Page 27 of Maybe This Christmas
“Teaching?”
“Yeah, I have a master’s degree in environmental engineering.Until I moved home, I taught and tinkered in additional to my day job.I still love it, but, to be honest, I prefer construction.Especially because there are so many opportunities to be environmentally friendly.”
“Sounds like you’re a busy man.”
“Yeah, but I like it that way.I don’t do well with idle hands.”
Dutch stuck his head inside.“I don’t mean to interrupt, but karaoke is starting in the lounge.Mr.Parker—you know the guy who looks like Santa?—is delivering a rounding rendition of Nelly’sHot in Herre.I wouldn’t want you to miss out.”
Caleb and Emma burst into laughter.“I don’t think we can miss that.I mean, if you’re up for it?”Emma added.
“I don’t think I could live with myself if I missed it.”
They both groaned as they rose from the table.As they stepped into the hall, a thudding bass led them toward the lounge.The Nelly song ended, to a rousing round of applause.
“Is that…” Caleb craned his neck.“Run DMC?”The familiar strains ofChristmas in Holliscarried down the hallway.Not exactly the type of song he’d thought would be featured at karaoke.
Without thinking, Caleb drew his arm around Emma’s shoulders.“You might find this surprising, but I do know all the words to this song.”
“It’s not,” Emma teased.“You are older than me, right?”
He cocked a brow.“How would you know that, Emma?”
She gave an impish shrug of her shoulders in reply.“I know things.I also might’ve made use of the Wi-Fi in the lodge earlier.”
His arm dropped lower to loop around her waist.“Were you snooping on my social media, Ms.Dale?”
She didn’t delve too deeply—that felt creepy and weird—but she’d searched enough to find out that Caleb was only two years older than her.Nearly the identical age difference in her and Davis’ relationship.
“Aniyah did most of the digging and reported back.She gave you a tentative thumbs-up.”
“Her opinion means a lot, doesn’t it?”
She smiled.“More than anyone’s.”
He dropped his arm to his side as they walked into the lounge.Two of the older women she’d seen snooping around were belting out an off-key rendition ofJingle Bell Rock.
“God, Babs and Inez are such a trainwreck.What are they even doing here?Sabrina never told me how much time the biddies spend here.”Caleb winced as their off-key rendition began.“Oh god, I think I need another drink.Or two.”
“Caleb!”A shrill voice carried over even Babs’ and Inez’s terrible singing.
He turned to Emma.“I don’t want to alarm you, but that woman waving her arms wildly is my mother.If you want to go back to your cabin, I won’t think less of you.”He had to shout to be heard over the calamity.
Emma leaned in on her tiptoes toward Caleb.“With the rate that woman is hightailing it across the room, I don’t think escape is possible.Unless one of the features of this room is aMission Impossible-style escape hatch.”
“Unfortunately not, and I would know.”
She laughed and leaned in closer to him.God, he smelled amazing.
“All right then, brace for impact.”
“Caleb!”The woman barreling toward them stopped suddenly in front of them.“What are you doing here?”
Caleb half-rolled his eyes.“You know why I’m here.What are you doing here?And why are Dad and Uncle Gordon wearing matching Santa suits and cutting a rug?Dad’s gonna injure himself again.”
Emma’s gaze carried over to the far side of the room, where two identical Santas danced in unison to the god-awful karaoke performance.She tuned back into Caleb’s conversation with his mother when she felt a tug on her arm.
Emma turned to look at the older woman.Caleb was obviously her son—they shared the same eyes and mouth.Her chestnut-brown hair was pulled up on top of her head, wrapped with a red velvet ribbon.
