Page 10 of Wintertime Love (Holiday 2)

Well, damn it. She’s the scary one.

If Aunty Vee did say that, and I refuse it, there will be unlimited lectures in my future. However, I want to spend as little time around this man as possible. His presence makes me self-conscious and I don’t like it. “Well,” I shift in my seat, uncomfortably, trying to mentally weigh which situation is worse: getting lectured by Aunt Vee or an evening with this man. Finn wins by a mile and a half. “I guess I can take you once the dinner rush dies down.”

He stands up, looking satisfied. “It’s date then.”

He starts walking away and I call out, annoyed, “It’s not a date.”

He raises a hand in the air, saying over his shoulder with a smug tone, “Sure it is, Darlin’.”

Bastard.

The dinner rush sees my two aunts show up and I serve them the smoked salmon, the main dish on the menu today, along with roasted potatoes. There’s also hot lentil and chicken soup, a recipe I’d bribed an Italian friend of mine to part with.

Both my aunts have a difference of one year between them. But they’re both brunettes with blue eyes, and wildly independent. While we may look as different as night and day, we all share the same birthmark on our right wrist. It’s in the shape of a moon. Women of the Winter family have always been born with this particular birthmark. It’s a sign of our magical heritage or so my aunts have always told me.

While Aunt Vee is more business minded and handles the B&B they run out of our large ancestral home which has more than ten bedrooms, Aunt Helen runs a small herb shop in the business district of the town. Her shop usually has little knick knacks but she sells herbal tonics which are surprisingly effective.

“Aunt Vee…” I put down her plate in front of her, looking irritated. “Did you tell that Irish guy that I’d show him around town?”

She raises a brow at this. “He’s well educated, handsome, and I’ve got a good feeling about him.”

Of course. She has a feeling. I keep forgetting about those feelings of theirs.

“Regardless,” I tell her, stubbornly. “I don’t like him.”

“Sure you do, honey.” She waves away my protests.

“I have to look after the dinner rush, you know.”

“That’s why we’re here. We’ll lock up for you.”

The stare off between us ends with me looking away first, defeated, as always. “Fine,” I mumble.

Aunt Helen reaches out to pat my hand. “You’ll enjoy it, sweetheart.”

I don’t say anything.

Aunt Vee then looks at me from the corner of her eye. “You sure weren’t complaining when you made out with him last night.”

“Oh, dear God!” I exclaim and walk away to the sound of her laughing and Aunt Helen scolding her for teasing me.

Danny is here, once again, with Ben in tow, and I serve the younger boy some fried chicken and chips, while his brother devours the soup, his face smudged with soot again.

“What were you doing today that has you looking so dirty?” I ask, stealing one of Ben’s fries, and chewing on it, slowly.

“I’m a firefighter, babe. If we don’t look all mussed up, we’re not doing our job right.” He flashes me a disarming smile. “I rescued a kitten out of a tree today.”

?

??Was it Sharon’s kitten?” I ask, my lips twitching.

He avoids my gaze as he answers, “So what if it was?”

“How did it get up the tree? It can barely climb on the sofa.”

“It’s a cat,” he says, fidgeting with his spoon. “They are one of God’s mysterious creatures.”

“You’re so full of shit, Danny.” I laugh. “Desperate is a new look for you.”

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