Page 14 of This Christmas

“Max Wilson, I’ve heard of him.” Joe nodded. “I’d love to see the place, if you want to show me around. I’ve always loved old places, and it’s a lighthouse too.”

She wondered if anything he said was true. Still, as they took him room by room, he really did appear interested. He even asked a few questions about the history of the house and the lighthouse.

The house had four bedrooms, two downstairs, two up. Max’s office was downstairs on the main level. There was another similar room that Juliette used for now, only it didn’t have built-in bookcases. Yet.

Once they finished the tour, she slid the salmon and asparagus into the oven and watched over it while they quickly baked.

All the while, her daughter and Joe were huddled over the photos that Charlotte had taken of the beach and small things she’d seen since getting the camera from Max.

When she pulled the salmon from the oven, the scent of lemon and butter filled the cozy kitchen. Charlotte had already climbed into her chair at the table, chattering happily with Joe, who poured everyone a glass of lemonade without being asked to.

He moved easily, like someone who’d sat at a table with an almost six-year-old a hundred times before. He was comfortable but not intrusive.

As they started eating, the only sounds were the clinking of forks and Charlotte’s occasional giggles as she told Joe about the seashell collection that she was starting and the sandcastle they’d built the day before.

“You like kids,” Ally said softly, watching him as he helped Charlotte cut her asparagus.

Joe looked up, smiling faintly. “I do. My sister has four of her own, so I’ve had plenty of practice.”

“No wife or kids of your own back home?” she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.

He shook his head as a sad look crossed his eyes. “No. I never married. I guess I’ve been married to the job too long.” He gave a small shrug, then nodded toward Charlotte. “She’s got your eyes.”

That caught her off guard. She forced a small smile, unsure what to say. Compliments had always come with strings attached in her old life.

“Thank you,” she said finally, her voice quiet.

Charlotte perked up. “Can Joe come with us to the beach tomorrow?”

Ally met his gaze as her chest tightened. “We’ll see,” she said, giving him a look that made her meaning clear. This was a one-time deal. Get what you need on us, and then I never want to see you again.

Joe only smiled, as if he understood. “I wish I could,” he said lightly, “but I have work.”

Charlotte groaned and pouted for a moment.

After they finished dinner, Ally cleared the plates, her thoughts a storm behind her calm expression. He was too at ease. Too good with her daughter. And that, somehow, scared her most of all.