Keep Me At Christmas (Romano Family Book 4)

by Lucinda Whitney

  An old fashioned wardrobe with its doors wide open served as a station for needles of all sizes and materials, and a nearby antique table held mismatched drawers full of accessories and notions. On the service counter, a wide wooden one full of aged patina and character, sat an old-fashioned metal cash register, a nod to simpler times when knitting and crocheting were necessities and not just hobbies.

  The Christmas decorations were all made of yarn or knitted pieces, creating an organic feel to the overall ambiance in the store.

  A dark-haired woman in her late twenties approached and exchanged a brief hug with Oliver. “Oliver, I didn’t know you were coming,” she said.

  He ducked his head. “Sorry. I didn’t plan it, but I know how busy Luciana will be tomorrow and Friday, so today is the best chance.” He gestured to Luciana. “This is Luciana Romano, the knit restoration specialist from Portugal. Luciana, this is my cousin Lily Kerrison, the proud owner of The Knotty Knitters.”

  Lily took Luciana’s hand and shook it with enthusiasm. “I’m glad you came by. I read the interview Knit International published last year. Your work is so inspirational.”

  Such comments still surprised Luciana. “Thank you. I have to say, your store is just amazing. I wouldn’t change a thing in here,” she said sincerely.

  Lily’s expression relaxed into a big smile. “I think it’s perfect, but I’m a little biased. Would you like me to show you around?”

  Luciana followed Lily.

  “I have the yarns arranged by type, color, and weight.” Lily pointed at a shelf of cubbies. “Here we start with the acrylics in lace, super fine, fine, and so on.”

  Luciana knelt by the shelves. “I love the way you have them sorted in a rainbow pattern.”

  “I do it with all the yarns, but especially for the acrylics which are more used by children.” Lily gestured toward a corner with a sofa and a few chairs. “On Saturday mornings, I have volunteers come and teach anyone who wants to learn how to knit or crochet, and that includes a lot of kids.”

  “I learned to knit when I was eight years old,” Luciana said, as she moved to the shelves with natural yarns.

  “Me too,” said Lily with a smile.

  “There’s been a few times when I’ve thought of opening a yarn store, and yours is exactly like I imagined mine to be.” Luciana approached a corner where an antique desk with a hutch held spools of ribbons and an old type tray with tiny metal letters. “What is this for?”

  “This is the ribbon station. There are ribbons with washing instructions, handmade-by or knitted-by ribbons, and they’re all sold by the yard.” She gestured at the type. “The blank ribbons are meant to be personalized.”

  Luciana raised an eyebrow. “Personalized with what?”

  “The name of the knitter or the name of the recipient, different washing instructions, a dedicatory message—anything you can think of, I’ll try to make it happen. Or I can show you how to do it too.”

  The corner of Luciana’s mouth rose in a small smile. She could knit a piece as a gift and attach a ribbon with a message. “This is a great idea,” she said to Lily.

  Could Luciana find the time to knit a hat before she left? It would make the perfect gift for a new friend. “Do you have any cashmere blends?” she asked Lily.

  “I actually just got something new last month,” Lily said as she led Luciana to another shelf of cubbies. “You’re going to die when you feel this yarn. And the colors are just amazing.”

  Luciana followed Lily, and lost track of time as she caught on to the enthusiasm at the display of yarn skeins in muted colors.

  Finally, they moved to the register and Luciana paid for her purchases.

  “I have to go,” Luciana said. “I’m already late for dinner at the DiLorenzos.”

  “With Paola and Nonna? That will be nice. They’re such great cooks,” said Lily.

  Luciana took the paper shopping bag. “And Jack too. He was the one who invited me today.”

  Lily and Oliver exchanged a glance.

  Luciana paused. “What? Something the matter?”

  “It’s nice to hear Jack is dating again,” Lily said.

  “Oh, we’re not dating.” Luciana’s neck heated at the suggestion. “It’s just a simple dinner with the family.” After all, she was leaving soon. Dating involved more time than what she had, however appealing the idea of it sounded. Somehow, she knew Jack would be a considerate boyfriend.

  Lily walked Luciana to the door. “I’m glad to know Jack is back to being social.”

  Luciana and Oliver said goodbye to Lily, and Luciana walked the two blocks to the DiLorenzo residence, behind the café.

  Lily’s words remained with her. What had she meant by it? Luciana thought back to all the times she’d spent with Jack and the little she knew about him. How bad had the breakup with his fiancée been for him?

  The more she knew about Jack, the more curious she became and the more she wanted to know. Would he let her come closer?

  * * *

  Jack checked the time on the wall clock in the kitchen again. Luciana was late. He’d invited her over for dinner and she’d said she was coming, but after the winky emoji she’d sent, he wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

  Was he expecting too much? Or pushing too soon? Maybe admitting that he thought of her all the time hadn’t been a good idea; he shouldn’t have done it yet. He was trying to be genuine and make his feelings known to Luciana, but her response had been vague. What did a winky emoji mean anyway? Did she feel pressured by his attention? Or did she not know what to say?

  Jack scrubbed his face and let out a long sigh. He really had no idea what he was doing. Maybe Luciana had changed her mind about dinner tonight. She hadn’t given any indications of such, but could he really trust his own judgment toward women? After his colossal fail with Madison, he didn’t know anymore.

  Why were relationships so hard? Not that he was in a relationship with Luciana; not a romantic one anyway. He could argue that a friendship was a relationship. It was a good place to start, but he wanted more. How that would work with her living in another country—he couldn’t tell.

  Across the kitchen, in the family room, Mom and Nonna sat on opposing chairs, one reading and the other knitting, as they typically did in the evenings. They’d had dinner already, preferring to eat earlier to accommodate their bedtime.

  Nonna put the scarf she knit on her lap, stretched, then stifled a yawn. “Is your girl still coming?”

  Jack approached and sat on the edge of the sofa in front of them. “She’s not my girl. I haven’t heard from her, so I think she’s still coming.” Or maybe that was him being hopeful.

  The door bell rang and Jack looked up toward the front room.

  “That’s probably her now,” Mom said. “Could you get the door, please?”

  As he walked over to the door, Jack flexed his hands, suddenly damp. The nerves took him by surprise.

  When he opened the door, his shoulders relaxed and relief surged through him. Luciana stood there in her red coat—rosy-cheeked, bright-eyed, and absolutely beautiful.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late,” Luciana said.

  Jack’s heart skipped a beat. He was so in trouble.

  He opened the door wide to let her in. “I’m glad you made it. Come on in.”

  She entered and kissed him on the cheek, as he’d come to expect from her. Jack closed the door and helped her out of her coat, then hung it up.

  Luciana removed her boots and took the guest slippers Mom had left in the entry closet. A crooked smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. It pleased him to see how comfortable Luciana was in his home. She fit right in, as if she’d been coming for years instead of a few days.

  She trailed behind him to the kitchen. “I lost track of time. Oliver took me to meet his cousin Lily at her knitting store and that place is amazing.”

  “You went to Knotty Kneeters shop?” Nonna asked with a smile, her accent showing strong.

 
Luciana greeted Mom and Nonna with kisses on the cheek, and took a seat close to Nonna. “Do you go there often? Isn’t that place such a gem?” She leaned forward to look at Nonna’s lap. “What are you working on? That yarn is fabulous.”

  Jack busied himself readying the food he’d prepared earlier, warming the sauce before he mixed it with the ravioli. While he waited, he tossed the winter salad with the vinaigrette.

  After a few minutes, he called her. “Dinner is ready.”

  Nonna put her knitting away and she and Mom stood. “That’s our cue,” Mom said.

  “You’re not staying for dinner?” Luciana asked. “Hope you’re not leaving on my account.”

  “Don’t worry. We’re not,” said Mom.

  “We already had the dinner,” Nonna asked. “Now it’s time for the bed.” She placed her palms on her lower back. “These old bones need to rest.” She kissed Luciana on both cheeks. “Buona notte, Luchana.”

  “Luciana, what your plans for Christmas?” Mom asked.

  He should have thought of that too.

  “Not much. I’m working half day on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, I was going to call my family in the morning and catch up on some personal projects and some reading.”

  “Come spend it with us,” Mom said. “Christmas Eve and Day.” She pulled Luciana into a brief hug.

  “Thank you, Paola. I’ll come,” Luciana replied.

  Contentment spread through Jack as he heard her reply.

  Jack plated the salad first and Luciana took a seat at the table. “You and your family have been so nice to me,” she said, then looked at the contents on the plate. “What are we having?”

  “Brussels sprout salad with warm bacon vinaigrette.” He set the other plate on the table. “For the main course, pumpkin ravioli with a portobello mushroom filling and a sage white wine sauce.”

  Luciana joined her palms and grinned at her plate. “My goodness, Jack. This looks fabulous. Where do you even buy pumpkin ravioli?” She picked her fork and took a bite.

  “I made the pasta from scratch.” It was something he enjoyed doing. “The basic pasta recipe is easy and then I just added pumpkin purée. Or you can add other flavors.”

  “Mmm,” Luciana said. “Wow. I don’t have words.” She took another slow bite and swallowed. “I’m so going to miss your cooking and baking, Jack DiLorenzo.” Her words added to the warm, happy expression on her face.

  “I’m so going to miss you, Luciana Romano,” Jack replied without hesitation.

  Her cheeks colored and a small smile graced her lips. “I’m going to miss you too. Not just your food.” She put her fork down and covered his hand with hers.

  Jack turned his hand and squeezed her fingers. “I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you. I’m glad you’re coming for Christmas.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  They ate for a few minutes and Jack liked seeing how much Luciana appreciated the food. In a few more days, she wouldn’t be around to have dinner with him. Until then, he’d enjoy every moment he had with her.

  Jack took a breath. “When’s your flight?”

  “On Wednesday the 27th. It leaves at ten at night.”

  “It’ll be strange when you leave next week.” It felt like he’d known her for a lot longer.

  She pushed her finished plate away and turned to him with a serious look in her eyes. “When Oliver and Lily Kerrison heard I was coming over for dinner, they mentioned you haven’t dated in two years. Not that we’re dating,” she quickly added.

  “Maybe we’re not dating, but we have been going on dates,” Jack said.

  Luciana crossed her arms on the table, as if waiting for him.

  Jack sobered, nodding slowly. “They’re right. I haven’t dated since Madison left. I guess—I guess it affected me. I lost my confidence.” Jack rested his elbows on the edge and leaned toward Luciana. She did the same. “It’s taken me a while to get to this point, Luciana. I was hurt and I didn’t trust myself or my judgment anymore. But now I’m glad I’m here with you.”

  Sitting next to her right, almost touching, the closeness between them was more than physical, more than space omitted. He wanted this woman to know him—the real him. He was ready for the kind of connection that started with intimate dinners and long conversations, and went beyond that. He wanted to spend more time with her, go on more dates, maybe even kiss her.

  His eyes flicked to her lips and she inhaled quickly, something passing in her expression.

  Jack straightened and the moment broke. It was too soon, wasn’t it?

  “Next time I see Frank I’ll have to thank him for bringing you over,” Jack said.

  Luciana smiled. “Who knows where I would have ended.”

  “Do you go on dates in Portugal?” Under different circumstances, he wouldn’t have asked her, but this time between them had turned more personal, and he didn’t want to lose that yet.

  “Not since university. I let my life get too busy.” She hesitated before going on. “One of the reasons I took this project was to get away from my extended family during the holidays. I have two cousins planning weddings.” She flashed him a tight smile. “It’s not so easy to be the single one around so much happiness.”

  “I know that well. With three married sisters with kids, I get a lot of comments about being single.”

  “I’ll be your plus one if you’ll be mine,” she said with a playful smile.

  Jack tightened his grip on her hand for a shake. “Deal.”

  He smiled. Christmas this year was shaping up to be quite different.

  Chapter Nine

  Friday, December 22th

  Big, fat, fluffy flakes of snow started falling in the mid-afternoon. White and wet and totally unexpected.

  Luciana had not been paying attention to the weather forecast, and when Oliver told her to look out the window, she gasped at the unexpected vision.

  Snow. Her first real snow fall. Right outside the museum.

  For the rest of the afternoon, she stopped to look out the window often, distracting herself with the serenity of it.

  Matt Garrison came by to see the progress and brought fresh sandwiches and drinks for everyone at the museum from a different café in town, and Luciana was glad to show him the exhibit taking form.

  When Oliver left the room to fetch some pins to fix a drooping sweater, Matt waited until he was gone, then took a step closer to her.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you something and it looks like this is the moment,” he said, slipping his hands in his pockets .

  Luciana paused and blinked. “Is it about the exhibit? Did you find a mistake in something I did?” Her shoulders tensed.

  “No, nothing like that,” he rushed to say. “Do you have plans for Christmas? I realize this is kind of short notice, but if you don’t have anywhere to go, I’d be happy to have you. It won’t just be me,” he added. “Some of my family will be there too,.”

  The tightness on her back released and she smiled. “I already got an invitation, but thank you for thinking of me. That’s very thoughtful of you.”

  He nodded with a slow smile. “You’re going to the DiLorenzos,” he said, stating, not asking.

  Luciana nodded. “Yes, they invited me.”

  “You and Jack?” Matt asked, his implication clear. Was that regret in his eyes?

  “I think so,” she replied. Maybe she was assuming too much, but she liked to think she and Jack had become closer in the past few days.

  “Good, good.” He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. “You don’t happen to have a sister, do you?” His smile was light, almost boyish.

  Luciana chuckled. “No, but I have cousins I’d be happy for you to meet.”

  Matt shook her hand. “Deal.”

  She watched him leave. Matt Garrison was a good man and she’d meant what she’d said. Her cousins Catarina and Jacinta were taken—one married and one very soon to be—and Susana and Anita were a bit too young for
him. But Gabriela and Juliana were still single. If they ever made it to Hudson Springs, she’d gladly introduce one of them to Matt.

  By the time she clocked out, a white layer covered everything in view. Several of the downtown businesses had already cleared sidewalks and paths to their doors, working with big shovels and machines that blew the snow out of a sideways tube.

  Luciana stood outside the museum doors, feeling the soft snow around her, the quietude that permeated the air, the subtle glow of the lights and colors.

  “Let me guess—your first snow?” Oliver asked with a small chuckle.

  Luciana raised her face to the sky. “ I saw snow at the mountain resort, but this is amazing.”

  “Come on, I’ll give you a ride,” he said.

  When Oliver dropped her off at the inn, snow still fell softly from the sky. Despite the roads and streets having been cleared recently, as evidenced by the tracks left behind, the accumulation had grown a little. Maybe there would be enough snow on the ground in the morning for Luciana to take some pictures before she left Hudson Springs.

  I’ll be there in a couple minutes.

  Luciana’s heart jumped at the text from Jack.

  I’m ready, she replied.

  Jack had told her he had a surprise this evening. He hadn’t given any clues, but she was safe to assume it was something beyond dinner at his home.

  When Jack entered the foyer at the inn, Luciana rose from the stuffed chair to meet him. A wide smile appeared on his face, as it always did when he saw her, and she smiled back, happier to see him than she wanted to admit to herself.

  She had just seen him yesterday night. His family had invited her over for dinner again. How could she be this happy to see him with barely a day gone by?

  Jack lifted a large paper bag. “I brought some stuff.”

  She reached inside and drew a man’s parka. “This is for me?”

  “It’s part of the surprise, not a gift. We’ll be outside for a little while and your coat is not insulated.” He gestured inside the bag. “There’s also a pair of snow boots I borrowed from my mom. And no, she won’t be needing them tonight,” he added with a smile, anticipating her question.