I'll Be Home for Christmas Page 11

  This new information was unexpected. That’s all it was. She was surprised. Nothing more.

  Joe seemed like such a bachelor. Plus, Katie had said her brother wasn’t long on commitment and there was nothing that required commitment more than a kid. She just thought that maybe he would have mentioned it. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t mentioned it. Because he wasn’t committed to the child and he was ashamed of that. Maybe that’s why his marriage floundered, because he couldn’t commit.

  Why did she care? His past was none of her business. She barely knew him. No reason for him to tell her about his daughter.

  She had no claims on Joe. None whatsoever. Sure they had undeniable chemistry, but so what?

  Mmm, well, here was the thing. She’d never had sexual chemistry like this with anyone. And the brave part of her that had the courage to quit law school, fly to Texas, and assume someone else’s life for a few weeks burned to explore that chemistry.

  But she certainly wasn’t going to explore it now. He carried too much baggage.

  She and Belinda stopped for lunch at a great pizza place on the square called Pasta Pappa’s. A cadre of Belinda’s friends, all dressed in festive holiday attire, joined them at the restaurant. It was an eclectic group—middle-aged, senior citizens, and several women her own age—with careers ranging from Broadway actress, to famous children’s book author, to a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, to a former Olympic athlete.

  In the end, there were twenty of them, all laughing and talking and enjoying one another’s company. Gabi found herself seated next to the bubbly redheaded actress turned owner and director of the Twilight Playhouse.

  “Emma Cheek,” the redhead said, sticking out a palm.

  “Cheek?” Gabi shook her hand. “Are you related to Joe?”

  “I’m married to his older brother Sam.” She pulled out her cell phone and proudly showed Gabi pictures of her gorgeous family, which included a red-haired preteen boy and an adorable little girl who looked to be around four. Emma’s husband was drop-dead-handsome, but he had a deep scar across one side of his face. “Lauren is my little dynamo. She loves art. You should see some of her drawings. And Charlie is a baseball whiz. His Little League coach says he’s got a real shot at a baseball scholarship for college.”

  Emma’s shoulder rose with pride and she fairly vibrated with joy. “They’re my heart and soul. I think back on the person I was before I met Sam, and I feel so sorry for that girl because she didn’t know him yet.”

  “Wow,” Gabi said, trying not to be envious of Emma’s glowing happiness. “How long have you been married?”

  “Five years, but it feels like five minutes.”

  “So Charlie is …”

  “Technically my stepson, but I couldn’t love the little guy any more if I’d given birth to him. And we’re both gingers.” Emma ran a hand through her vibrant hair. “How cool is that?”

  “Pretty cool,” Gabi agreed.

  “I’m the luckiest woman on the face of the earth and believe me, I know it. My own mom abandoned me when I was a kid, and when I turned fourteen, I learned the man she’d left me with, the man I thought was my father, wasn’t. Worst time of my life. But even then”—her voice softened, lightened, and so did her eyes—“Sam and his family helped me through it.”

  “The Cheeks sound like wonderful people.”

  “Oh, they are amazing. Community-minded. Loving. Caring.” Emma paused, and it was clear she was struggling against strong emotions. She gulped, smiled harder, and blinked away what were clearly tears of joy. “They’re the family I never had. You could not ask for a better bunch of people.”

  Seeing how much Emma loved her in-laws touched something inside Gabi, and she felt a lump block her own throat. See there, another reason she shouldn’t be a lawyer. Too empathetic.

  The talk turned to other topics. Everyone was so warm and welcoming, Gabi’s heart felt lighter than it had in years.

  “I miss Katie,” Emma said toward the end of the meal. “But I’m sure glad you came to town. It’s been a delight meeting you.”

  “Same here,” Gabi said. “I never expected to find such an interesting bunch of people in such a small town.”

  “Twilight is special.” Emma winked. “The town was founded on love, after all. There’s a special magic in the air.”

  “It’s very romantic.”

  “Watch out,” Emma teased. “Next thing you know, you’ll be falling in love.”

  “It is a lovable town.”

  “I’m not just talking about Twilight.” Emma’s eyes twinkled. “We have some hot, eligible bachelors in town. Joe being one of the hottest.”

  Gabi couldn’t argue with her about Joe’s hotness. “I won’t be in town long enough to fall in love.”

  “You never know,” Emma said. “It can happen in an instant. Love has a funny way of blindsiding you when you least expect it.”

  Gabi stapled a polite smile to her face, because what could she say to that?

  “Hey.” Emma cocked her head to one side like an inquisitive cardinal. “What are you doing Tuesday night?”

  “Nothing planned.”

  “Great! It’s karaoke night at Fruit of the Vine. There’s a five-dollar cover charge but all the proceeds go to the local no-kill animal shelter. Would you like to come with us?”

  “Us?”

  “Sam and I, although I’m sure some of the gang”—she waved in the direction of the other women—“will be there too.”

  “I don’t want to be a fifth wheel on your date night.”

  “Don’t be silly. You’re new in town. It would be our pleasure to introduce you around.”

  Hmm, she could sit in the yurt listening to the coyotes howl or drink wine and sing karaoke with fun people while supporting a charity? No-brainer.

  Emma pressed her palms together. “Not to be pushy or anything, but since Sam is a vet, I do have a vested interest in raising money for the animal shelter. Say yes.”

  “Okay.” She laughed. “I’m in.”

  “Yay.” Emma reached over to give Gabi a one-armed hug, bringing with her the scent of grapefruit. “We’re going to have so much fun! Party starts at seven.”

  CHAPTER 10

  From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other.

  —Emily Matthews

  For the next three days, Gabi took time to reflect. On her life. On her past. On the future she was determined to create. She wrote in a journal, exploring the dreams and aspirations she’d suppressed for so long in order to please her parents by stepping into the role they’d envisioned for Derrick. Law school. Top of his class. Top-tier criminal defense attorney. She trod the footprints he’d never had a chance to make.

  But it was a path she could no longer follow and still live an authentic life.

  She made a list of her positive traits, which wasn’t easy because she wasn’t the kind of person who patted herself on the back, but she knew who she was, accepted herself flaws and all. It was just making that first move. She was more than ready to embrace the future that glimmered bright with possibilities.

  The whole world was in front of her. This wasn’t the time to hold back. Dream. Dream big. To do that, she needed to first take stock. Gabi gnawed on the tip of her pen and then wrote:

  Empathic.

  Reliable.

  Flexible.

  Accepting.

  Oh wow. Seeing her qualities down there in black and white felt so good that she added a few more.

  Great smile.

  Friendly.

  Open.

  Brave.

  That last one sent chill bumps skating over her skin. She’d never thought of herself as particularly brave, but she was. It took a lot of courage to break out of the mold. To quit the security of law school in favor of striking out on her own. She’d already had a tiny taste of following her heart and greedily, she wanted more.

  Then she
made a list of careers that would be a good fit based on her skills, her traits, and the things she loved doing as a child—playing with dolls, daydreaming, reading, walking on the beach, and collecting friends. She’d been a mellow kid, easy to get along with. The kind of kid adults called “sweet.” The kind of kid who told the grief counselor her parents saw after Derrick’s death that while she missed him, it was okay because he wasn’t hurting anymore and she had the snow globe to look at whenever she needed to remember him. Her comment had put tears in the counselor’s eyes, and that bothered Gabi. She hated upsetting people.

  Social worker.

  Counselor.

  Mediator.

  Excitement quickened her pulse from the simple act of putting it down on paper.

  She loved helping others and she’d been around the law enough to know there were many cracks in the system that people fell through. She wanted to be one of the people who filled the gaps, not one of the people who enforced the rules. The law was so rigid, as it should be, but life wasn’t that simple. So many shades of gray.

  And Gabi understood the shades of gray in a way her parents did not. She had no idea what made her outlook so different from theirs. She only knew it was true.

  Feeling buoyed after the list making, she embraced the glorious days stretching ahead of her. She bundled up warmly and took a long walk around the lake, dropped into Hot Legs Spa for a massage and pedicure. She did some Christmas shopping on the square, and made friends with the shopkeepers. She had so much fun it dawned on her that she hadn’t pampered herself like this since before she started law school.

  She submersed herself in the town’s activities—signed to be a caroler on the square, attended a play at the Twilight Playhouse with some of the women she’d met at lunch, went ice skating at an indoor rink.

  It wasn’t quite like the rink in the snow globe, but as she was gliding across the ice, she looked up at the ceiling and whispered, “This is for you, Derrick.” She felt his spirit lift her up and knew that if there was a heaven, he was looking down at her giving her his thumbs-up of approval.

  She met interesting people and flat-out enjoyed herself in a way she had not ever done before. She kept busy falling in love with Twilight.

  Since she’d proven she could take care of the animals, Joe had left her to it and hadn’t come back across the road. If he happened to see her outside or in town, he’d wave and say hello. Once, he held the door for her as he was coming out of Perks as she was going in, but that was the extent of their interactions. Clearly, she’d overestimated his attraction toward her.

  Okay. Fine. He was a distraction anyway from her real work here, which was to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.

  She and Katie exchanged texts every day. Her parents still hadn’t called or come by the apartment and she tried not to be discouraged over their lack of interest in her whereabouts. Some things you simply had to accept as they were and let go of any expectations. Her parents were who they were. She couldn’t change them.

  But she could change herself.

  On Tuesday evening a little after seven, she walked into Fruit of the Vine, paid the cover charge, and turned to survey the packed room.

  “Over here!” Emma’s chirpy voice called.

  Gabi didn’t immediately spot the diminutive redhead in the crowd.

  From the back of the room, a waving hand shot up above the heads. “Gabs! Here we are.”

  Gabi threaded her way around the people milling and mingling. An older man in a sports jacket, cowboy boots, and jeans was taking the stage. When she got to the back of the room, she spied Emma sitting at a table beside a scarred, dark-haired man. She recognized him as Emma’s husband, Sam, from the photographs Emma had shown her at lunch on Saturday.

  And next to Sam sat another man. She recognized him too.

  Wavy golden brown hair. Chocolate eyes. Blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbow. Sexy forearms.

  Joe.

  An empty chair beside him. He was saving her a seat.

  She couldn’t decipher the expression on his face, but she felt—almost as if she’d been holding her breath for this moment—a fated sense of déjà-vu. As if they were playing out a familiar scene from both their past and their future.

  Joe got to his feet slowly, deliberately, but with a kind of victorious, buoyant excitement that she had arrived. His dark eyes were heavy-lidded, his lashes looking particularly thick and black under the muted lighting. He hadn’t shaved recently, and just the right amount of sexy beard stubble ringed his angular jaw.

  He met her eyes, smiled, and pulled out the chair.

  For her.

  Gabi’s heart beat double time and her stomach bounced like a rubber ball. She honestly had not expected to see him here. Their gazes melded.

  For a split second, she thought he was going to lean down and kiss her cheek and she didn’t know whether to move closer or farther away. In the end she did neither. Simply stood stock-still and waited.

  So did he.

  Well, this was awkward.

  “Sit, sit.” Emma waved them both down.

  Simultaneously, they sat.

  “Hello,” he said at the same time the man on the stage started singing, “You Had Me at Hello.”

  Gabi smiled, ducked her head, and then slanted a sideways glance at him. “Did you set that up?”

  “Who me?” He winked like he had set it up.

  He studied her openly for a long time, like she was a rare painting in a grand art gallery. His gaze moved from her eyes to her mouth and breast. A sly swoon slid silkily down her spine.

  What was going on here? She felt like she couldn’t breathe, but her chest was moving up and down and Joe was busy watching it. The impulse to flee grabbed hold of her, but she fought it off because she wanted to be here.

  Courage, Preston.

  She tried her best to look unaffected, light-hearted, and carefree.

  Emma officially introduced her to Sam, who shook her hand and told her it was a pleasure to meet her. “That’s our mayor.” Emma nodded at the man singing karaoke and simultaneously playing guitar. “A man of many talents.”

  The mayor did have a great voice, but Gabi barely noticed. All her attention was directed at Joe. He just kept smiling at her like he’d unearthed a hidden treasure. Self-consciously, she ran a hand through her hair, wished she’d worn something other than jeans and a sweater. Not exactly date-worthy attire unless she was going on a hayride.

  You’re not on a date.

  Maybe not, but it sure felt that way.

  “Looks like the waitress is swamped,” Emma said.

  “I’ll go to the bar to get our drinks.” Sam pushed back his chair.

  “I’ll go with you.” Emma hopped up fast.

  “Wine or beer?” Sam toggled a finger at them.

  “Beer,” Gabi and Joe said in unison, and grinned at each other.

  Emma good-naturedly rolled her eyes. “Beer in a winery? You guys were meant for each other.”

  “We’ll be right back,” Sam said as Emma took him by the hand and dragged him off to the bar.

  Left alone with Joe, Gabi felt exposed, and she glanced around to keep from looking at Joe and noticed several of the people she’d met at lunch on Monday and waved at them.

  “Pretending I’m not here?” Joe asked.

  She faked a toothy smile and peered over his shoulder to see how long the line at the bar was. “Who me?”

  “For what it’s worth, I’m as nervous as you.”

  She exhaled and it came out much louder than she intended, but at least she wasn’t hiccupping. “I’m not nervous.”

  “Hell, I sure got nervous when after I sat down, my dear sister-in-law explained she’d fixed me up with a date. I was not in the mood and to be honest, I almost left. But I gotta tell you …” His eyes softened. “I sure was happy to see you walk through the door.”

  “Really?”

  He held up one pa
lm, put the other palm facedown like he was swearing on a stack of Bibles. “I promise.”

  A dizzy relief like she’d almost missed out on something spectacular danced goose bumps up her arm. “I’m so glad you didn’t leave.”

  “You’re my new favorite person.”

  “Me?”

  “You. Don’t sound so surprised. You’re interesting.”

  “I’m just …” She shrugged. “I never thought of myself as a particularly interesting person.”

  “Then you need to change your way of thinking.”

  Sam and Emma came back with their drinks. They chatted and drank and listened to the performers and generally had a blast.

  “Let’s go sing, babe.” Emma grabbed Sam’s hand and led him to the stage.

  “They’re doing a duet?” Gabi asked Joe.

  “They always sing a duet.” Joe rolled his eyes. “Those two are practically attached at the hip.”

  Was it her imagination or did he sound a wee bit jealous? Gabi wasn’t ashamed to admit she was jealous. She would love to have what Sam and Emma had. Maybe. One day.

  On stage, Sam and Emma were singing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Small, peppy Emma and tall, languid Sam. The crowd cheered for them.

  “They are so cute together.” Gabi sighed.

  “Decent singers too.”

  “Are you going to sing?” she asked Joe.

  “Depends.”

  “On what?”

  He lowered those hooded eyelids halfway in a sexy, just-got-out-of-bed expression. The scruff of beard covering his chin made him look like a thoroughly bad boy. “You.”

  “Me?”

  “I’m too shy to go up there by myself.”

  Gabi laughed so hard it came out like a snort. “You’ve never been shy a day in your life.”

  He pooched out his bottom lip in a pretend pout. “How do you know? I could be very sensitive.”

  “I spent Saturday with your aunt Belinda, remember, Pork Chop?”

  Joe groaned. “Oh yeah. Now you know all my secrets. I’m totally screwed, huh?”

  “Totally.”

  “So how ’bout it?” His blistering eyes met hers again. “You game for a duet?”

  “What would we sing?”