Page 49 of Mine For The Winter

“Yeah. But just one. And you have to promise to brush your teeth extra well tonight.”

“It’s a deal.” He grinned and her heart contracted. She was going to concentrate on him and the tavern today. But tonight?

Tonight she needed answers. “Dad, will you be able to watch Cole this evening?” she asked him.

“Of course.” He nodded. “Movie and pizza night?” he asked Cole.

“Yes!” Cole gave him a fist bump. Funny how easy it was to cheer him up. If only a pizza could do the same for her.

“I’ll get you that soda.” She grabbed a glass and the soda gun, filling it up. And after she gave Cole his drink she quickly whipped out her phone and sent off a message.

Can you meet me at the Tavern at closing time? I need to speak with you. I know about the loan you gave Dad. – Kelly.

A few moments later his reply appeared.

I’ll be there. – Kris.

14

Kris glanced at his phone screen and then back at the Tavern. It was just past midnight, but light was still glowing from the windows and pooling onto the street. It had started to snow again, dusty flakes that made the sidewalk look pretty but didn’t cause any problems on the road.

Still, Charlie Shaw would be out first thing with his plow to make sure the streets were clear.

When he pushed the door open and stepped inside, there were only a few patrons left finishing their drinks. It made sense. This close to Christmas, Winterville was full of families who went to bed early, not the kind of bachelor and bachelorette parties that came in during the summer and drank until late.

Christmas music was playing. He recognized the song. George Michael had always been one of Kelly’s favorites.

Kelly looked up from the counter, a cloth in her hand, a glass in the other. She nodded at him and he nodded back.

“Want some help?”

“I’ve pretty much cleaned up around them,” she said, giving him a ghost of a smile. He couldn’t read her face at all. Was she pissed at him?

She should be. He’d gone behind her back, after all. And it didn’t matter if he had good intentions, he knew Kelly hated that.

One of the many reasons he’d asked Paul to keep the loan agreement between them. Not that he blamed Kelly’s dad for telling her, any man would probably crack under the intensity of her questioning.

He might have left town years ago, but he still knew how stubborn she could be.

Leaning on the counter, he watched Kelly empty the dishwasher, deftly replacing the glasses on the shelves before reloading it with another dirty rack of glasses and plates. He’d always liked watching her work. When they were younger and he was home from college he’d come in at closing time and shoot the breeze with her and Lyle. And then more often when Lyle wasn’t there, Kelly was worrying about him.

His stomach tightened at that memory.

“How’s Cole doing?” he asked, to break the silence if nothing else.

“He’s getting over the loss. Dad helped – they had a pizza and movie night.”

“Carbs never fail to make a kid feel better.” He gave her the softest of smiles.

To his surprise, she smiled back. And it felt like fireworks were going off in the room. Damn she was pretty. Even more so than when they were kids. She’d grown into her looks. Owned them. Every time he looked at her he felt a pull in his gut.

“Thank you for going to watch him. He was so happy. And for agreeing to go again.”

He was surprised at the soft tone she was using. He’d come in expecting her to scream at him. To throw things.

And yeah, he could have dealt with that. The soft, almost hurt tone though? It made him want to run.

“It’s not a big deal.” He shrugged.

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