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Constance beamed. “See? Sometimes I can be useful.”
“But we’d have to clear it with his father and see about getting his records. I think it could really help him to do his homework in this kind of environment.” Dianna snapped her book shut and got to her feet.
“Where are you going?”
“I have an appointment to get to with Mathew today. We’re not supposed to start work until this afternoon, but I think I should bring this up to Shane.”
“Tell him hi for me.” Constance wiggled her eyebrows, garnering another exasperated sigh from Dianna.
* * *
The driveto the club wasn’t bad. The recent snowfall hadn’t stuck to the roads though they were due for a good dump of snow here in the next few weeks. It always snowed hardest right before the holidays.
Dianna pulled into the parking lot and gazed through the front window at the club, completely covered in Christmas decorations. When the sun went down, this place would probably be visible from the moon. And that was alright with Dianna. She loved Christmas and everything about the holiday: stories about baby Jesus, carols, classic Christmas movies, yummy cookies and warm hot chocolate, trimming the tree, and unboxing the Christmas decorations from the attic. Each year she looked forward to the family traditions.
She smiled to herself and shook her head as she climbed out of the car and headed for the club. Mathew would love seeing all the decorations. She couldn’t remember, but she thought Shane was planning on doing an official lighting ceremony, including the tree in the main window.
Dianna entered the club, always taken aback by how quiet it was before the dinner rush. She headed toward Shane’s office. Her time with Mathew wouldn’t begin for another thirty minutes. That gave her plenty of time to speak to him about what Constance had suggested.
She knocked quietly on the door, then pushed it open when she heard Shane’s voice call out to enter.
“It’s just me. I thought I’d—” Dianna stopped suddenly and her heart slammed against her chest. Tristan shifted in his seat, turning to see who had entered the room, and his reaction mirrored her own.
Shane’s head lifted from where he was studying a piece of paperwork. “Dianna. Just the person I wanted to see.” He wasn’t smiling and based on the way Tristan was seated in front of him, Dianna could only assume they were discussing her and their first meeting yesterday.
She edged into the room, her hands behind her back. “I suppose it’s a good thing I came early.” Her gaze darted to Tristan and then back to Shane.
He gestured for her to take a seat. “We were just talking about how your first meeting with Mathew went.”
“I can explain. I wasn’t—”
“Mathew couldn’t stop talking about you.” Tristan’s low voice cut her off.
Her head whipped around so she could gauge whether he was telling the truth. Though they’d ended things on a decent note yesterday, the particular conversation she was worried about hadn’t really been settled. “Really?”
Shane tossed his document on his desk, a smile filling his face. “You made quite the impression on him.”
“He really likes you,” Tristan interjected.
The knots in her stomach relaxed, unraveling and allowing her to be more at ease. “I like him too.” She locked eyes with Tristan, not quite sure why this meeting even needed her here if Mathew was happy with their experience yesterday.
Unless.
Unless Tristan wasn’t.
A lump formed in her throat. She wasn’t going to apologize for what she’d said—at least not the overall concept. She could have been more eloquent with her words. It had only taken one day for her to make a connection with the little guy. She wanted to help him see that he could trust people. He didn’t have to shy away from anyone. Dianna swallowed hard.
“Is there something you needed from me?” she asked.
Shane glanced at Tristan, then back to Dianna. She expected him to take the lead with this conversation, but it was Tristan who spoke next.
“We were only supposed to be here for the month of December, but Shane seems to think we should stay here longer.” His voice was flat, as if he wasn’t completely sold on the idea. “But I was trying to tell him that Mathew can’t miss that much school. We’re struggling to keep up on the work he needs to complete while we’re here.”
“And I was saying there might be a way we can figure that out.” Shane chuckled. “I’m not in the business of throwing in the towel just because something seems difficult. Ultimately, it’s up to you, Tristan. This program is free of charge. You have to decide if you’re going to see it through to the end.”
Tristan took in a deep breath. He looked as though he was being put on the spot and hated it. Dianna knew that feeling, and it was the one thing she tried to avoid. Right now she had a solution, but she wasn’t sure Tristan would appreciate being told in front of Shane if he wasn’t prepared to stay.
She almost got the feeling that Shane was influencing Tristan’s decision. Dianna glanced toward Shane. “What did you need me for?”
