A Holiday Temptation - Tiffany Patterson Page 0,46

of our typical days in which we’d meet at Townsend for another merger meeting.

My whole drive over here, I asked myself if I was making the right decision. I tried to remind myself that it was only a few more weeks before everything settled. The merger would go through with Townsend. I’d get my expected bonus from Cypress, and I’d be able to put down enough money on the house to take it over from my father’s estate. That way, I could grant Mama full ownership, and she’d be able to live there in comfort, and I wouldn’t have to hide my relationship with Mark from anyone.

“After you,” he says, holding his door open.

I stare into his hazel eyes, and everything inside of me warms.

Yeah, only a few more weeks of keeping secrets

She’s still holding back. I can feel it in my gut.

“You’re quiet tonight,” I say, trying to encourage her to open up about whatever’s on her mind. I thought we’d gotten all the hard shit out of the way when she told me about what happened the night of my accident.

When she told me, there wasn’t one part of me that felt any anger or malice toward her. Hell, I was the fool who decided to have a little too much to drink that night and lean on an old banister in an abandoned house. The truth was, I was trying my best to look cool in front of her. That was the night I was planning on giving her a ring my mother had given me. Needless to say, I never got the chance.

She turns to me, smiling. “Just enjoying the scenery.” She pauses and looks up from the pavement, and her smile widens as two children run past us, pointing at a house across the street that’s all lit up.

“You want some hot chocolate?” she asks.

“Sure.”

She steps off the sidewalk and heads for the woman dressed up as one of Santa’s helpers, behind the red and white booth. I watch as she orders two steaming hot chocolates and then brings them over to me.

“They didn’t have any marshmallows.” She frowns.

“No problem. Too much sugar anyway. The holidays tend to mess up my physique,” I tease, patting my belly with my free hand.

She giggles and rolls her eyes. “Which house is your favorite?”

I look up and down the block we’re on. All around, people walk along the sidewalks and street. The entryways are blocked off, so cars can’t get through, allowing people to meander about and take it all in. The people in this neighborhood went all out to decorate.

“That one.” I jut my head forward.

“Really?”

“Yeah, what’s wrong with it?”

She tilts her head to the side. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just a little bland compared to the rest.”

I stare at the house I’ve pointed out. It’s a pretty spacious family home, with what appears to be three levels. The brick siding stands out from behind the white snowmen family in the front yard. The family of snowmen surrounds a large snow globe with a scene of snow falling on children inside. The house has yellow lights strewn along the gutters of the home, but aside from that, there’s very little other decoration, save for a vast white wreath on the front door.

“That’s what I like about it. The other houses are cool, but it looks as if that family made that scene specifically to portray themselves.”

Jackie moves closer, placing one of her arms around my shoulders and leaning her hip against my chair. I wrap my free arm around her waist, holding her to me.

“How so?” she asks, peering down at me.

“Well, they came out earlier. They have two little boys and a little girl; five people, the same number of snowmen in the yard. They dressed each of them up to represent a member of the family. The parents and each of the kiddo snowmen stand around watching the scene inside of the globe. A perfect representation of them, I would guess.”

“Hm … I see it now. It’s still not my fave. Oop! Mark, you almost made me spill my hot chocolate on you,” she cries when I surprise her by pulling her onto my lap.

“Maybe one day you’ll stop being surprised when I do that.”

“Or, you’ll stop surprising me like that.”

I kiss the tip of her nose. “Don’t bet on it, J.”

I enjoy having her in my lap too much to stop doing this.

She rolls her eyes and adjusts herself to get comfortable in my lap.