Christmas On Nutcracker Court (26 page)

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Authors: Judy Duarte

BOOK: Christmas On Nutcracker Court
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In one way it helped Carly to know that Grant understood just where she was coming from, yet in another, it made it all worse.
Should she offer to pay for her own meal? And if so, with what? Her credit card was getting dangerously close to being maxed out.
No, she couldn't afford dinner at a place like this without jeopardizing her rent money or her plan to buy the kids a little something for Christmas.
“Don't worry about it,” he said.
About what? Had he sensed what she'd been stressing over? She sought out his gaze, hoping to read something in it, only to find a ray of compassion shining back at her.
His fingertips trailed across the top of her knuckles as he removed his hand from the top of hers. “You're a beautiful woman who's personable and a pleasure to be around. So if something works out between us, then so be it. And if not, no problem. Let's just enjoy the rest of the evening, okay?”
“Thanks, Grant. I feel the same way. You're a great guy—or at least, you seem to be.” She managed a smile. “And someone is going to be lucky to date you—whether it's me or not.”
“Then we're on the same page.”
She sure hoped so. She really didn't need any more complications in her life right now, and with the way Josh was eyeing poor Grant when she'd introduced them earlier, a Christmas romance was sure to blow up in her face.
 
 
When Carly and Grant left, Lynette had stood on the porch and sent them off with her best wishes. But as she'd watched them get into Grant's car, she'd suffered an unexpected pang of regret.
She'd tried to shake it off and tell herself that she didn't need a man in her life, yet as Grant and Carly drove away, she wasn't so sure about that.
Unfortunately, even if she were to have a complete change of heart, there wasn't anything she could do about it at this point, because even if Carly didn't want to date Grant, Susan had next dibs on him. And Lynette wasn't about to do anything that would further jeopardize her friendship with the Lils—any of them.
Since Susan had gotten so upset about Lynette doing a little matchmaking, there was no telling what she'd do if she were to learn that Lynette actually wanted to date the guy herself. And what if the other Lils were to decide that Lynette had broken some kind of BFF code of honor?
Why, she'd lose the best friends she'd ever had, and she'd never risk doing something like that. Life was lonely enough.
So she'd closed the door and turned to face the troops, only to see the oldest boy scowling at her.
“What's the matter?” she asked.
He crossed his arms and shifted his weight. “I don't need a babysitter.”
Her first inclination was to either scowl back at him, or to break into tears of frustration. Instead, she blew out an exaggerated sigh and popped off with a little tongue-in-cheek sarcasm. “That's a relief. You have no idea how glad I am to hear that.”
Are you serious?
his morphing expression seemed to ask.
As serious as a heart attack, she was tempted to respond, but she wouldn't admit to that.
Instead, she shrugged. “I'm really not a babysitter, but it's probably best if you don't tell your mom that. I'm just here to hang out with you guys, maybe watch a little TV if we can find something cool, and play a game or two—if you have something in mind.”
Before either boy could respond, an idea sparked, and she added, “I don't suppose you guys have a deck of cards we can use.”
The older boy—Joshua—rolled his eyes. “If you're thinking about something like Go Fish, you can play with Mikey. I'm not into baby games.”
“Neither am I,” Lynette said. “The only card game I know is poker, but maybe that's too grown-up for you.”
At that, the older boy brightened, straightened his shoulders, and stood a little taller. “Not for me. I'd be up for that.”
“Okay, then.” Lynette wasn't sure how Carly would feel about her boys playing poker, but she was glad to have found some common ground with them. Besides, someone must have taught them the ropes long before she came along.
“So where'd you learn to play poker?” she asked.
“Well,” Josh said, losing some of his bluster, “I don't actually know the rules or anything, but I heard it was fun. And I've wanted to learn, so would you teach me?”
Before she could agree, the little one chimed in, “Will you teach
both
of us?”
She vacillated a moment between right and wrong, between adult and child, but not for long. What else was she going to do with them tonight?
So she gave in. “It's not hard to learn.”
“There's a problem, though.” Josh shoved his hands in his pockets and pulled out a couple of dollars and some change. “This is all the money we have, and since we're saving it to get our mom a Christmas gift, would it be okay if we played for baseball cards or marbles or something else?”
Teaching the kids to play poker was one thing, but gambling put a completely different spin on it. Maybe she'd better give this some thought. If she were to go so far as to teach them how to wager, even with something other than money, she'd be contributing to the delinquency of a minor, wouldn't she? And if so, what kind of babysitter would that make her?
Still, she could either go back to the awkward glances and scowls or come up with a better idea. And right now, she was at a loss when it came to options.
At least, bending the rules a little, she had their attention—and maybe even their respect. So she would just have to deal with any repercussions later.
“We don't have to play for money,” she said. “I learned with matchsticks.”
“Good.” Josh glanced at the wadded-up cash and change in his hand. “It took a long time for us to collect this much, and we've already found every recyclable bottle and can there was in the canyon.”
Touched that they'd go to that kind of trouble to buy their mom a present, Lynette smiled. “What are you going to get her?”
“We don't know yet. Maybe some lotion or something. She likes smelling good.”
It might not sound like much to a lot of people, compared to the kinds of gifts Peter had bought Lynette while he was alive, but it was sure to please a mom.
In fact, it would certainly please Lynette, if she were their mother.
Maybe she could even chip in and help them buy something a little bigger, a little better.
She thought about the open, tissue-lined box that lay on her dining room table right now, bearing a present she'd just received in the mail from Peter's elderly aunt Mable.
It was a beautiful silk scarf that Lynette planned to return to Saks. She might have actually worn it if the color hadn't made her look a little green around the gills.
That shade of yellow would, however, look nice on Carly.
“Guess what?” she told the boys. “I have a perfect solution. I just received a gift today, and I was going to return it to the store because I don't have anything to wear it with. We could go to my house, you guys could look at it, and if you like it, I'll let you have it to give your mom.”
“What is it?” Josh asked.
“A yellow scarf. And it will look great with that dress your mom wore tonight.”
The boys looked at each other and shrugged.
“How much do you want for it?” Josh asked.
“Oh, no, you don't have to pay me. I'm just going to give it to you. It'll save me a trip to the Fashion Valley Mall.”
“Cool.” Josh tossed her an appreciative grin. “Thanks, Lynette. Should we go and get it now? While she's gone?”
“Well, since dinner is ready, let's eat first. Then we'll run to my house, pick it up, and be back in a snap.”
Josh bit down on his bottom lip. “But what about poker?”
Lynette couldn't help but smile. “Don't worry about that. We'll still have plenty of time to play a few hands before your mom gets home.”
And she'd been right. An hour later, the scarf, which the boys had marveled over, had been wrapped in gold foil paper that had been left over from several Christmases ago, adorned with a bow, brought back to the house, and hidden in the closet.
Now they were seated at Carly's kitchen table, holding the cards Josh had just dealt.
Babysitting, Lynette had decided over dinner, wasn't so tough after all. In fact, she'd be willing to do it again sometime—if Carly wanted her to.
The kids were really cute, although Josh would put up a real squawk if she was to tell him that to his face. Just being around them, listening to them talk, made her wish she'd had brothers when she'd been a girl.
“Poker's a lot of fun,” Josh said, looking up from his cards. “No wonder my friend likes to play.”
Lynette thought so, too.
“It's easier than I thought it would be,” Mikey added. “Thanks for teaching us.”
“You're welcome.” Lynette smiled at the younger boy. “I can't believe how quick you guys caught on.”
In fact, they'd picked up on the basics a lot faster than Lynette had when Helen had taken her under wing. And Mikey, who'd racked up a big stack of checkers, which they'd been using as poker chips, seemed to be a natural.
“I bet two chips,” Mikey said, removing them from his stack.
Josh scrunched up his face as he studied his cards.
Lynette sure hoped Carly was okay with the entertainment she'd chosen for the evening.
And speaking of Carly . . . Lynette glanced at the clock on the wall, noting that the couple should have been home by now—especially if things hadn't gone well and they'd wanted a quick ending to the night.
In fact, even if they'd taken a leisurely dinner, they should be here by now. Had they extended their date?
She didn't know if she should be happy things were working out, saddened by it, or worried about their safety.
“I call you,” Josh said, drawing Lynette's mind back to the game and to the pair of threes she held.
“I'll fold.” She laid down her cards on the table, preferring to let the boys win.
It seemed weird now that she'd actually worried that she would be in over her head and that babysitting might be an awful chore, but she'd done all right—at least, if Carly didn't flip out about her sons learning a game some people might consider a vice.
At the sound of a car outside, Lynette began to gather the cards together. “That's probably your mom. Let's pick up our mess before she comes inside.”
The boys made fast work of the cleanup, then while they took the checkers into the bedroom and put them away, Lynette went to greet their mother.
“You're back,” she said, as a smiling Carly entered the living room and closed the door.
From the look on her face, the date must have gone well.
“Were the boys good for you?” Carly asked.
“They're great kids. It was fun spending time with them.”
“I'm glad to hear that.” Carly dropped her purse onto the sofa and kicked off her shoes.
“So how about you?” Lynette asked. “Did you have a good time?”
Carly nodded. “It did me a world of good to dress up and get out of the house for a while. Grant's a nice guy.”
Lynette thought so, too, although she'd come to realize that it would have been okay with her if Carly hadn't agreed. “Did he ask you out again?”
“He wants to do something next weekend, although I'm not sure what that will be. He even said we could include the boys.”
It sounded as though the man might actually be nicer than Lynette had thought he was, and once again, she felt a tremor of regret. But what was she going to do now? Wrestle Carly for him?
“Thanks so much for babysitting,” Carly said. “I couldn't have gone out if you hadn't.”
“Uh, yeah, about that . . .” Lynette glanced around the room, noting that the boys still hadn't returned, and lowered her voice. “It'd probably be best if they continue to think that I'm not a sitter. I told them that I came here to hang out with them until you got back. They . . . well, Josh . . . thinks he's old enough to take care of himself. You'd know whether he's right about that or not. But he's a good kid, and it would make him feel better if he was treated like a grown-up.”
Carly's brow furrowed as though she was surprised by Lynette's suggestion and maybe giving it some serious thought.
“I'll try to remember that,” she said.
Lynette reached for her purse, which she'd left on the floor near the hearth. “I probably ought to get going. But if you ever need someone to hang out with them again, and if I'm free, which I usually am in the evenings, give me a call.”

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