Page 14 of Mistletoe and Blue Jeans

She nodded, and he could tell by the intensity in her eyes she was with him.

“You have one weakness and it’s the locals.”

Kristy let out a deep sigh. “You got that right.”

“Don’t let them take advantage of you. Business is business and it works on supply and demand. Think about this: what a difference it would make to your business if you added another five dollars to a tree for the last two or three days before Christmas day. Will you think about it?”

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. Something about her expression endeared him to her.

She gave him a thoughtful grin as she pulled away from his hand. “Thanks. I’ll think about it.”

For a few minutes she busied herself tidying up while he buttoned up his shirt.

She reached for the door handle and smiled up at him, and this time the smile was warm and genuine.

“Now, you’re more than welcome to join us for dinner,” she said cheerfully. “It’s nothing fancy.”

He grinned at her. “I’m so ready for nothing fancy.”

She laughed out loud. “You’re at the right place.”

Kristy opened the door and they were met with claps and cheers from the girls.

CHAPTER7

The following morning Josh climbed out of bed, his head pounding. What had those girls given him to drink? The small cottage was neat and tidy, but as hot as hell during the windless night. He’d tossed and turned all night, his thoughts on Kristy and her business. His first job had been to help set up a bankruptcy department after the bank had a run of bad debt. He knew Kristy had very little start-up money and he could wager that any financial back-up was non-existent. His boss would call it sheer madness and he’d always agreed with that line of thought. What they both neglected to consider was passion.

He heard hushed giggles coming from the second bedroom. He checked in on the boys and found them chatting to themselves in bed. The temptation to do a running jump and join them and just muck around with them was strong.

Amanda.

Guilt rippled through him. It had been their second night away from their family home, where they’d fallen into the habit of saying goodnight to Amanda. As hard as he tried, he could not remember them doing that last night.

An hour later he was on his way to Kristy’s place. He’d showered and dressed and dropped the boys off with Phyllis and Roger. Energised, he considered the various issues Kristy faced with her business. He’d love to get his hands on the figures for the Cedar Point Blues connection and see if that was a self-sufficient business. At this point he could only hazard a guess at her expenses.

He turned left at the Cedar Point Blues sign and glanced at his mobile. Ten am. He wound down the window, relishing the cool air blowing in and enjoyed the refreshing scent of pine.

After he’d parked his car he made his way to the front of the house. He noticed that Kristy had all the blinds shut, but he spied a light on in the shop. He saw a few people at the stables, but nobody in the paddocks.

He turned the corner and found Kristy sitting barefoot, dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, at the small coffee table at the top end of the verandah. Her long legs were stretched out on the chair opposite and her hair was bunched atop her head in a messy bun. Josh was struck at how relaxed she looked. The table was covered in paper and notebooks. Around her feet were shoe boxes of receipts; he spied a date written on each one.

She looked up, surprised.

He nodded towards the notebooks.

She grinned at him. “Good morning. You caught me out. I’m taking a look at my finances. You did say to take a look.”

He pulled out the hamburgers he’d purchased on the way to her place. He let out a laugh. “And you listened. You ready for some brunch?”

Josh couldn’t help but notice the smooth uncomplicated way she swung her legs around.

“No boys?”

He shook his head. “Phyllis and Roger took them in. Stay there, I’ll get some plates and put the kettle on.”

Kristy jumped up. “No, you won’t. Take a seat.”

He followed her in to the small kitchen behind the shop, which was neat and clean and that was the best he could say about it. The walls were painted in an olive green colour with cream trim around the windows, probably since the beginning of time. Above his head was a single fan. The handles on the kitchen cupboards were so dated he suspected they were put there in the nineteen-sixties. He did an about face and walked down the hall to her front door. At different points he stomped on the wooden floorboards. He could hear her padded feet follow him.

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