Page 62 of Wrapped Up in Christmas Faith
“Andrew planned to hop a ride on the fire truck and was taking Greyson with him once he finished with his sleigh ride. The kid was more excited about riding on the truck than he was being in the parade.”
“He plans to be a firefighter when he grows up. Morgan met Andrew when he, Cole, and Ben talked to Greyson’s classroom at school. The guys have missed Andrew, especially Cole.”
“I gathered that they were close.” He glanced her way again. “What about you? Who occupies your time?”
“Lately? You.”
His gaze didn’t waver from hers. “Before me.”
She frowned. “I have friends, Zach.”
“That you don’t share blood with, go to church with, or work with?”
Isabelle snorted. “You just eliminated half of Pine Hill.”
“Good point.” He reached for her gloved hand. “Smile. We’re faking it, remember?”
Isabelle wasn’t sure there was a need to fake anything. He had a few leads on where her father might be. Now that they’d gone through photo albums and he’d picked her family’s and friends’ brains for their memories of Cliff Davis, she didn’t see the point in continuing the relationship deceit. Still, his hand felt good cradling hers now that she’d left the warmth of the heater that had been blowing at her feet in the church tent booth.
“Sophie is my best friend, Zach,” she said, trying to take her mind off her hand in his by refocusing on the conversation. “That she is also my sister is just an added bonus. Don’t you feel that way about your brother?”
His face pinched. “I mentioned before that we weren’t that close.”
“Then you should do something about that.”
*
After a minuteof mulling her comment over, Zach mumbled, “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
Not that Zach hadn’t done something about his strained relationship with his family. He’d gone home after his medical discharge, but that had been a big mistake. He’d not been able to stand the disappointment in their eyes or how they wanted to fix him and his broken life.
“My relationship with Brett is complicated.” That was putting it mildly.
They’d never actually come to blows, but there had been a few scuffles over the years. Mostly when Brett had taken it upon himself to try to run Zach’s life.
“Why? What’s so difficult about being close to your brother?”
“Everything.” Not that he expected her to understand.
If she could, she’d side with his brother, thinking Zach was the wild child. Wanting to go into the army had kept him straight enough that he hadn’t strayed too far outside the law, but he’d rebelled against the restraints his high-society family had tried to shackle him with.
“Brett’s always been the perfect son.” His parents sure thought so, along with everyone else in their upper-crust Atlanta suburb.
Isabelle’s gaze cut his way. “That implies you haven’t.”
“Not even close.” Had wanting to follow his own dreams made him a bad son?
“I find that difficult to believe.”
He stopped walking. “Did you just compliment me?”
Her cheeks glowed a bright pink. “Don’t let it go to your head. That ego of yours is already big enough.”
“No need to worry about my ego. Since meeting you, it’s as deflated as that big ball of sunken PVC tarpaulin.”
Isabelle’s eyes widened. “Oh no. That’s supposed to be a giant snow globe jump house filled with bouncing children. It’s sponsored by the Triple B Ranch for Kids. The money raised goes toward purchasing Christmas morning goodies for each kid. The Butterflies started the charity fund after there were worries that all the kids might not have gifts last year. The fund provides a bouncy house at all our various on-the-square events.”
Why did it not surprise him that the Butterflies had been up to good?
