Page 31 of Mechanic’s Christmas Match

She knew that she should just move, tell him goodbye, and sprint back up the stairs to her family.

But the pull between them was too strong. She felt like a moon in a planet’s orbit, or maybe like the tide itself, drawn out onto the sandy shore.

Rory leaned in, his free hand coming up to cup her cheek.

Ana’s phone buzzed loudly against her keys in her pocket, the sound piercing the hypnotic quiet of the alcove.

She took a half-step back, the spell broken, and pulled the phone from her pocket to see who was calling.

Maggie Sullivan

“Oh,” she breathed, holding it out slightly so he could see it. “Look at that.”

“Ana—” Rory began, his eyes never moving from hers.

“I’ve got to take this,” she practically yelped, taking the stairs back up two at a time with the phone in her hand like a live bomb.

She heard the clank of the outside door closing behind him downstairs as she stepped back into the apartment. Her mom must have been putting Theo to bed. She was alone in the living space.

For a blessed moment, she allowed herself to collapse against the door, closing her eyes and just trying to breathe.

But the phone kept buzzing insistently in her hand.

“Ana,” her mom said softly, coming out from the little hall that led back to the bedrooms.

Her voice was filled with concern, and when Ana opened her eyes, she saw the question on her mother’s face.

“Everything’s fine,” Ana said, trying to snap her usual smile back into place. “I’m just tired. We had a long day, didn’t we?”

“Let’s have some tea,” her mother said, heading for the kitchen and grabbing the copper kettle from the counter. “Lemon ginger?”

Relieved that she wasn’t being put on the spot, or at least not right away, Ana trailed after her, letting the call go to voicemail.

“Yes, please,” she said.

“Grab the honey for me?” her mom asked.

They worked together in comfortable silence, getting down mugs, the glass jar of honey, and the little box of tea bags.

Soon, the water was heating up and everything else was prepared on a painted wooden tray. There was nothing to do but wait for the kettle to whistle.

Ana took a breath and braced herself for questions.

“He’s a good cook,” her mom said at last, breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” Ana said with a smile. “He’s patient.”

“It probably comes from fixing cars,” her mom said wisely. “There’s always a right way to do things, even if it’s not the easy way. And I imagine there are times when you have to just follow your instincts. That’s what your father used to say when he fixed the vacuum cleaner.”

Ana smiled. Her mom didn’t bring up her father as often these days, now that they were so busy with Theo.

“He loved fixing the vacuum cleaner,” Ana remembered fondly.

“There’s nothing you can’t fix with a little duct tape and a lot of patience,” her mom said, quoting her dad.

“I miss him,” Ana said quietly.

“Me too,” her mom said with a sad smile. “He would have loved having Theo here.”