Chapter 9
Aunt Sandy’s usual bluster had fallen by the wayside, now that Tara had confirmed that yes, Luke’s neighbor, a single guy named Bob, was coming along on the sledding trip. She had changed her outfit three times and kept fidgeting with the necklace she always wore as she checked her makeup in the mirror on the wall of the mudroom.
“Ready to go?”
Aunt Sandy took a deep bracing breath and squared her shoulders. “No.”
“You look great. And besides, this isn’t a date. This is a large group going sledding.”
“On Christmas.”
“You can just ignore him the whole time and play with the kids. Or maybe the two of you will become friends and nothing more. He’s not the pushy type. But I don’t think you have anything to worry about, because he’s really nice, and as a bonus, not hard to look at.”
“If you say so.”
Tara almost felt bad for her. Except for two things. One, it wasn’t fair to be a matchmaker unless you’d been subject to the anxiety it produced. And two, Tara wasn’t lying about Bob being nice or good-looking for an older man. She’d met him several times, since she had spent almost every free moment with Luke that week. With the school break at both her elementary school and the university he worked for, they had more time off than usual. Tara had never been so thankful for Christmas.
There was a third reason Tara couldn’t worry about Aunt Sandy’s fear. She had plenty of her own to deal with. Derek and Jody were coming along sledding, too. She and Luke had hashed everything out, probably more than either of them ever wanted to, but seeing her ex in person and trying to make a friendship work between the two couples—that was a whole different thing.
Her phone rang while she was checking her bag to make sure she had gloves and a hat and Luke’s Christmas gift.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
Just the sound of his voice sent tingles up her spine. She stuck her tongue out at Aunt Sandy, who was making kissy faces in the background.
“I’m texting you a pin drop of the location. Is Sandy excited?”
“She’s ecstatic.”
Aunt Sandy motioned for the phone and Tara motioned to the door. That was the way this hostage negotiation was going to go. They moved steadily forward, Tara keeping her phone out of reach until they were outside and Aunt Sandy was getting in the car. Then she told Luke Aunt Sandy wanted to talk to him.
Aunt Sandy swiped the phone and pressed it to her ear. “Luke, give me three good reasons I shouldn’t go back inside where it’s warm and I have Christmas cookies waiting for me.”
Tara smothered a laugh, wanting to hear what he was saying on the other end. From the sound of it, he was questioning Aunt Sandy’s insistence on the number three.
Aunt Sandy listened patiently for several minutes and then handed the phone back. “Okay, let’s go.”
“What did he say to seal the deal?” Tara asked as she drove down their street.
“Well, he’s bringing a large thermos of homemade spiced cider. He said it would knock my socks off. Two, he said he’s in love with you and it would break his heart if both of us weren’t there.” Aunt Sandy sighed. “That one wasn’t fair to use on me at all. And third, he said he finds me hilarious and fun to be around, and it wouldn’t be the same without me there.” She bit at the end of her pinkie nail and scowled. “I’ve killed a man for less.”
“Less than what?”
“The overuse of flattery. Where you found such a man, I’ll never know.”
Tara’s jaw dropped. “Youfound him.”
“I know. That’s the worst part.”
“It’s not flattery. He really does think you’re fun.”
Aunt Sandy reached her hand out and gave Tara’s a squeeze. “And he really does love you.”
“Do you think it’s too soon?” Tara held her breath. All teasing aside, Aunt Sandy’s advice mattered to her.
“Yes. And no. Do I think you two should make lifelong commitments to each other yet? No. But do I think you can fall in love with someone you just met? Absolutely. That’s how your parents were. Two dates and they were engaged. Mother and Daddy just about died when they heard the news. Frank and I were the opposite. He thought I was annoying, and I thought he was a bore. It took us awhile to even be friends.”
