Page 28 of Sinful Santa
For a little while they stood in silence while watching the long line for Santa move along. Ophelia and the twins were still some way from their target, but Tahlia didn’t see the kids acting up or looking bored. Yet.
“Is there a new guy?”
Jed’s question came out of the blue and a little too casually. Tahlia was instantly put on guard.
“No,” she answered slowly, peering at Jed. “Why?”
He shrugged. “Just curious. Seemed like your ex was acting jealous. Thought maybe there was a reason for it. Seemed,” he cleared his throat with a cough, “like he thought Matt was your boyfriend.”
Dale had definitely assumed Matt was her boyfriend but Tahlia hadn’t thought it was that obvious. At least, she didn’t think an old man standing twenty feet away would have been able to tell. That was the last time she underestimated Jed Nelson.
“He made a mistake,” she said lightly.
“Oh.” Jed sniffed. He got distracted for a second by a crying child. After realizing it wasn’t one of his grandchildren, he continued. “But there is another man.”
“No. Yes. Not really.” Tahlia groaned and looked to the grey sky. There was going to be a new layer of snow soon. “I don’t know.”
“That’s your first problem,” Jed said with a chuckle. His eyes were sympathetic when Tahlia met them.
“It’s not my biggest,” she muttered. She decided Jed deserved a little more candor since he’d already guessed half the truth anyway. “I don’t think he reciprocates. Besides, Dale was a pretty long relationship. I’m probably going through rebound feelings.”
Telling herself that made the pain easier to swallow.
“Did you love this Dale fella?” Jed asked curiously, but not unkindly.
Tahlia blinked at him, stunned into silence for a few seconds. “No,” she blurted. “I never did. It wasn’t much of a relationship in the first place.”
“It’s not really a rebound situation then, is it?” Tahlia didn’t know how to answer and Jed shrugged. “Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems like if you never loved Dale, and you love this guy, then…”
“I think I do,” Tahlia admitted, a tremor in her voice. “But it’s complicated…” she swallowed, about to reveal something she knew would give away too much. “He has kids.”
Jed’s eyes narrowed but his eyebrows rose by an inch and Tahlia knew he understood. Tahlia noticed the corners of his mouth twitching upward.
“It looks like the kids are done.” Tahlia announced, grateful to see the kids and Ophelia exiting Santa’s decorated pavilion. “Just in time for lunch.” She took a step forward but a hand on her arm stopped her. When she turned, Jed bore another friendly smile and he squeezed her arm gently.
“This guy would be lucky to be with you,” he said sincerely. “If it’s any help, something tells me his kids already love you. I think the grandparents do, too.”
Tahlia couldn’t help herself. She threw her arms around Jed and hugged him. An awkward pat on her back was his only reciprocation but Tahlia appreciated it anyway. A second or two later, she released him, before Ophelia and the twins could notice.
“Thank you, Jed,” she whispered. He cleared his throat and nodded his head.
Like a hurricane, Maddy and Kaiden swept up to Tahlia and their grandfather, both yelling happily about Santa and their Christmas lists and whether they were good or bad. Tahlia listened and shared in their excitement, every other concern - Matt, the job offer - pushed to the back of her mind.
23
The family met Matt in the lodge lobby some time later for lunch at the hotel restaurant. There were awkward glances but for the most part the meal was pleasant. Tahlia thought they would be able to get through the holiday without anymore incidents, until Matt’s cellphone rang. He walked away from the table and a stone formed in Tahlia’s stomach as she watched Matt’s side of the conversation play out. He scowled deeply, his shoulders tense and drawn up. His eyes darted to his family, resting on Tahlia for a split second before he turned his back. After the call was over, he stood in place for too long, staring into the restaurant, so Tahlia already knew what he was going to say when he trudged back to his family.
“I have to go back early.”
Maddy and Kaiden, who had been chattering happily to each other, fell quiet. Tahlia stared down at her plate of half-eaten roast chicken, worried that she would say something she’d regret if she looked at Matt. He sat down to an awkward silence. Tahlia focused her attention on the kids, putting on a cheerful face and urging them to finish. The sooner they ate, the sooner they could get home and wait for Santa to come, she said.
Maddy and Kaiden raced each other to see who would finish first. Tahlia sat back and watched in amusement, but her gaze drifted to Matt, who was also watching his kids. There was a definite sadness in his eyes; he didn’t want to go, Tahlia realized. Jed, beside Matt, caught her attention and shrugged. No one was going to confront Matt; it wasn’t the time or place but Tahlia decided enough was enough.
Matt Nelson was not going to miss another Christmas with his kids.
Maddy and Kaiden did not want to go to bed. They insisted on staying up to wait for Santa, the pair of them having decided that since they’d had such a lovely conversation with him at the meet-and-greet they were allowed to skip bed.
“But Santa won’t come if you’re awake,” she explained patiently. Maddy and Kaiden were on the couch in the living room, dressed in matching Santa hat pajamas, with equally identical skeptical expressions on their little faces.
