Single Dads Collection. Lynne Marshall
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the ornaments wasn’t as simple as stringing the lights. Finley wanted to know the story behind every ornament and if an ornament didn’t have a story, Shannon had to make one up.
It was ten o’clock before they got all the ornaments hung. When it was time to leave, after Finley had had sufficient time to ohhh and ahhh, Rory carried the cocoa tray to Shannon’s kitchen, leaving Finley with the instruction to put on her boots and coat.
Shannon held the kitchen door open for Rory. As they walked into the kitchen “White Christmas” was playing on the stereo.
“Oops. Forgot to turn that off.”
She reached for it as Rory set the tray on the center island, but before she could click it off, he caught her hand. “I love this song.”
“I’ll bet! With only two or three snowfalls a year, a white Christmas is probably pretty high on your wish list. But here in snow country there’s never really a happy storm.”
He laughed, then surprised her by swinging her into his arms to dance. Holding her close, he said, “It’s a pretty song. A happy song. A song about someone wishing for something he might just get.” He laughed again. “Don’t spoil it for me.”
She said, “I won’t,” but inside her chest her heart pounded like a jackhammer. She told herself that they were only friends. Reminded herself that having a friend, a real friend who knew her secrets and understood her, was a blessedly wonderful feeling. But the sensations rippling through her were every bit as wonderful. She wanted him to like her as more than a friend.
But she’d snuffed out that possibility, headed it off herself. Her choice.
The song ended and they pulled away. Gazing into each other’s eyes, they stepped back. Their initial chemistry kicked up again, but she swung away. Carrying the tray to the sink, she laughed shakily. “Somebody who likes snow…sheesh.”
“Hey. It’s hard to hate something that frequently gets you a day off.”
She laughed, then heard the sound of the door as he left the kitchen. Knowing he was gone, she braced herself against the countertop and squeezed her eyes shut, letting herself savor the sensation of being held by him. Danced with. Only when she had memorized every feeling swimming through her, tucked it away to pull out on snowy winter nights without him, did she turn from the sink and go out to the foyer.
Already in her little coat and pink boots, Finley snuggled into her dad’s neck, preparing for sleep. Shannon stood on tiptoes and kissed her cheek. “Good night, sweetie.”
“G’night.”
“I’ll see you in the morning?” She made the statement as a question because he’d never really told her a time or day he was leaving. Given that they were spending another night in Green Hill, she suspected he’d stop in the store in the morning.
She peeked at him expectantly.
“Yes. We’ll be there in the morning. I want to see Christmas Eve sales. But we do have a four-hour drive, so we’ll be leaving around noon.”
“Okay.”
He smiled. “Okay.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds. She swore she saw longing in his eyes. The same longing that tightened her tummy and put an ache in her chest. Then he broke away and headed for the door.
When they were gone she sat in front of the tree for twenty minutes. Just looking at it. Wishing she could keep it up forever.
AFTER BUCKLING Finley into her car seat, Rory slid behind the wheel of his car, his heart thumping in his chest. Not with excitement, but with recrimination. He knew she was sad. He knew he was responsible for at least a little bit of that sadness.
But everything between them had happened so fast. Worse, he wasn’t even a hundred-percent sure he was capable of trusting someone enough to love them. He wasn’t steady enough on his feet to believe he should try a relationship with a normal woman. Someone as special as Shannon was too delicate to be his romantic guinea pig.
The next morning at the store, he wasn’t surprised when Shannon again offered to take Finley around the store for a few hours. Needing to see to a few details, Rory shrugged. “I’ll be walking around the store, too. You don’t have to do this.”
She smiled. “I want to.”
Then she gave him some kind of head signal that he didn’t quite understand. So he laughed. Which amazed him. Even as upset as he knew she was, she still had the ability to make him laugh. And to think of others.
She angled her head toward Finley and nudged twice.
He still didn’t have a clue.
So he just went with the program. “Okay. You take Finley and I’ll be a secret shopper again.”
Finley jumped up and down. “Okay!”
They walked together to the elevator, but when he got off on the second floor, they continued to the main floor. He walked through the menswear department and poked around in the electronics and small appliances, but couldn’t seem to focus. Technically, he’d seen enough the day before. He could report back to his dad that Raleigh’s had a huge, faithful group of shoppers. At Christmas time, they seemed to sell goods faster than they could restock shelves.
The store had some drawbacks. It only broke even most months of the year and two months of the year it actually lost money. But Christmas made up for that. In spades.
So why did he need to walk around anymore? He didn’t.
He took the stairs to the first floor and glanced around, looking for Shannon and Finley. But the store was packed with customers. He barely squeezed through the aisles on his quest to find Shannon and his daughter, but finally he saw them standing by the candy counter.
He edged his way up. “Hey.”
“Hey!” Shannon turned, smiled at him. “I thought you were shopping?”
“I think I shopped enough already.”
She winced. “Is that good or bad news for me?”
“I shouldn’t really tell you anything because I have to report back to my dad, and he and my brothers and I have to make an official decision…but…I can’t see any reason we’d shy away from a deal.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Really?”
Seeing her so happy put the air back in his lungs, the life back in his heart. After everything that had happened between them, this was at least one good thing he could do for her.
“So Finley and I can go home now.”
Her head snapped around. “What?”
“I’m done. We can go home.”
“But I…” She paused, nudging her head toward Finley. “I didn’t get to buy someone a gift.”
“You did,” he said. “Remember? You bought a g-a-m-e.”
“I can spell, Daddy.”
Rory laughed, but Shannon’s face appeared to be frozen. “I just…you know…I thought we’d have the whole morning.”
He glanced at his watch, then out the wall of windows fronting the store, at the heavy snowflakes falling. “I thought that, too, but look at the weather.”
Shannon turned to look, then swallowed. “I thought you liked snow.”
“In its proper place and time.”
“Oh.”
Her eyes filled with tears and Rory suddenly got it. She wanted