Ursula grabbed the diary, like she did when she had a moment, and read a few paragraphs that evening while she waited for Remy to arrive. Like always, she took notes as she went through a passage that mentioned Daisy talking to Madam Raven over the fence.
I met the neighbor lady today while the kids and I were out for an afternoon walk. We talked about women’s rights and how we both hoped that we would see women vote in our day. When I got back home, Jack told me that I was never to speak to those women again.
That’s when I had had enough of the whole arrangement. I told him that I would talk to whomever I pleased. He was sullen all evening and left the house right after supper.
Luna knocked on her door and then peeked inside. “Remy is downstairs.”
Ursula laid the book aside, even though she wanted to know what happened next. “I’ll be right down.” She took time to run a brush through her dark hair before she crammed a stocking hat down on her head and picked up her heavier coat and put it on.
Remy stood at the bottom of the stairs in his jeans and fleece-lined denim coat with a plaid shirt showing underneath it. He locked eyes with her, and she felt like one of the princesses in the books she had read as a child.
“You might need gloves,” he suggested when she reached the last step.
She pulled them out of her coat pocket and shoved her hands down into them. “I’m ready if you are.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
“You kids don’t stay out too late,” Luna teased on her way from the living room to the kitchen.
“What’s my curfew?” Ursula shot back.
“Midnight will do fine since you are over sixteen,” Luna answered.
“I’ve been wondering,” Ursula said when they were outside, “why you never came to our big Christmas parties here at the Paradise. The whole town was invited.”
“I didn’t want to see you with another guy,” Remy answered. “And after we were grown, when I was in a serious relationship, I didn’t want my date to see the way I would have looked at you.”
Mary Jane always quoted the old adage about truth being a virtue, but Ursula wasn’t quite sure how to handle so much honesty in the first five minutes of her date. She had expected mild flirting, maybe a kiss or two, and perhaps more conversation about Daisy.
“I’m not the same girl I was in high school,” she finally managed to say.
He gently squeezed her hand. “I’m not the same guy either. That boy wouldn’t have had the nerve to even ask you to go for a walk with him.”
“I’m not a perfect person,” she said. “I make mistakes, and I have a little bit of a temper, and it’s very hard for me to give second chances.”
“I don’t have a halo either.” He chuckled. “Mama says I’m mild tempered, but I’m a brooder, and I hate injustice to anyone.”
“I don’t keep things inside,” Ursula said. “I just blurt them out and deal with the fallout afterward.”
“I’ve heard that opposites attract.” Remy chuckled again as they reached the end of the lane. “Turn around and look at the Paradise all lit up and shiny. What memories does it bring back?”
“The first one is when we were little girls,” she told him as they reached the end of the lane and turned left. “That was the first Christmas after we moved here, and our father, Martin, came to take us with him for a couple of days. None of us wanted to go, but Endora and Luna had just turned seven years old, so leaving Mama was toughest on them. Endora already had Joe Clay wrapped around her little finger, as they say, and he promised her that when we got back, we’d have the prettiest house in the whole area. He kept his promise, and when our father brought us home, everything was lit up and beautiful.”
“And other times? Other memories?” he asked.
“Until I left for college, I loved going somewhere in the evenings and coming home to see it all fancy,” she replied. “The past few years, Daddy would be sure all the lights were on when I left to go back to Tyler, and it made me sad to know that I wouldn’t get to see it again for another year. What about you?” she asked. “What’s your first memory of all those lights you saw next door to your house?”
“We were in junior high school that year when y’all moved into the house,” Remy answered without a moment’s hesitation. “I would lean on the fence or sit on the top rail and tell myself stories about the dark-haired, green-eyed princess who lived in that castle.”
“Were you the prince who was going to rescue her someday?” Ursula teased.
“Nope, I was the stable boy who loved her from afar,” he answered.
“That’s not right.” Ursula stopped and argued with him. “I’m not a princess. Never have been. And you’ve never been the stable boy. I had a big crush on you too, and I’m glad you didn’t come to the parties.”
“Why?” Remy asked.
“Because I’m a poor poker player. Whatever I feel or think is written on my face, and if you’d brought a date, well…” She left the sentence hanging.
“That makes me feel good,” he said as he stopped in front of the old redbrick store building. “Shall we sit down and rest a spell before we start back?”
A rusty, corrugated metal roof covered the porch that had three steps leading up to it at the front. The lettering on the sign above the porch had long since faded until it was barely legible, but all the windows were still intact. The building hadn’t been there in Daisy’s day—but what had been on that spot? Ursula would have to do more research… She pulled out her notebook and made a quick note while Remy patiently waited.
Ursula shook thoughts of writing from her head with an effort. “That wasn’t very nice of me,” she whispered. “Sometimes I disappear into my imaginary world, and without even thinking, I write a quick note so I won’t forget something. Forgive me?”
“Nothing to forgive.” Remy chuckled. “As long as you come back to me when you are done, it’s all right if you need a moment.”
“Thank you,” she muttered. “It takes a special person to understand a writer who seems to always have characters in their head.”
“I like that you think I’m special,” he said with a grin. “I’m just glad there’s a full moon to give you a little light, so you can see to write down those important thoughts.”
She stretched her long legs out and rested her feet on the bottom step. “I wonder where we might have been if we’d been brave enough to act on our feelings back then.”
He eased down beside her and rested their hands on his knee. “That wasn’t our time. We were too young for a lasting relationship.”
“Is now our time?” she asked.
“Could be, but we’ll never know if we don’t take a chance and see. I’m glad we have some time alone, Ursula.” He dropped her hand and draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her so close to him that she could feel his warmth even through their coats.
Dark clouds shifted away from the full moon, giving her enough light to see his dark eyes boring right into hers when she looked up at him. “I’m willing to take that chance if you are.”
“I am.” He used his free hand to tip up her chin and stare deeply into her eyes.
She barely had time to moisten her lips when his closed over hers. The moon and the stars disappeared behind the clouds again, giving them almost total privacy in the shadows of the old country store. The electricity between them lit up the area just for them without needing help from the universe.
Ursula tried to think of something to say when the kiss ended, but she couldn’t find the words, so she just laid her head on his shoulder. She just wanted to stay right there on the cold concrete porch, wrapped in a warm private bubble.
Finally, Remy broke the silence. “I don’t want this moment to end. It’s everything I imagined back when we were just kids.”
“I know,” she whispered. “Talking to you is so easy, and thanks again for understanding about my note-taking.”
They sat in silence for several minutes before Ursula finally straightened up. The beautiful, romantic moment was over, but she didn’t mind as long as she and Remy could spend more time together.
“This may seem anticlimactic after that mind-blowing kiss, but I was wondering… What happened to your father?” she asked.
“My father’s name was Jerome Terrance Baxter,” Remy answered, “and he went by his initials, J. T. He worked for an oil company, and Mama says that she fell in love with him and got pregnant with me before she knew that he already had a family up in Oklahoma. By the time I was born, he was dead—an oil rig accident. Mama gave up her job in Nocona where she met J. T. and moved back up here to Spanish Fort so my father’s folks could help her raise me. She went to work at the school in the cafeteria, and my grandparents helped take care of me when I was born. When I was in kindergarten, they moved to California to live with my uncle who had never married or had kids. He got cancer and needed some help. He died a couple of years later, but they stayed, and then they died out there a few years ago.”
Ursula couldn’t imagine raising a child as a single mother or the heartache that Remy’s mama must have felt when she figured out that she had fallen for a married man. That would be even worse than what had happened to Endora.
“Now your turn? Tell me more about Martin,” Remy said.
Ursula smiled at the memory of the morning when all seven sisters had come downstairs to find Joe Clay at the breakfast table. “The first question Daddy asked when he saw the seven of us gathering around the breakfast table was if we all had the same father. Other than Luna and Endora, none of us look alike. Not even Rae and Bo, and they’re twins—just not identical.”
She started to lay her head back on his shoulder but changed her mind. She wanted to see his reaction when she told him how they’d answered Joe Clay that morning. “So being the oldest, I went first. I told him that my father was a fun-loving student who read me books and took me to the park while Mama worked.”
“If that’s true, then why did you say that Joe Clay did all the things that daddies do with their kids?” Remy asked.
“My relationship with Martin only lasted while Mama worked and put him through medical school,” she explained. “By the time Ophelia was born, he was an intern and working long hours. He tried to be there for us when he was home, which wasn’t often. Then Tertia came along. We were all named after heroines in whatever book Mama was writing at the time, but Tertia does mean third, and it seemed fitting since she was the third child.”
“I’m beginning to get the picture. With each child, he got busier and busier, right?” Remy asked.
“Yep, but he did tell Tertia that she was supposed to be a boy, so she would have to be his son. He took her fishing once or twice, and she learned to play softball and basketball, but he seldom made it to one of her games,” Ursula said.
“And the twins?”
Ursula just shook her head. “He wanted a son but didn’t get one when he and Mama got a third daughter. He said he was giving up, and there would be no more kids. But Mama says the birth control pills failed, and Rae and Bo were born a year later. His story then was that he had to work long hours to support five daughters, and he had a vasectomy right after they were born.”
“But…”
Ursula held up a hand. “He didn’t go back and get tested to see if everything worked with the surgery. One year later, Mama had Luna and Endora, and our father did a DNA test to be sure they belonged to him and had another surgery to be sure there would be no more kids. He filed for divorce not long after that, leaving Mama with seven little girls. It took a while for Mama’s lawyer to get everything straightened out, but as soon as the papers were all signed, she sold the house we were living in and bought the Paradise. The rest is history. We all had the same biological father, but he was never much of a daddy. Now we all have a real daddy in Joe Clay.”
“That’s a story for a book for sure,” Remy said.
“No one would believe it if I wrote it. Sometimes, the truth is stranger than fiction.” She shivered.
“It’s starting to sleet, and you are cold. We should start back,” Remy said as he stood up and pulled her up beside him.
“I know, but I don’t want this night to end,” she admitted.
He took the first step, and a bit of sleet stung when it hit her face. “I wish we didn’t have to wear these gloves. I’d rather feel your hand in mine, but I don’t want either of us to get frostbit fingers.”
“We probably wouldn’t need them on the short walk back to the house, but it’s a good idea for us to protect our hands. Especially you, since you’ve got a book to write,” he said.
“Daisy’s really getting into my head more and more, just the way a heroine of a romance novel should. I can’t stop wondering about her life and looking for signs of her history all around us. But I haven’t given her a thought for the past few minutes now.” Ursula finished putting on her gloves and tucked her arm into his.
Remy laid one of his hands on hers and said, “Darlin’, the fact that you haven’t thought about anything but us is the icing on the cake for this date.”
She’d thought the icing would be the kiss that had rocked her soul and came close to knocking her socks off.
“For you to shoo your characters away for me, that means that we really do have a chance,” he finished.
“I kind of hope so,” she said and wondered if she was diving into this way too quickly. The year that she brought a boyfriend home from college for the Christmas party, her mother had advised her not to think that long-term relationships were built from a flash in the pan, and she sincerely hoped that this was more than just a hot beginning that would turn into a cold ending.
“Looks like the weatherman might be right,” Luna said from the corner of the porch when Ursula and Remy arrived.
“Looks like it,” Remy said. “I had a wonderful evening, Ursula.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles. “I’ll see you tomorrow after church.”
“Why don’t you plan on having dinner with us?” Luna asked. “You and Shane would be more than welcome. Mama is making fried chicken. The Thanksgiving leftovers are all gone, thank goodness. I love them the first day and even the second, but by the third, I’m ready for something different.”
“I’d love to. Fried chicken is my all-time favorite food. Can I pick you up in the morning for church, Ursula?” Remy asked.
“I’d like that,” she said. “I’ll be ready by a quarter ’til eleven.”
“I’ll be here.” He dropped her hand and disappeared around the corner of the house. Ursula sat down in the rocking chair next to her sister and listened to him whistling a Christmas carol all the way to the fence separating their property.
“That was so romantic.” Luna sighed.
“A kiss would have been more romantic,” Ursula grumbled. “What are you doing out here in the cold anyway?”
“I needed a little bit of privacy to talk to Shane. We’d just ended our call when you and Remy arrived,” Luna answered. “We’re going public with our relationship at our Christmas party, and I’m not going to teach school next year.”
“I thought you were standing back and waiting to see how I cope with the change,” Ursula said.
“I don’t want to wait a whole year.” Luna shoved her phone in her pocket and stood up. “By the end of May, Shane will have a small combination convenience store, gas station, and place to buy fishing and hunting licenses built down on the river next to his house. I’m going to run the store for him while he guides fishing tours.”
“That sounds awesome. The folks here in town will be able to get a loaf of bread or milk without having to drive all the way into Nocona,” Ursula said.
“And beer and wine,” Luna added.
Ursula pushed up out of the chair and headed across the porch behind her sister. “I thought this county was dry.”
“Beer and wine can be sold in a convenience store, but not liquor,” Luna said. “And please, keep the news of me handing in my resignation quiet for a little while. I love Endora. She’s my other half, and I want her to be better before I make this change.”
“Be sure this is what you want before you jump into it,” Ursula urged.
Luna held the door open. “You too. Age before beauty.”
“Wisdom before impulse,” Ursula shot back as she marched into the house.
On Sunday morning, church services seemed to last longer than the spring semester at college. There was no way Ursula could keep her mind on the hymns with Remy’s shoulder pressed against hers. When the preacher started talking about Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, her mind drifted back to the night before. While the preacher talked about being poor in spirit and the meek inheriting the earth, Ursula replayed every single moment—from what was said to the sizzling-hot kiss that heated up all of Montague County, Texas.
After the final amen was said, Remy stood up and extended a hand to Ursula. She tucked her hand inside his and he gently pulled her to her feet. “If you were given a test on the sermon today, would you pass it?” he whispered.
She shook her head. “I’d fail miserably. He said something about a sermon on the mount, but that’s all I can remember. How about you?”
“You’d make a better grade than I would,” he said with a smile. “I couldn’t concentrate on anything but you.”
“Me too.” Ursula got out just before Luna touched her on the shoulder.
Bernie eased in between Luna and Ursula. “I’m riding home with you and Remy,” she announced, “and we’re going out the side door. Pepper probably needs to get outside and water down a bush so bad that he’s holding his little hind legs together. I’ll never understand why churches won’t let folks bring their dogs to the services with them. When our beloved animals die, we say they cross over that rainbow bridge, which is doggy or kitten heaven, so why wouldn’t they be welcome in church?” She tugged Ursula’s arm. “Come on. I’ll show the way out of here without having to stand in line and shake the preacher’s hand. Lord only knows how many germs are spread that way, anyhow.”
Remy chuckled and followed along with the two ladies.
“Besides,” Bernie said. “I’m hungry, and while I let Pepper out to do his business, you and Remy can set the table for dinner.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Remy said.
Since they didn’t have to wait for folks to stop and visit in the parking lot, they were on their way fairly quickly and were the first ones back to the Paradise. Remy parked, then got out of the truck and hurried around the back side.
“I’ve done my part to give y’all some time alone,” Bernie said. “You are welcome!”
Remy slung the door open and helped Bernie get out. “There you go, Miz Bernie.”
“That’s Aunt Bernie to you,” she scolded and headed back to her trailer. “And thank you for the ride.”
“You are so welcome,” he said as he closed the door and then opened the one for Ursula. “She’s a hoot. My grandmother was nothing like her.”
Ursula slid out of the seat. “That’s because she’s an aunt, not a granny. And she’s run a bar for more than fifty years. She kept a sawed-off shotgun under the bar, and nobody messed with her.”
Remy kept her hand in his. “Did she ever use the gun?”
“A couple of holes in the ceiling proved that she did,” Ursula answered. “Everyone was more than a little afraid of her—at least that’s what my grandma said. She reminds me a whole lot of what I’m reading about Daisy.”
They entered the house and stopped to remove their jackets. “What makes you say that?” Remy asked.
“Determined, bullheaded, and bossy. I’m to the part in the journal now where Daisy has met the madam who worked at the Paradise,” Ursula answered and cocked her head to one side. “I guess some other family members followed us out the side door.”
“How’s that?” Remy asked.
“I hear a vehicle coming down the lane,” she answered.
So much for having a few alone minutes with Remy. Before Ursula could say another word, Luna and Shane burst through the door.
“We snuck out like y’all did,” Luna said.
“I told her that Santa would put her on the naughty list, but she wouldn’t listen,” Shane teased.
“She never was too good at the listening thing, even as a child,” Ursula said.
Neither of the couples had more than a moment alone because the rest of the family rushed through the back door before they even made it to the kitchen. The next half hour went by like time had wings, and soon they were sitting around the table passing platters and bowls of food.
“I’m glad to see that there’s a little community church in town now,” Shane said. “When I came to visit my grandparents, we drove all the way into Nocona for services.”
“I know,” Mary Jane agreed with a nod. “When the girls were little, we did the same thing.”
“Who knows? We might even get back on the map if we could get some businesses in here other than oil pumpers and cattle ranching,” Joe Clay said.
“I’m doing my part,” Shane said. “Come spring, I will be working as a fishing guide. Grandpa ran the business out of the house and Granny took care of the books. I’m going to do things differently. I’m going to build a small convenience store right beside my house. It will also have a couple of gas pumps and folks will be able to buy fishing and hunting licenses right here in town. If the weather permits, my contractor says it will be done by the end of May.”
“That’s awesome,” Luna said.
Ursula was proud of her sister for acting surprised.
“I don’t fish or hunt,” Bernie said, “but, honey, it’ll be real nice not to have to drive all the way to Nocona for a bottle of wine.”
“Congratulations,” Remy told him. “We should have a grand opening on your first day.”
“And advertise in the newspapers all over the county.” Joe Clay grinned. “It’ll sure be great to fill up a gas tank right here in town. We might not have a big population, but I bet everyone around here will give you some business.”
Endora picked up the platter of fried chicken and started it around the table again. “I heard that there’s a winery going in between here and Nocona. You have to turn off the road for a mile or so to see the grape arbors. They’ll be ready to bottle their first crop this next summer. They make different kinds of wine, including strawberry and watermelon, from fruits from down in the Rio Grande Valley, and they grow their own grapes for their special brand.”
“I checked them out a few weeks ago. The watermelon wine was a little too sweet for my taste,” Remy said, “but the green apple and the elderberry were just right.”
“I should buy a case or two for our Christmas party,” Mary Jane said.
“That would be great,” Endora said.
Ursula wondered if getting a little tipsy on wine just might help Endora. “What kind do you think you’d like?”
“The watermelon to start with,” Endora answered.
“Then I’ll bring a couple of bottles to the Christmas party,” Shane said.
“Thank you.” Endora said the words, but her tone didn’t agree with them.
“Endora, you and Ursula can help me bring in the coconut cake and coffee for dessert,” Mary Jane said.
Ursula pushed back her chair at the same time Bernie did.
“You sit still, Mary Jane,” Bernie said. “I’ll help Endora and Ursula.”
As soon as they were all three in the kitchen, Endora whipped around with an angry expression and shook her finger at both of them. “I know you are in here to fuss at me, and I don’t want to hear it.”
Ursula slapped her sister’s finger away. “You are a twin, so you know that Luna is falling in love with Shane. She has to feel like she’s walking a tightrope with no safety net. She doesn’t want to hurt you, and yet she wants to listen to her heart. What if Shane is the one, and you’re keeping her from fifty years or more of happiness?”
“I don’t need or want your advice.” Endora glared at Ursula.
“Well, well, well.” Bernie did a head wiggle. “There’s the spitfire I know as Endora Simmons. But darlin’ girl, you might not need advice, but you do need to adjust your attitude. Shane and Remy both are good men, and trust me, after sixty years of working behind a bar, I can spot a bad one the minute they walk in the door.”
“How?” Endora shifted her gaze over to Bernie.
“By their eyes,” Bernie answered without hesitation. “Now let’s get this dessert to the dining room. I’ll take the cake. Ursula, you bring the dessert plates and clean forks. Endora, your job is the coffee, and if you spill a drop on Remy or Shane, I intend to move into your bedroom with you for two weeks.”
Bernie led the way back into the dining room with the three-tiered cake in her hands. “Thanksgiving is over, and this cake is a lovely way to kick off the Christmas season. It’s made from my mama’s recipe that’s been passed down through the years, and we only get it at this time of year. Too bad we don’t have a bottle of that elderberry wine to go with it.”
Ursula passed the dessert dishes around the table, then took her chair and said to Remy, “You mentioned trying the wine from the new place. What’s your favorite? Wine? Beer? Soda?”
“Sweet tea with meals. A cold beer in the evenings,” he answered.
“Or coffee with cake like this?” Shane said from across the table.
The conversation started with favorite wines, sweet or unsweet tea, and then circled around to favorite desserts. The words all blended together into nothing but noise as Ursula let her mind go back to what Bernie had threatened Endora with—moving right into her bedroom. That would take away the devil’s tail and put a halo above his head, for sure.
“Mama, we hate to eat and run, but I promised Remy that I would help him decorate his tree,” Ursula said when she finished the last of her cake and coffee.
Mary Jane waved her away with a flick of her wrist. “I’ve got plenty of help for cleanup. Go on and have a good time.”
Remy pushed back his chair and stood up. “Dinner was wonderful. If you’ll teach Ursula how to fry a chicken like that, I’ll propose to her tomorrow.”
“Better start practicing getting down on one knee,” Joe Clay teased. “Every one of these girls can cook just as good as their mama. She made them learn to cook, and I made them learn how to change the oil in their cars and a flat tire.”
“Who taught them how to fight?” Shane asked.
“With seven of them, they didn’t need any extra help in that area,” Mary Jane answered.
“We could tell stories about those times all night long,” Joe Clay said, “but we’ll save that for another time.”
Ursula stood up and kissed her mother on the forehead. “Thanks, Mama.”
“Anytime, but remember,” she whispered, “if you aren’t home by midnight, send me a text so I won’t worry.”
“I’ll be home long before that,” Ursula promised.
They left by the back door and walked around the house to Remy’s truck, where he opened the door for her like a southern gentleman. To have been in such a hurry to get out of the house, she suddenly didn’t know what to say to Remy.
“I know I’ve said it before, but I really do enjoy being around a big family.” He started the engine and drove down the lane. “That said, I love being alone with you even more.”
“To have been so shy in high school, you sure are a romantic now,” she told him.
“Not really.” He grinned and made a right-hand turn toward the south. “I just don’t want you to ever feel like I’m taking one single moment with you for granted.”
“What about when we have our first fight?” she asked.
“I hear make-up sex is wonderful.” His grin got even bigger.
“I wouldn’t know,” Ursula said. “When I break up with a guy, I’m done. It’s over and there’s never been any make-up sex involved.”
“That’s been my experience too,” Remy said. “I guess if and when we have our first fight, we’ll have to see how it works. But tonight, let’s decorate a tree and the rest of the living room and then have a glass of elderberry wine. It’s chilling in the fridge right now.”
“From the new winery?” she asked.
He nodded as he parked, got out, and rushed around to open the door for her. Oh, yes, sir! He was a romantic, and she loved every minute of it.
Remy’s white, ranch-style house had a couple of bright-red metal lawn chairs on the front porch. Both the chairs and the roof had real icicles hanging from them. When Ursula stepped out of the truck, a cold north wind whipped up under her denim skirt. Her slick-soled boots slipped on the icy grass, and she started to fall. One second, she was reaching for anything to slow her way to an embarrassing tumble. The next, Remy’s strong arms had caught her and pulled her to his chest. Adrenaline rushed through her body, and her heart pounded.
“Whoa, darlin’,” he said. “If you get hurt, Miz Mary Jane might not let you come back over here to play.” He scooped her up in his arms like a bride and carried her to the porch. “I hate to set you down, but I’ve got to open the door.”
“I’m good now,” she said, “but your back is going to hurt tomorrow for sure.”
“If it does, I’ll just remember how I got the pain and figure it was well worth it.” He flashed one of his brilliant smiles.
Remy threw the door open and stood to the side. Ursula walked in to find glowing embers in the stone fireplace. A sofa faced the fireplace, and beyond that were the small dining area and galley kitchen. A short hallway leading to an open door into a bathroom at the end was to her left.
“It’s not fancy, but it’s all mine now,” he said.
“I love it,” she told him. “It’s so cozy and peaceful.”
He closed the door behind him, helped her remove her coat and hung it on a rack at the end of the sofa, and then took her in his arms. “That’s exactly the way I feel, especially after I get back when I’ve been gone all day.” He brushed a soft kiss across her lips and then took a step back. “I’d like to cuddle on the sofa all afternoon, but we told your mama that we were decorating a tree. I wouldn’t ever want to lie to her—or you.”
“Tree first. Cuddle later,” Ursula said. “We’ve got until the clock strikes midnight.”
“Deal!” He pointed to a box with a faded picture of a Christmas tree on the side. “It’s Mom’s old one like your folks have. We’ll have to put it together before we start decorating.”
She sat down on the floor, opened the box, and pulled out all the limbs. “First we separate them by color on the tips, then we assemble it”—she talked as she worked—“and the lights go on first.”
“Wine while we work?” he asked.
“I’d rather have a beer,” she answered without even looking up. Getting the tree all done had to be first, but what she really wanted to do was get into that cuddling stage with lots and lots of those passionate kisses.
He went to the kitchen and brought back two longneck bottles of beer. “You are definitely a woman after my own heart.”
She took a bottle from him when he offered it, twisted the top off, and took a long drink before setting it on the coffee table. “Why’s that? Because I know how to put a tree together?”
“No, because you like beer better than wine,” he answered and plopped down beside her. “Mama never waited for me to get home from college to put up the tree, so all I did was help with the lights and decorations.”
“It’ll be a sweet tribute to them. I’ll show you how,” she argued.
“I’m teachable.” He slid a sly wink toward her.