Page 42 of Bidding on a Second Chance
“Did you get a haircut?” he asked.
“Just styled it differently.” She lifted her fingers to her hair, which she’d worn down for once. She wished she hadn’t thought of him as she’d smoothed styling cream through the strands to keep frizz at bay, but she had.
And her feelings for him went deeper than decisions about her hair and clothes. Graham’s handsome face and steady presence were never far from her mind.
Thankfully, he hadn’t made any advances since their kiss. They’d never even talked about it. He passed Piper her sandwich and fries—holding the food high enough that Teddy’s ever-probing nose couldn’t reach—without so much as brushing her hand.
She took a sip of her drink and unwrapped her sandwich. The distance was good.
But what had prompted it on his end?
When Teddy nosed toward her food again, Graham pinned the leash underfoot so the puppy couldn’t steal a bite. Teddy circled and plopped down on the blanket, resigned to the distance.
As Piper should be where Graham was concerned. But something must be bothering him, or he would’ve made another move. Or at least talked to her about that kiss. Which, she would’ve admitted if he’d asked, had been as fabulous as it was unrepeatable.
But why did he agree? She didn’t know how to ask. “What are your Christmas plans this year?”
“I’m staying for the auction on the twenty-third, so I’ll leave Christmas Eve morning to drive back home, stay just long enough for the normal traditions, then make it back for a shift Wednesday night.”
If her goal was to quell her feelings for him, she should’ve asked about something else. Thinking about him going home for Christmas brought back fond memories of the year she’d accompanied him. Her own family Christmases had changed irreparably the year her parents had died, and celebrating with Graham’s father, brother, sister, and their families had been as close as she’d come to recreating the wide-eyed wonder and joy of her childhood celebrations.
She’d lain awake the last night of the trip, down the hall from where Graham slept in his childhood bedroom, longing for him to propose so she could become a permanent part of this wonderful family. To share a future like that with the man she loved.
If he’d asked then, before Ryan’s arrest and poor Bryce’s tough adjustment period brought reality slamming back, she would’ve said yes.
“What’s that look?”
She shook her head and cleared her expression. “No look. Um. Well, my plans are also the usual with one major bonus. I have an appointment on the twenty-second where the doctor says I’ll probably be cleared to stop using the boot.”
“Wow. Congrats. Big day. Things will begin to go back to normal.”
Normal? Disappointment swooped through her.
Normal meant no Graham.
Would it be so wrong to stretch out their time together? “I have to go around and pick up the money from candy bar sales next Saturday. Want to come?” She gulped, realizing he wouldn’t agree to extra time together without a practical reason. “Carrying back whatever doesn’t sell would be awkward with the scooter. I was going to go at ten.”
Graham shrugged and nodded. “Sure.”
“What are you going to do with all your time after Christmas, when things go back to normal?”
“Haven’t thought much about it. Have you? Thought about who you’re taking on that date?”
Her skin heated through faster than a tomato tossed into a wildfire. “I suppose I should make a plan, but it’s going to be awkward. I’m not interested in anyone.”
“A deal’s a deal.”
“We hardly made a deal. It was more of … a way to prove I trust God, I guess? But that doesn’t accomplish the purpose, because how much trust does it take to go out for dinner with a man I’m not interested in?”
“You’d have to go with someone youareinterested in.” His gaze met hers for a heated second.
At least, it felt heated on her end.
After a few bites of his Philly cheesesteak, he wiped his mouth. “Speaking of. About the other day. I’m sorry. I know you don’t see us like that.”
Her head jerked in a nod, as if her body were fighting to convince her mind that he was right. “Do you?”
He studied her, his face giving nothing away.
