True wrinkled her nose. “It’s a huge specialty item here in Alaska, but I’m not a fan. My favorite is pepperoni.”
He liked hearing what she liked and what she didn’t like. True was like a puzzle, and he was putting the pieces together one by one, creating a picture of one of the most interesting women he’d ever met. Xavier was filing it all away for future reference. It scared him a little bit how much he was starting to care about True. He wasn’t sure he wanted to feel so invested in any woman. That’s when a person opened themselves up to getting hurt.
“Gotcha,” he responded. “Mine is sausage with anchovies, but I’ll eat any kind of pie.”
“Oooh, anchovies might be a deal breaker,” True said, wrinkling her nose and laughing.
He laughed at her expression. “I’ll meet up with you after practice.”
As he walked back over to his team, a random thought crossed his mind. For a woman like True, he might just permanently give up the anchovies.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
True didn’t think she had ever seen Jaylen look at anyone with such pure hero worship as the way he was staring at Xavier at the moment. They were sitting at a booth at Last Frontier Pizza after having ordered three large pizza pies—sausage with anchovies, pepperoni, and reindeer. She was surprised that Jaylen could even manage to eat with all the stars in his eyes, but he was stuffing his face with pizza fast and furiously the way most nine-year-old boys did. Xavier was keeping up with her brother’s pace as the pieces of pizza were rapidly disappearing right before her eyes. He could keep his anchovies, though! In her opinion they ruined a perfectly good pizza.
It was safe to say Jaylen and Xavier were getting along really well. Her little brother beamed as Xavier heaped praise on him for a successful football practice. This, she realized, was what had been lacking in Jaylen’s life. A male figure, preferably a cool one, whom he could admire and learn from. So many thoughts were running through her mind. Was it safe for Jaylen to bond with a man who mightnot be sticking around Moose Falls? Perhaps she was really asking herself if she could trust Xavier with her own heart as well as her brother’s.
“I’m full,” Jaylen pronounced, pushing away his plate. All he’d left behind were crumbs. She hoped Jaylen didn’t have a bellyache later on, because he had devoured the pizza as if it were an Olympic sport.
Xavier grinned at him from across the table. “I guess that I’m the winner, because I’m still not full.” He reached for another slice, folded it in half, and proceeded to take a huge bite. True had never thought a man eating pizza could be sexy, but here he was looking like eye candy.
“You’re a beast,” Jaylen said, laughing so hard, True worried he might break a rib.
“I’ll take that title,” Xavier said. He made a growling noise like an animal, causing Jaylen to laugh even harder.
Jaylen turned toward True. “Is it okay if I go play pinball?” he asked. “I’m trying to break my personal record.”
“Go for it, but we’re leaving in about fifteen minutes or so,” True said, glancing at her watch. “It’s getting late.”
“No problem. Feel free to hold hands or whatever while I’m gone,” Jaylen said slyly before walking away. He flashed them a thumbs-up when he was a few feet away.
True let out a groan. “Sorry about that. I think he’s trying to make you a member of our family. In case you didn’t notice, he thinks you hung the moon.”
Xavier let out a hearty laugh. His eyes trailed after Jaylen. “He cracks me up. Honestly, he reminds me a bit of myself, although I’m not sure I had his confidence.” He turned his gaze back to True. “You’re doing an amazing job raising him.”
Warmth filled her insides at the compliment. As much as she loved the tavern, bringing up Jaylen was her life’smission. Her true calling. “I appreciate you saying that. Being the stand-in for my parents is the hardest thing I’ve ever done or ever will do. Nothing else is as important to me.”
“I wish Red had felt that way about fatherhood,” he said. “I’m still trying to find a way to ask him the hard questions about why he vanished from our childhood,” Xavier admitted.
True could hear a wistful tone laced in his voice. “That must be frustrating,” she acknowledged. “I can’t imagine leaving Jaylen in the lurch like that.”
“Neither can I. You’re devoted to him.” Xavier’s gentle smile washed over her like a warm rain, giving her goose bumps in the process.
“But it’s still important to have your own personal goals totally unrelated to Jaylen,” he said gently. “Trust me, he’ll grow up happier knowing you didn’t sacrifice your dreams for his benefit.”
“Oh, I know,” she said. “I always talk to him about wanting to run Northern Exposure and making it my own.” She lightly heaved her shoulders. “So even if those aspirations don’t come to fruition, he’ll always know that I tried to reach for the brass ring.”
“You really need to be open with Hattie about the tavern. Be completely honest and vulnerable with her. Give it your best shot, otherwise you’ll always regret it,” Xavier said, reaching for the last slice of reindeer pizza. “This stuff really is amazing, by the way. Completely addictive.” He was eating with such gusto, True had trouble keeping her eyes off him. He made eating pizza look like an art form.
She knew what he was giving her was sage advice. It was time to put on her big-girl panties and speak her dream into existence. She and Hattie had a solid bond, and their relationship was based on mutual respect and affection. Whyshouldn’t True make a play for Northern Exposure? After all, the tavern was her baby. The worst thing Hattie could say was no and that she was leaving it in the hands of her grandsons or Red. Yes, those words would sting, but at least True could let go of this dream and chase another one.
She drummed her nails on the table. “Okay, so if I do that, you’ve got to talk to Red.” They locked gazes.
He drew his brows together, appearing startled. “About what?”
“Umm… about everything. The past. How he dropped the ball with you and your brothers when you were kids. The animosity that still lingers between you. Why you haven’t seen him over the years. Need I say more?” She arched an eyebrow.
Xavier let out a low grunt. “I guess it’s time. Past time, really. It’s just that… I’ve made it this far in my life without hashing everything out with him. I’m not sure that I can handle what he might have to tell me. Or how I might react.”
