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“Thank you for today,” Kelsie says. “We had a wonderful time.”
“Anytime.” I lean in and kiss her cheek. Normally, I’d walk them to the door, but I don’t want her to feel obligated to invite me in when I know decorating the trees is something personal for them.
Instead, a few hours later, when I’m in bed, I shoot her a text:
Pierce
How’d the tree decorating go?
Kelsie
Pierce
They look great.
Kelsie
Thank you again for the trees.
Pierce
You’re welcome. Any plans for tomorrow night?
Kelsie
What’s going on tomorrow night?
Pierce
Tree lighting ceremony. There’s food and drinks, fun stuff for the kids to do. I was thinking the three of us could go together.
Kelsie
Sure. It sounds like a good time.
Pierce
It is. Pick you up at 5? We can get dinner first.
Kelsie
Sounds good.
I consider ending the conversation there, but instead I push for a little more.
Pierce
Did you mean what you said about keeping an open mind?
Kelsie
I did, but I also meant it when I said I was scared. I like you, Pierce, but I’m afraid of getting hurt.
Pierce
I’m not going to hurt you. Not if I can help it.
Kelsie
That’s what I’m afraid of. That you won’t be able to help it.
I type:
Pierce
I understand.
Except before I hit send, I delete it and go with what I really want to say. She might not like it, but it’s the truth.
Pierce
I could get into a car accident or get hit crossing the street. The same goes for you. I understand that because you lost Trent in a fire, the idea of me being a firefighter scares you, but you could date a doctor and he could still get cancer and die. Nothing in life is guaranteed.
I wait for her to respond, praying that my words don’t push her away. Bubbles appear, indicating that she’s typing, and then disappear. When a text doesn’t come through, I panic, thinking I’ve fucked up, and hit call.
“Hello?” she says softly.
“I shouldn’t have texted—”
“You’re right.”
“I am?” I mean, I know I am, but I wasn’t expecting her to say that.
“You are,” she agrees. “It’s just hard. I like you, and I feel the chemistry between us. I want to see where things go between us, but please be patient with me. I haven’t been with anyone since Trent, and knowing you’re a firefighter scares the shit out of me. Fires and me—we don’t get along.”
“We’ll take things at your pace,” I promise. “And, Kels… Fires and me—we don’t get along either.”
“There’s a mountain of snow! Can I go play?” Jordan’s bouncing on the balls of her feet, dying to make a run for it but waiting anxiously for the okay from her mom.
Kelsie glances behind her and frowns. “No, Bug. It’s not free.”
Jordan’s face falls, and Kelsie sighs.
“Actually, I have a bracelet for her… for all of us.” I knew this would be an issue, so when I told my mom I was bringing the girls, I asked for three bracelets ahead of time.
Kelsie eyes the bracelets warily, so I explain, “Perks of being the son of the town’s entertainment committee’s chair.” I shrug nonchalantly and grab her wrist. I put a bracelet on it and then place another one on Jordan’s.
“C’mon, let’s go tubing.”
“Yay! Thank you!” Jordan squeals before she takes off ahead of us toward the mountain.
“You do too much for us,” Kelsie says as we walk over to where the tubes are. “At this rate, I feel like I’ll never be able to repay you. It all just keeps tallying higher.”
“Hey,” I say, stopping her in place. “This isn’t a tit-for-tat sort of thing. There are no tally marks, and I’m not keeping track or score or whatever, and you sure as hell don’t owe me anything.”
I step toward her and palm her cheek. “I care about you and your daughter, and if I can do something to make you guys happy or make your life easier, I will do it. I’m not paying your rent. I’m spending time with you. Even if you were rich, I still would’ve bought the bracelets because I’m a gentleman taking the woman he likes and her daughter out.”
A small smile spreads across her face, and she nods.
“No more keeping track, Kels. Please.”
“Okay. No more keeping track.”
“Good. Now grab a tube so I can race you down the mountain.”
“Oh, no, I hate heights.” Kelsie shakes her head and steps back. “I’m good. You guys go. I’ll be waiting down here for you.”
“What? It’s not even that high.”
“Nope, I’m good. Go, have a blast.”
“All right.” I shrug, grabbing a tube and following Jordan.
We get to the top with our tubes, and Jordan glances at me nervously. “Umm, this is kind of high.” Her gaze darts between me and the downslope of the mountain. “I think I’m a little scared.”
“Would you feel better if you went down with someone?” I ask. “I could go down with you if you want, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to go down again.”
