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“I’m good. I’m trying to get the new owner of Ivy House to let us hold a charity concert there. Wouldn’t that be great?”
Martha nodded. “It would be a great draw, there’s a lot of local people who’ve waited for the day when they’d get to visit the grounds of Ivy House. That said, isn’t that a lot of work to pull together at short notice?”
I shrugged. “We already have the concert lineup that we were going to put on at the school, so it’s just a change of venue really.”
Martha nodded. “As long as you’re taking care of yourself and making time for yourself.”
“Meaning?” I arched an eyebrow at her, knowing she was just easing into what she really wanted to talk about.
“Meaning I saw Chris in town the other day, and he was asking a lot about you. I thought about asking him over for dinner with the family.”
“No, don’t. Mum, please. Don’t make it weird.” I felt my cheeks coloring at the mere thought.
“Make it weird? What’s weird about a nice, clever, handsome local guy wanting to get to know you better?”
“It’s not like that between Chris and me,” I explained.
Martha snorted. “Like what?”
“There’s no spark,” I tried again, but it was too awkward to explain properly. How could I tell her that I’d felt more excitement being held in that stranger’s arms yesterday, up in the woods behind Ivy House, than I’d felt in ten years of knowing Chris?
“Spark fades. What’s important is shared goals and life plans.”
“Is that all you had with dad?” I challenged, knowing it wasn’t. Mum had told me about her whirlwind romance with my father often enough.
Martha shrugged. “I got lucky, not everyone does.”
“That’s depressing.”
“That’s being practical.”
I sighed, tearing my eyes from her, and staring at the end of the pond, where a sole figure stood on the makeshift observation deck. Awareness prickled along my nerves as I took in the towering figure wearing dark glasses. Today, he had his scarf pulled up over the lower part of his face, but I’d recognize his build anywhere. My fake Santa, and sexy stranger from the woods. I hadn’t even gotten his name last time. Untangling my arm from my mother’s and smiled at her.
“I have to go and see to something, you carry on, Mrs. Matchmaker,” I turned before she could protest and headed toward the end of the pond, with a slow, determined pace. I wasn’t going to risk falling on my ass when that man was watching. I wobbled a few times, and he straightened up, confirming that he was watching my painful progress across the ice. When I was finally at the barrier, I grabbed onto the metal gratefully, my breath puffing out white in the air between us as I laughed.
“That was a close one!”
He inclined his head. “It was, I thought I was going to have to dash out onto the ice a few times there and carry you to safety.”
“Can you skate?”
“Not if I can help it,” he muttered.
I frowned at him and nodded toward his glasses and scarf. “I can’t really see or hear you in your disguise, you know.”
He hesitated a moment, casting a slightly furtive look around us, before tugging his scarf down to reveal his angular, stubbled jaw.
“Here,” I said, reaching out and pushing his shades up before I could question the wisdom of casually touching a stranger. His grey eyes blinked down at me, taken aback by my forwardness, maybe. “Sorry,” I murmured.
“Don’t be. I couldn’t see much in them,” he admitted.
“Then why are you wearing them? Are you an undercover agent or something?”
He chuckled. “Or something. So, I’ve got an appointment time for you. Tomorrow afternoon, at Ivy House. Does it suit you?”
“I’ll make it suit me!” Excitement flowed in my veins. It was really happening! I was going to make this happen for the fundraising, and get the orphanage so much money, they’d never have to worry about it again.
“You’re really into this idea, aren’t you?”
