Mistletoe Magic (Paradise Place #6) - Natalie Ann Page 0,31

her leg. “Relax.”

“Do you remember what my parents do?” she asked.

He laughed. “Your father is an electrician and your mother is an accountant at a law firm.”

“Correct,” she said primly. “We are just regular old middle class.”

Which was what surprised so many people when Alex pursued her. He was a patient at her dentist’s office and she’d cleaned his teeth.

He flirted and he was nice and he asked her out. She’d thought it was a joke at first, but he insisted it wasn’t.

That first date they’d had—he’d made her feel special. He laid on the charm. He made her laugh.

He wasn’t trying to show off with his wealth the way she’d thought he might, but it was always there in the back of her mind, from the car he drove, to the clothes he wore, to the Rolex on his wrist.

She never felt like she fit in his world and remembered how stressed she was over meeting his parents, fearing they wouldn’t think she was good enough.

Instead they thought she’d center Alex. Guess everyone was wrong.

“Same here,” he said.

But they weren’t the same in her mind. Her father was a blue collar worker and though he made a decent wage and her mother had a good job, they weren’t in Brian’s parents’ class either. Not someone who owned his own business. One that was large and well known in the Capital Region.

“It will be good though,” she said. “Just my parents and us. My mother’s parents live in Florida. They normally try to come up at Christmas. I’m close with my grandpa. My father’s parents aren’t with us anymore.”

“My grandparents are all gone too,” he said. “My parents are older than yours.”

It wasn’t a long drive to get to her parents and she was bummed about that. Though Brian didn’t seem nervous, she was. She’d been talking about him to her parents for weeks and she knew her father was going to be more stern than normal after her divorce. But she’d insisted Brian was nothing like Alex.

“It’s the third house on the right. The white one,” she said.

Brian pulled in. “Did you grow up here? It’s a nice area.”

“I did. Not a development like so many live in now. Myself included. But a nice neighborhood. There were always kids around running up and down the streets. Rick had a lot more friends than I did.”

“I’m sure you had plenty. I bet you were just selective.”

She turned to look at him, tilted her head and said, “Yeah. I am.”

He shut his SUV off and got out, opened the back door and grabbed Luke’s leash and she did the same on her side with Leia, then walked over and went to grab both. “No. I can walk Luke in. He’s starting to like me more.”

“He is. He’s not glued to my side anymore.” She looked down and saw Leia jumping on Brian’s leg. “Though this little girl still only wants you. I’m starting to feel left out.”

“You should be happy they like me so much. I know I’m thrilled they don’t want to destroy my shoes or pee on my legs when I’m over.”

“Never,” she said.

They moved to the front door. “Are you forgetting something?” he asked.

“Oh. The pies. Here take the leash.”

He laughed at her. Guess there was a reason he was trying to do it. And she was more ruffled than she should be coming to a holiday dinner at her own parents’ house.

The front door opened and her father was standing there, crouching down, the puppies running toward him. “Boy, they are getting big.”

“They are,” she said. “Dad, this is Brian Dawson. Brian, my father Randy Masters.”

“Nice to meet you,” Brian said shaking hands.

“Good firm handshake. Better than the last one,” her father said.

Instead of scowling she started to laugh. Her father always said to never trust a man with a weak handshake. She’d thought he was kidding, but he was right.

“Ignore my father,” she said. “I think he’s going to try to be all tough and hard today to make sure you aren’t after my money.”

Her father’s jaw dropped. “Robin,” he said. “That’s a little tacky.”

“The truth can be,” she said and moved past him.

Brian followed her in, her father unclipping the dogs. They took off running as they’d been here before and enjoyed the visit.

She walked into the kitchen, knowing Brian was by her side. “Mom, this is Brian Dawson. Brian, my mother Nikki.”

“Nice to meet you too,” he said, reaching his hand out.

“Oh. You’re much