Island Christmas (6 page)

“You like football?” He raised a brow.

“Who doesn’t? Besides summer, fall is my favorite time of year. I love the smell in the air, the colder evenings, Friday night games at the high school I graduated from, and best of all, the food.”

He chuckled. “That makes sense coming from a chef.”

“I make the best pumpkin soup. I’ll make you a batch sometime. It’s really good.”

“I’d like that.” His baritone voice soothed her.

The door opened. Jason padded out and wrapped his arms around her neck. “I hungry.”

Chris chuckled. “That seems to be a constant state for you.”

“I think you’re right.” She shot him a grin and reached back for her son. “How about we have a snack, then we’ll go look at houses.”

“We have a house.” His bottom lip popped out, and he crossed his arms.

“Chris is house hunting too.”

His face brightened. “You like our house?” Her son asked as he plopped onto Chris’s lap.

Rachel’s eyes widened. What should she do? But from the look on Chris’s face he didn’t mind.

Chris’s insides jolted when
Jason bounced into his lap. He liked kids, but none had taken to him the way this young one had. It warmed him from head to toe to be accepted by the child. “How about we stop in at the general store for a snack and then go look at houses?”

“Shouldn’t you have your Realtor along?”

“Yes, but I saw a listing this morning for a house that intrigues me. I hadn’t considered this kind of option, so I hadn’t noticed it before. I thought we’d stop by there first, and if I like it from the outside, I’ll give him a call. Otherwise he said he’d meet me at the first one he showed me.”

“Sounds like fun. Let me grab my purse. I’ll drive.”

He sent a text to his Realtor to let him know the change in plans. “How do you like your new home, Jason?”

“It’s great!” Jason shouted. “But I not sure Mommy likes it.”

“Why’s that?”

“She cried.”

He frowned. Why would Rachel cry? Granted she’d had a rough time of things since she’d been on the island, but not life and death difficult.
Hmm
. She didn’t strike him as a crier.

Rachel came back and held out Jason’s coat to him.

The child hopped off Chris’s lap and quickly slipped into it. He jumped up and down. “I want ice cream.” He giggled with a gleam in his eye.

Chris chuckled. “Looks like you have your hands full.”

“He’s still adjusting to being in a new place. I’m sure he’ll settle down once we get into a routine.”

He nodded and sat in the front passenger seat while she strapped Jason into his car seat in back. They headed inland. “Take that driveway. There’s supposed to be a two-story that’s been turned into two separate apartments.”

She pulled to a stop in front of a yellow two-story with a wraparound porch and double-door entrance. “Wow. This place is gorgeous.”

He couldn’t disagree. It was nicer than anything he’d seen yet. “Let me call Jim and get him over here.” He pulled out his phone. “The house looks vacant so we could probably walk around while we wait.”

“Mom, I still hungry.”

Chris wanted to smack his forehead. He’d forgotten the promised snack.

Rachel opened her purse and handed Jason a covered plastic dish. “I turned the oven on low, so the roast will be close to done when we return. Here are some O’s for now.”

“Thanks.” His less than enthusiastic reply made Chris feel bad for forgetting.

Jim answered on the second ring. “I take it you like the place.”

“It looks good from the outside. Any chance we can go in?”

“I’ll be right there. The house has been on the market over a month and the owners moved out, so if you like the place we could probably get you a deal.”

“Sounds good to me. See you in a few.” He turned to Rachel. “He’s on his way. I have a good feeling about this one.”

“I thought you were sold on the duplex idea.”

He shook his head. “Not necessarily. One level of this house has been turned into an apartment. I’d still have an income property.” Truth be told, her less than enthusiastic response to the idea last night made him table the duplexes, at least for now. Not that he was buying to please her, but he really hadn’t been sold on the duplex.

A short time later Jim pulled up, and they all went inside. Chris knew in his gut this was the place.

“The main residence takes up the first and second level, and there is a basement apartment with a private entrance,” Jim led them through the house.

“I like the open floor plan,” Chris said.

“The basement apartment looks the same as this floor only on a smaller scale since there are two bedrooms.”

Thirty minutes later Jason tugged on his sleeve. “I like it here.”

He ruffled the boy’s hair. “Me too.” It looked to be sound and only in need of a new coat of paint and new flooring throughout. Assuming there were no hidden problems like plumbing and electrical, he could handle that if the price was right.

His Realtor ushered them outside and locked up. “Let me know what you decide, Chris.”

Chris shook Jim’s hand. “Will do.” He turned to Jason as his Realtor walked to his vehicle. “How about we go get that ice cream now?”

Rachel bit her bottom lip. “Actually, I’m thinking we should take a rain check. It’s getting close to dinner, and I don’t want to spoil Jason’s appetite.” Her face lit as if she had a sudden thought. “Would you like to join us for dinner? I have a roast in the oven and it should be ready in about an hour. I’ll pick up ice cream, and we can have it for dessert.”

Jason jumped up and down. “Yay!”

How could he say no to that kind of enthusiasm? “I’d like that. It’s been a while since I’ve had a home-cooked meal.”

“I’ll drop you at the B&B. Dinner will be at six.”

He couldn’t wait. His stomach rumbled on cue. Jason giggled and slipped his small hand into Chris’s. He enjoyed Rachel and her son and couldn’t wait for six o’clock.

Rachel tried to calm her nerves
as she poured a cup of decaf for herself and Chris. Her new kitchen wasn’t exactly a chef’s dream, but it worked and the roast Zoe brought over was melt-in-your-mouth perfect. “Thanks for hanging in there with Jason. I’m sorry he was so difficult tonight. He’s really not a bad kid. Most of the time he’s like a mini adult.”

“He’s a three-year-old boy whose life has been in disarray for several days now. Once he gets settled I imagine he’ll turn back into the mini adult you know and love.” A roguish grin covered his face.

“What, you don’t believe me?” She chuckled at his raised brow. “Maybe I was exaggerating a little.” She handed him the coffee. “Do you like cream or sugar?”

“Both.”

She pulled half and half from the refrigerator. The sugar was already on the counter, so she only needed to grab a spoon. She stood on the other side of the island and sipped the rich roast. “Mmm, this is really good. It’s the first time I’ve tried this brand. Apparently it’s a special blend made especially for the café at the general store.”

He took a sip of the doctored brew. “Who would have thunk it?” He winked. “A place like this with excellent coffee.”

“Hey, you better not be dissing the island. I happen to think very highly of Wildflower.” She knew he was teasing, but couldn’t help bantering with him. Chris was easy to talk to and made her smile.

He winked before taking another sip. “Why are you standing way over there?” He patted the seat beside him. “Come join me.”

She tried to stay calm, but couldn’t deny the attraction she had for this man—a very dangerous attraction that she must get over. He was not the man for her. She needed someone who would be around for the long haul. Not some guy who claimed to be in his golden years at the age of thirty-five.

“You never said which place you thought I should buy.”

She sat beside him and cradled the mug between her hands on the countertop. “I thought your mind was made up, but I liked the two-story with the basement apartment the best. You already know my thoughts on duplexes, and although those were nicer looking than I’d imagined, the house was pretty special.”

His blue eyes studied her through his black-rimmed glasses. “There is something to be said for character. And you’re right about the two-story. It oozed character, but what you see as character I see as work. That place is old and probably requires new plumbing and wiring.”

“If the price is right what difference does it make?”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one living in a B&B.”

She grinned. “Come on. The Wildflower-Bed-and-Breakfast is the best. I lived there for an entire summer, and Zoe and Nick treated me like family. And believe me when I say I wasn’t the perfect guest.” She thought back to that summer when she was trying to figure out what to do about being a pregnant widow. She’d had little money and no idea what to do with her life, much less how to raise a baby she wasn’t sure she wanted. But that summer had changed things.

Zoe in particular had made the biggest impact on her. She hadn’t judged her for the situation she found herself in and she tried her best to help her and include her in the everyday life around the B&B even though she didn’t deserve it.

“Tell me about that summer. I know you’ve told me some, but you said there was more.”

“True, but some things are best left to the imagination.” She shot him a wicked grin and laughed when his eyes widened. “You never answered
my
question. Did you make a decision about which house to buy?”

“I think so. In spite of what I said about the place, I’ll put in an offer on the two-story with the condition of a home inspection. I’m open to doing some minor renovation, but not a ton.”

“Good for you.” She yawned. “Tonight’s been fun. Thanks for coming over.”

He stood. “And that’s my cue to leave. Sorry, I spend more time with computers than people and my social graces are inept.”

Her stomach fluttered at the embarrassment she read on his face. “Not at all.” She rested a hand on his arm. “I’m used to staying up late, but figured you would be getting bored with my company by now.” She removed her hand from his arm.

“Not even.” He looked toward her living room. “I’d suggest we move to more comfortable seating, but it looks like this is it.”

She grinned at the teasing in his voice. “I paid for expedited shipping so it will be here next week. I’d invite you over to assemble it all, but I paid extra for that too.” She didn’t like that it had cost her more, but overall it was cheaper than going to a furniture store on the mainland and paying for delivery. And it was a
lot
faster since she didn’t have to drive from store to store looking for what she liked. She envisioned where her furniture would go and Chris sitting there with her.
Stop.
She couldn’t keep going there.

He moved toward the entryway. “I hope you’ll invite me back once this place is put together.”

“Of course. You’re welcome here anytime, but after today, my evenings will be filled. Which reminds me, I still have to find a sitter for Thanksgiving.”

“Really? Will your furniture be here by then?”

“Yes.”

“Will you have a TV?”

She had a feeling where this conversation was going and grinned. “As a matter of fact I will. And as you know I’m a sports fan, so I’ll have ESPN too.”

“Hmm. I happen to be free for Thanksgiving.”

“What, no family or girlfriends to entertain?”

“Oh, I have family
, but no girlfriends.” He seriously enjoyed this evening and wished it could go longer. Rachel was fun, and he was dreading spending the holiday at the B&B with no television to watch the game. “My family doesn’t do anything together for Thanksgiving, so if you don’t mind a
man
watching him I’d be happy to watch Jason.”

“Ah yes, my comment about Jason not being used to men is coming back to bite me. I’d be very comfortable with you watching him. He likes you. And so do I.”

Rachel’s face glowed, igniting something in him he thought long dead. He wanted to see her smile like that all the time.

“Good. Because I like the both of you too, and I’d be happy to spend the day with Jason.”

“Thank you.” She pulled him into a bear hug. “You are like my guardian angel or something. Every time I turn around you’re getting me out of a tough situation.”

This time he didn’t freeze up at her gregarious behavior. He wrapped his arms around her, breathed in her citrus scent, and held her there for a moment before releasing her. “I’ll take that as yes. What time should I be here?”

“Is ten too early?”

“No. But I wasn’t expecting you to need me that early in the day. Do you mind if I bring my computer and work while I’m here?”

“Not at all, so long as you keep an eye on Jason.”

His heart thudded as he looked into her trusting brown eyes. He cleared his throat and stepped back. He was treading on dangerous ground. Rachel didn’t share his faith and that made her off limits. “I should go. I’ll let you know what happens with the house.”

“Good luck. I hope it works out for you,” she said at the door as he walked down the steps to the driveway. He turned and waved to the raven-haired beauty. He headed to the B&B. Rachel was young and sweet, but sadness and an air of vulnerability surrounded her. He would enjoy figuring out the cause. He always enjoyed a good mystery. And Rachel was definitely worth investigating.