The Heart of Christmas

To her surprise, he didn’t argue. He just got the money—stacks of hundred-dollar bills separated by paper clips—out of his duffel bag. After handing her two of those piles, he counted out the final thousand. “Here you go.”

“I can’t believe you happened to have this on hand!” She couldn’t begin to guess how he was going to explain that, but she stopped him before he could even try. “Never mind. I don’t want you to lie to me.” He had to be a drug dealer or something, not exactly the type of person she’d want as the father of her baby, so maybe it was a good thing he’d be leaving. She could only hope he wouldn’t want contact.

After she slipped out of his room, she hid the money under her waistband so no one would see it and hauled in a deep breath. She might be looking at an entirely different future than the one she’d been contemplating when she was thinking about traipsing off to Europe. But worrying about what might or might not be wasn’t going to change anything. She might as well go by the bank and deposit what he’d given her for safekeeping, then get ready for the trip to San Francisco. Because of her birthday celebration, she had the night manager coming in early. Once the evening got under way, maybe she’d be able to enjoy dinner and dancing and, at least for a few hours, forget Brent Taylor and the changes that might be taking place inside her own body.

If she was pregnant, she’d deal with it. She could be a single mother. She’d longed to move on to the next stage of life for some time now; she’d just never dreamed she might do it without a husband.

* * *

That night Rex was more restless than usual. He attempted to do some work on his computer. He’d made all the arrangements for Scarlet to join him tomorrow—rented them each a room at that house he’d seen advertised at Black Gold Coffee. Their new landlady, an elderly widow, was willing to let them move in right away. But, as the minutes ticked slowly by, tomorrow and his impending move across town seemed like a long way off. His mind kept straying back to Eve.

Could she be pregnant with his child? And what would he do if she was?

He’d send money, of course. Like he’d promised. But he couldn’t imagine having a son or daughter, especially when he wouldn’t be able to know that child—not without putting him or her in jeopardy.

Thirty minutes before Just Like Mom’s closed, he went over to grab a bite to eat. The gal who served him had a nametag on her shirt that read Tilly. She blushed every time he looked at her, but she was young. Too young for him. He guessed she was about...twenty-one.

“Where are you staying?” she asked, showing him her dimples when she brought his check.

“Little Mary’s.”

“Oh, Eve’s place. That’s a great B and B.”

He toyed with the salt and pepper shakers as he asked, “How well do you know Eve?”

“I didn’t go to school with her or anything. She’s ten years older than I am, but I often see her around town. She’s a supernice person.”

“Is she?”

“Definitely! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like her. Have you met her?”

“I have.” He suddenly realized that Eve reminded him of Laurel, even though their coloring was opposite. And God knew how much he’d loved Virgil’s sister. That had to be the reason he’d been so attracted to Eve last night. “She seems like a good person.”

“She is.”

“Why do you think she hasn’t married?”

She twisted her mouth as she searched for an answer. Most people would consider this an odd question—too intrusive coming from a stranger—but she was trying too hard to be helpful to consider it critically. “I’m not sure. I think she’s the prettiest in that group.”

“Group?”

“She’s part of a tight-knit bunch of friends who grew up here. Most of them are married now so...I have no idea why she hasn’t found someone.”

“She could be difficult to get along with,” he suggested, just to see what kind of response he’d get.

Tilly shook her head firmly. “No way. If anything, I’m guessing it’s because she’s still stuck on Ted.”

“Ted’s an old boyfriend?”

“They dated last year, briefly. But he wasn’t over Sophia, a girlfriend he had years before. So after Eve got Sophia a job working for Ted—she was just trying to help—Ted decided he wanted Sophia instead.”

Rex had never met Sophia or Ted, but he couldn’t imagine anyone passing over Eve. He took a long drink of his Coke so his next question would seem as casual as he wanted it to. “Was she torn up about it?”

“She pretended she wasn’t, but everyone pretty much understood that he’d broken her heart.”

“That’s too bad.”

“Ted would’ve been quite a catch,” she said. “He’s a famous suspense writer, you know.”

“He is?”

“Has ten books out. Or maybe more. I’m losing track.” She noticed that he’d finished his Coke and picked up the glass. “Can I get you a refill?”

“No, thanks. I’m ready to go.”

She hesitated, shifted on her feet, then cleared her throat. “You new in town?”

“Just passing through.”

“I see. Well, if you’re looking for something to do tonight, I’m partying at the local bar with some girlfriends after I get off. You should join us.”

He wished she appealed to him half as much as Eve, but she didn’t. He had enough problems, anyway.

Smiling with a hint of regret so he could let her down easy, he said, “That sounds like fun, but I’m afraid I have to be up early.”

“Okay. No problem. If you change your mind, anyone can tell you how to get to Sexy Sadie’s. And if I don’t see you, I hope you enjoy your stay in Whiskey Creek. Come back soon.”

“Thanks.” He tossed a twenty on the table to cover his meal and her tip and walked out.

When he climbed into his Land Rover, Rex intended to head back to the B and B and get some sleep. But that wasn’t what he did. He drove past the turnoff and kept on driving, out into the country where he’d been that morning.

7 (#ulink_6c1f514d-b1a7-5fea-90b7-6bb23e2fc2eb)

Since Eve lived the farthest from town, the limo dropped her friends off first. It was raining by the time they pulled into her drive, but at midnight it was early yet, considering how late they used to stay out for special events.

A night on the town with the gang wasn’t what it used to be. Now that Cheyenne was pregnant and couldn’t stand for very long, Addy had a newborn she didn’t like to leave for more than a couple of hours and Ted and Sophia had a fifteen-year-old who was home alone, the fun ended a lot sooner than it would have a couple of years ago. Much to Baxter’s consternation, they’d left San Francisco before all the good parties had even started.

But Eve couldn’t blame her friends. If she were in their shoes, she’d want to get back, too. She just didn’t have anything to rush home for—unless she wanted to continue worrying about last night. And she really didn’t. She’d told herself she wouldn’t even think about it until she knew whether or not she was pregnant. But she’d thought of little else all evening.

Her phone pinged, signaling an incoming text message.

So much for your big birthday bash.

It was from Baxter. She’d texted him to thank him for the earrings he’d given her.

It’s fine, she wrote. We’re all getting older. Our lives are changing.

Screw that! The others can get old without us, he responded. Come stay with me next weekend. I’ll show you a good time.