Ethan fell into her giving him a hard time like a liferaft. “Yeah. Her kids help.”
Valerie puffed out a breath like women did when they realized men knew nothing about a subject. He loved every second of it.
“You should see if she’ll sell some for you this Christmas. It could be a thing.” He pointed to the stockings. “You can’t be the only person in Moose Hollow who needs to stuff a dog’s stocking this year.”
“Probably.” She stared at the counter. He could practically hear her thoughts turn over. “Do you really think Charlotte would let me try?”
“You can ask her. Or I can ask her for you and let you know.” He pulled out his phone. It started ringing before he could dial. Pearl’s number appeared on the screen. His heart sank, and the familiar fear raced across his skin. Pearl was unpredictable at best.
“I’m sorry, Valerie; I have to take this.” He hurried to answer it.
“Ethan! I’m hungry. Why don’t we meet for a late family dinner tonight?”
He closed his eyes. “Collin has pageant practice, and I’m on a call right now.”
“Oh pooh.”
He could practically see her bottom lip poke out in a pout.
The sink turned on, and he opened his eyes to see Valerie rinsing the plates from the dogs. They were done and headed back the way they came. She kept her eyes down like she was trying to give him privacy for this call. Although she could probably hear everything. Pearl wasn’t quiet.
He hadn’t planned to spend this much time here, but Valerie was easy to be around. Which was strange considering they’d only met that day. But he didn’t feel like they were strangers. He’d become invested in her in a way that made it difficult to leave.
But he had to go.
His job right now was to raise his son and mitigate the damage Pearl could cause during the holidays. He wasn’t free to pursue more with Valerie–no matter how tempting she was.
“Maybe your parents would like to go out,” he offered.
Pearl sighed as if he’d asked her to resurrect theTitanic. “I’ll order in. Ta-ta.”
She hung up without waiting for his goodbye. He stared at the phone for a second before putting it away. There was no guarantee that she wouldn’t go to the school and pick up Collin without asking his permission. He shouldn’t have told her that he and Collin weren’t together. “I need to get going.” He didn’t want to involve Valerie in this mess. She deserved to have a merry Christmas. “Thanks for letting me hang around. It was fun.”
Her smile seemed forced. “Yeah. I had a good night. How much do I owe you?”
He had to think for a second before remembering that he’d come up here because her power was out. “Nothing. I didn’t do any work.”
She waved her hand at the Christmas room that was close to looking like Charlotte’s sketch. “I beg to differ.”
He cupped the back of his neck. “That was just fun.” He paused, needing her to know he’d enjoyed his time here. “Thanks, Valerie. Tonight was a great escape for me, and I needed that.”
She nodded, her body relaxing. “Happy holidays.”
He wasn’t sure why he was getting the brush off, but he knew it when he saw it. “I’ll let myself out.” He gathered up the large box full of garbage. The beagles followed him to the door like two guards escorting him out. He shut the door tightly behind him and hunched his shoulders against the cold. Even though it was better this way, some of him wanted to be free, to flirt and laugh with Valerie and see where the friendship could go.
Unfortunately, between her temporary residence and his permanent position as a dad, it just wasn’t meant to be.
CHAPTERTHREE
Valerie maneuvered her way through families and friends clustered in small groups and chatting about the snowstorm that had swept through town the night before. The elementary school was full of eager parents, grandparents, and younger children ready for the annual Christmas pageant.
The signs all over town invited anyone and everyone, and Valerie fell into both those categories, so she’d decided to attend. Besides being filled with the Christmas spirit, she hoped to meet a few more people.
Tanya and Tucker were great, but they slept most of the day, and neither of them appreciated the Christmas sweaters she’d bought them.
Watching the snowfall from the Christmas Room during the storm was like watching a snow globe. The giant windows gave her a view of the town below, where everything looked miniature. The green roof of the white church stood out. As did Main Street with the shops lit up and tiny people wandering in and out.
She couldn’t help but think about Ethan’s comment that all he cared about was down here.
