Page 39 of Milkshakes and Mistletoe

Jacob grinned up at him. “Hi,” was all he managed to say before Scooter was licking his face again.

Grady had to laugh. “Hey. Nice to meet you.”

Hannah plucked Scooter off him, and Jacob stood up and dusted himself down before holding out his hand to shake. “Jacob. And it’s nice to meet you, too, Grady.”

Grady grinned as he shook hands with him. It made him happier than it probably should to know that Hannah must have told her brother that he’d be visiting. “Forgive me for saying it, but I never expected to seetheJacob Jacobs rolling around on the ground with a puppy.”

Jacob laughed. “And if you tell anyone, I’ll deny it. It’s not an everyday occurrence.” He petted Scooter, who was wriggling in Hannah’s arms.

She grinned at them both. “Don’t believe him, Grady. He’s as human as the rest of us.” She made a face at her brother. “And if he’d understand that there’s no shame in that, he might actually relax and enjoy life a bit more.”

Jacob rolled his eyes at Grady. “You’ll have to watch yourself with her. She’ll have you baring your soul and singing Kumbaya before you know what’s happening. She’s been trying it on me lately.”

Grady raised his eyebrows at Hannah, but she just laughed. “If getting a person to admit that they are a mere mortal means making them bare their soul, then I’m guilty as charged.”

“Well, you already know that I’m as mere a mortal as you’ve ever met. And you’ve already had a peek through the window to my soul.” He winked at her and then turned back to Jacob. “That doesn’t mean I’m turning in my man-card, though.”

They both laughed.

“I like him,” Jacob told Hannah. Then he turned back to Grady. “Are you bringing Ava to the tree lighting?”

“That’s the plan.” He didn’t know if he was more surprised that Hannah had obviously told Jacob about Ava or that he remembered her name.

“Do you think she’d like to help me turn the lights on?” He glanced at Hannah. “My sister has roped me in to do the honors, but I’m thinking it might be better to share that honor with someone who’d appreciate it more than I do.”

Grady grinned. He couldn’t help it. “She’d love it!” He loved the idea for her, but then it hit him that it might be a bit much for her. She wasn’t the most outgoing kid.

“But …?” Jacob was watching him closely.

Grady met his gaze. Before tonight there was no way he would have asked Jacob Jacobs the question he was about to, but before tonight he hadn’t known that the man behind the public persona was a guy who he actually liked. “I think she’d love to do it, but she’d be nervous. I don’t know what the plan is, but I imagine that you’ll have a stage set up or something?”

Jacob looked at Hannah and she nodded.

“Well, Ava would need to feel like she was with someone she trusted if she was going to go up there.”

Jacob’s smile faded. “Are you saying you want to do it with her?”

Grady laughed. “Hell, no. I’m trying to work up to asking if you’d spend a bit of time with her before then. Maybe you and Scooter, so that you’re relaxed with each other first.”

Jacob grinned. “That I can do. What time does it happen, Hannah?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Eight o’clock.”

“How about you all come up to the house beforehand? Any time works. That way Ava and I can get to know each other better before we make our public appearance.”

Grady looked at Hannah and she nodded happily. “Let’s do that.”

Chapter Ten

After they left Jacob, they headed back to the cottage. Hannah was thrilled that the two men had gotten along so well. Jacob had surprised her by thinking to ask if Ava wanted to help him turn on the lights. She was going to give him a big hug for that when she saw him again – whether he liked it or not.

Grady was carrying Scooter now. The little guy had had a very full and eventful day and it seemed to have taken its toll. He was snuggled in the crook of Grady’s arm by the time they reached the cottage, and Hannah was a little envious.

The pup licked Grady’s hand and gave a couple of tail wags when he set him down in the play pen, and then he rested his chin on his paws and went straight to sleep.

Grady looked up at her with a smile. “Looks like we wore him out.”

“He’s had a big day.” As she met his gaze, electricity seemed to arc through the air between them. She’d been comfortable with him after the few moments of nervousness when he first arrived this afternoon. The attraction was undeniable, but he’d felt like a friend, like someone she could – and did – laugh and joke with. She hadn’t put any effort into trying to be whatever he might want her to be. She hadn’t tailored her conversation to whatever he might want to talk about. She’d just been herself, and he’d been himself, and they’d had a great time. But now, the air between them seemed to crackle. Yes, she wanted him, there had been an underlying sizzle the whole time, but now it had come to the forefront and for the first time, she wondered what he was thinking about her – what he might want, how she might be most appealing to him. And it didn’t feel good to think that way.

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