Page 15 of Christmas On Anchor Island

The question cut way too close to asking her on a date. “I just follow Grandma’s recipe. I’ll have her make you a copy and drop it by your office the next time she’s at the hospital.”

Disappointment was clear in his eyes. “That would be great. I’ll let you know when I try it so you can have a taste and see how I did.”

Checking Henri’s expression, Mia could tell by the tightening of her jaw that she knew what was happening. Mia wanted to tell Jeremy he was barking up the wrong tree, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, nor was she willing to tell him the truth.

“You should probably get back to the kids, Santa,” Mia said, nodding to the three-foot-tall crowd coming their way.

Jeremy patted his belly with a smile barely visible through the fake beard. “Right. That is why I’m here.” Turning to the children, he said, “Ho ho ho, do you all like your presents?”

They all answered at once, dragging him back to his chair, where they each insisted on showing him every toy and book and bit of sports equipment they’d opened.

Noticing the twitch in Henri’s jaw, Mia said, “It was nice of him to step in for Bernie.”

“Has he asked you out yet?” she said, ignoring the comment.

Mia sighed. “No, but I think Grandma keeps encouraging him while I’m doing my best not to.”

Blue eyes cut to Santa. “She must see him as the perfect match for you. Tall. Handsome.” Meeting Mia’s gaze, she added, “Male.”

“That isn’t fair. You know I’m not interested in Jeremy, but what am I supposed to do?”

“Letting him keep hitting on you instead of telling him the truth is only going to make him feel like more of a fool when he finds out.”

Which was why he could never find out. “If he comes out and asks me on a date, I’ll let him know I don’t see him that way. He’ll never have to know the truth.”

Henri lowered her voice and moved closer. “Never is a long time, Mia. You’re really going to live this lie forever?”

Her heart rate sped up as Henri’s honeysuckle scent filled her senses. “I didn’t say that. I’m just saying that Jeremy doesn’t have to know about me in order for him to know that he and I are never going on a date.”

“No, I guess he doesn’t,” she conceded. “I’d better help Callie get the twins ready to go. I’ll see you around.”

Mia watched Henri disappear into the baby room, wishing with all her heart that things could be different. But wishing got her nowhere. Mia had spun a web around herself and now she had to live with it. Maybe someday she would be brave like Henri, but something told her that by then, it would be too late.

* * *

“I didn’t realizehow much of a production this had become.” Henri held a squirming Rachel on her left hip and carried a diaper bag heavy enough to contain a dead body with her right. “What the hell do you have in here?”

“Enough supplies to get a toddler and two babies through an apocalypse.” Callie pulled a lock of her hair out of Roxanne’s mouth and nodded at the hostess. “Three adults and three high chairs, please.”

“For Edwards?” the teenager asked.

“That’s right. Is it a long wait?”

“Just a couple of minutes,” the girl replied. “Have a seat and I’ll call you when the table is ready.”

They did as ordered and Henri was relieved to be able to put the bag down. Conner was with Sam, who was parking the car after dropping them at the door. Eugenia was still suffering from the headache that had kept her away from the daycare party earlier and had opted to stay home.

“How do you do this when I’m not here?” Henri asked.

“We don’t.”

“You what?”

Callie caught Roxanne’s pacifier a foot before it hit the floor. Popping it back into the girl’s mouth, she said, “We don’t go out unless we have a babysitter or someone tagging along to help.”

She had to be making that up. “Is this your way of trying to convince me to move here?”

Her cousin shook her head with a fierce mama bear glint in her eye. “When the girls were six months old, we went out to eat as a family. While Sam and I were juggling the twins, Conner ran after a cat, which darted across the road. My heart stops just thinking about how close he came to getting hit by a car.” Smoothing back her daughter’s soft brown hair, she said, “Now we don’t go out unless there’s an adult for each child.”

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