Page 11 of Holly, Jolly, and Oh So Naughty

“Oh?” I take a half-step past Lily. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, yes. Don’t you worry yourself. I’m just nearly done with your car. These fancier models always take a little extra loving, y’know? But the part I ordered that I didn’t think would arrive until after Christmas actually turned up today, so I’ll have you back on the road in no time.”

“That’s fantastic news,” I say. “You’ve already outdone yourself.”

“Well, that’s good news.” Adam grins. “You’ll be able to go just about anywhere now. Will you be heading to visit family for Christmas?”

That thought catches in my mind and I hesitate. “Uh… no, no. Not this year. No traveling for me.”

Adam’s lips part as if ready to ask another question when a young girl skips out from behind the counter and charges straight toward me. She has a mop of brown hair sweeping across her head and trailing behind her as she runs, and striking blue eyes. Just as she reaches me, I notice the smattering of freckles across her nose. Then she passes me and latches onto Lily’s leg.

“Mommy!” she cries. “Hurry up. I’m so hungry I’m about to fade away into nothing!”

Lily begins to laugh, and while carefully balancing the boxes in one hand, reaches down the other to pat her daughter’s head. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m on it.”

“No family at Christmas?” Hillary pipes up.

Just as I search for some kind of excuse, Lily suddenly shoves one of the containers into my arms. “Help me with this?” she asks.

“Gladly.”

We quickly escape the awkward family questions, and I breathe a sigh of relief as we walk through the dining hall. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. My mom is every bit as small-town as they come, and she feeds on information.” Lily chuckles. “She never means anything by it, but it can get pretty awkward quickly.”

“I can imagine.” She does strike me as a lovely woman, but my family can of worms is firmly closed right now. My thoughts linger on Lily and more importantly, her daughter. I didn’t knowshe had a child, and now suddenly, the woman I ache for has all the makings of a true family.

“So, that was your daughter?”

“Mmm, yes. Emma. She’s an adorable rascal.” Lily smiles. She leads me into the kitchen and takes the Tupperware container from my hands. “She will also ask you awkward questions, but again, that’s just curiosity.”

“No harm,” I say, and I lean against the metal counter. “You and your husband are very lucky.”

“Oh.” Lily snorts loudly as she works to remove the lids and decant the meals into a large metal pot. “I’m not married.”

“Oh, look at me,” I say as a wave of relief crashes down on my shoulders. “Now I’m the one assuming things.”

“Honestly, as assumptions go about single mothers, that’s probably the gentlest one.” Lily uses the back of her wrist to push hair away from her eyes, then she flashes me a smile and turns on the heat. “So, James. Why are you here? Of all the places in the world, why are you in this place?”

You. The answer sits heavy on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t say it. To admit it would open myself up to the almost certain rejection coming my way, and I want to enjoy this reunion for a little while longer.

“Well…” Taking a deep breath, I brace both hands against the counter. “My dad died.”

Lily abruptly pauses her stirring and looks at me with eyes flooded with sorrow. “Oh, James. I’m so sorry.”

Waving one hand, I try to pass it off. If I linger too long, then the crushing grief I’m keeping at bay with stress and a dream will flood forward and smother me. “It’s okay. I mean it’s not but… y’know.”

“How did it happen?”

“Heart attack. It was sudden. One minute, he was here, being the life of the room and carving out a legacy and the next, he was just…”

Skimming my hand along the cool countertop, my mind flashes with memories of getting the call and hearing my mother sob on the phone. Of having to shake countless hands as people I barely knew told me what a great man he was. The funeral was more of a show than anything else. I force the memories away and smile tightly.

“Anyway. I just needed… something different. I needed to not be in that world for a while and I needed to do something that felt right to me, so when I came across the job posting, I took it. And now I’m here.”

“Wow.” Lily shakes her head. “What are the chances that you would end up in my little town, huh?”

“Probably one in a million.” I can’t take my eyes off her. When I look at her, the pain and fog in my mind vanishes, and the acidic sorrow in my chest warms to affection instead. Such power she has on me and we are, effectively, strangers.

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