“I’ve missed you. Is that a new dress? You look amazing.” He placed the mirror on the kitchen counter, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her cheek.
“Flattering me will not make me forget you missed Christmas. Christmas, Jack! The family is always together for Christmas. And you missed Emma’s first one too...she was very upset.”
“Emma is four weeks old, the only thing she gets upset about is if she’s crapped herself.” He laughed.
With a sigh, his mother placed her hands on her hips. “Well, Leah knows, and she’s not happy with you either.”
A shipment of sneakers sponsored by America’s newest tennis sensation, Leo Baker, sitting in a warehouse waiting to be unpacked was the reason he hadn’t made it home in time for Christmas—that, and a severe snowstorm had blown in while he was finishing up his business in the US. When his sister Leah saw the personally signed sneakers from Leo that Jack had left for her in the living room she wouldn’t stay mad for long.
Kissing his mother’s cheek again, he said, “I’m here for New Year’s, but I’ve had a lot of invites to fantastic parties tonight, so if you’re not happy to see me…” He flicked his wrist out and checked the time on his watch. “I might make it in time.”
Giving him a playful slap on the arm, she said, “You’re not going anywhere.” Then her gaze flicked to the package on the counter. “What’s that?”
“Knew it wouldn’t take you long to notice that. It’s your Christmas present.” “Did you think you could buy your way out of trouble?” She frowned.
“That was the plan,” he answered, unabashed.
The frown turned into a smile as she unwrapped the gift with as much excitement as a kid on Christmas morning. She gasped and looked at him with wide eyes. “Jack, it’s beautiful. It looks like something from the shop I love.”
He leaned a hip against the kitchen counter. “It is.”
“How do you know about that shop?”
“You keep raving about the one on Marshall Street and dropping major hints about it.” “I do not drop hints,” she said with exasperation.
“Yeah, you do.” Then he explained how he nearly had to break the door down to get inside.
“I’m sure you would have impressed Lauren.” She grimaced as she examined the mirror.
“She was more than happy to help me out.” Actually, she’d scurried around the shop like she couldn’t wait to get him out of there fast enough. She probably had some big New Year’s Eve party to get to.
“Hmm.” His mother didn’t look convinced. “I like Lauren’s shop, but I like her even more. I hope you didn’t leave a bad impression. I don’t want her to think my family is rude.”
“Don’t worry. I made a great impression. I had her eating out of my hand,” he joked, but a smidgen of doubt crept in. He wasn’t so sure he had.
“I roughly know the price of a mirror like this. I’d say she hadyoueating out of her hand.” She kissed Jack’s cheek. “I love it. Thank you. You know it’s you I wanted home, you didn’t need to buy me an expensive gift.”
“That’s exactly what Lauren said. I wish I’d listened, I could have saved myself a lot of cash.”
“Lauren’s a smart girl and absolutely lovely.”
Lovelywouldn’t be how he’d describe her. When he entered Lauren’s shop he thought he’d walked into the wrong place. She looked more like someone who should be posing for a modeling shoot not working in a gift shop. Sexy, honey-blonde hair had been pulled back into a high ponytail that hung past slender shoulders. Bright hazel eyes with golden flecks were surrounded with long, thick eyelashes. Her finely boned face smiled at him with full, lush, glossy lips with a hint of annoyance for having to re-open. And if her face wasn’t incredible enough, her tall, sinewy body made his mouth water.
“Do you know if she’s seeing anyone?” he asked casually.
“Forget it. You’re not her type.” She glanced over her shoulder at him as she bustled around the kitchen checking on dinner.
“What do you mean I’m not her type? And how do you know what her type is anyway?”
“A while back I had a chat with her assistant Jaime—another sweet girl, loves a good chat—about whether Lauren was seeing anyone.”
Folding his arms across his chest, he asked, “Now why would you be interested if she was seeing anyone?”
Ducking her head, avoiding his gaze, she shrugged. “Curiosity?”
“Mum…” Jack pushed away from the counter and stood in front of her, forcing her to look up at him. “Why were you ‘curious’?”
“Can’t a mother find prospects for her son?” Huffing, she quickly stepped away from him, and checked on something boiling inside a pot.
