kitchen before they disappeared into the front room.

  “We talking marriage and babies or what?”

  Mitch bobbled the dish he held, covered in soapy water. “Ah, we haven’t gotten to that conversation yet. Your mom was a little hard to pin down just with the boyfriend/girlfriend stuff. I don’t want to scare her off.”

  “Oh, good call. But you want kids at some point, right?”

  “I guess.” Yes. With Becca, he wanted it all. “Family, friends, kids. Sure.”

  “Right. Then trust me when I say Mom’s going to get weird on you a few more times before you nail down a date for the wedding.” Simon kept his voice low and kept looking over his shoulder. “I’m on team Mitch. I got your back.”

  “Thanks.”

  “But you mess with my mom, I’ll end you.” The look Simon shot Mitch told him the boy meant business.

  “You’re a good son, Simon. Your mom is the best. You keep looking out for her okay? At least, until she’ll let me take over.”

  Simon relaxed and held out a hand. “It’s a deal.”

  They shook.

  A sly look entered the boy’s eyes. “When do I start calling you Daddy?”

  “As soon as I call you my little ball of boy joy” Mitch said drily.

  Simon thought that hilarious and wouldn’t stop laughing.

  “What’s going on in here?” Becca asked. At Simon’s questioning look, she said, “Jenna went home. She’ll text you later.”

  “Cool. I was just teasing the old man about something I heard at school.” Simon shot Mitch a grin. To his mom, he said, “And don’t forget. Thirty-five is coming, Mom. Tick-tock.”

  She pointed to the door. “Get upstairs and play your video games or something. Go!”

  Simon left, laughing, and Mitch swore he heard the boy humming Here Comes the Bride.

  Becca flushed but maintained eye contact. “Package deal,” she reminded him.

  Mitch held open his arms. “Hold me. I’ve been traumatized.”

  She laughed and hugged him.

  And the hummed wedding march going up the stairs grew louder.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Two more weeks passed until the Christmas holiday was at hand. Mitch and Becca’s relationship grew stronger. They’d dated, publicly. A dinner here, coffee there, even a popular movie where they’d drawn attention.

  She dealt with all of it with grace. Mitch continued to get requests for autographs, mostly from tourists, Becca had been quick to point out. Since Mitch had bought a house he intended to live in—not just spend weekends in town while skiing—he’d become a true resident. A part of Hope’s Turn. The town looked after its own, and he’d been happy to say people had started treating him just like anybody else.

  Well, mostly. He hadn’t told her, but women continued to subtly inquire as to his status. Single? In a relationship? Lonely?

  Mitch had been anything but lonely lately. When not dating Becca, he’d been moving on his plans to expand the town sports programs, had helped with the local teen outreach, and volunteered down at the animal shelter. He’d dragged Simon with him to help look after the animals needing adoption.

  Mitch had privately donated a ton of money to both organizations a month ago. And though his contributions had gone through anonymous sources to the right people, the shelter coordinator acted like she knew he’d been the one to fork over the money.

  His volunteer paperwork had been processed immediately, as had Simon’s.

  While the two of them cleaned up after pets and played with the ones who were healthy and could handle human touch, Mitch had gotten to know Simon better.

  Today as they worked side by side, he noticed Simon once again drawn to an older dog in the back. Not a huge “killer,” but a stray who looked part lab, part border collie, and part alien despite its black and white coloring. She had short hair, one ear permanently up, the other floppy, and a quiet manner. To everyone’s astonishment, despite acting shy and nervous around everyone else, she’d taken to Simon right off.

  “Hi, Oreo.” Simon entered her kennel and crouched down, not looming over the dog. She wagged her tail so hard Mitch feared it would break off, and she licked any part of Simon she could reach.

  Simon’s laughter was contagious, and Mitch joined the boy and dog, conscious to stay back and not scare her. Instead he petted her neighbor, a spastic Jack Russel terrier with more energy than an exploding star.

  “She’s so cute,” Simon said as he attached a leash to her. “I’m going to take her outside for a walk.”

  Volunteers had cleared a path through the snow so the dogs could walk and run unleashed. They’d had falling inches since Wednesday, just five days ago. It promised to be a white Christmas in…a little over a week’s time.

  Mitch strapped a leash on the bouncing terrier and followed Simon out. While they walked, they talked, and Mitch knew the time had come for a heart-to-heart with Simon about his feelings for Becca.

  “You know,” Simon said before he could, “my dad had a dog just like this one. I’ve seen pictures of him as a kid. Heck, around my age.” The boy stared at Oreo, who sniffed around with interest.

  The terrier, Mr. Energy, as Mitch liked to call him, joined Oreo to sniff, though she ignored him.

  “Every kid needs a dog.” Oh hell. He thought it but wasn’t supposed to say it. From what he gathered, Becca had been softening about the idea, but Mitch’s plan to give Simon a dog for Christmas needed more vetting from the Woman-In-Charge. “I told you about Candy.”

  Simon grinned. “Yep, you did. Candy…and now here’s Oreo. What’s with naming dogs after food?”

  “Who knows? But she’s got a chocolate and vanilla cream coat.” At that moment, Oreo dipped her head into the snow and came out with fluffy white eyebrows.

  They laughed and played with the dogs, and Mr. Energy turned out to love playing fetch. It was fun watching him dive for a red tennis ball in piles of snow. Then Oreo joined him for keep-away, and they ran like jackrabbits.

  “With the holidays close, do you miss your dad a lot?” Mitch asked.

  Simon shrugged. “I love him, but he’s been gone so long. It’s not as real for me as it is for mom.” Simon turned and looked him dead-on. “You and Mom. It’s more than dating, right?”

  The moment had come. Mitch forced himself to relax, looked Simon in the eye, and spoke from the heart. “It is for me. I can’t explain it, but when I first saw your mom, something in me knew. She’s special. So kind and giving, and such a pain in the ass about shoes on the carpet.”

  Simon grinned.

  “I feel a lot for her, but I worry about overwhelming her. Your m
om needs time to adapt to—”

  “That’s crap.” Simon scowled. “She’s had years to adapt. And yeah, I know she misses my dad. He was awesome. A responsible, terrific guy who took care of us. That freak car accident made no sense, but it happened. Then in seconds, I didn’t have a dad and she didn’t have a husband anymore.”

  Simon’s eyes were glassy, but Mitch just listened.

  “It was really hard seeing her go through that. I was little, but I remember. Hearing her cry was just...” Simon took a moment.

  Mitch pulled him in a for a hug, unable to think about the turmoil Simon and Becca had to deal with.

  Simon tensed, then eased into the embrace and hugged Mitch back.

  “It’s okay, man. This is a bro-hug,” Mitch teased, his tone light. “We do it all the time in the pros after a bad loss.”

  They pulled apart, and Simon wiped his eyes.

  “I never lost a relative, but I’ve had a few close friends go. And it’s never easy, not even years later.” Mitch smiled with fondness. “Wiley K., remember him?”

  Simon nodded. “The Coyote.” His eyes widened. “Oh, right. He set all kinds of records for the Eagles when you started.”

  “Yep. One tough son of a bitch and one of the best wide receivers we had. Man, he used to make me laugh all the time. He never stopped talking. The guys used to walk around him going ‘meep meep,’ like that damn road runner in the cartoons. And Wiley would chase after them. The pranks he’d play…” Mitch sighed. “Then he took a hit wrong, broke his neck, and lingered in the hospital for two months before he died. I loved that guy. Ten years later, I still miss him. And he wasn’t my father.”

  “Yeah. I know mom still misses Dad. Maybe because it was so sudden the way he died. None of us expected it. But she was sad for a long time, even though she tried to hide it. But she’s not sad now.”

  “She’s had time to mourn, Simon.”

  “No, she gets weird this time of year. It’s when he died, you know.”

  Mitch nodded.

  “But with you she’s different. She’s really into you, man. And if you break her heart, it wouldn’t be good.” Simon clenched his fists. “If you’re not serious about her, or you just plan to hook up until something better comes along—which is impossible, by the way—you should break it off now. I don’t care if it’s Christmas or not. Be good to my mom. She deserves it.”

  Oreo trotted to him and sat, looking up at Simon in concern. Mr. Energy didn’t care, now carrying that ball around in his mouth like a trophy.

  “Let me ask you something,” Mitch said. “If I was to want to make myself a more permanent member of your family, would you be okay with that?”

  Simon frowned. “Permanent how? Like her steady boy toy?”

  Mitch sighed. “That’s boyfriend. But no. Simon, I’m just gonna say it. I love your mom like crazy. And you’re not half bad yourself. But I can’t rush your mom. If she isn’t comfortable with the idea of forever yet, I’ll be patient and wait. You can’t rush her either. That’s if you’re okay with the idea of me being in your life.”

  Simon blinked, and once again Mitch saw a suspicious shine…that damn it all, crept into his own eyes.

  So they stood blinking at each other and trying to be manly.

  “I think that would be pretty cool.” Simon wiped his nose on his sleeve.

  “Yeah? Good.” Mitch cleared his throat. “That’ll give me time to work on your game, because you have a few areas needing work on the field.”

  “Okay. Sure.” Simon’s smile widened. “So, if we’re gonna be family and live together…” He watched Mitch for a reaction. “Can I have parties in the pool?”

  “No beer. And no girls overnight. Your mom’s head might explode.”

  “But Jenna could hang out in the media room with us.”

  Us. “Sure. And your mom can have the kitchen to cook all her wonderful meals.”

  “Yeah?” Simon petted Oreo, who looked to be in heaven. “Can I get a dog?”

  Mitch sighed. “That’s up to your mom. But Simon… I’m serious. We can’t force her to accept this. She needs to be okay with me. I might look like it, but I’m not as perfect as you’d think.”

  Simon laughed. “Yeah, sure, Flash. Okay. Or is that Daddy Flash? My Step-Mitch?”

  “Stop. Stop. Mitch is good. We can work on other nice names—when your mom is on board.”

  “You know she loves you.”

  Mitch prayed to God she did. He didn’t think he could handle it if she didn’t. “I don’t know that. I hope she does. I think she might. But Becca needs time to… Why are you shaking your head at me?”

  “Mitch, Daddy Flash, can you trust me?”

  “Yes.” Seeing that look on Simon’s face, Mitch knew to be wary. “Why?”

  “Just come to the tea shop today, and I’ll show you why. Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.” He turned to Oreo. “Come on, girl. Let’s run some more.”

  Mitch watched the teenager he’d come to love, so like his mother, play with the dogs and sprawl in the snow. Such innocence, such youth, and such a kind heart.

  Neal, man, you did good, buddy. Now it’s my turn to dance.

  ******

  “Thanks, come back again.” Becca turned to the next person in line, only to see she had none. Finally.

  Talk about a rush. From three to four, there had been nonstop customers. Ruth and Zoe busted their tails making teas while she took orders. They’d already run out of gingerbread men, and Becca decided to make more dough tonight for tomorrow’s sales.

  She wiped down the counter, then the few empty tables. Outside, the sky looked a dark pink, and snow fell in a light dusting, covering the footsteps left on the shoveled walk. White lights twinkled in the trees, and the low hum of Christmas music in the teahouse, as well as the flickering gas-lit fire, had her humming along.

  Becca felt happy, hopeful, and in love.

  For once, she didn’t care about anything but enjoying the sensation.

  These last two weeks with Mitch had been magical. She and Simon had spent the past weekend at Mitch’s house, and darned if she hadn’t felt the family atmosphere to her toes. Despite Mitch’s bachelor pad beginnings, the large home had a warmth that had nothing to do with the heat and everything to do with its owner.

  Mitch had paid someone to decorate, and Becca had walked around in wonder, feeling as if she’d stepped into a home and garden Christmas makeover. It made her house feel amateur, but Mitch had said he liked her place better, because her decorations had history and meaning, while his had nothing more than a price tag.

  A lie, because she’d seen a few old photos of his family and the many, many Christmas cards he’d strung up over the foyer.

  At first being with Mitch in Simon’s presence had been awkward. Her son had smirked—a lot—and asked pointed questions about the sleeping arrangement. Mitch had left her to answer the boy. Though she’d had no intention of being found sliding out of Mitch’s bed in the morning, Simon had caught them leaving the room together yesterday in his supposed search of a bathroom.

  Considering he had a bathroom attached to the room he’d used, she’d found his excuse more than ridiculous and had called him on it. But he’d only smiled with pleasure, staring from her to Mitch, then searched out food in the kitchen.

  When Mitch had said to make themselves at home, her son had taken him at his word.

  “Honey, I like Simon,” Mitch had said. “He can have anything I have in the house. Well, except for my Super Bowl rings. Those are mine.”

  Simon had stared at Mitch’s trophies and gloried in stories from Mitch’s times playing. The pair had even watched a few old games together, and Becca had overheard Mitch coaching Simon on certain plays, while Simon ate up the attention and went back for more.

  She might have felt jealous at Simon’s obvious hero worship, except Mitch continued to try to include her in everything.

  Sitting in his hot tub, she’d wondered why she kept f
ighting it. Her feelings for him had been growing since she’d first laid eyes on the man. But how much of it was real, and how much was her reaction to his wealth and impressive possessions?

  She’d laughed at herself then, and she did again now, wiping down the last table.

  Becca had never been impressed by wealth. She’d also never been poor or desperate. Despite her lease going up and her son continuing to grow out of his clothes while he never stopped eating, she’d provide for him. Heck, if she had to manage two jobs to make ends meet, she would. She’d never been afraid of hard work.

  And that worried her a little bit, because she could too easily see Mitch trying to ease her financial burdens. She didn’t want him for his money, just for himself…which made her wonder if their differences were too divisive to get over. Becca Bragg wasn’t famous or gorgeous. She’d never been on the cover of a magazine, didn’t have millions, and had never seen a trail of men hanging around, hoping to be noticed by her.

  Mitch had women constantly fawning over him, and yes, it bothered her. But then Neal had been the same way, handsome, strong, charming. Women had wanted him too, but he’d had eyes only for Becca.

  She thought back to Mitch’s text, spelling Neal’s name. Had Neal been sending her a message? Or was she crazy to read into it?

  “No doubt. I’m crazy.”

  “Talking to yourself, Becca? That’s not a good sign.” Linda Madison had come in with the Smith sisters.

  Joy.

  The Smiths ignored her and went straight to the counter, where Ruth waited on them.

  “It’s been a long day,” Becca said, pasting on a smile. “How are you, Linda?”

  “Impressed.” Linda shook her head. “I hadn’t figured you for a savvy woman, but then, you did manage to nab Flash when the rest of us couldn’t. Kudos, Becca.”

  “Um, thanks?”

  “Now you have it all. A man, a rent-free business. Is marriage on the way too?” Linda looked at her hands. “I don’t see a ring.”

  “Yet,” one of the twins said as she joined them. “Nice work, Becca. I’m impressed.”

  “I’m sorry. Impressed about what? What are you talking about, Linda? What’s rent-free?”