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“We have labor and delivery here. Dr. Thorpe is always looking for people to help him.”
Tinley palpates over Mae’s arms and legs then does the same with her stomach, watching Mae closely for any reactions. “Full disclosure, I’m not one hundred percent sure what I’m doing, but you seem to be fine, which I’m so thankful for. I don’t know what my dad would do without you. He’s been a mess since we lost Mom.”
Mae glances toward me and my throat tightens. The conversation I’ve been avoiding is back again. This time, punching me in the stomach.
“Tinley, you love sugar cookies, right? Mae and Josh decorated some earlier. Let me show you.”
“Josh! I’ve been wanting to meet him. Dad tells me he likes fishing. We used to go fishing every summer at that honey hole behind Memaw’s house. Has he taken you out there yet?”
“Not yet.” Mae smiles. “It sounds beautiful, though. Joshy and I usually go down to the lake behind the meadow here. I’ve been wanting to try ice fishing with him, but we don’t have the gear.”
“You’re talking about me, Mom!” Josh bounds into the room, sets his toy Silverado down, and grabs a cookie off the counter before glancing toward me. “My mom likes you. She talked about you to my Aunt Dee in the car before she hit the bear. Well, almost hit the bear.” Crumbs fall onto the floor as Josh eats.
“She does?”
Mae stands and shakes her head. “Of course I like him. He’s,” she pauses and glances toward Tinley and back toward me, “he’s a special man.” I sense the resentment inspecial.“Do you guys like that display window down at the diner? I think it might win an award this year.” She’s changed the subject. That’smymove.
“I voted!” Tinley says, taking a cookie off the tray. “Last year Rugged Mountain Ink won, but I think you’re right, the diner has an edge this year with the live nativity they have.”
I nod. “I voted for the barber shop. They went with a vintage Christmas theme that takes me back, though the diner does have a special place. Tinley and I have apple pie there every Christmas Eve.”
“Every year,” Tinley continues. “You two should join us. Dad drives me around the mountain to look at lights, we search for lost reindeer, then we stop at the diner before heading home to wait for Santa.”
“Woah, you still believe in Santa?” Josh spins back toward Tinley, his eyes wide. “I thought Santa was just for kids.”
“No way,” Tinley says, ruffling the hair on his head. “Did you get what you asked for last Christmas?”
Josh nods.
“Me too. So… Santa must be for grownups too.”
Grownups. It’s strange that she refers to herself as that.
Mae nods and pours the kids a cup of hot cocoa. “Thank you for coming over today. It’s so nice getting to know you.”
“No, thank you.”
“For what?”
“For keeping my dad busy. Like I was saying, he was so depressed after my mom died. I didn’t think he’d ever be the same again. I was afraid to leave him for school. Today I was going to tell him that I was moving back because I was worried, but honestly, I’ve never seen him happier than he is right now.” Tinley glances back toward me, then toward Mae. “She’s under the mistletoe, Dad. Are you just going to let her stand there?”
“Oh.” My throat goes dry as Mae stares toward me, then looks away.
“Yeah, you two have to kiss because the mistletoe is there. Mom tells me that all the time. She steals kisses from me every morning. That’s why she hung it there.”
Mae looks down and bites back a smile as Tinley edges us on.
“Christmas kisses!” the kids chant together. “Christmas kisses! Christmas kisses!” Good to know they get along so well. It’ll be that much more heartbreaking when we have to tell them this didn’t work out.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Mae’s head lifts and she looks toward me, nodding in shallow agreement.
Maybe I should tell them all now, tell them this is all pretend, tell them we aren’t together. I should. A good man would.
But as I step toward Mae and she tips onto her toes for the second time today, everything else disappears.
My fingertips tingle, my lips go numb, and my heart hammers hard against my chest. Electricity is an understatement. This is a storm. Thunder and lightning. A tornado of emotion as the kiss deepens. Her hand is in my hair, mine on her hips, her tongue in my mouth, my fingertips against her scalp. Again, we’re lost. Lost to everything around us.
