Before he could answer her, the door burst open and a pint-sized dynamo burst through, her cheeks flushed from the cold and her almond-shaped eyes bright and happy.
“Hi, Mommy!” Lydia said, dropping her backpack inside the door of the shop and racing to her mother with her arms out.
“Hello, my darling,” Holly said, kneeling down to embrace her child. “How was your day?”
“Good. I played with Jane at recess. She pushed me on the swings. We had music and sang ‘Jingle Bells.’ I love ‘Jingle Bells.’”
“I know you do.”
“And for lunch, I had grill cheese.”
“That sounds like an amazing day,” she answered, as Audrey followed Lydia inside, scooping up her backpack on the way.
His niece looked surprised to see him leaning against the counter.
“Oh, hi, Uncle Ry. What are you doing here?”
For some ridiculous reason, he felt a flush of embarrassment. He certainly couldn’t tell his niece that he couldn’t seem to stay away from Holly Moore or that he didn’t have anywhere else he would rather be right now than here in this warm, charming flower shop that smelled like pine and cinnamon and home.
“Your uncle saved the day for me. I was in a bind, on my own here, and was about to close the store to make a few deliveries when Ryan stopped by. He offered to take care of the deliveries so I didn’t have to close the store and could stay here and wait on customers.”
“You delivered flowers to people?” For some reason, Audrey seemed to find that both astounding and hilarious.
“I was happy to pitch in.”
“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t,” Holly said. “We’ve been so busy today with the market in town, I’ve barely had time to catch my breath. I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”
She turned to Audrey. “And you are helping so much by being here with Lydia today.”
“You know I love hanging out with the Lydi-bug.”
She hugged the little girl to her and Ryan felt a burst of pride for his niece, who was learning so much compassion forothers. She was a great caregiver to Lydia and should perhaps think about pursuing a career in special education.
She was only thirteen, he reminded himself. She had plenty of time to explore different interests and figure out what she wanted to do with her life.
He had never imagined he would pursue a career in the military as his father had done. He never wanted to be like the colonel in any way. After earning his pilot’s license, he had considered becoming a commercial pilot, but the navy and all the opportunities it offered had appealed to him more.
He could not imagine his life unfurling any differently than it had up to now but he expected he was going to have to make some tough decisions soon about his future, especially if his knee continued to give him problems.
“Can we go to the market tonight, Uncle Ry?” Audrey asked him. “I have to finish my Christmas shopping and my friend Megan is performing with her choir at seven.”
“The market? Really?” He could imagine few things he wanted to do less.
“It’s really fun, I promise. Everyone in town goes. Last year Mom and I went three or four times. We haven’t been once this year and it ends next week.”
He glanced at Holly, who gave him a sympathetic look. “It really is fun,” she said. “Definitely a highlight of the holiday season around here.”
He had vowed to give his niece on unforgettable Christmas, even if that involved subjecting himself to a crowded convention hall filled with holiday shoppers snapping up things they didn’t need.
“I suppose we can do that. What time is the concert? Can we go after dinner?”
“You can always gofordinner,” Holly suggested. “They have an entire food stall area featuring local restaurants.”
She wasnotbeing helpful. He gave her a mock frown, which she returned with her usual sunny smile.
“I suppose we could do that. What about you and Lydia?” he asked, driven by an impish whim. “Do you want to grab dinner with us over at the market?”
She looked momentarily startled by the suggestion then appeared to reconsider.
