Baby Blue Christmas

by Kristy Tate

  “Oh.”

  “I think if you insist on staying at Chloe’s, you should get a dog. They’re the best security system money can buy.”

  Sophie eyed the dog and edged away from Aidan. “He’s not ferocious.”

  “He’s a puppy. And even if he doesn’t get very big, he can still be very noisy. That’s usually enough of a deterrent for most burglars.” Aidan’s knee brushed against her thigh.

  Sophie squirmed in her chair. “That’s another reason I came by. Do you have any idea what breed he is? Or what size he’ll get?”

  “He could be part beagle, maybe some terrier…”

  “But his fur?”

  “He’s got hair, not fur.” Aidan chuckled and ran his fingers over the dog’s matted coat. “There’s a difference. Want me to get you an appointment with Clare?”

  “Clare?”

  “She’s a dog groomer as well as a hairstylist.”

  “I didn’t know.” Suddenly, all the things she didn’t know about owning a dog weighed down her shoulders. “This is probably a really stupid idea.”

  Aidan put his hand on her knee and gently squeezed it. “You’ll be a terrific dog owner. Look at what a good job you’re doing with Jamison. And you don’t have to do it alone. I’m happy to help you train him.”

  It would be so easy to lean into Aidan and let him take over her life. “You’re such a good friend,” she said, standing and shifting his hand off her knee.

  “Why don’t you leave him here with me now so I can check him over, give him his shots, and I’ll bring him back tonight after work?”

  “Perfect,” she said, smiling at him, and wishing his touch could send her pulse racing in the same way Luke’s had.

  #

  “Explain pheromones to me,” Sophie said to Liz as they sat at Liz’s kitchen table decorating gingerbread men.

  Liz’s tube of frosting hovered over a half-dressed cookie and she shot a glance at her three-year-old son. “Is this a conversation Teddy wants to hear?”

  “He’s not paying attention to us.”

  Teddy sat on the sofa, wrapped up in a quilt with this thumb in his mouth and his eyes locked on the TV screen.

  “You think that, but I’ve been fooled too many times. He picks up on stuff. Just last week he told Auntie Susan that her husband was a ten and she was at best a five and that she needed to up her game if she wanted to hold on to him.”

  Sophie snorted and even Jamison pounded on his high chair tray as if he thought it was funny.

  “Where’d he get that?” Sophie asked.

  “Hatty. He was just repeating what she’d said.”

  “Catty Hatty,” Sophie said, shaking her head.

  Jamison gurgled and waved his spoon at her.

  Liz tightened her lips. “My mom was really mad.”

  “Was Hatty embarrassed?”

  “You know Hatty.”

  “So, no.”

  “Besides, we didn’t tell Susan where Teddy learned about tens…” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “And I’m not so sure I want him to know about pheromones.”

  “He’ll find out on his own soon enough.”

  “Anyway, why the interest in chemistry?”

  “We all have it, right?” Sophie took a long time to refill her frosting bag, being painstakingly careful not to get any of the goop on her fingers. “But why do some have it more than others?”

  Liz slid her glance below her lashes. “You want to know why you get the hots for one guy and not for another?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Who’s the guy? It’s not Aidan, is it?”

  “I really want it to be Aidan…”

  “Have you told him that?”

  “No. Do you think I should? I’ll see him tonight.”

  “Who’s the guy?” Liz repeated. “I’ll find out eventually,” she said when Sophie refused to answer. “It’s not like you can keep a secret.”

  “Excuse me. I’m an attorney.” She slathered a cookie with frosting. “Keeping secrets is part of my job. And you’re a doctor. Secrets are a part of your job, too.”

  “True. But your pheromones are hardly a medical condition.”

  Sophie put three gumdrop buttons on her gingerbread man. “I’m stronger and smarter than my pheromones.”

  “Of course you are.” Liz’s lips twitched.

  Sophie studied her cookie. His smile was crooked, his bowtie askew, and the buttons were too big for his body. She bit off his leg. He tasted better than he looked. “I’m going to kiss Aidan tonight.”

  “Oh sweetie.” Liz’s mouth turned down. “Don’t do that.”

  “Why not? We’ve been semi-dating for weeks.” She polished off the cookie, licked her fingers, and wiped her hands on a napkin. It didn’t help. She still felt sticky.

  “But you’ve been friends for years. Don’t blow that.”

  Sophie went to the sink to wash her hands. “Don’t you see? I think that’s the problem. Neither of us is willing to step outside of the friend zone.” She picked up another cookie and coated him in frosting. “I’m going to do it.”

  Jamison beamed at her as if this were a very good idea, but Teddy looked up from the TV and sent her a speculative glance as if trying to decide what number she was.

  “No, you know what?” A small thrill of determination passed through Sophie. “I’m going to make him kiss me.”

  Liz’s smiled returned. “And how are you going to do that?”

  “I haven’t decided yet.” Sophie winked. “But I’ll let you know how it goes.”

  #

  Sophie smiled as she pulled her Stromboli from the oven and thanked her Italian grandmother for this edible piece of heaven. She hummed along with Bing Crosby as he crooned about a white Christmas while she slathered garlic butter on sliced French bread. She’d bought a bunch of white daisies and placed them in a vase on the table along with a red and white checked tablecloth and a pair of long black candlesticks.

  Jamison pounded on his high chair tray and gurgled at her. She gave him a few green beans and watched as he shoved them into his mouth and gummed them. How would Aidan feel about a ready-made family? They’d known each other since grade school and had been friends in high school. Since they’d both been in the band—he played the clarinet and she the flute—they’d had mutual friends, including Liz and Mark. Chloe had been two grades ahead, as had Matt. Luke three.

  But why was she thinking about Luke? She dragged her attention back to Aidan. He was everything she needed. Everything she wanted. After double checking her lipstick in the mirror, she went into the living room. The toys had been picked up and piled into a tidy basket behind the sofa. Atticus’s quilt was folded neatly on the hearth. A glance at her watch told her that she still had another hour until Jamison’s bedtime.

  She didn’t know how to woo a guy with a baby underfoot.

  She didn’t know how to woo a guy, period. In college, she’d been so busy trying to keep her grades up to maintain her scholarship, to make sure she got into a good law school. And then in law school, she hadn’t had time to take a breath. She couldn’t be one of the starving attorneys who didn’t pass the bar since no one was going to financially bail her out.

  A crunch of tires on the gravel driveway and a set of headlight beams told her she needed to learn wooing fast. She was a quick study and she’d done some reading on pheromones and human sexuality. If she wanted him to kiss her, she needed to touch him and stare at his lips while they talked. Seemed simple enough. She peeked out the window.

  Luke.

  What was he doing here? You’ll meet me for dinner tonight. His words floated back to her. She glanced at the flickering candles in the dining room, horrified because now he’d assume she’d prepared the dinner for him. She tripped over the ottoman in her hurry to snuff out the candles.

  Jamison chortled, delighted, thinking she’d intentionally fallen.

  She tossed the candles into the kitchen and switched on the dining room li
ght. It still looked romantic. Should she ditch the flowers as well?

  The doorbell rang.

  She tried to scrub off her lipstick and mussed up her hair on her way to the door. In the hall, she adjusted her blouse, wishing she had time to throw a sweatshirt over it.

  “Hey,” she said, trying to smile and act nonchalant.

  Luke smiled. “Wow, it smells like heaven in here.”

  “My grandmother Morelli’s recipe.”

  Luke flipped his keys in his hand. “I thought I was taking you to dinner.”

  She swallowed. “You said you wanted to meet for dinner, but you didn’t say where. I thought this was as good a place as any.” She motioned toward the baby. “That way I can put Jamison down.” Was that really it? She’d put Luke from her mind, but had she really? According to her reading, often the subconscious would work against rather than in harmony with the rational mind in search of what it considered an ideal mate.

  But Luke Mason was not and never would be an ideal mate. At least not for her. He was too like his brother—reckless, thrill-seeking, and driven.

  She didn’t need that. Unlike her sister, she liked agendas, orderliness, and—

  “Are you going to invite me in?”

  Should she tell him she had forgotten about his dinner stipulation? She pulled the door open and smiled.

  He stepped through it too quickly. With a shudder, she realized what Aidan would think. If he found her and Luke in the dining room, he would completely misread the situation.

  “I want to go out after all,” she blurted.

  “But you said Jamison—”

  “I know what I said, but I’ve changed my mind.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure? We can still make our reservations at the Tuscan Grill.”

  “I love the Tuscan Grill. That sounds perfect.”

  Jamison banged his spoon on his highchair tray as if he agreed.

  “I don’t know,” Luke said, as he wandered into the dining room. “This looks pretty perfect here.”

  “It just looks that way, but it’s not.”

  “What’s wrong with it?”

  “It’s not the Tuscan Grill. This isn’t the apple whiskey chicken—I love that.” She bustled into the dining room, plucked the Stromboli platter off the table, tucked the bowl with the green salad under her arm, and headed for the kitchen. “I can eat this tomorrow for lunch.”

  “All of it?”

  “Or I can send some home with you.”

  “Are you sure?” His eyes filled with suspicion. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

  “No, there’s not.”

  Another pair of headlights swung down the drive.

  Aidan.

  “Are you expecting someone?”

  “Aidan Hoffman. He’s a vet now. I left Atticus with him earlier. He’s just returning him.”

  He studied her face as if trying to read her and the situation. He folded his arms across his chest and his jaw tightened.

  The mudroom door opened and Aidan came in carrying Atticus in his arms.

  “You leave your back door unlocked?” Luke asked, his voice thick with disapproval.

  Sophie lifted her chin. “Aidan is a back door sort of friend.”

  “You should keep your doors locked.”

  “Are you kidding me? This isn’t the city.”

  “Yeah,” he said, as if she’d just made his point. “It’s not. It’s as isolated as Iceland. I don’t know why Matt ever agreed to move out here.”

  “It was my grandmother’s house. Chloe loved it. So do I.”

  “Am I interrupting?” Aidan asked.

  Luke pressed his lips together.

  “Not at all. Thanks for bringing him home,” Sophie said, reaching for the dog and giving Aidan her warmest smile. She nestled the puppy under her chin before placing him on the quilt beside the fireplace hearth. He spun around three times before settling down with a contented sigh.

  “We’re going to dinner,” Luke said.

  “We, I mean Luke, wants to work out…visitations.” She stumbled over the last word, realizing for the first time that since her sister’s death, she hadn’t once left Jamison. She wasn’t sure if she could now.

  “Would you like me to babysit?” Aidan asked.

  “No!” Sophie burst out.

  Both men’s expressions told her she’d surprised them with her vehemence. “It’s silly to have a discussion on…” She stumbled again. Clearing her throat, she continued. “…visitations without the person being visited even being there.”

  Luke’s lips twitched. “Do you really think Jamie is going to have much to add to the conversation?”

  Without Jamison, a night at the Tuscan Grill with Luke seemed too much like a date. “Let’s just stay here,” Sophie said. “Aidan, why don’t you join us?”

  Luke’s gaze told her that he knew exactly what she was doing. Which was good, because that made at least one of them.

  “Are you sure?” Aidan asked, his gaze sliding over to Luke’s hostile face.

  “I made all this Stromboli. It’s way too much for just us,” Sophie said. Without waiting for Aidan’s response, she went to the kitchen to retrieve a place setting for him.

  Aidan flashed Luke a triumphant smile while Sophie put down his plate and silverware.

  Luke shrugged off his jacket and laid it over the back of his chair. He looked so much like Matt it made Sophie’s breath catch. Loneliness swift and deep for her sister swept through her, making her wonder when, if ever, she’d recover from the loss.

  “So, what have you been doing since high school?” Aidan asked as he took the chair opposite Luke.

  “I worked for the government,” Luke said.

  “Someone said something about Germany?” Aidan helped himself to the green salad.

  Luke nodded and cut into the Stromboli. It released a puff of warm, fragrant steam. “That’s right.”

  “Are you still in government work?”

  “No. I’m mostly retired, although I occasionally take on contract work.”

  Luke whistled through this teeth. “It must be nice to be retired at what, thirty-three?”

  “Thirty-four.”

  While the two men talked, Sophie’s thoughts went back to Chloe and Matt’s memorial service. Luke’s family had filled the small stone chapel. Aunts, uncles, cousins, his little sister. Sophie had only her father, her stepmother, and George, her cousin. Matt and Luke had been raised by their grandmother who had died a year before. The will had plainly stated that in the event of their deaths, Sophie and Luke were to have joint custody of Jamison, but Luke couldn’t—or wouldn’t—leave his government job. Frustrated, Sophie chased a lettuce leaf around her plate with her fork. What made him think he could show up all these months later and act like he hadn’t screwed up her life?

  How would things have been different if he’d been around six months ago? Would she have been able to keep her job at Lewis, Clapton, and Meir if she’d had someone to share custody? If Luke was really able and willing to play an equal partner in childcare, could she go back to Frisco and get her job back?

  Her gaze softened as she watched Jamison wave a green bean at Luke. No. She couldn’t leave Jamison.

  “So.” Luke cleared his throat and turned to her. “I heard you’ve set up your own legal counselling office.”

  “Well…”

  “She’s doing great,” Aidan said, placing his hand on hers.

  Luke’s gaze went from Aidan’s face to his hand, and then to Sophie. She blushed beneath his scrutiny.

  “It’s pretty small fry—nothing like my work in the city.”

  “What?” Aidan bristled. “You won that land dispute between Mrs. Nobbs and the trailer park.”

  Sophie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You just made my point.”

  “She doesn’t need to work,” Luke told Aidan.

  “Yes, I do,” Sophie said. She refused to touch her nephew‘s tru
st fund for her own maintenance, and she wanted Luke to understand this. “Even if I didn’t need the money—I need to work. It keeps me sane.”

  Aidan squeezed her hand. “You’re the sanest person I know.”

  He was beginning to bug her and she couldn’t even say why. Now, she didn’t only not want to kiss him, she wanted him to leave. She wanted both men to go. Picking at her Stromboli, she wondered how her life had completely derailed from the path she’d been on.

  Jamison seemed to pick up on her mood and began to fuss.

  Sophie put down her fork and gathered him into her arms. “He needs to be changed,” she said, although she secretly thought that Jamison wasn’t the only one in need of a change.

  #

  The tension in the dining room had been high before Sophie had left the room, but with her gone, Luke felt as if he were swimming in a testosterone-infested shark pond. Making chit-chat with Aidan Mason was the last thing on his very long to-do list. From the look on Aidan’s face, he felt the same.

  “So where’ve you been?” Aidan asked.

  “I already told you, Germany.”

  Aidan didn’t say anything, but bit into his Stromboli, knocking his fork against his teeth. “She could have used you,” Aidan said. “The last few months have been really hard.”

  “You don’t think I know that?” Luke ran his fingers through his hair. “Look. I’m here now.”

  “I’m not so sure that’s a good thing.”

  “You can’t have it both ways. Either she needs help or she doesn’t.”

  “She gave up her career.”

  “She’s still practicing.”

  “It’s hardly the same thing. But she’s been incredible. Amazing, really.” Aidan’s voice softened with appreciation. “She gave up one world and started another for her sister’s child. And you know what? The life she had and the new life she’s creating for herself and Jamison are both equally spectacular.” Aidan took a sip of his water before saying what he obviously had been waiting to say. Luke could practically hear the words she doesn’t need you spilling from Aidan’s lips, but before he could say it, Sophie came back in the room.

  She balanced Jamie on her hip. “Do you guys mind if I cut this party short? I’ve got to give Jamison his bath and put him to bed, and frankly, I’m knackered.”