something shifted.
“Look.” Bella’s voice was icy in a way he’d never heard before. “I don’t know what you and Natalie think. But you don’t know my grandfather. And if the two of you don’t have anything better to do than talk about Papa while you’re sitting around in the evenings sipping wine or whatever it is the two of you do, then I don’t know how to help you.”
Wine?
Evenings?
What was she talking about? Jeremy didn’t sit around drinking with his partners. Even when they were off shift, Natalie never—oh.
He couldn’t stop the smile from stretching across his face when he realized the misunderstanding and exactly what it meant.
Bella was jealous.
“What’s so funny?” She put her hands on her slim hips in a move that was so completely adorable and totally ridiculous at the same time. “Jeremy!”
He forced the smile off his face and looked down at his feet. “Sorry. I don’t mean to—”
“Laugh at my grandfather’s situation?” She stomped a foot and again, Jeremy had to bite back a laugh. “It’s not funny.”
He cleared his throat and looked up. The moment his eyes met hers, the laughter died. She might be jealous in a seriously sexy way, but more importantly, she was filled with concern for her grandfather. She was terrified.
“Bella.” There was no trace of humor as he stepped forward and took her in his arms. To his surprise, she let him hold her. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny. Not even a little bit. Roy is becoming increasingly forgetful, I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
She nodded against his shoulder and he stepped back. Her deep-green eyes shone with unshed tears, but they didn’t spill. She sniffed hard and nodded again.
“I’ve noticed. It’s hard not to.”
He nodded knowingly. “And that’s why Natalie—my rookie partner,” he added quickly before she could react again, “and I are worried. The chief is asking me to recommend to social services that maybe it’s time he’s moved to a nursing home or a facility where he won’t be a danger to himself but still have a high quality of life.” Her pretty face was a mixture of emotions and questions. “Part of my job is to work closely with other community agencies, like social services. In this instance, since you’re in town now, I wanted to come to you first before getting social services involved.”
She nodded and he watched as her face relaxed again. She’d definitely been jealous. An interesting observation he’d examine in depth later. Now wasn’t the time.
“You’re right,” she said after a moment. “It’s hard not to notice and my mom, even though she never actually visits, talks to him a few times a week on the phone and she’s mentioned his memory loss as well. I’m going to talk to the doctor, too, but…” She sighed deeply. “We all agree that it might be time to get rid of the house and move him.”
“I know it’s hard.”
She dropped her head for a moment before looking up quickly. “I’ll bring it up with him and I’ll do my best to get him to agree, but I’m not forcing anything until after Christmas.”
Jeremy wasn’t expecting that. “I assumed you would—”
“Christmas,” she said with more authority. “No move until after Christmas. You didn’t see the way he lit up when he started going through his old decorations. I can’t do that to him. He needs one more Christmas in his house. He loves it.”
Jeremy didn’t know Roy well, but he did know that much about the man. After all, he was the town Santa.
“Okay.” He found himself agreeing. He’d deal with the chief. “And you’ll stay?” He couldn’t be sure whether he was asking for Roy or himself. “Until after Christmas?”
She looked him in the eye and nodded slowly.
He turned quickly so she wouldn’t see the grin that he couldn’t stop, and grabbed two mugs of the cooling hot cocoa. “We should get these out to Roy.”
Chapter Three
“This is the last strand.” Logan Langdon handed Jeremy another bundle of lights and Jeremy couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in question. Logan had been telling him “just a few more” for over an hour. Jeremy’s fingers were numb from cold, and even in his thick parka, he was starting to shiver.
“I promise,” Logan said in response to his unanswered question.
“It is.” Levi Langdon, Logan’s cousin, chimed in. “You’re lucky Hope is on bed rest, or she’d demand lights on all the trees.”
From his perch on the ladder, Jeremy looked around the Ever After Ranch that was surrounded