Page 35 of No Time for Traditions

Greg stood from the table and walked over to Brittany. He took her hands in his and led her to the hallway, where he stopped.

“What are you doing?”

Greg pointed above their heads to a sprig of mistletoe hanging from the doorframe.

“When did that get there?”

“I may have snuck it in when you were bringing in the food.” Greg’s hand brushed against her face and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Brittany pressed her lips together as her pulse picked up. Greg still hadn’t answered her question about them. She opened her mouth to ask him once more, but his mouth was on hers before she could speak. His hands held her head, and she relaxed in his strong embrace, resting her own hands on his firm chest.

Their first kiss under the mistletoe had been amazing. But their second kiss overpowered it by far. His fingers stroked her hair as she reached up and wrapped her hands behind his neck. They stood there for what felt like an eternity and a split second all in one.

Brittany didn’t want the moment to end. But when it did, she knew Greg had given her an answer. And his actions spoke much louder than words, to say the least.

* * *

Greg leftBrittany feeling like a new man. No woman had ever had such an effect on him, even Autumn. He’d known Brittany was special long ago when she wouldn’t give him the time of day. Now that they shared the same feelings, he knew without a doubt that he loved her.

After a long lunch break at the farmhouse, he begrudgingly went back to work. But at least he finished all the field work on the Barnes’s property. After some time in the office, he could complete this job and get paid.

And if all worked out as planned, he might be living in the country sooner than later.

On the way home, Greg stopped by the general store. He wanted to get a gift for Brittany to show her how much she meant to him. All he knew to do was try to give her a kiss she couldn’t resist. So that no Wall Street guy could knock him out of her mind.

More than anything, Greg wanted to be her boyfriend. And eventually, even more. Still, it wasn’t right to put that kind of stress on her. She was still coming to terms with losing her grandparents’ home and had a lot going on at work. The last thing she needed was a long-distance relationship, and he could respect that.

Greg meandered around the store like a lost puppy. He never shopped unless he needed food, more work clothes, or hunting gear. That pretty much limited him to sporting goods stores and Walmart or Piggly Wiggly. But if he could give Brittany something to let her know he was thinking of her and make her think of him . . .

“Oh.” Greg spotted a sign that read “Christmas Ornaments.” Even though it was the day after Christmas, he knew how much she loved the holiday. This way, each year when she decorated, she could think of him. And with any luck, this time next year, they’d be decorating together again.

He spun the rack full of hanging ornaments with everything from Santa heads to nativity scenes to personalized sports themes. Curious at all the options, he looked over the personalized ones. A football ornament caught his eye. He wasn’t looking to buy for himself, but it was pretty cool. When he went to put back the football, he noticed a shiny white and silver skate.

Picking it up brought Greg back to the two times they’d skated this past week. The first time, he’d held on to Brittany and made a genuine connection. The second, they had their first kiss under the mistletoe.

Greg ran a finger over the skate and decided to have it engraved. The young lady behind the cashier’s desk asked if he would need gift wrapping. And since Greg didn’t want to get his nosy mother involved, he agreed to let the store clerk wrap it.

Putting the small red box inside his coat pocket, Greg left the store and drove down the block to his office. It looked deserted, as did most businesses the day after Christmas. And Jake wouldn’t be back for another two days, as his family had rented a cabin in the mountains.

Greg turned on the answering machine out of habit, not expecting any calls. They had one.

If that was Old Man Puttman . . .

“Greg, this is Leslie. I didn’t have your cell phone number. If you could call me back...”

Greg fumbled through his desk and found a pen. He replayed the message and jotted down the number on a sticky note.

Knowing the urgency of the call, he returned it right away.

“Hi, Leslie.”

Greg drummed his thumb on his knee, anticipating what the Barnes family Realtor had to say.

“They’ve accepted your offer, and they’re willing to close the deal as soon as tomorrow if you can make that work.”

“Of course, I can make that work. What time?” Greg wrote a few more notes and listened as she went over some of the logistics.

“Actually, I did the survey, so I’ve already got all that information.”

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