She rose and gave him a hug. “Love you, too, Dad.”
“Gentlemen,” he said as he turned to them. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Enjoy your evening and take good care of my little girl and my grandson.”
Presley Ann suppressed a giggle when she recognized the warning steel in his tone.
“Yes, sir,” Jared replied evenly as he shook hands with both of them again and returned to his table where Dorothy and Willie awaited.
“So that’s your dad, huh?” Kendry said as he rubbed at his scruff.
“Yep.”
“Was it just me or was he staring at us like he could see bull’s-eyes on our chests?” Kendry asked with a snort as he handed a toy to Whit.
“His bark is worse than his bite,” she said with a giggle.
“I’m not worried about his bark or his bite. It’s his aim that has me concerned,” Kendry said as he grinned and rubbed his chest.
“I’d be the same way if I was him,” Jared said as he smiled at her.
A lull in the conversation gave her a chance to look at the menu, and after they’d placed their orders, Jared said, “There’s a Christmas Choir concert in Central Park tonight. The wind has settled down some if you’d like to go to it after supper.”
She had an extra blanket she could wrap Whit up in if she needed to. They hadn’t been out visiting since the fiasco when he was just a few days old. “I think that would be wonderful. I’ve been so busy with him, and thinking about making those slings, I haven’t really gotten into the Christmas spirit very much this year…”
“You okay?” Jared asked, noting her pause.
Presley Ann shook her head. “Things are just different now. My priorities have shifted so radically. Last year, I was shopping until the last minute, taking advantage of all the sales.”
“Shopping for Christmas gifts?”
Shaking her head and shrugging, she said, “Some, but mostly I was just shopping. This year, I couldn’t do any Christmas shopping, except for small gifts for Leah, Dad, and Whit. And I don’t really even have room for a Christmas tree in my apartment, especially now.”
The waitress returned with their beverages and an appetizer, and as Presley Ann sampled the crab dip, she said, “What about you? Did you have time for decorating a tree?”
Kendry nodded and said, “We hunted down a tree and some decorations today, as a matter of fact.”
“Which leads into a question we wanted to ask you, kitten,” Jared said as he covered her hand with his. She didn’t realize how fidgety she’d gotten until her hand was held beneath his. It made her feel grounded for some reason. “Would you consider spending Christmas with us, at our house?”
“You’re not going to Abilene for Christmas?”
“We can’t. We’re on duty later that night.”
“Leah, James, and Vincent are hosting our family Christmas Eve this year. My dad will be there, too. You could both come with me if you’d like. I could come to your house for Christmas morning…or during the day.” That was all new territory for her, and she wasn’t sure what they expected from her.
Jared nodded and gave Kendry a look before the conversation moved on to other topics.
They found a parking spot a couple of blocks off of downtown and Presley Ann smiled as Kendry helped her down from the truck while Jared got the baby out. Jared insisted on carrying Whit after she tucked the extra blanket around him and put his Elmer Fudd hat on to protect his ears. Christmas music carried on the air from downtown and there was a spring in her step as she walked between the two of them up the sidewalk.
She stopped at a popcorn stand to get a paper bag full to share. She looked up at the man who was tending the stand, and smiled hesitantly as he recognized her. “Hi, Dale. How are you?”
His cheeks got a little ruddy as he smiled back at her and was about to speak when a young woman stalked up beside him and wrapped both hands around his upper arm in a clearly possessive gesture. “He’s just fine, Presley Ann.”
Damn. Figures I’d run into someone who hates my guts. “Hi, Missy. It’s nice to see you.”
Missy held a little tighter to Dale, who looked like he wanted to crawl under a rock, and she said, “Whatever. Just makin’ sure you know he’s off the market.”
Reassuring warmth surrounded her as she drew breath to speak and Kendry said, “Well then, miss, that makes both of them. These friends of yours, Presley Ann?” he asked as he kissed the top of her head and clasped her hand.
It was one of those defining moments. She could point out Missy’s rudeness with a subtle choice of words or she could be the bigger person…and maybe gain a couple more friends. “Yes, honey. This is Dale and his girlfriend, Missy. Dale and I dated for a time. Dale, Missy, this is Kendry and Jared McCulloch. They’re firefighters.”