Page 122 of The Holiday Gift

“Sure.” She picked up her plate and a glass of water and headed with him toward the chairs he indicated.

“Where are the kids?”

“Where else? In the pool.” He gestured through the glass doors and she saw Jack playing in the shallow end with Laura’s son, Alex. Ava was huddled with a group of girls, including Destry and Gabi.

“Taft offered to keep an eye on them for me so I could grab something to eat, since he was watching Alex and Maya anyway. I figured they were pretty safe with the fire chief on lifeguard duty.”

They lapsed into silence and she nibbled at a little delicacy that tasted of pumpkin and cinnamon.

“So are you ready for Christmas?” she finally asked when the silence grew awkward. She regretted the words the instant they left her mouth. Good grief, could she sound any more mindless?

“No. Not at all,” he answered with a slight note of panic in his voice. “I should be home wrapping presents right now. I don’t know the first thing about how to do that. My wife usually took care of those details and then Mrs. Michaels has stepped in since Brooke died. Maybe I’ll tell the kids Santa decided not to wrap the presents this year and just jumble them under the tree.”

“You can’t do that! The mystery and anticipation of unwrapping the gifts is part of the magic!”

He raised an eyebrow. “Says the woman who would like to forget all about the holidays.”

“Just because I don’t particularly enjoy Christmas doesn’t mean I don’t know what makes the day a perfect one, especially for children,” she protested. “Destry’s gifts have been wrapped and hidden away since Thanksgiving.”

He was quiet for a long moment and then he shook his head. “You’re remarkable, aren’t you?”

His words baffled her. Was he making fun of her? “Why do you say that?”

“You hate Christmas but wouldn’t think for a moment of short-shrifting your niece in any way. I just find that amazing. You really love her, don’t you?”

She watched Destry through the glass, now playing ball with the other girls. “I do. She’s the daughter I’ll probably never have.”

“Why not? You’re young. What makes you think you won’t have a family of your own someday?”

She wanted to answer that she was very much afraid she was falling in love with a veterinarian who had made it plain he was only interested in friendship, but of course she couldn’t. “Some of us are just meant to be favorite aunts, I guess.”

Before he could respond to what she suddenly realized sounded rather pathetic, she quickly changed the subject. “Do you want some help with the children’s presents? I can sneak over after they’re in bed tonight and help you wrap them. How long would it take? An hour, maybe. Tops.”

He stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head. “I’m sure that’s not necessary. I’ll probably fumble my way through. Or just leave things unwrapped. It won’t be the end of the world.”

Another rejection. She almost sighed. She should be used to it by now. This time she had only been offering to help him but apparently even that was more than he wanted from her.

“No problem. I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“That’s my line. I don’t want you to feel obligated to come over at midnight on a pity mission to wrap presents for the inept single father.”

“I never even thought of it that way!” she exclaimed. “I only wanted to... I don’t know. Ease your burden a little.”

He opened his mouth and then closed it again, an odd light in his eyes. “In that case, all right,” he said after a long moment. “Everything is so crazy this year, with the rented house and Mrs. Michaels gone. I probably should try to keep the rest of our holiday traditions as consistent as possible. Santa Claus has always wrapped their gifts. I’m sure Jack won’t care but Ava will probably consider it another failing of mine if I don’t do things the way she’s used to.”

He paused. “I’m afraid my ledger of debt to you is growing longer and longer.”

She managed a smile. “Friends don’t keep track of things like that, Ben.”

Because that’s all they apparently would ever be, at least she could be the best damn friend he’d ever had.

“Thank you.”

She couldn’t sit here and make polite conversation with him, she decided. Not when she wanted so much more.

“Oh, there’s Becca and Trace. I promised Becca I would talk to her about the menu for Christmas dinner. I should go do that. Will you excuse me?”

He rose. “Sure.”

---