“Sorry for giving you all a fright.” He was too cold to put much thought into the implications of his ex-mother-in-law’s appearance. For Hattie’s sake, he hoped this meant a return to the closeness she and her mom had once shared. “This whole Christmas-tree thing has gotten out of hand.”
When he’d voiced his complaint in Hattie’s direction, she’d at least had the good graces to redden, but then he found genuine regret behind her half smile and was sorry for his continued teasing. “I never should’ve asked you.”
“Now that the tree’s down,” Lyle said, “we might as well put it up. Your sister likes her tree in the front window, right, Hattie?”
Hugging the coat she’d only just removed, she nodded. “I’ll get the little tree out of the stand.”
Outside with Lyle, Mason tried and failed again to get the chain saw working so he could trim the trunk and bottom branches.
Lyle asked, “Mind if I take a turn?”
“Be my guest.” Mason stepped aside.
Just his luck the stupid thing started right up, making him feel like a gangly twelve-year-old in front of the man whom he’d once held in high regard.
The chain saw’s buzz and smoke polluted the calm night.
But after a few minutes’ cutting and shaping, Lyle was done. “That should do it.”
“Looks good.” More than ready to get this chore finished, Mason grabbed the tree by the trunk’s base to haul it inside.
“Hold up.” Lyle blocked the porch stairs. “While I’ve got you alone, mind explaining that kiss?”
Chapter Sixteen
“Let me help.” When her mother got up from the sofa, Hattie had a hard time even recognizing her. She’d lost a frightening amount of weight and dark shadows haunted her eyes.
“I’ve got it, Mom. You rest.”
“I—I’ve done enough resting.” Hugging herself, she stared at her reflection in the window’s glass. “Despite my issues with Mason, I’m glad he wasn’t hurt. Even the possibility of another accident was the wake-up call I needed. It’s good being back with the girls.”
Almost as if they sensed the dark mood, Vanessa and Vivian sat quietly in their walkers. Vanessa gummed a stuffed frog and Vivian stared daggers at a potted fern.
“Mom...” Their family had never been overly demonstrative, which made her mother’s admission all the more meaningful, yet hard to hear. Hattie hadn’t expected a grand statement, just for her mother to remember the family she still had who loved her so very much. “It’s okay.”
“I know, but let me get this out. I’ll always believe what your sister did—signing her children over to you and a man who should’ve been out of all of our lives—was an awful betrayal. Then, instead of accepting her wishes like the honor they were, he just—just threw his parental rights away? H-he’s awful. Worse.”
When Akna started to weep, Hattie wrapped her arms around her mother’s frail form. “What he did, it wasn’t like that. Mason’s a good man, Mom, but he has an important job to get back to. He’s not ready to be a parent right now.”
“Raising your sister’s children isn’t important?”
Hattie sighed. “That’s not what I meant. It’s complicated.” If her mom knew exactly how complicated, she’d no doubt ground her.
* * *
“SIR?” THE KISS question had Mason clearing his throat. “I’m, ah, not sure what you mean.”
“Then I’ll be blunt.” Lyle fit the chain saw back in its plastic case. “Hattie might be all grown up, but as far as I’m concerned, you’ve already hurt one of my daughters. If your plan is to create that kind of pain all over again, then—”
“Sir...” Mason clenched and unclenched his fists. “I mean no disrespect by this, but Melissa cheated on me. You’re a man, so I assume you know what it means to support your family. If I’d been able to stay home every day with Mel, holding her hand every second after that miscarriage, don’t you think I would’ve? Unfortunately, as the man of the house, I didn’t have that luxury. To afford your daughter the kind of lifestyle she deserved, I had to work. Fishing was all I’d ever known.”
A nerve twitched in Lyle’s jaw. “I understand that, but make no mistake, if you’re putting the moves on my Hattie, I will do everything within my power to stop you.”
Seriously? “What don’t you get about the fact that your daughter left me—to be with my best friend. She wasn’t the one forced to join the navy, because everywhere I went in this stupid town, all my so-called friends stared at me with pity. Hattie gets me. She’s a beautiful, loving woman fully capable of—”
Lyle’s hard right to Mason’s jaw rendered him momentarily speechless.
It took every shred of Mason’s self-restraint not to meet the older man’s punch with one of his own. But what would that prove? “Because you’re no doubt still grieving, I’ll give you a pass for that. What I won’t do is accept blame for your eldest daughter making the conscious decision to break her marital vows. As for Hattie, I’m pretty sure she’s old enough to make her own decisions.”
His ex-father-in-law exhaled with a grunt of what Mason could only describe as disgust, then mounted the porch stairs. “We’ll see about that.”
* * *
“HE HIT YOU?” Hattie had just made the girls’ dinner bottles and fixed them bowls of peaches when her father stormed into the house, telling her mother it was time for them to leave.
As suddenly as her parents had appeared, they were now gone.
“Yep.” Mason fished in the freezer, eventually pulling out a bag of peas he held to his bruising jaw.
Instantly at his side, she asked, “What’d you do?”
His narrow-eyed stare told her she’d asked the wrong question.
“What is it with your family always assuming I’m the one in the wrong? Your old man wanted to know why I kissed you. He then declared you off-limits as far as I was concerned.”
Covering her face with her hands, Hattie groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Wish I were.”
“Now what?” Hattie held Vivian’s spoon to her mouth.
“You’re asking me?” He did the same for Vanessa.
“Clearly, both of my parents have lost their minds.” Vivian winced, then grinned at her first taste of peaches. “I don’t get how they’d rather complain about you than be here with these two cuties.”
“Good question.” He used a damp washcloth to clean Vanessa’s sticky cheeks.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what? You didn’t hit me.”
“Yeah, but if it hadn’t been for my stupid Christmas tree, none of this would’ve happened.”
“Speaking of which, it’s still out in the front yard. Once we get these two fed, wanna help me bring it in?”
She leaned in to kiss him. “There’s nothing I’d rather do.”
“Nothing?” He grinned, then winced, reaching for his bag of peas to hold against his jaw. “At the very least, after getting punched out by your dad, you owe me a rousing game of helpless patient/naughty nurse.”
* * *
HATTIE FINISHED WITH the last of the blue Christmas lights she hung at the bar every year, then climbed down from the stepladder to admire her handiwork.
“Needs to go a good three inches to the right,” said Rufus.
“Ignore him,” Clementine said from the garnish station. “It looks good.” She’d eaten about twenty cherries in the past thirty minutes, but in the holiday spirit of giving, Hattie pretended not to notice. “But I still don’t understand how your dad punched out your boyfriend and the very next day you’re back at work, decorating up a storm, acting as if nothing happened.”
“I’d hardly call Mason my boyfriend.”
“Then what would you call him?” She unloaded
the silver metallic tree that occupied a place of honor at the base of the stairs.
“Does there have to be a label?”
“I don’t suppose, but have you all talked about what happens when he leaves?”
“No.” Hattie preferred not thinking about it.
The bar’s door opened. Stepping inside on a gust of cold wind was Hattie’s father.
Leaving Clementine to deal with the tree’s many parts, Hattie met him before he selected a seat. “You hit him? Dad, that’s not you.” When her voice cracked, she swallowed hard. “You’ve always been one of the kindest, gentlest men I know. What’s happening to not only you, but our family?”
“It’s complicated.” He removed his Conifer Cardinals ball cap. “All I know is Mason destroyed Melissa and he’ll do the same to you. He’s not cut out to be a family man—never has been, never will.”
“Are you delusional?” When her raised voice drew stares from the customers seated at the bar, she tugged her father by his sleeve to a lonely row of booths. “You and Mom never wanted to accept the fact that your supposedly perfect daughter cheated on her husband, but she did. I’m sorry she’d had a miscarriage, but that never justified her sleeping around with Alec—her husband’s best friend. Why can’t you see that? Moreover, why can’t you recognize Mason as the injured party in that whole mess? Melissa and Alec kept all their mutual friends. Mason didn’t just lose his wife, but his entire world.”
Her dad slowly exhaled. “Can you grab me a beer?”
“No. Not until you admit you were wrong to hit Mason and owe him an apology, but also that I deserve some happiness. If Mason makes me smile, then how can that be wrong?”
“Fine. You won’t give me a beer, I’ll take my business elsewhere.”
“You’re impossible,” she called after her father when he slapped his hat back on and headed for the door.
“And you’re delusional. Mark my words, that boy will bring you nothing but pain.”
“He’s not a boy, but a man,” she whispered once her dad was gone. “And at the moment, I respect him more than you.”
Rufus shook his head. “You shouldn’t disrespect your father like that.”
“Yeah? Well, thanks for the advice, but I’m damned sick and tired of him disrespecting me.”
* * *
“REMIND ME WHY we’re standing in line for the girls to see Santa for the second time this year?” The Saturday before Christmas, Mason pushed their stroller ahead by a measly foot down the North Pole Trail that was actually the longest stretch of Conifer’s wharf that didn’t have any businesses built off of it. Fresh pine garland had been hung from the railings and the choir from Eastside Church sang carols. Food stands sold funnel cake, cider and cocoa.
Even the weather was being cooperative, with plenty of sun and no wind.
He’d been to Conifer’s annual Christmas parade and festival every year of his life until leaving for the navy. So why did it feel as if he’d landed on the moon without a space suit?
“Why wouldn’t we bring them to see Santa? You saw him here when you were a kid, right?” She tucked Vivian’s blanket more snugly around her shoulders.
“Sure. We all did, but I’m just saying the girls could get confused by the concept of multiple Santas, since they just met him at the tree lot.”
“Whatever. Just stand there and look handsome.”
Had they been alone, he’d have landed a light smack to her behind for being sassy. Unfortunately, they were surrounded by couples he and Melissa had graduated with. His skin crawled from the weight of their stares.
“What’s wrong?” Hattie asked. “You’re glowering as if someone stole your candy cane.”
“I just hate how everyone’s staring.”
“Who?” She glanced around.
“I don’t know. Just everyone.”
“Since when did you become self-conscious? And for the record, I’m pretty sure Jingles the Elf Clown is drawing way more of a crowd than you.”
They moved forward another couple feet. “Forget I said anything, okay? Let’s just get this over with and head back to the house.”
“Don’t you want to go to the craft sale? For all they’ve done to help with the girls, I want to find something special for your dad and Fern.”
“Please, Hattie, can we just—”
“Hey, Mason. Long time no see.” Craig Lovett, the guy from Mason’s senior class who’d had his birthday party at Alec and Melissa’s that fateful last night, held out his hand for Mason to shake. “I’m in awe of you, man. You’re an honest-to-God SEAL. You’re living the dream.”
His wife, Sue, who manned their stroller, tugged a lock of Craig’s hair. “I thought we were the dream?”
Craig backpedaled by giving his wife a quick kiss. “Honey, you know what I mean. What guy wouldn’t want to be a SEAL? I always planned to be one, but never found time. Is it true that during Hell Week you have to kill a shark with your bare hands?”
“Nah.” Where did guys get this stuff? Craig had been such a jackass to him during the divorce that Mason was sorely tempted to yank his chain by claiming they had to kill not just any shark, but a great white. Instead, as he’d been trained, he took the high road. “No sharks, just plenty of running and heavy lifting.”
“Oh.” Craig’s shoulders deflated. “Well, you did have to stay underwater for twenty-four hours while breathing through a reed, right? I’d have nailed that.”
Mason slowly dragged down his sunglasses. “Underwater breathing techniques are top secret, man. If I told you about them, I’d have to kill you.”
“Sure. I get it. Whoa.” He shook his head. “That’s hard-core, but I could handle it. Maybe I should look into enlisting?”
Sue rolled her eyes before asking Hattie, “How are the twins? Losing both their parents had to be rough. Our oldest son, Frank, lost his hamster when he was two. I thought he’d need therapy to stop crying.”
“Um, yeah.” Mason couldn’t be sure, but he’d have sworn Hattie glanced his way for help. If he’d read her right, she wanted to escape this couple as badly as he did. To Mason, she said, “I just remembered we were supposed to pick up those cookies I ordered at two and the bakery closes in ten minutes. We’ve got to go.”
“Oh, gosh—” Sue scooted their youngest child’s stroller aside when Hattie almost ran her down with the twins. “Well, it was nice seeing you.”
“Mason,” Craig called, “when you get a chance, stop by the store. I’d love hearing your battle stories.”
“Will do,” Mason said with a backhand wave.
Safely out of earshot, Hattie slowed to her more normal sedate pace. “Can you believe the nerve of that woman? Comparing Viv and Van’s loss to losing a hamster? And did you really have to breathe through a reed for twenty-four hours?”
“What do you think?”
She laughed. “No, but considering you just chopped a giant tree, then dragged it back to the house and single-handedly crammed that sucker into a stand, at this point I’d pretty much believe anything about you.”
“Why do you stick around here?”
She crossed the street that had been closed for the day to only foot traffic. “What do you mean?”
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t remember high school being a particularly good time for you. Why do you hang around with people like that?”
“I don’t. They were my sister’s friends—used to be yours.”
He winced. “Don’t remind me. I’ve changed. They seem as self-involved as ever.”
“I love Conifer. There’s my family and the bar. Great friends like Clementine and all my regulars. There’s low crime and lots of fun things to do. I can’t imagine a better place to raise a family—especially now that I just happen to have one.”
“I admire you.” He opened the door to the rec hall, where the craft fair was being held. “Don’t think I could do it.”
“Did anyone ask you to?” Her snarky tone alerted him to the question’s layers. What did she really want to know? Whether or not he was asking if she’d ever consider leaving Conifer? Or if he’d ever consider staying?
* * *
HATTIE MIGHT OUTWARDLY be humming along to “Silent Night” as she and Mason browsed the craft-fair items, but that didn’t mean she was calm.
Before breaking her arm, she’d had a handle on the situation with Mason. She’d known exactly where she stood with him. They’d shared the blizzard party, and after that, had she not been stupid enough to trip down those stairs, he’d have been long gone. Since then, no matter how hard she’d tried convincing herself she wasn’t attracted to him, and that she didn’t even want him because he’d been Melissa’s first, Hattie was beginning to fear her efforts futile.
Who was she kidding? Mason had always been a part of her, but that didn’t mean squat when it came to him making a meaningful commitment to her.
His charging to her rescue now was no different from when he’d carried her home after the sledding accident that had broken her ankle. He cared, but that was all. By his own admission, after what her sister had done to him, he was incapable of giving more.
Which was why she had to stop viewing him as the handsome man of her dreams and start seeing him for what he was—her sister’s bitter ex. No more swooning over his ridiculous body and looks. It was time to be adult about the situation and stop acting like a love-sick preteen.
“Think Fern might like this?” With a goofy, game show–model flourish, he held up a house-shaped tissue-box cover. The tissue came out of the house’s chimney. It was so well made, yet so kitschy, Hattie loved it and his over-the-top presentation.
“I bet she will.” How did he do it? Just when she vowed to cure herself of her unhealthy Mason addiction, he went and did something adorable to drag her back in.
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