“Has she made you go kayaking in cold weather?” Nora asked.
“Has she talked you into bungee jumping?” John asked.
They all laughed, then the sisters, John, and Corbin began telling affectionate “Britt stories.”
Maddie’s attention slid back to Leo just as he glanced across his shoulder at her—as if he’d known where she was, as if he was as aware of her as she was of him. Their eyes met, and her heart took a giddy, stuttering beat.
“Honey!” Maddie’s mom entered their circle, said hello to everyone, and thrust forward the Single Man she’d discovered among the partygoers. “I wanted you to meet Alistair! He’s from Connecticut originally but his aunt and uncle live here, and he’s staying with them while he looks for work in the area.”
“Awesome,” Maddie said. Not awesome. Poor Alistair looked to be fresh out of college, with a boyishly cute face, and thick, curly auburn hair, several locks of which fell diagonally across his forehead.
“Hey,” Alistair said to her, obviously self-conscious about being shoved at a woman who was far too old for him in front of spectators. His attention swept the group, passing Corbin, then sweeping back to Corbin with astonishment. “Are you”—his mouth fell open—“Corbin Stewart?”
“I am.”
Alistair proceeded to ignore Maddie in favor of Corbin. Maddie didn’t blame him in the least, but she could feel her mom coiling, awaiting the chance to display her oldest child to Alistair again the way a pet-store owner might display an aging kitten in need of a home.
Why had she brought her mom along? At the moment, she couldn’t remember.
Once again, Maddie’s mother was trying to set Maddie up. Leo, who was not usually an angry person, could feel his temper rising.
Ever since he’d been separated from Maddie, at least half of his focus had remained on her. He hadn’t determined to keep tabs on her in the crowd. He simplywaskeeping tabs on her, as if by instinct. Automatic. Somehow his mind and body had been reset, and the new settings were attuned to her, the way a car stereo picks up a radio station.
The woman he was speaking with was in the middle of a very long story. He sent another look in Maddie’s direction.
The man her mom had brought over for her was still there.
Possessiveness pulsed through him. His and Maddie’s friendship had changed—the way that sunrise slowly changes to bright morning—into something more.
He thought about her when they were apart. His spirits lifted each time he received a text from her. He left work undone at his desk so that he could arrive at their shopping outings on time. She made him laugh. Her smile stole his breath.
Maddie had become one of the things, in addition to Charlie, that gave his days joy and purpose.
All that had happened, yet he’d done and said nothing to her about it. He wanted to go on a date with her—a real date. In order to do that, he needed to ask her.
He jammed two fingers into the neck of a dress shirt that suddenly seemed tight. He loosened it and his tie slightly.
He’d never been good at asking women out. The more he cared, the harder it was for him to risk himself.
The night he’d met Olivia, she’d made it very, very clear that she liked him. She’d done everything but throw a lasso around him. Because he hadn’t known her then, he hadn’t been emotionally invested. Asking Olivia on a date had been easy.
After things had become serious between them, he could remember feeling relieved that he’d left the world of dating behind. All that uncertainty and insecurity were in his rearview mirror forever . . . he’d thought.
But here he was again, battling uncertainty. Wanting, for the first time in a long time, to ask someone out and feeling like a rookie. Unlike the night he’d met Olivia, this time around he cared. His emotions were already invested in Maddie.
Also, he was painfully aware of his faults. He’d been married before, to her friend. He had a child. He was introverted and sometimes too preoccupied with books.
But he knew without a doubt that he would treat Maddie the way she deserved. He couldn’t trust these men Maddie’s mom kept finding to do the same, which is why he couldn’t allow himself to stand silently to the side any longer.
“Merry Christmas, everyone!” A well-dressed older woman stood next to the DJ, holding a microphone. “I’m Peggy Pottinger, and I’m so glad that you were able to join me tonight here in my home. You’ve made Mission:Christmas possible again this year with your efforts. Thank you for volunteering!” A round of applause. “Now. If you knew my late husband, Bruce, then you know that he was a sweetheart, but that he was just a little bit grumpy about dancing and music. He didn’t like either one.”
She lowered her voice. “I’ll let you in on a secret. I love dancing and music. Love!” she exclaimed, returning to full volume. “Ever since Bruce kicked the can, we’ve been dancing like there’s no tomorrow around here!” A dip of stunned silence,followed by a burst of rich laughter from Peggy. The crowd joined in with a smattering of nervous chortling.
“We’ve been eating and mingling,” she continued, “but now we’re going to start dancing because it’s my house and I make the rules! In exactly one minute, this remarkable DJ here has agreed to play Dean Martin’s ‘Let it Snow.’ So I’m giving you fair warning. You have sixty seconds to find a partner for this first dance. If you don’t, I’m going to come around and pair you up and shoo you onto the dance floor.” Another bark of laughter ended her speech.
Fear arced down Leo’s spine. He wasn’t a skilled dancer. But given this situation, there were things worse than having to dance. Being paired by their hostess as if he were ten years old was worse. Watching Mrs. Pottinger match Maddie with the curly-haired guy was worse.
Leo excused himself from the panicking people around him and shouldered purposely through the crowd toward Maddie.
