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He smiled at her panic.“Ikissedyou,remember?”
“Hmm. In case you didn’t notice, you kissed every thought right out of my head.” She grinned. “Not hard to do these days, I’m afraid.”
“Do you mind?”
“Not even a little,” she confessed. As soon as the words escaped a small shadow drifted across her expression. “But I know all this is temporary. Ihaven’t forgotten.”
“What if temporary turns out to take a few years?”
He’d surprised her. Maybe even shocked her.“Years?”
“Could you handle that?”
A rosy color tinted her cheeks and he swore hope blossomed to life in her eyes. “Yes, Icould handle it.” Her gaze turned teasing. “Not sure I can handle the exhaustion.”
“Should I stop making love to you?”
She grinned. “Not if you want me to stay for years. Besides, you haven’t seduced me, yet.”
He gave an exaggerated sigh. “My job is never done.”
“No, it’s not.”
They drove into Sausalito, finding a parking space with surprising ease. The time of the year helped, the tourists not quite as abundant as during the summer. Bundled up against the chilly wind, they wandered from store to store.
Occasionally, Brand asked Mia to distract Toni and other times Mia asked Brand. By the time they crowded into The Crate for a late lunch, they’d each secreted Christmas gifts into shoppingbags.
“I’m starving,” Mia announced. “I think I could eat a half dozen lunches.”
“How many is that?” Toni demanded.
“Six.”
“Six lunches!” A worried frown crinkled her brow. “That’s too many, Mia. You’ll get sick if you eat too much.”
“Okay, okay,” she said with a reluctant sigh, flipping open the menu. “I’ll just have one. Hmm. But which one? That’s the question.”
“You said you wanted fish.” Brand tapped the specialties section of the menu. “Try their winter ceviché. They’re renowned for it.”
“What’s in it?”
“A selection of fresh, local fish. The waiter can tell you which ones. Citrus, red onions, jalapeños, cilantro. Tortilla chips to go with it.”
Her stomach growled and she grinned. “Sold.”
“And since you’re so hungry, let’s start you off with a nice bowl of clam chowder.”
The waiter appeared a few minutes later and took their order, delivered drinks, and chatted about Christmas and the holiday trade.
Once he left, Mia smiled at Brand, Toni included in the warmth of her gaze. “Speaking of Christmas, how does your family celebrate the holiday? Tell me everything.”
Toni bounced up and down in her seat. “Tell her, Daddy. Tell her.”
He chuckled at his daughter’s exuberance. “Let’s start with Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve we go to mass and then come home to enjoy a huge family dinner,” he explained to Mia. “Everyone brings a dish and we eat and eat and eat.”
“I just want dessert.”
“Funny you should say that, pumpkin puss, since we’re in charge of dessert this year.” He glanced at Mia and lifted an eyebrow. “Christmas cookies? All flavors and designs welcome.”
