Page 35 of Single All the Way

“It makes me crave a little Nirvana or Pearl Jam.”

“The grunge bands of our childhood will never get old,” he said.

The kids were engrossed in coloring pictures of Santa standing in front of the restaurant, chattering back and forth about their day, generally ignoring Ben and me. It was a blessing how well these four got along.

“I’m done,” Xavier said, holding up his artwork.

“I love the colors you chose,” I said. Coloring wasn’t really his thing. He was the opposite of a precise, stay-within-the-lines kid. He’d chosen a deep purple for Santa’s suit.

“Santa should be red,” Ruby told him. She wasn’t even halfway done with hers yet because she was taking her time and going for perfection.

“My Santa’s red suit is in the laundry,” Xavier said, making all of us laugh. “What’s this?” He reached for the triangular table tent. “‘Your entry in the Dragonfly Lake Holiday Parade could win a prize,’” he read out loud. His brows shot up his forehead as he continued reading to himself. “Oh, we could win a hundred-dollar gift certificate to Earthly Charm! Or A Novel Place! Mom, can we make a float?”

There was nothing that sounded worse to me at that moment. Not even a school science project. “I don’t think so, Xav,” I said with zero hesitation. “That would take weeks of working every day on it. I have to work at the salon.”

He frowned. “I could do it by myself.”

I laughed softly. “Make a float? Let’s leave that to grown-ups, kiddo. We can go to the parade and pick our favorites, okay?”

“Dr. Ben could help me,” my son said, his tone hopeful.

With another laugh, I shut that down immediately. Ben was just crazy—and unselfish—enough he might consider it. “Dr. Ben has to work too, plus take care of all the animals. I’m sorry, sweetie. That’s a big project, and there just isn’t time for it.”

“What about our new gramma?” Skyler asked.

I was still puzzling through the new gramma bit when Ruby blurted out, “Grandma Berty could help us!”

My mouth gaped open, and I met Ben’s gaze for a moment. His eyes sparkled with amusement. I was more worried about setting the record straight.

“Even though we call her Grandma Berty, she’s not really our grandma,” I said carefully. “But we can still love her like a grandma, can’t we?”

“I love her already,” Skyler said.

“Grandma Berty’s the best,” Evelyn said authoritatively.

“We like Nana Kizzy too,” Xavier said, “but she lives far away now.”

The discussion switched to Kizzy’s upcoming visit, the big hotels in Vegas, the desert, the jungle, and a dozen other topics. Our appetizers of fried mozzarella and chips and artichoke dip arrived, and we dove into them, the kids’ conversation not missing a beat.

My festive cocktail was two-thirds gone. I made a point of stretching it out until the main dishes arrived, in part to prevent me from ordering another. With the champagne pre-drink, I was definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol in my vision and my level of relaxation. Ben had told me when I considered ordering a cocktail that we could leave my car parked behind the salon for the night so I wouldn’t have to drive home.

Once again, he’d sensed I’d had a hard day and could use a drink, even though I was sure his day had worn him out just as much.

“Do you have any flaws?” I asked him quietly enough that the kids paid no attention. Maybe that was too personal, but I was relaxed and didn’t care. I was legitimately trying to find anything wrong with the man sitting next to me.

He laughed. “That’s a joke, right?”

“Not a joke. You put your kids first—and mine now—you take care of a jillion animals, you’re good to your grandma and include her in your daily lives. You’re thoughtful and seem to care about, like, everyone you meet. You always have a smile for people, even in the morning.”

“I like mornings.”

“That could be counted as a flaw in some circles,” I said, thinking hard about it and deciding it was not, in fact, a flaw because who wanted to deal with a grumpy grouch in the morning?

“You cook pretty good,” I continued, “run a successful business, and offer to take in homeless friends and their kids, over the holidays no less.”

“Plus I’m a good kisser,” he said into my ear.

Without thinking, I went for his thigh that was so close to mine with a half smack, half grab. “You’re awful,” I said as I turned my head and met his gaze, unable to hide my grin.

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