Page 64 of Just One Kiss

"It's so big," Brett said in amazement. "I never had a tree this big. Are we going to decorate it?"

"We are," Hannah assured him. "As soon as I pull out the decorations."

Jake stepped to the side as Hannah's mother entered the living room. She didn't glance in his direction, her gaze going straight to the tree.

"What do you think, Mom?" Hannah asked.

"It's very nice. Do you still have any of our decorations?"

"They're in the garage."

At Hannah's words, he saw guilt move through Katherine Stark's eyes. No doubt she'd missed more than a few Christmases and probably had no idea where many of her things had ended up.

"Well, good," Katherine said. "I've made spaghetti and salad for dinner. It's ready now. Perhaps we can decorate the tree after we eat."

"Thanks for making dinner, Mom."

"It was nothing." Katherine's gaze finally moved in his direction. "If you'd like to stay for dinner, Jake, there's plenty."

Her invitation almost knocked him off his feet. It was certainly a turnaround from the way she'd spoken to him earlier.

"Are you going to stay?" Brett asked eagerly.

He hesitated, his gaze seeking Hannah's.

"You're welcome to stay for dinner," Hannah said. "You did help me get the tree here. And as I recall, spaghetti is one of your favorite meals."

"It is," he admitted.

"Well, I'll just put the garlic bread in the oven," Katherine said. "Brett, why don't you come with me? We'll get your hands washed so you're ready to eat."

As they left the room, his gaze swung to her. "Are you sure this is all right?"

"I wouldn't have suggested you stay if it wasn't."

"I thought you'd be ready to see the back of me by now."

She met his gaze. "I would have thought the same thing. But you're kind of growing on me."

"Not like fungus, I hope," he joked.

She grinned. "You said it, not me."

He smiled back at her. "What did you say to your mom to get her to invite me to dinner?"

"Nothing."

She was lying. He could see that. "Well, whatever it was, I appreciate it."

"We'll see if you feel the same way after dinner," she said dryly.

* * *

The food was good. The conversation and atmosphere were tense, but dinner with Hannah and her mother wasn't as bad as Jake thought it might be, mostly because Brett talked constantly, asking questions about everything under the sun. Katherine was surprisingly patient with her grandson, which was not a trait he usually associated with Hannah's mother.But then how well did he really know her?

When they were in high school, Hannah had never wanted to hang out at her house. He only went there when she was stuck watching her little brother, and on those occasions her mom had not been home. Once or twice, he'd witnessed Katherine come stumbling into the house, but Hannah had always pushed him out the door when that was happening. He'd known there were problems, but he certainly hadn't realized how bad things were or how much Hannah had kept from him. Even now, he didn't think he knew most of it. Or that anyone really knew what had gone on in the house.

But tonight things were different, and maybe that was because of Brett, or perhaps it was because Katherine was now sober. Whatever the reason, he hoped it was a sign of better times to come.

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