Page 68 of Stay this Christmas
Such a bad liar. I did want to speculate. I could speculate for days.
Shifting back to her, he flashed a benevolent smile. “I want a doll that looks like me. Although I don’t know if this town can handle two such gorgeous men.”
He wiggled his eyebrows at her until she giggled.
“Samuel. What do you really want?”
Hesitating a second before answering, he seemed to really think about the question this time. “I want to get a good job in town so I can stick around a while.”
That hit me even harder than his sweetness with his siblings had. He really wanted to stay this time. My insides went gooey, all warm and soft and tender. But the rest of his comment sank in right after. He wanted to stay, but he probably couldn’t do that living off of volunteer work and part-time pay.
And if he couldn’t find something in town?
I tried not to let my mind flood with possibilities. Really, there was just the one. If he couldn’t find work in town, he would leave again.
Suddenly, I felt as frosty as though a cold snap had swept in.
Willa scowled. “Santa can’t bring you a job.”
“Dad says you need to take work seriously for a change.” Finn didn’t seem to realize the rudeness of his remark. “You’ve been couch sailing too long.”
“It’s couch surfing,” Sam corrected.
“Are you staying with your dad?” I hadn’t thought much about where he lived since he’d been back. Sort of just assumed he’d found a place of his own, but it had never come up. Naturally, if he didn’t have a solid job, he couldn’t get a place of his own, either.
“No, I’m staying with Georgia. She’s been more generous than I deserve.”
We shifted forward a few more feet in line, slowly getting closer to the pavilion and the waiting Santa, my thoughts tripping up over this seemingly innocent conversation.
“It’s just temporary though, right?” I said. “I’m sure you’ll get a full-time job soon.”
Unless that wasn’t his intention. Sleeping on his sister’s couch and working part-time jobs meant he could leave Magnolia Ridge again pretty easily. He still had a lot left to see out in the wide world. He’d only said he wanted to stick arounda while.
“Here, or wherever,” I added, just in case my reassurance had sounded too much like criticism. Or wishful thinking.
He shot me a stern look. “Here.”
His firm response made a smile spring onto my face.
“Samuel!” Willa tugged hard on his hand, breaking him away from me. “A job is not a present from Santa.”
“Right, a present. Well, what I want this year won’t fit in a stocking.”
His eyes darted to mine, his meaning whipping up the embers in my chest into a little bonfire cozy enough to roast marshmallows over.
This was exactly what I’d said I wanted to avoid, all his sassy flirting that left me thinking he really wanted me, thinking he’d really stick around. The sensible thing to do would be to slow down and definitely not let his teasing go to my head.
But Eliza’s admonition rang through my mind again:Why do you have to be so sensible about everything?Maybe, as an addendum to my list, I could do the non-Harper thing for a change. Flirt with the guy. Brazenly kiss someone. Take an actual risk.
“I think I’ll ask for mistletoe,” he added.
“Urgh.” Finn sounded like he’d just been offered a bite of moldy cheese.
“What do you want from Santa, Harper?” Willa asked.
Despite my resolve to be less Harper-like, I couldn’t very well copy Sam’s answer—Finn might lose his banana split. Much safer to choose a non-flirty option, at least in front of the kids.
“I’m going to ask for a snow globe,” I told her.
