Читать книгу The Trouble with Mistletoe - Jennifer Snow, Jennifer Snow - Страница 10

CHAPTER THREE

Victoria scanned her room at the bed-and-breakfast, trying to figure where the noise was coming from. She glanced at her laptop screen. The annoying buzzing came from the cable Mrs. Harris had given her to connect to the internet. A timed-out error message appeared on the screen and the buzzing paused, then resumed. Her mouth fell open. Seriously, dial up? She rested her head in her hands as she waited. When Mrs. Harris had said the Brookhollow Inn had internet access, she’d assumed it was Wi-Fi.

The color-themed guest rooms, occupying the two upper floors of the four-level estate were still decorated in an intriguing mix of Victorian, French country and European Old World. Downstairs, the common areas consisted of a sitting room near the front of the house with a large stone fireplace, handcrafted furniture and bookshelves lined with magazines and novels. These were the better-maintained areas of the house, and Victoria suspected it was because they saw the least amount of use.

The dining area with its six-round wicker table and chair sets extended onto a magnificent, large wraparound deck with a view of the big, fenced yard. She’d been disappointed to see that the large floor-to-ceiling, stained-glass windows were chipped, and the floral wallpaper was outdated and peeling in the corners. The weather-worn gazebo still stood in the center of the yard, near the rock waterfall overrun with weeds; it had been the location she’d selected for the wedding ceremony. In summer, the garden had been the perfect backdrop. Now, draped in mounds of snow and ice, the bare trees and neglected rock beds seemed just a sad shadow of a more elegant time.

The buzzing stopped and her home page opened at a snail’s pace. She typed her remote access login and password and hit Enter. Nothing. The hourglass icon appeared on the screen. “Oh, come on.” Her BlackBerry revealed thirty-two new messages, which the cell service here maddeningly prevented her from accessing. At this rate it would take her until midnight to read and respond to them all. Her voice mail could wait until morning; it was too late to return calls now anyway.

She stood and stretched at the bedroom window. The street below was dark and quiet—a typical Monday night in Brookhollow. In the city, the sound of traffic and the glow of lights were a constant reminder of life in continuous motion. She missed the noise and distraction. Here, the silence allowed her to hear her own thoughts.

Raising a hand to her lips, her cheeks heated. When she’d left home, she’d been certain the memory of Luke would plague her forever, but time and distance really did have a way of mending the heart and allowing you to forget. And then one simple kiss had shaken her.

A loud knock on the bedroom door made her jump and she released the thick curtain. Mrs. Harris? Her eyes widened as she opened the door. “What are you guys doing here?” Three of her best friends from high school stood in the hallway. She hadn’t told anybody she was coming to town and guilt now washed over her. She was here for work and she hadn’t wanted to mix business with pleasure. Rachel Harper was the only one she kept in touch with, and she’d been planning to stop in and surprise her at some point. Well, the surprise was on her.

“We went by your parents’ place. I thought you’d be staying there.” Rachel was struggling to catch her breath after the climb to the third floor. Her flushed cheeks held the glow of a woman eight months pregnant.

Victoria shook her head. “They finally transformed my old room.”

“Anyway, we didn’t want to wait any longer to see you,” Rachel said, struggling to lean in to give her a hug, her belly making it difficult to get close.

“Hey, girl, long time,” Lisa Cameron said as she hugged her next. “We haven’t seen you since Rachel’s wedding’ How long ago was that—three years?” Tall and thin, Lisa towered over the others, just as she always had. With her long, dark hair and slanted, hazel eyes, she could have signed a modeling contract anywhere in the world. It amazed Victoria that her beautiful friend had chosen Brookhollow and the domestic role of wife and mother instead.

“I know. I should visit more. I just travel so much for work, being at home in New York is a luxury.” Besides, she didn’t add, a vacation to Brookhollow couldn’t be classified as a vacation. She’d be constantly checking around the corner for a member of the Dawson family. One in particular, the one she couldn’t avoid this time.

Ava Miller took her hands. “Wow, you look even better in person than you do on Facebook,” she said, laughing. “And those are the best pictures anyone has of themselves.” She tossed her red hair over her shoulder.

Lisa nodded her agreement. “You’re telling me. Kenny has his high school football picture posted. He refuses to believe he looks a day older, despite the receding hairline and beer belly, which gives Rachel’s massive bulge a run for the money.”

“Hey!” Rachel protested, swatting her friend’s arm, as she joined them in laughter.

“It’s true, Rachel, you are huge.” Ava raised her eyebrows, staring at the protruding stomach fighting the constraints of the buttons on Rachel’s coat. “Are you sure you’re not having twins again? They say if you’ve had them once, the likelihood increases you’ll have them again.”

This would be Rachel’s third pregnancy and fourth child and the Harper family didn’t seem to be slowing.

“The doctor confirmed it—one baby.” Rachel looked terrified as she patted her middle. “He better be right.”

The playful interaction between her friends warmed Victoria. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed them. It shouldn’t surprise her that they knew she was in town. She suspected by now everyone did.

“Um…did you guys want to come in?” She glanced at the stack of paperwork on the desk and struggled with a sense of obligation. She really had a lot of work to catch up on.

Rachel waved a hand. “No, your friend from New York…” She paused, thinking hard.

“Heather?” Victoria guessed.

“Yes, that’s it. Sorry, I can’t remember anything these days with this pregnancy. I swear it’s like living in a fog for nine months. Anyhow, she messaged me on Facebook earlier today— I guess she found me among your thousands of friends.” Rachel laughed.

Two hundred and sixty-four, and not real friends. Mostly business acquaintances. She actually knew only a handful of people on her friends list.

“Anyway, she confirmed the rumors that you were arriving today and agreed that we had to take you out for a night on the town.” Rachel suppressed a yawn. She unbuttoned the top of her coat and fanned herself with her gloves.

Heather. She should have known. “You don’t look like you’re up for a night on the town.” Victoria smiled sympathetically.

Rachel scoffed. “Nonsense. I’m the life of any party. Let’s go.”

“That’s right, grab your coat,” Lisa chimed in. “I got a babysitter for the first time in six years.”

“Me, too.” Ava high-fived Lisa.

The two looked giddy at the prospect of an evening out. Something she took for granted in New York. Other than her extensive travel schedule, she had no real responsibilities. She was lucky. She could come and go as she chose. Her friends’ lives were foreign territory.

She didn’t want to disappoint them, but the messages in her in-box needed a response. She hesitated. “I wasn’t planning on going anywhere. I have a lot of work I need to catch up on.” A glance toward her laptop screen revealed the internet connection had timed out again. “Where would we go anyway?” she asked, eyeing them with suspicion. The choices in Brookhollow were slim. If they said the karaoke bar, she was locking herself in this bedroom.

“Just to the pool hall for a drink.” Rachel rested her hands against the back of her hips and blew a lock of wavy brown hair off her forehead.

Victoria frowned as she studied her friend. “I thought you were supposed to be on bed rest?”

“No, I’m fine now. I’m past the thirty-six-week mark, so the doctor says I’m okay to deliver anytime now.”

Victoria’s eyes widened.

Rachel laughed again. “Don’t worry, I won’t. Believe me, this little one likes it tucked in under my rib cage. I’ll be lucky to coax him or her out when it’s time.” She rubbed her side.

“I don’t know…” Victoria hesitated. “You guys could just come in for a while.”

Lisa glanced past her into the room and nodded toward the laptop. “They have free Wi-Fi at the pool hall.”

“I’ll grab my stuff.” Victoria dove for her coat.

As Luke drove past the Brookhollow Inn on his way to the pool hall, he stepped on the gas, ignoring the temptation to go see her. Of all the ways he’d envisioned her coming back to Brookhollow, he never in a million years would have expected this.

Noticing his gas light illuminated on the dash, he turned the truck into the lot of the only station in town. He had no choice, but before stepping out of the truck, he glanced through the front window of the minimarket, toward the cashier, holding his breath. Thankfully, Mike Fisher was working the night shift and not Mike’s sister, Cheryl. He was running out of excuses for why he hadn’t called her for a second date and, while he felt bad about it, he didn’t think it would be fair to lead her on when they clearly had nothing in common. Eight years his junior, he’d been hesitant to even go on the first date, but it turned out she was a little too mature for him. The ticking of her biological clock had been louder than the music playing inside the café. And while he could respect and admire her for knowing what she wanted out of a relationship, he also knew what he wanted. And he hadn’t given any thought to getting married and having children in a long time, not since Victoria.

Maybe Jim was right, he thought, as he jumped down from the truck and jogged into the store, he had to stop dating local women.

He pushed through the glass door and waved in greeting. “Hey, Mike.” He took his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled out his credit card.

“Hey, Luke. My sister was just saying how your truck must get amazing mileage. We haven’t seen you in here for weeks. Forty in gas?” he asked, taking the card and sliding it through the register.

Luke blushed. “I’m not avoiding her… Of course not… I’m just…”

Mike grinned. “Avoiding her?”

“Yeah.” Luke looked away, embarrassed, as he replaced his card and slid the wallet into his back pocket. “Sorry, man. Your sister’s great’ I’m just not really looking for anything serious.”

His sisters had a theory about why that was. One they had no problem reiterating at each and every family get-together. Family dinners at the Dawson home often turned into an intervention, as they insisted on discussing his apparent fear of commitment. Ultimately, the blame always returned to Victoria and her untimely departure from Brookhollow.

While he couldn’t deny the theory held water, he knew his choice to remain single couldn’t be completely blamed on his ex. He just couldn’t seem to find anyone he wanted to spend an extended period of time with. No one he’d dated in recent years had challenged or intrigued him enough. He refused to believe he had unreal expectations.

“She told you about her one-year plan from date to altar, huh?” Mike said, handing Luke a pen to sign the credit card receipt.

“About five minutes in,” he confirmed, scribbling his signature and handing Mike back the pen.

“Well, you don’t have to drive the truck until you’re running on fumes. She’s going out with a guy on my hockey team. They’ve really hit it off, so you’re off the hook.”

Luke released a sigh of relief. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

“So, I noticed a green Infiniti rental with a familiar blonde at the wheel drive by this afternoon.” Mike leaned against the counter. “Anyone we know?”

“Yeah, the town troublemaker,” Luke confirmed with a wry grin.

“Aka Victoria Mason?”

“The one and only.”

“She’s here to buy out Legend’s Sporting Goods, right?” Mike asked as the phone behind him rang.

“If I let her, yes.” Once again he prayed he was up to the challenge of going head to head with her. The girl he remembered was persuasive and determined. He suspected she’d stop at nothing to acquire the store. She’d said as much, and that worried him.

“So what you’re saying is, the store is hers.” Mike grinned and answered the phone.

Rachel yawned as she stirred the ice in her virgin cosmopolitan.

Victoria glanced up from her laptop. “Are you sure you’re okay?” So far she’d sorted out many of the issues in her in-box, and she pushed aside her guilt for only half listening to her friends reminisce about the old days.

“Yeah.” Rachel nodded, despite her tell-tale droopy eyes. “I just haven’t been up this late in a while,” she said, struggling to hide another yawn behind her hand.

Victoria laughed, glancing at the time on her cell phone. A little past ten-thirty. In New York, she and Heather wouldn’t even have hit the clubs yet. Not that she would ever call the pool hall a club. Six pool tables were sandwiched in a dark corner near the bar and a tiny wooden dance floor, just big enough to hold a dozen people, provided the club portion of the hall. The bowling alley occupied the same building to the left and the movie theater was on the right. Not exactly a trendy hot spot. But somehow, it put her at ease, after the stress of the day.

“No… Kenny, listen to me… His rash cream is on the shelf next to the changing table.” Plugging one ear with her finger, Lisa yelled into her cell phone above the Christmas music blaring from the speakers.

Victoria picked up her phone, wondering how Lisa was getting cell service in here. Nothing. She shook the phone to no avail, and set it aside. Her provider was getting an earful when she could finally call them.

Lisa rolled her eyes. “Yes, that’s right…just put a thick layer all over his butt… Yes, bye,” she said shutting her old flip phone and shaking her head. “Seriously, that man wouldn’t notice something unless it jumped off a shelf and strangled him.”

“Jeremy has a diaper rash?” Ava asked, sipping her white wine. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yes. Last week he had a stomach flu and his poop was runny, you know…that yellow color—mustard consistency.” She wrinkled her nose.

Ava nodded her understanding. “With that rancid smell… I know it well,” she said with a shudder.

Victoria stared at the two. She pushed away her plate of chicken wings. It was too late to be eating fried food anyway.

“The poop I can handle. It’s the vomit. That curdled-milk vomit,” Lisa added, sitting back in her chair.

Ava waved a hand and said, “I told Darren, I’d change dirty diapers all day long, but vomit was his department.”

Victoria stared at her laptop screen, trying to drown out the conversation around her. Poop and vomit. Were these the same girls who’d refused to pick up their own dogs’ crap when the town implemented that law?

“Girls, I think we are grossing Victoria out,” Rachel said with a laugh. “Sorry. That seems to be all us moms can talk about these days. We’re dying for a night out, but then we all miss our kids.”

“It’s no problem, really. Sorry, I’ve been attached to this computer for the last hour.” Victoria scanned the remaining unanswered emails. She sighed and closed the laptop. She deserved a break.

“So, how about you? Any plans for kids in your future?” Ava leaned forward and a lock of her red hair fell into her face. She pushed it back and secured it with a bobby pin.

Victoria gulped her drink and shook her head. At this stage of her life, children weren’t even a consideration, and the prospect of having a family someday grew smaller with each passing year. Wiping the condensation from the glass with a finger, she said, “Um…no. My position at Clarke and Johnson takes up so much of my time. I travel a lot and there’s hours of overtime almost every day.”

“But you have a boyfriend,” Lisa said. “I saw pictures of you with a guy on Facebook.”

Pictures of her with a guy? Oh, Rob. She shook her head. “He’s just a coworker I dated for a while.” She should update her Facebook profile more often and maybe remove some of her older photos, especially now that Rob was engaged to another colleague. “Nothing serious.”

“So, there’s no one special in your life?” Ava asked, toying with the stem of her wineglass.

“Um…” She debated telling them about Jordan—a guy she’d connected with through an online dating site in a moment of poor judgment, self-pity and too much wine, four months before. With her busy travel schedule and his long hours on Wall Street as a trader, so far they’d managed to make time for three quick lunch dates and countless late-night chat sessions over Skype whenever she was out of town.

She was disappointed that those calls wouldn’t be possible on this trip, with the dial-up access at the Brookhollow Inn. She’d emailed him explaining the situation, attaching an invite to her company’s Christmas party on December 20. It would be their first real date and a chance to introduce him to her friends and coworkers. She hesitated. Her Brookhollow friends wouldn’t understand why she’d had to turn to online dating when she lived in a big city, full of interesting, single people. Nor would they understand that work took priority over relationships. “Not really,” she said finally.

Ava and Lisa shared a look.

It took all of Victoria’s strength not to question the exchange. So, she wasn’t married yet. She didn’t have a house full of kids. Did that mean she was a failure? Her mother certainly thought so, but she’d expected her friends to be more open-minded. She’d chosen a different path and there was nothing wrong with that. Was there? The awkward silence spoke volumes. She couldn’t stand it. “I mean, there is one guy.”

The girls looked hopeful.

“Go on,” Lisa urged, moving her chair closer to the table.

“Tell us about him.” Ava nodded.

“Well, right now we’ve just been texting and video calling a lot…a few lunch dates…” Victoria blushed, praying the confession didn’t sound as lame as she thought it did.

Ava looked disappointed. “But you are going to go on a real date?”

That was the plan. She prayed he’d be available the night of her Christmas party. The thought of going alone again this year was too depressing to contemplate. “Yeah. We’re just so busy with work.”

“That’s good.” Rachel sat straighter, apparently forcing herself to look awake. “Whatever, don’t pay any attention to those two. With or without a serious boyfriend, I bet your life in New York is so exciting. Like an episode of Friends.”

Victoria smiled. “Sure, something like that.”

“I knew it,” Rachel said. “Ow…” She grimaced and gripped her side.

“Are you okay?” Victoria hoped her friend hadn’t chosen this moment to go into labor.

“It’s fine.” Rachel struggled to catch her breath. “Just a kick.”

Ava and Lisa exchanged knowing looks. “I miss that part,” Lisa said, her eyes filled with tears, and she laughed. “Look at me,” she said, wiping her eyes with a paper napkin.

“It really is the best feeling, having life growing inside you. Don’t worry.” Ava touched Victoria’s hand. “I’m sure you’ll experience it someday.”

Victoria’s cheeks flushed. “Um…excuse me for just a second.” She pushed her drink away and grabbed her cell phone. Sliding from the barstool she made her way to the bathroom. Inside, her phone beeped. Amazingly strong cell reception in the bathroom at the pool hall, of all places. Finding an empty stall, she closed the toilet seat and sat, dialing Heather’s cell number.

Her friend answered on the third ring. “Hello? Vic?”

“I’m going to kill you,” she hissed into the receiver.

“What? Why?”

“For telling my former friends to take me out on the town!” This night was turning

into an intervention. Somehow, Victoria suspected her mother had set the girls up to remind her of everything missing in her life. It was working.

The door to the washroom opened and she heard someone enter the stall next to her.

She lowered her voice. “Do you even know what a night on the town around here means?”

Heather laughed. “So, it’s not New York, it’s your hometown.”

“To say it’s not New York is the understatement of the year. I’m at the pool hall, which is also the bowling alley, and the movie theater. They have a disco-ball, dance floor and get this—arcade games. The place hasn’t changed at all since we came here in high school.” She closed her eyes and rested her head in her hand. The familiarity of the place and the memories here made her chest hurt.

Heather was still laughing on the other end, unable to speak.

“That’s not even the worst of it. I’m here with a pregnant woman, about to fall asleep at the table or give birth any minute—I don’t know—and two mommies who can’t talk about anything other than poop and vomit. And I can’t participate in the conversation because I don’t know anything about poop and vomit.”

“Vic…stop…” Heather said, struggling to catch her breath.

“I’m glad you find this amusing,” Victoria ground out.

“It can’t be that bad.”

“Oh, really?” Victoria rubbed her eyes. She had to get out of here. “I hate you for setting this up.” She stood and slumped against the bathroom wall. Her eyes fell to a set of initials inside a heart, drawn in black marker on the opposite wall: V.M. and L.D. Forever. She shrieked. They haven’t painted the walls in twelve years?

“What?” Heather sobered instantly. “What’s wrong?”

“The graffiti on the bathroom wall is taunting me,” she barked into the phone. “I’m seriously going to have a panic attack. Where are you anyway?” Her friend had also been assigned an acquisitions trip that week.

“You don’t want to know.”

“Heather.” Her tone was stern.

“San Diego. But it’s really not that great.”

“Liar. How do you always get the good trips?” In the past three months her friend had been to Miami and Phoenix. Victoria had been to Amarillo and Bridgeport.

“I’m dating the boss. It means I’ll never get promoted, but I get the good trips.”

Victoria shuddered. If that’s what it took, she’d rather be sent to Alaska.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll start getting sent to better locations in the New Year.”

“Yeah, maybe.” She wasn’t so sure. “Okay, I have to get back out there.”

“I’m sorry, Vic. I thought it would be fun for you to catch up with your old friends.” Heather sounded disappointed. “You always talk about them and the fun you had in high school. Kind of makes me jealous. I was always the outsider at my school.”

“I realize you meant well, but I just don’t know these women anymore. We certainly don’t have anything in common. I feel like my life is meaningless to them. My accomplishments mean nothing because I haven’t done them with a baby on my hip.” She let out a deep sigh and rubbed her forehead. She had to call it a night. The free Wi-Fi just wasn’t worth it.

“Don’t let them get to you. We will celebrate our lack of knowledge of poop and vomit at the Richardson the night you get back. First round of drinks and the cab are on me.”

She doubted that another girls’ night out would so easily put to rest the idea triggered by her old friends that life was passing her by, but she just said, “Okay. Talk to you soon.” Disconnecting the call, Victoria freed herself from the bathroom stall. She readjusted her pink cashmere sweater, relieved she didn’t know the other person at the sink. She washed her hands and smoothed her wavy, blond hair before walking out.

“I’m not sure she’s having a good time.” Lisa was saying as she approached the table. “I don’t think she finds our domestic life very interesting.”

“Well, I don’t see anything spectacular about being attached to a laptop and BlackBerry, either,” Ava said. “And she’s never going to get married and have kids if she can’t even find time to go on a date.”

“Remember who you’re talking about. Victoria’s never wanted those things. It’s not like she didn’t have the opportunity—she chose something different, that’s all,” Rachel said.

“Well, I still think she’s crazy for leaving Luke,” Ava replied.

“Speak of the devil, look who just walked in… Now this should be interesting.” Lisa blushed, noticing Victoria behind them.

She followed the other woman’s gaze toward the pool hall entrance and her heart sank. Couldn’t she get through one disaster today without him playing a role in it?

Luke stood in the entrance, scanning the almost-empty pool hall.

Lisa held up a hand in greeting.

Ava swatted her arm down, with a quick glance in Victoria’s direction. “Stop that,” she said in exasperation as Luke approached their table. “Great. He’s on his way over. Sorry, Victoria.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” Victoria took a sip of her drink and fought to keep her hand steady. After all this time, despite her success in New York, her friends still thought she’d made the wrong decision. Well, she didn’t expect them to understand her motivations and ambitions. They never had. At least she could count on Rachel to defend her. Just get through this evening.

“Hey, ladies. Glad to see you three finally got an evening out. Ava, I see Darren over at the pool tables. Who’s with the kids?” Luke asked.

“They’re spending the night at Grandma and Grandpa’s.” She pumped her fist in the air, which made them all laugh.

“Rachel,” he said, “you look beautiful as usual. Quite the pregnancy glow you have working for you.”

“Thanks, Luke.” Rachel turned a deep shade of crimson, but it was obvious the compliment had made her evening.

Traitors. All of them. Victoria watched in amusement as the three women chatted up her ex-fiancé. Squinting in the dim lighting, she took in his strong jawline and blue eyes reflecting the glow of the Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling.

“Hey, Luke. Quit flirting and get over here.” Jim Bishop waved from the pool table and held up a beer.

Luke nodded as he moved around the table. “Excuse me, ladies. I have some money to win.” He paused by Victoria’s chair and lowered his voice to say, “I thought you were tired. Does your mother know that you lie to her?”

Victoria stared at the glass in her hand. “I don’t know, Luke. Does your mother know you had dinner at our house?”

Luke cleared his throat as he unzipped his leather jacket. “Well, our mothers don’t need to know everything, now, do they?”

“Enjoy your pool game,” she said, dismissing him.

He glanced at her computer on the table in front of her. “You brought your laptop on a girls’ night?” he asked. “Real party girl. Enjoy your evening, ladies.” He raised a hand and sauntered off.

Victoria resisted the urge to turn and stick her tongue out to his back. “I think we need another round,” she said, draining the contents of her glass. She stood and had to grip the edge of the tall bar table for support against a dizzy spell.

“Not me. I just texted Nathan to let him know I’m on my way. Sorry, Victoria, I’m beat.” Rachel slipped into her coat.

“No problem. Get some rest.” It was almost eleven. In New York, the night would just be getting started. In Brookhollow’s local hot spot, only a few quiet tables remained other than the boys shooting pool. She should call it a night, as well. She had the perfect excuse now with Rachel leaving. Turning toward the pool tables, her eyes met Luke’s. She’d stay for one more drink with the girls. She had been a little rude.

“Okay. Be sure to stop by this week and we’ll catch up some more.” Rachel got up from the table, adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder.

Ava stood. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

“Another glass of wine?” Victoria raised an eyebrow.

Lisa and Ava hesitated. No doubt the gap between their lifestyles was perfectly clear to each of them.

“I’d love to see pictures of your children if you have them.” She really was interested in their lives; she just hated that it stirred an unprecedented yearning in her.

The other two agreed.

“Okay then, I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll save our table.” Lisa was already digging around in her purse for pictures.

“Sure,” Victoria said. As if that would be necessary. The place was dead.

Approaching the bar, she ignored the cat calls from the pool tables. “Hi, Melody. Can we get another round?”

“Sure, Vic. How’ve you been?” The bartender, Melody Myers, was another old high school acquaintance. With a yawn, she poured vodka into a shot glass and dumped the contents into a short glass, before reaching for a can of energy drink.

She looked older than her thirty-two years. The lines around her eyes and forehead were deep and she appeared to have aged more than the rest. With her thinning face and even a few streaks of gray in her light brown hair, it was hard to believe they were the same age and from the same graduating class. Having lost her husband in a car accident the year before, she was raising her twin seven-year-olds on her own.

“I’ve been good. Busy…”

“Yeah, I noticed the laptop.”

Victoria ignored the hint of judgment she thought she detected in the woman’s voice. “How about you?” she asked gently.

“Taking it day by day,” Melody answered honestly as she shook a shaker and poured Lisa’s fruity cocktail, then grabbed the bottle of house white wine to pour a glass for Ava. She placed the drinks on the bar.

Victoria nodded as she reached into her wallet. Melody’s incredible voice had once kept her very busy at weddings and funerals. Victoria had always assumed she’d take it further. It saddened her to think that Mel’ody’s life hadn’t turned out exactly how she’d planned. She hesitated before asking, “Do you still sing?”

Melody wiped down the bar and deposited the cash in the register. She tossed the change into the tip jar after Victoria refused to take it. “Well, I’m still a star at the church and with my kids every night. That’s enough for me.” But there was a note of longing in her voice.

Victoria noticed the pictures of the young boys behind her on the bar mirror. Cute kids.

Melody caught her staring and smiled. The effect softened her hardened features. “David and Joshua—twins. Must be something in the water around here. Be careful,” she warned, nodding toward Luke.

Victoria’s cheeks heated. “Thanks for the warning—” she indicated her drink “—I’ll be sure to stick to this.” And as far away from Luke Dawson as possible, which would be a challenge given the reason for her visit.

Luke lined up a shot for the eight ball. He lowered his gaze to sight down the pool stick. Beyond the green felt, he saw Victoria saunter back toward their table, drinks in hand. Dress pants and a formal sweater for the local watering hole. He suspected she hadn’t packed a single set of casual clothes in her no-doubt designer suitcase. But no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t fault her—she seemed to be living the life she’d always desired and he respected that. Drawing back, he let the pool cue slide between his fingers. The white ball spun toward its target, directing the other ball straight into the left-hand, corner pocket. “And that’s how it’s done.” He stood and grinned, as the other men booed.

Jim counted out the twenties in his hand. “Who invited you here tonight anyway?” he mumbled and turned to the group. “Come on, guys. One of us has to be able to take him.”

Darren shrugged. “He’s on fire tonight,” he said. “And I’ve already lost more to him than I’m going to tell my wife.” He drained his beer and stood.

“I heard that. I am just sitting over here,” Ava called from where she sat with Victoria and Lisa.

Darren grimaced. “Sorry, honey.” Joining their table, he wrapped an arm around his wife. “How about we head home and I’ll make it up to you?” he said, placing a kiss on her cheek.

Ava shot him a look. “Seriously? You just lost a lot of money and you’ve been drinking and you think you’re going to be romantic tonight?” She placed a hand over his face and pushed his puckered lips away, hiding her smile.

Luke joined them at the table. “How about it, Ava? Want to try winning back some of this guy’s money for him?”

Ava grunted. “Luke, do you remember the last time I played pool?”

“I do,” Melody called from the bar. “By the way, it’s going to cost three hundred dollars to fix that hole in the wall from the cue ball.” She pointed a finger.

“Shh…” Darren held a finger to his lips. “I can’t believe you reminded her.”

Ava glared at him.

“I hadn’t forgotten.” Melody shook her head and resumed filling the dishwasher with the dirty beer mugs and glasses. “And guys, this is last call.”

“At eleven-thirty?” Jim sat on the edge of Lisa’s stool. She shuffled over to make more room for her cousin.

“You usually close at one,” Darren said.

“Josh and David have a dentist appointment in the city first thing tomorrow morning, so I’m kicking you out early.”

“Okay, Mel. No problem. I guess I’m the winner here tonight.” Luke shrugged and folded the bills.

“Not so fast.” Victoria stood. “How much you got there?”

Luke’s face lit up with amusement. “You? You think you can tear yourself away from your laptop long enough?”

“I asked how much you’ve got there.”

Luke flipped through the bills. “Two hundred and eighty,” he said, studying her face as she bit a thumbnail.

She dropped her hand. “Double or nothing.”

He smirked. “You’re serious? You think you can beat me?”

“Without a doubt,” Victoria said confidently, moving closer to stand just inches from him. Defiantly, she stared him down.

She was even feistier than he remembered. Well, he had no problem taking her money, too. “You’re on.” He picked up her glass and drained it, then began choking and sputtering. “That’s disgusting. What was that? Cough syrup and vodka?”

“Red Bull and vodka.” Victoria grabbed the pool stick out of his hand and sauntered toward the table in the corner.

“You do know that stuff can kill you, right?” Luke said, taking the empty energy drink can from where Melody had left it on the bar and following her.

The others followed.

Jim grinned. “This is going to be good.”

Darren nodded.

“It actually says right on the label—Do Not Mix with Alcohol.” Luke held the can in front of Victoria and pointed to the fine-print metallic ink.

Victoria squinted. “It does not.” She pushed the can aside.

Luke was relentless. “It does.”

“Are we playing pool or not?”

Luke set the can down. Had she been fine-tuning her eight ball skills in New York all this time? Pulling the rack out from under the table, he flipped it and tossed it to her. “Rack ’em.”

Victoria caught it with one hand and busied herself collecting the faded, chipped, stray balls from the pockets. She leaned forward and arranged them inside the triangle. Her wavy blond hair fell over her shoulder and glistened in the light of the pool table. His gaze fell to her lips.

When she moved back, a dangling object above her head caught his eye. “Hey, Vic, look up,” he said. Mistletoe was quickly becoming his favorite Christmas tradition.

Victoria paused and glanced toward the pool table light overhead and the thin, very old and worn piece of mistletoe hanging from the edge of the lampshade. She reached up and yanked it free, crumbling the brittle leaves as Luke approached. “Oh, no. You’re not getting me that way again.” She straightened and pointed a finger at him as he moved closer.

He lowered his head, enjoying the panic in her green eyes. “Don’t even think about it, Luke.” The words were strained and he heard her breath catch deep in her chest.

Luke moved his lips to the side of her face, against her flushed cheeks. Placing a hand on her waist, he drew her closer. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to kiss you,” he whispered in her ear.

Her eyes widened. “You’re not… I mean, good,” she said, evidently flustered.