Celebrate in Good Hope (Good Hope #22)

Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Roe stood in the great room and stared at a space before the window. Her conversation at the pond with Etta had gotten her Christmas wheels spinning. “I’ve never gone a year without a tree.”

Boone stopped himself on his way into the kitchen. “I can’t recall the last time I had one.”

“My trees since college haven’t been big or anything elaborate,” she admitted, “but I always put one up. It helps get me into the Christmas spirit. I guess that streak ends this year.”

“It doesn’t have to,” Boone told her. “Christmas is still a couple of weeks away. There’s no reason we can’t put up a tree. This room certainly has space for one.”

Roe tapped two fingers against her lips. “We could get a tree, but there is the issue of ornaments. I mean, this isn’t our place. What we choose might not be what Krew and Cassie want. What would we do with them when we leave?”

“Toss them in the trash?”

Roe stared at him wide-eyed.

“Just kidding.” Boone laughed. “Donating them is an option. ”

“That would work. We could take your truck and get a tree now,” Roe suggested.

“Or we could do it tomorrow.”

“If we get it today, twenty percent will go to the Giving Tree.”

It didn’t take them long to reach the lot and agree on a tree, a five-foot Scotch pine that looked as good as it smelled.

They stopped at a store to pick up a tree stand, lights and two economy-sized containers filled with enough ornaments to decorate a tree twice this size.

On the way home, they swung by Bayside Pizza to pick some dinner.

Boone now sat at the table with a pizza slice before him and a table filled with ornaments. “This has been the strangest day.”

He gazed at the tree. While not particularly tall—he had wanted to go bigger until Roe reminded him of the no-heavy-lifting rule—it was perfectly shaped and looked good in the spot Roe had chosen, directly in front of the picture window in the great room.

According to Roe, the lights went on first. A background of clear lights had been strung, followed by colored lights that wrapped around the outer part of the tree.

Had they done that at home all those years earlier, before his mom and sister had left? It was so long ago, Boone couldn’t recall.

Roe bit into a slice of pizza and studied the ornaments they’d carefully removed from the plastic containers and spread across the large table.

They probably could have gotten by with just one package, but Roe liked traditional ornaments with classic Christmas motifs, such as Santa Claus, angels and reindeer. Boone was drawn to the more abstract, modern designs with sleek, polished finishes.

They’d compromised by each getting a pack of ornaments.

“This one.” Roe lifted a ceramic silver reindeer .

Taking a long drink of beer, Boone picked up a geometric-shaped ornament sporting a design that reminded him of van Gogh’s Starry Night painting. He put it with her reindeer. “Your turn.”

Boone had no clue what their tree would look like, but could a Christmas tree ever be ugly?

He and was considering his next pick when his phone buzzed. Glancing down, his heart jumped when he saw the name on the screen. Krew Slattery.

Roe looked up, clearly curious, as he pushed back his chair and stood.

“This should just take a minute,” he told her as he strode from the room, the phone pressed against his ear. “Coach. It’s good to hear from you.”

Boone liked the Grizzlies’ receivers coach. Krew had once played the position, and that experience translated into an ability to provide valuable insights to his players. The man also had great analytical skills. His skill at breaking down game film to identify the strengths and weaknesses of individual players and opponents was well known.

Krew was also a nice guy who built strong relationships with players based on mutual respect and trust.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better every day.” Boone wished he could say that he was ready to be on the field again, but even if he could get a doctor to sign off, he knew he was nowhere near ready to play at the high level required.

To play at less than that level wouldn’t be fair to himself or his teammates.

“The cabin thing with you and Roe, it’s working out?”

Boone turned slightly and watched Roe bite her lip, her face a study in concentration as she picked up one ornament and then set it down. “It’s working well. The cabin is big. We’re both good at compromise, so I guess you could say we’re peacefully coexisting.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Some of the tension left Krew’s voice. “Roe has said as much to Dakota, but it’s good to know you both feel that way.”

“I appreciate you letting me stay here. I want you to know that we’re taking good care of the place.”

“I did not doubt that.” Krew said something to someone in the room with him, then returned to his conversation with Boone. “If there are any issues, text.”

“Will do.”

“And, Boone.”

“Yes, Coach.”

“I realize this enforced rest isn’t what you wanted. But I hope you take this opportunity to relax and enjoy yourself. I can tell you from personal experience that there isn’t a better place to spend Christmas than Good Hope.”

After ending the call, Boone strode back into the great room and sat at the table.

“That was Krew,” he told Roe, though she hadn’t asked. “Checking in.”

After gesturing to a metal snowflake she’d added to the chosen pile in his absence, Roe smiled. “Dakota checks in with me every few days. She’s crazy busy with work and with her wedding now only two months away, but she makes the time. She’s thoughtful that way.”

Boone didn’t know Krew’s daughter well, although he’d seen and spoken with her briefly a couple of times. He still found it difficult to believe that Krew had a daughter who was old enough to get married. “What’s her fiancé like?”

“Nolan is wonderful.” A smile lifted Roe’s lips. “He’s quiet and more of an introvert, which surprised me initially because Dakota is so outgoing. Once you get to know him, though, he opens up and is a lot of fun. ”

“Does he work with her?” Boone wasn’t sure why he was asking all the questions. It wasn’t as if it mattered. It was just that there was something nice about having a casual conversation with Roe while a fire blazed in the hearth and snow fell gently outside the windows.

While Boone would give anything to be outside on a snowmobile right now or traversing a wide expanse of white in snowshoes or a pair of cross-country skis, for now, he was stuck inside, picking ornaments for a tree he hadn’t known he wanted.

Shifting his gaze to the twinkling lights on the tree, he realized he couldn’t wait to see what the Scotch pine looked like covered in ornaments.

“Nolan is a forensic accountant. The firm he works for is in the same building as the PR firm where Dakota works.” Roe gestured toward the ornaments. “Your turn.”

“Forensic accounting?” Boone chewed on the words. “Sounds like an interesting career.”

“He’s a CPA with some kind of certification in fraud and financial forensics.” Roe gave a little laugh. “Don’t hold me to that. It’s something like that, anyway.”

“I’m surprised Dakota didn’t try to match you up with one of his friends.”

Roe smiled. “Who said she didn’t?”

He inclined his head.

“She tried several times, in fact.”

“Forensic accountants are not your type?”

“Those guys weren’t.” Her smile came easily. “You know how it is. You click with some but not with others. I think I had… It’s not important.”

She motioned again for him to pick an ornament.

Boone ignored the gesture.

“Don’t leave me hanging,” he teased. “You had what?”

Two bright swaths of pink colored her cheeks. “I had a premonition I’d soon be leaving Minneapolis. Nothing had been said at the theater. I mean, I knew that the decreased revenue was a concern, but really, when isn’t it in community theater? So many things can affect both the costs and the revenue. I just had this feeling I would be relocating, so I chose not to get attached.”

“Do you think it’s as simple as saying to yourself that you don’t want to get attached?” Boone took another bite of pizza, his eyes settling for a moment on a glass—or rather, a plastic—lighted reindeer with a surprisingly cheeky grin. He could definitely see this bad boy at the top of the tree. “I mean, if you’d really hit it off with one of these guys and felt you had a strong connection, are you telling me you’d have just walked away?”

Roe carefully considered Boone’s question. “I know where you’re going with this, but really, what choice would I have? I support myself. If my job no longer existed, and there was nothing in the Twin Cities available—which there isn’t—I’d have to move.”

“So you’d leave behind someone you liked a lot, maybe even loved?”

After studying him for a long moment, Roe finally spoke. “Let’s reverse things. You find a woman you like in Denver, but the team trades you to Philadelphia. What choice do you have but to pack up and leave?”

“You make a good point.”

His easy acquiescence threw Roe off her stride and had her taking a step back. “I’m not saying if there was something between me and someone else that I wouldn’t be willing to try a long-distance relationship, but I haven’t seen too many LDRs go the distance.”

“Yeah, I hear you.”

“It’s nice that neither of us is involved with anyone.” She chuckled. “Can you imagine how our partners would feel about us living here together? ”

“Thankfully, we don’t have that worry.”

“A true blessing,” Roe decreed.

She just wasn’t sure why it didn’t feel like a blessing. Instead, the knowledge that she was just as alone now at twenty-nine as she had been over ten years earlier when she left home for college filled her with sadness.

It wasn’t that she needed to be involved with a man to be happy. There were plenty of people she knew who had significant others and plenty without. Some were happy in their relationships. Others would have been happier single.

A partner wasn’t the only thing she lacked—she longed for friends. Dakota was a close friend, but she would soon be married and living in a totally different city. Possibly—probably—in an entirely different state.

Over time, their friendship would likely be relegated to texts only at Christmas and on their birthdays.

The thought brought a tightness to her chest and an aching for all she’d lost. Roe remembered all too well the friends who had come in and out of her life with each move. Most were now out of her life entirely, and likely for good.

Would it be that way with her and Dakota? She wanted to say no, but experience had her blinking rapidly as a lump formed in her throat. She cleared it.

She started when a hand reached past her, brushing against hers.

Roe looked up to find Boone studying her.

Something in his eyes told her he saw beyond her bright facade.

“Let’s put the ornaments we’ve chosen on the tree, then take a break,” he said.

“But we just got started.” Despite her words, Roe followed Boone’s lead and pushed back her chair. “What do you have in mind?”

“We should take a walk.” Boone’s voice remained casual as he hung an ornament that reminded her of Starry Night on a branch. “It’s a beautiful evening. It seems a shame not to take advantage of it.”

Roe, who’d just picked up the snowflake ornament, paused. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“I’m tired of sitting around and doing nothing.”

“But—”

“You worry about you. I’ll worry about me.” Stepping close, he put his hands on her shoulders, the simple touch sending heat coursing through her body. His dark eyes met hers. “Deal?”

He’d made his feelings clear.

“Deal.” Roe shoved down her worry. A walk down the lane did sound lovely.

“Great.”

She returned his smile, suddenly warm all over.

Roe realized that losing her job had proven to have unexpected benefits. She couldn’t even recall the last time she’d taken a vacation.

She hadn’t stayed in her previous positions long enough to accrue many days off, and the days she’d had had been used for family events.

Once she started her new position, wherever it ended up being, it would be the same. While this time in Good Hope wasn’t exactly a gift, that’s what it was beginning to feel like.

When Boone held out a hand to her as they stepped outside, her heart gave a leap. Yes, that’s what this was beginning to feel like—the gift of time to relax and enjoy a sexy man for Christmas.

The walk down the lane might have proved treacherous since the yard light’s glow extended only to the immediate area around the house, but millions of stars glittered brightly tonight, and a large moon hung like a golden orb lighting their path.

Still, the snow-packed lane was icy in parts, but Boone had offered his arm once they started walking.

“It’s so quiet.” Roe wasn’t sure why she spoke softly when no one was around to hear her. No one but Boone. And an owl hooting softly in the distance.

“I like the quiet.”

She liked it that when she slipped, he tightened his hold and shot her a wink. “If we go down, we go down together.”

Roe couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s a happy thought.”

His smile flashed as bright as the moon. “I’m a happy guy.”

Roe realized that at this specific moment in time, she was a happy gal. Or at least a content one. “I’m looking forward to helping out at the Community Playhouse on Wednesday.”

“What exactly will you be doing?” Once again, his hand tightened protectively around her arm as they negotiated around a dip in their path.

“Likely backstage stuff. You know, working on sets, that sort of thing.” Roe lifted her face, reveling in the cool, crisp breeze against her cheeks. “I’m hoping that Gladys will let me do more once she sees I wasn’t kidding about my experience. I’d love to direct a few rehearsals.”

“If she doesn’t know that by now…” He paused. “Forget it.”

“No.” She stopped and turned to face him. “What were you going to say?”

“Anyone who talks to you for more than five minutes can tell you’re not someone who would lie.” He brushed a strand of hair that had pulled loose from her stocking hat. “You’re also smart and organized and?—”

Roe laughed. “Stop. All this praise will go to my head.”

“It’s not praise.” He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. “It’s the truth. ”

“Well, thank you.” She rose up and brushed his cold lips with hers. “Kind words are always appreciated.”

His gaze traveled slowly over her, and his eyes seemed to glitter as brightly as the stars overhead. Then his arms stole around her, pulling her to him as his mouth closed over hers.

Boone kissed her with a slow thoroughness that left her weak, trembling and longing for more.

His sudden release had her stumbling back. She might have fallen, but Boone grabbed her arms and steadied her.

His gaze searched her face. “I’m sorry if I overstepped.”

Roe couldn’t have stopped the smile that blossomed on her lips even if she wanted to. “You didn’t overstep. I kissed you first. In fact, I want to kiss you again.”

She didn’t say more. His arms encircled her as his mouth once again closed over hers.