Page 58 of Christmas in Paradise

I pass Sparks Electric, wishing I had a reason to stop. Somehow, though, it’s comforting knowing he’s there. I don’t know why. Maybe because it’s evidence he hasn’t run for the hills to get as far away from me as possible.

Carson is already at Pizzazz when I get there, and I carry the coffees I ordered for him and Steve inside.

“Thank you, dear,” Carson says when I hand it to him.

I love that, even though he’s only in his forties, he talks like a grandma. No matter how many to-dos he hands me, he always gives off this warm and cozy vibe.

“How did last night go?” He asks while taking the lid off his café au lait and breathing it in. This is always the first step in his morning coffee ritual. “Is our little princess a dancing queen now?”

Carson dotes on Charly, and I love it. My stepdad adores her too, but he’s not super emotive, so Charly is getting a very different experience with a man like Carson in her life who give hugs freely and generously.

“Not so much,” I answer before taking a fortifying sip of my americano. “Seb was sweet with her, but between saving her from oncoming traffic and comforting her after Uncle Rad nipped at her, he was too overwhelmed to do any dancing and Charly maxed out. It was a mess.” I let out a laugh. “I may have scared him off for good.”

I’m mostly joking, but Carson shuts his laptop and gives me his full attention. “So, you’re not interested in scaring Seb away anymore? This is news.” He points to the seat across from him. “Sit. Tell me everything.”

I do as he orders, realizing I’ve just said out loud the idea I’ve been toying with: I want to give Seb a chance. I meant it last night when I told him I didn’t want him to give up on me. But the more important realization is that I don’t want to give up on him.

And I’m grateful to have someone to talk everything through with. Evie wasn’t around last night, and I rushed out the door this morning.

“Where do I even start?” I say with a sigh.

“Wait.” Carson holds up his hand, and for a second, I’m afraid we won’t talk, but then he yells to the front of the store, “lock the doors, Steve. We need you back here.”

“He’s very good with relationship stuff,” he says to me.

“I’m not in a relationship…”

“You will be,” Carson smiles as Steve walks into the office and takes the chair next to mine. “With our help.”

I tense for half a second, wondering if that’s what I want… a relationship. But I quickly brush the thought away. I wouldn’t have asked Seb to keep trying if I didn’t. I wouldn’t feel a pang of jealousy every time I see Adam and Evie together.

So I welcome all the help Carson wants to give me. And, honestly, I don’t mind him inviting Steve to join us, at all. My love life is so hard for me to make sense of that Carson isn’t wrong to call in reinforcements.

They both angle their bodies toward me, giving me their full attention as I give them every detail about last night, from the hood slide to the dog bite. They nod and throw in a few ahhhs when I tell them about Seb holding Charly’s hand and letting her help feed Uncle Rad. By the time I finish, Carson is clutching his hands over his heart, and Steve is smiling softly.

“I’ve known Seb all his life, but I’ve never known him like this,” Carson says. “Although I’ve always suspected he had a gentle, protective side.”

Steve nods in agreement. “His dad died when Seb was young. Did you know that?”

“I knew he’d died, but I don’t know much more than that.” I scoot further into my seat, prepared to hear everything they’ll tell me that can give me more insight into Seb.

“He was in the service, killed in action in Afghanistan,” Steve goes on. “There’s some plaques around town honoring him.”

“Great guy. Very manly,” Carson adds. “Seb was only five, maybe six. Stella wasn’t even born.”

“But how sad. That must have been hard for Gia. Seb told me she met his dad when he was stationed in Italy, and she left her whole family back there to move here.” I cup my hands around my coffee, thinking about the challenge Gia must have faced when her husband died.

I also feel a deeper connection to her, being a single mom, and having left my family to come to Paradise, even if that only ends up being temporary.

“She wanted to go back to Italy after Mike died, but that would have meant taking Seb away from the family he was already attached to here. He and Stella have always been as close as siblings with the Thomsen kids,” Steve says, settling into his role as family history expert. “Heidi—she’s Mike’s sister—was like a second mother to them when Gia went back to school, and even before Mike died, he was gone often enough that Pete was a surrogate father.”

I nod while Steve talks, finally piecing together all the family connections. “So, Zach and Adam’s mom is Seb’s dad’s sister? Got it.”

“Then there’s Mike’s parents, Jim and Elsie Sparks,” Carson jumps in. “Have you met them?”

I shake my head. I remember Seb mentioning them this summer, even pointing out their house. But that’s it.

“Jim’s a tough guy,” Carson says in a tight voice. “A good guy, but it’s his way or the highway; the man’s the head of the household, so don’t question him; a woman’s job is to keep her husband and children happy. All that jazz.” Carson pauses, and I get the sense he and Jim haven’t always seen eye to eye. “He did what he could to fill the place Mike left as far as being a ‘male figure,’ for Seb.”

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