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“He may not feel that way by the time I’m finished,” she confessed.
“True.” Matt chuckled. “Hey, I stopped by my house today and picked up a few Christmas decorations. I thought it might be nice to get into the spirit.”
Apparently, Nita wasn’t the only one feeling the season. Finley flashed him a smile she hoped would pass for the real thing. “Sounds good.”
“When Nita called, she warned me you probably didn’t have any decorations.”
Oh, she was going to get Nita Borelli one of these days. “She’s right. I had some at one time, but I think I tossed out all that stuff.” Because she had lost interest in holidays. Because she had thought she would never have reason to celebrate anything ever again.
“You always had a tree at the condo.”
He was right. She had gone all out for Christmases. The Woodmont condo had been her first real home after law school. She’d even had afew friends over for small holiday gatherings each year. But then she had met Derrick, moved here, and before she knew it, her life had blown up.
“Having one last year didn’t feel right,” she confessed.
“Of course it didn’t, and if you don’t want to have one this year, I understand.”
The man was too thoughtful for his own good.
“This year is a new beginning,” she said, making the decision then and there. Dr.Mengesha, her therapist, would be proud. “We should have a tree.”
The spark of eagerness she saw in Matt’s eyes was reason enough to go the distance for Christmas if it made him happy.
“We could take a ride out to that Christmas tree farm next week and get a real one.”
“Sounds like a date.”
There were a lot of decisions she needed to make going forward. Like selling her condo on Woodmont. Maybe soon, before the market dropped off. She couldn’t see herself there anymore. Actually, for the past couple of months, she had been waffling on where she saw herself in the future.
She glanced up at Matt. Wherever she was, she wanted to be with him.
The thought of her neighbor’s dog abruptly intruded. “I should walk over and check on the dog. Maybe turn on a few lights.”
Matt shook his head. “You shower. I’ll take care of the dog and the lights.”
Always the gentleman.
Just one more thing she loved about him. As strong and self-reliant as Finley was, she appreciated a thoughtful man all the same.
“Thanks. The key’s in my bag. I fed him earlier, so you should only need to check the water and let him out, I guess. But watch him closely, Mrs.Roberts seemed worried about him getting out of the yard.”
“Will do.” He kissed her forehead. “What’s the dog’s name?”
She followed him into the living room. “I have no idea. I didn’t think to ask, and it’s not on his tag or collar. I’ll ask when I talk to Mrs.Roberts again.”
Matt hesitated at the door while she fished out the key. “We do need to know his name. Otherwise we’ll end up calling him Dog.”
Finley grinned, placed the key in his hand. “You mean, like I call the catCat?”
“We have to name that cat.” A grin teased his lips. “All pets should have names.”
“Guess so,” Finley admitted. Until recently she’d figured the cat would just wander off one day and not come back. The idea that he would become a permanent fixture in her life hadn’t occurred to her. “Let’s call him Lucky, since he was lucky I fed him instead of shooing him away when he started hanging around.”
“Lucky it is.” Matt opened the door but paused before leaving. “Like me for realizing the only woman I would ever want had been right beside me all along.”
Oh yeah. Finley was incredibly grateful for this man.
5
