“How could we possibly need more than this?”
“Oh, my dear famous author, you are so naive in the ways of the Christmas world.” She slipped her hand around his elbow and they started out of the shed. “You are going to have the most beautiful yard on our very much decorated street.”
“Buying decorations wasn’t part of the deal,” he began.
She stopped. “You’re not going to renege on a deal, are you? I never took you for the kind of guy who would do that. What are my children going to think? In fact, what are all of your young fans going to think?” Her voice was teasing.
“Let me guess. You’ll let them all know on your next show.”
“I bet the Enquirer would pay me a good ten grand for this story. Maybe twenty.”
He sighed deeply. “You are indeed an evil and heartless woman, Ms. Anderson.”
“And don’t you forget it. Now get your credit card warmed up and don your sunglasses so we’re not disturbed by your many short young fans while we’re shopping.”
And shopping they did. He followed her dutifully with a cart, then two, plus one of the big flat ones to carry the large lighted 3-D items on. She was so animated and happy and her smile was infectious. He found himself enjoying himself more and more.
He’d dated through the years--even been engaged once--but he’d never found anyone he could just spend time with like this and enjoy. A friend, who seemed more than a friend. Almost a part of him.
She even seemed able to keep his Christmas demons at bay. Or at least he thought so until, suddenly, in the cinnamon-scented ornament aisle, the walls started to close in on him.
This was just too much Christmas.
He’d been foolish to attempt this. He knew better.
She put a hand on his arm. “Are you okay? You’re pale.”
He should not say anything about the past. He should just push these feelings back where they belonged. He should just tell her he was fine and move on.
Instead, he found himself whispering, “It just gets hard sometimes. Because of my mother.” He pointed to the blue glass bulbs. “She loved glass ornaments. And we boys were so rambunctious that we broke quite a few of them. And...” he grew quiet, the pain bubbling up into his heart and choking him. He took some deep breaths, stuffed the pain back down, and the feeling passed.
Better now, he looked her in the eye. “I’m fine. Let’s go on.”
Obviously she didn’t believe him. “Sometimes it’s good to face the feelings, feel them and then let them go. You can’t go on pushing them back forever.”
What did she know about his feelings? Resentment rose within him. “I’m fine,” he repeated.
“I’m glad.” She smiled, though a bit forced. “All right. I think we’ve got enough stuff now. What say we head for the cashier?”
Relieved, he said, “Yes.”
But before they reached the front, she found Rudolph and all the other reindeers pulling a giant Santa-filled sleigh. She stopped. “This would look lovely right next to your driveway.”
“No way. I’ve already got three reindeer and four candy canes and I’ve lost track of how many disgusting little elves.”
She shrugged. “Well, if you want your family to be disappointed.”
“My family is going to die of shock as it is. You force me to buy this and you could be guaranteeing a death in my family.”
“I’d have never guessed you were raised in such a family of wimps.”
He laughed out loud at that. “Wait until my brothers hear what you called them.”
“Yeah. Well, I’ll call them that to their faces, too,” she teased.
“I have no doubt of that. I just wonder what you’ll use to blackmail them with.”
“I can convince some people with a smile.”
“And others you have to resort to blackmail.” He took a deep, melodramatic breath. “Okay. We’ll get the stupid sleigh.”
“You’re so cute when you’re exasperated.”
She stood so near that he could smell the light flowery perfume she wore and could feel the warmth radiating from her body. When she turned her vivid green eyes on him--eyes which did stay just as rich when she wasn’t angry--and smiled, he wanted to drop what he held in his arms and pull her into them. Instead, he smiled back.
“You know, it would be a shame to have such a beautifully decorated yard and nothing inside your house.”
“Now you want to decorate my house. Why does that not surprise me?”
Her smile widened. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“Ah, why not? If I don’t agree, you’ll just find something else to blackmail me with.” He was amazed at what he was doing for this woman. And actually, shock of shocks, enjoying it.