Page 8 of All I Want For Christmas Is You

“Jessa and Beau Gentry?” the emcee repeated. “You here?” A floodlight zigzagged across the dining room.

His daughter popped up. “We’re here. Coming.” She threw her napkin on the table and reached for his hand, giving him the puppy dog look that got him every time.

He looked at Margot as though she could somehow help him, but all she had to offer was a kind, compassionate smile. “The things we do for our kids.”

She was right. He’d do anything for his daughter. Pushing his chair back, he got up. “Cover your ears.”

She gave him a pat on his shoulder. “You got this.”

“You underestimate my ability to kill a song.”

Margot leaned in close, her Sunday-morning-under-the-covers scent filling his senses. “Nobody cares, I promise. I’ve watched karaoke night for eight months now, and they’re just here to have fun. No one cares whether you can sing.”

He appreciated hearing that. With a nod, he turned to follow his daughter, weaving through the tables and climbing the steps to the stage. After Jessa told the emcee which song she wanted, she gazed up at him with so much enthusiasm, he had no choice but to go along with whatever she’d chosen. “Ready?” she asked.

“Sure thing, sweetie.” But he took the microphone out of her hand and spoke to the audience. “Fair warning, I have the kind of voice that makes dogs hide under the bed.” His daughter nodded with gusto. “I suggest you take this opportunity to use the restrooms. But if you choose to stay, dessert and coffee’s on me.”

Everyone laughed, and then the song got going. Once he recognized the pop tune, he shook his head. He was never going to reach those notes. But Jessa just laughed, enjoying every minute. She threw herself into the performance.

His daughter might not need to read the prompter, but he sure did. And once he joined in, it was apparent to everyone in the room that he wasn’t exaggerating about the quality of his voice. He could see people laughing, covering their ears. It was all in good fun, of course. He knew that. But he hated being the center of attention almost as much as he hated singing.

The beginning of the song was the easy part. All too soon, though, it began ramping up. And the huge vocal range it required spelled disaster for him.

He’d just closed his eyes, knowing his voice would surely crack and bracing for the humiliation, when he felt warmth against his left side. Someone pulled the mic out of his hand.

It was Margot. She’d arrived at the exact right moment to take on an impossibly high note, saving him from sounding like a yelping dog.

And she held it. Even longer than his daughter.

Beau stepped out of the spotlight, watching as the two women nailed the song, dancing and laughing and having the time of their lives.

Nothing made him happier than seeing his daughter so carefree. Because no matter how hard he tried to be a good father, Jessa had still gotten the shortest end of the stick. Her mom had moved to Nashville with her older sister, and her family had shrunk to the three of them.

When the song ended, the audience burst into applause. The two women hugged, and then his daughter dashed across the stage and threw herself into his arms. “That was so fun.”

“I love you, Jessa girl.”

“Thank you so much, Dad.”

“Of course.” But he knew she meant a whole lot more than enduring karaoke night. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

The server was heading away, and he called out to her. “Margot?”

It was too loud to talk, but he held her gaze for a long moment. Overcome with a strange sense of panic at her leaving, he wanted to ask her to wait for him while he took his daughter back to her dorm, see if she wanted to grab a coffee.

But of course, she was just doing her job. She was kind to all the lodge’s guests.

It’s not about me.

So, he nodded his gratitude, and she gave him a soft smile on her way to resume her duties.

He was leaving tomorrow.

Nothing could come of this.

Chapter Two

Margot couldn’t stop thinking about that man.

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