Million Dollar Christmas Bride - Holly Rayner Page 0,22

become buried by the sands of time. Forgotten…” She lifted her glass but didn’t take a sip. Instead she held it before her as she said, “Are your ancestors from the area, Bianca?”

Bianca licked her lips. She didn’t often talk about her family tree. “My mother grew up in Georgia,” she said, “and came out here to Tennessee to work in the factory north of the city that makes sails for boats.”

“I know the one,” Mary said with a nod. “In fact, Jackson’s father used to know the owner.”

Bianca felt a twinge of inferiority stab her insides. Of course, Jackson’s family was probably connected to all of the well-to-do in the state. It was no wonder that he and his mother had more in common with the factory owners than the actual workers.

She forced herself to go on. “My dad also worked at the factory. He was in the shipping department.” She felt as though she was rambling, so she tried to wrap up. “He and my mom got together but split when I was very young. My mother raised me. Both my grandparents on her side of the family lived in Georgia, but they passed away a few years back. It’s really just me and my mom now.”

“I see,” Mary said. She eyed Jackson and fired her next question his way. “And how did you two meet?”

“It was this spring,” Jackson said. Bianca felt his gaze on her, so she turned to meet his eye. His blue eyes danced playfully as he said, “Do you want to tell the story, honey?”

He seemed to be enjoying himself, and his energy was contagious. Or maybe it’s the wine, Bianca thought.

Whatever it was, she felt herself relax a touch as she repeated the story Jackson had told the couples they’d chatted with on their way over.

“It was at a local park,” Bianca said, “back in April. One of those nice spring days.” She used the exact phrases that Jackson had used just minutes before. Then, on a whim, she decided to add a detail of her own. “A dog park, actually, near my neighborhood. Dove Meadows. It’s one of my favorites, because it has everything you could want—rolling grass hills, a separate area for dogs that are still being trained, and even a pond.”

“That’s right,” Jackson said. “Our dogs started playing together… chasing after the same—”

“Frisbee,” Bianca said. She was starting to enjoy weaving the scene together in her mind, and she couldn’t help but jump in. “It was my dog’s toy, but Rufus really had his eye on it.”

Jackson picked up on the tale, signaling to a passing waitress as he spoke. “I’m pretty sure that what Rufus really wanted was a new friend,” he said. “The poor guy gets lonely.”

He turned to the server. “Another glass of white,” he said.

It took Bianca a moment to realize that he was ordering for her.

I could get used to this, she thought, as the waiter placed a basket of bread and butter down at the center of the table, then rushed off to fetch her drink.

Jackson inched closer to her and let his arm rest on the back of her chair. “We started talking, and we hit it off. After a few weeks, we realized we couldn’t live without each other. I don’t know where I’d be without her. She brings me so much joy.”

He turned to look at her, and Bianca felt like she might melt under the heat of his gaze. She heard Mary begin to make a request from another server. Jackson gave Bianca a quick wink.

Bianca glanced over at Mary, to see if the older woman had caught Jackson’s gesture. It was clear that Mary was entirely caught up in her conversation with the server, and Bianca felt some tension in her shoulders dissipate.

“You’re doing great,” Jackson mouthed, just before Mary returned her focus to the table.

“Sounds like you two have a lot in common,” she said with a nod of approval. “That’s good. Over the years I’ve noticed that the couples who make it are the ones who are friends as well as lovers. That’s important. When the razzle-dazzle of one steamy night fades, what do you have left? You’re just two people, trying to make it as a team. You must have a foundation to stand on.”

Bianca’s cheeks flushed at the thought of the “steamy night” that Mary mentioned. She found that she agreed with Mary’s sentiment. Of course, a foundation of friendship had to be important