Page 187 of A Merry Mountain Christmas

I’ve lived here for years, but there’s not much of me here either. Part of me has been in a holding pattern, waiting for my life to start. But things changed when I joined Mary and Aidan for hot chocolate that first day. I can see that now.

Mary hasn’t been gone more than a few minutes when the door bursts open and Mrs. Rosa appears.

“Tell meallabout Mary. Where did you meet her? How long has this been going on?” she says in a breathless rush.

I groan and lower into my beat-up recliner. “Mrs. Rosa…”

She sits on the arm of the sofa. “Don’t youMrs. Rosame,” she scolds.

“As I’m sure you’ve gathered, Mary is Aidan’s mom. I met her when I met him.” I push out a sigh and grab the remote control from the table next to my chair, then pull up Netflix. I want to end this conversation as quickly as possible, and I can only hope she takes the hint. “It was a one-time thing, and the one time has happened.” It was more like a three-time thing, but she doesn’t need to know that.

She picks up a throw pillow and tosses it at my face. “You idiot.”

I grab the pillow and lower it to my lap. “Can you be more specific?”

“You need to woo her.”

My brow shoots up my forehead. “Wooher?”

She throws another pillow at me. “You know what wooing is.”

“It’s not that kind of a relationship.”

“It has to besomekind of relationship if she came ’round with you to look for Roger’s cat.”

I lean forward in my chair. “She’s new to this single parent thing, and she’s got enough on her plate. She doesn’t have time for a relationship.”

“Then what was she doing here with you?”

“It was a mistake.” Only it doesn’t feel like a mistake.

Her face contorts, and she practically jumps off the sofa arm and charges toward me, pointing her finger in my face. “Don’t you dare call that woman being here to save Roger’s cat a mistake!”

“Okay,” I concede. “It wasn’t a mistake. And yes, I want more with her, but it’s not going to happen, Mrs. Rosa. Mary set the rules, and right before she left, she told me this wasn’t going to work.”

Her lips press together, and she crosses her arms over her chest. “She resents the time she spent helping Roger find Cleo?”

“No, it’s not that.” It wouldn’t be fair to let her think badly of Mary. I run a hand through my hair in frustration. “Aidan FaceTimed her while we were here, and he figured out Mary was at my apartment. He got jealous, and Mary’s worried about hurting him.” Before she can respond, I add, “But we weren’t starting a relationship anyway. She made it very clear that she doesn’t want one. She just wants to be friends.”

“That may be what she’s saying, but that’s not what she wants.” Her brow lifts. “I saw the way she was looking at you. It wasn’t the way a woman looks at afriend.”

I sit back in my chair.

Her expression softens. “You could fight for her.”

I stare at the Netflix homepage, swallowing my rising disappointment over Mary’s decision.

“You deserve good things, Jace,” she says softly.

Startled, I look over at her. Her tone, her expression—everything about Mrs. Rosa is throwing me.

“Your sister’s not the only one who did a number on you. Your daddy did too. But they were both in the wrong. I hope someday you realize that. The Marys of this world aren’t too good for you. That woman would be lucky to have you.”

Her words hit a little too close to home. “She’s an attorney, Mrs. Rosa. I’m a carpenter who doesn’t even make enough to support a family.”

Her lips purse again, and she places a hand on my shoulder. “A man’s worth isn’t determined by the size of his paycheck or the amount of money in his bank account. If it were, then Roger Ditmore would be considered scum.” Her gaze pierces mine. “Roger lost his job before he retired, which cost him his pension. He doesn’t have much in his bank account. Do you consider him to be a poor excuse for a man?”

“Of course not,” I bark, my anger rising at the mere suggestion. “He’s a good man, deserving of respect.”

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