Page 32 of There's Only One Sleigh
There’s a pretty tray on the counter that Penny would probably use, but I’m not sure about my ability to balance two hot drinks, a lukewarm drink, and a plate of cookies on it. Instead, when the beverages are done, I carry theirs out and then go back for mine and the cookies.
I’ve barely sat down when Sam comes and leans against my knee, holding up a cookie.
“What does he want?” I ask his mother, because I’m not sure if kids just eat their food while leaning on people they barely know.
“Well, he’s handing you the cookie, so he wants you to take it, and if you don’t, he’ll cry. And you might think it’s safe to assume he wants you to eat it because he gave it to you, but if you do, he’ll cry because you ate his cookie.”
“So it’s a trap.”
“Yes.”
I take the cookie from the tiny manipulator, not sure what to do with it as he giggles and runs off. It’s a little awkward, sitting with a cookie I’d very much like to take a bite of, while he goes back and grabs another cookie.
He brings that one to his mother and then returns to me. Leaning on my knee again, grinning up at me, he takes his cookie back.
“You look so much like your uncle Rob with that cheeky grin,” I say, unable to keep from smiling in return.
When he runs off, trailing cookie crumbs, to pull a basket of trucks out of a cabinet I hadn’t even noticed, I turn my attention back to Natalie.
I really don’t like the way she’s looking at me—like she’s pretty sure I have a secret and she wants to know what it is.
“So you and Rob, huh?”
I should probably deny it. I mean, lots of people tell kids they look like somebody else in the family. And I was the one who asked him to keep our relationship from his family.
She arches her eyebrow, waiting, and I feel the blush across my face and chest. “The Christmas fair is going to be a success. We work well together.”
“Indeed.” She smiles, a sly tilt to her lips. “You were probably still eating your lunch when I got a text telling me the city girl was in the diner, eating out of Rob’s hand.”
“Okay, that’s not—” I pause, because that actually did happen. “He wanted me to try salt and vinegar on fries, so it was just a taste test of his before I ate my own.”
“I would have taken the test fry out of his hand, but that’s just me.”
I donotwant this conversation getting away from me. “But then I would have had vinegar on my fingers and what if I didn’t like it?”
She shrugs, giving me an amused look that almost matches her brother’s. “Ah. I didn’t realize they forgot to bring you napkins.”
My mind spins, trying to think of some way to change the subject with a topic more interesting to her than her brother hand-feeding fries to the city girl. I’ve got nothing.
Suddenly Natalie sucks in a breath, and when she exhales, there’s a faint keening sound in that breath. Then she leans forward, hands on her stomach, as her face contorts in pain and panic floods every cell in my body.
I have no idea what to do.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Rob
This is the second time since becoming fire chief that I’ve turned into the driveway of the Charming Inn with the red lights flashing and two of my wheels barely in contact with the asphalt.
The first time, a call came in that a woman my mother’s age had taken a tumble on the stairs. It turned out to be a guest—and her only injury was to her dignity—but it took a solid two hours for my pulse to return fully to normal.
I think something is wrong with Nat. She’s in pain, I think. Can you come?
By the time I burst into the house and find Nat sitting peacefully on the sofa, I’m afraid I’ll need medical attention myself. I stand in the sitting room doorway, bag in hand, and try to assess the situation while I catch my breath.
Nat looks absolutely fine. Uncomfortably pregnant, but she’s smiling and I don’t see any signs of distress.
