Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,32

ear. Hannah didn’t know what he told the child, but the little girl looked ecstatic. Hopefully, he'd remembered her advice to not make really big promises.

It was ironic that he'd stepped into his father's shoes. He'd been at odds with his dad since high school, and their relationship had only gotten more estranged with time. She had no idea what was really between them, and while she was curious, she knew better than anyone that some family problems were too personal to share.

She forced herself to stop watching Jake. She had a job to do, too. Now that the kids were going through the line, they'd be stopping at the toy booth. She walked around the counter as Keira brought Brett back. Keira had picked up another one of their friends along the way, Gianna Campbell Barrington. Gianna was with Hailey, her eight-year-old stepdaughter, and Hailey and Brett already seemed to be fast friends. But then, Brett seemed able to make friends with anyone within ten seconds. He was very much his mother's son in that regard. Kelly had been one of the most popular kids in school.

"Can I see Santa now?" Brett asked eagerly.

"I have to work the booth, honey, but we can go on my break," she told him.

"Actually, if you don't mind," Gianna said, "he can wait in line with Hailey and me. We've already bonded."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Keira tells me Brett is your nephew. It must be fun to have him here at Christmas."

"It is," she said, seeing the questions in Gianna's eyes, but thankfully her friend didn't ask any of them.

"We'll talk later," Gianna said.

"Of course. Brett, do you want to go with Hailey and Gianna?"

Brett nodded as Hailey took his hand.

"I'll be here in the booth when you're done," she assured him, not that he seemed concerned. "Make sure you stay with Gianna and Hailey."

"I will," Brett promised.

As they walked away, Keira moved next to her. They handed out a couple of goodie bags and then Keira said, "We need to talk, Hannah."

"I can't explain right now about Brett," she said, giving Keira an apologetic look. "It's a long story, and there are too many people around."

"Fair enough. Let's talk about Jake then."

She groaned. "Do we have to?"

"Yes. You've barely been able to tolerate thirty seconds in the man's company and now you're hanging out with him and looking very friendly. What is going on?"

"Jake helped me out yesterday with Brett. I had a flat tire, and he was there. It wasn't planned." She paused to smile at the next child and hand the little boy his goodie bag. "Now Jake seems to think we should be friends again."

"Just friends?"

She felt her cheeks warm at the question, and it didn't help to see Keira giving her a knowing smile. "I really don't want to talk about it," she said.

"Tough, Hannah. I was in high school when Jake cheated on you. I was there to pick up the pieces of that heartbreak, and I have watched you snub the man every chance you've gotten since you both moved back here. But it's happening again, isn't it? You're starting to like him."

"Well, you like him," she said defensively. "You and Gianna and Chloe have always been after me to make peace with him, so that it's not awkward when we're together. You should be happy."

"I am happy—if you're happy."

"I don't know what I am, honestly. And I have bigger problems than Jake at the moment. I don't know where my sister is, Keira. I don't know when she's coming back or if she's coming back."

Keira frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that."

"I haven't heard from Kelly in fifteen years. Now, she leaves her child for me to watch, a boy I didn't know existed."

"He's very sweet."

"I know. I love him already, which makes it even harder. I need Kelly to come back, but she's clearly in some sort of trouble."

"Have you talked to Brodie or Adam?"

"I spoke to Adam. He's looking for her."

"Then you don't have to worry. Adam will find her. He'll help you figure this out. In the meantime, we'll all be here for you. And I'm thinking I might be able to include Jake in that promise since he's already playing Santa Claus for you."

"He's doing it for the kids."

Keira laughed and rolled her eyes. "Not a chance. He's doing it for you." She paused. "What's he going to get in return?"

"A date. That's right, I had to agree to a date to