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“You were somewhat hostile.”
“Perhaps merely inhospitable.”
“And rather unlikeable, until you realized I had a soft spot for dogs, and therefore, possibly worthy of your attention.”
“Since we’re being honest, being told you have a wiener dog alarmed me.”
“The wiener dog alarms me, too, but my father loves her and so every year we buy him sweatshirts and mugs and dish towels with dachshunds because we don’t know what else to buy for him, and he’s always really happy with the gifts. Who knew you couldn’t have too many dachshund mugs?”
“He sounds like a good man.”
“He is. He’s wonderful.”
They’d reached the front of the line but were met by disappointing news. They’d just sold the last of the tickets for the day’s house tour, but were encouraged to buy tickets for the next day as there were still some tours with availability.
Alec turned to Cara. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“Do you want to buy tickets for tomorrow?”
She thought for a moment and shook her head. “Mrs. Booth mentioned your annual family dinner is tomorrow night and with her gone, I’d rather be available in case you need help.”
“There is nothing for you to do,” he protested. “Everything has been handled.”
“Even so, I’d feel better if I left the day open, just in case something came up.”
They stepped out of line and faced each other. “You’re not here to work,” he said. “This is your vacation. You’re supposed to be on holiday.”
“And I am. I’m having a wonderful time.”
He frowned, looked away. “Did Mrs. Booth or Mrs. Johnson say anything to you?”
“About what?”
He glanced down, his gaze meeting hers and her expression was clear. “I know they worry about me this time of year, but I’m fine, and I don’t want you to feel obligated in any way—”
“I don’t.” She reached out, touched his arm, her hand warm, reassuring. “You’ve been so generous opening your house to me for Christmas, and while I don’t imagine your family will be thrilled to have a stranger join them at dinner tomorrow night, I’ll sneak away immediately after to give you all some privacy.”
“Nonsense. My uncle will enjoy having someone new to listen to his stories, and my aunts are chatterboxes and will ask you a dozen questions but not give you any time to answer.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“Be serious for a moment.”
“I am. I’m having fun, and looking forward to Christmas at Langley, even though you can be gruff and curmudgeonly.”
His jaw eased, he was tempted to smile. “Are you always so easy to please?”
“I’m generally pretty easygoing, and growing up as I did in a big family, with lots of different personalities, and lots of different opinions, I learned early that I couldn’t let everyone, and everything, upset me. And so I don’t.” She hesitated. “Which is probably why the whole Chet thing went on as long as it did. I kept brushing comments off, or sweeping issues under the rug. I chose to be positive, and ignore the things that bothered me, but eventually I couldn’t avoid the truth. We weren’t a good fit, and he didn’t make me happy, and I realized that who I was, who I really was, wasn’t right for him. It probably caught him off guard because I hadn’t complained or created scenes, but sometimes making a scene isn’t bad, not if it clears the air, or reveals an important truth.”
“You’re very pragmatic,” he said, inexplicably touched.
There was a time he found Americans too open and too revealing but Cara’s openness was charming, and surprisingly therapeutic.
“I know we missed the last tour of the day, but since we’re here, what if we venture into the restaurant, and have something to eat? With Mrs. Johnson gone, there are probably cold sandwiches somewhere in the refrigerator, but I’d much rather have a hot lunch here.”
“I’d love that. Maybe I could pick up some postcards on the hall, too?”
