Page 46 of Welcome Home for Christmas
Without thinking, he reached for her hand, taking it in his own. Her eyes widened a little more, but she didn’t pull away.
“See you later, Rhonda,” Troy called, tugging Allison out of the store with the Betty doll under one arm.
“Well, that was fun,” Allison remarked as they bypassed his truck and started walking. The town of Paradise Point was scenic. And Aunt Mabel’s Deli was only a few blocks down the street.
“I really like your sister-in-law,” Allison said. “Are your other brothers married, too?”
Troy gave his head a hard shake. “My brother David lives with my mom, remember? And my youngest brother is a workaholic. He runs half the family businesses on his own.”
“How many businesses does your family own, exactly?” she asked.
“Well, let’s see. My cousins own the Fishing Pier and the restaurant attached to it. Rhonda owns the toy shop you just got to see up close and personal. Aunt Mabel has the town’s favorite sandwich shop,” he said. “There’s a boardwalk downtown. Most of that land belongs to the Matthews family, too. We own a few small businesses there, including the bar on Front Street.” He glanced over. “It’s a lot of fun growing up in a town where your family owns the local bar.”
Allison shook her head, marveling. “I can’t believe you gave all of that up to join the military.”
“Why is that so hard for everyone to believe?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Most people would love to have a ready-made, thriving business fall into their laps.”
He reached down for a rock as he walked and rolled it between his fingers, considering this. “I’m not most people, I guess.”
—
After eating lunch at Aunt Mabel’s, Troy drove Allison back to the Veterans’ Center in Seaside. She was in a really good mood after finally locating the prized Betty doll and having the best honey ham sandwich she’d ever eaten. And maybe Troy Matthews had a little something to do with her mood, too.
“I have work stuff tonight, but if you’re still willing, I’d love to get together tomorrow night,” he said as he pulled into the Center’s parking lot.
She was willing all right. And a little disappointed that the fun wouldn’t start until tomorrow. “Sounds good.” She hesitated before unloading from his truck. She wasn’t sure how to act with their new arrangement. Should she kiss him now? A peck on the cheek or a full-on kiss with tongue?
Troy glanced over and leaned in. He kissed her mouth, no tongue. It was perfect, though.
Allison got out and half floated, half walked back into the Center.
“Is that the Betty doll?” Julie asked, walking up behind her.
Allison held up the box excitedly and continued toward her office.
“Where did you find it?”
“In Paradise Point. There’s this wonderful toy store I discovered there that has just about everything you could possibly want.”
They entered Allison’s office and she sat the doll on her desk.
Julie raised an eyebrow as Allison turned to face her. “Paradise Point, huh? Isn’t that where Troy Matthews is from?”
Allison skirted her gaze. “Yeah, so?”
“Was Troy the one who happened to take you to this toy store?” Julie asked, curling her words in a singsong voice.
“He came here to take me out to lunch and then we decided to go see if his sister-in-law’s shop had the baby doll. It was all very innocent.”
Julie propped her hands on her hips. “Why did he even come here to take you out to lunch? I thought you said there was nothing going on between you guys.”
Allison couldn’t contain her grin.
Julie pointed. “Ah-ha! Busted crushing on the hot Marine. Spill.”
“It’s nothing really. We’re just having fun together,” Allison said. And tomorrow night when he came to her place, she planned on having a whole lot of fun. A year’s worth of fun, in fact, because that’s how long it might be before she found herself in another relationship. A real relationship.
