“I hadn’t thought of that.” What kind of parent was I? It hadn’t even occurred to me that photos of the kids would be out there.

  “But if it gets out that I’m here with you, your photo will be everywhere, along with the press researching your history.”

  “There’s nothing for them to find, other than what I’ve already told you about my family.” I snickered. “I can see the headline, though. Beautiful Actress Seen in British Columbia with Mystery Man Resembling a Yeti.”

  She laughed and clasped my chin in her small, cold hand. “You don’t look like a yeti. More like bigfoot. He’s hairier.”

  “I’m the more manly of the two. Good to know.” I held her gaze for a moment. Her eyes were the prettiest shade of brown. “You’re way too beautiful for a guy like me, yeti or not.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with the way you look.” She rested her hand on my knee. “I could look at you all day. Every time I do, I see something about you I hadn’t noticed before.”

  “Like what?”

  She touched my temple with one finger. “You have a tiny bit of gray right here. I can see it out here in the light.”

  “The loan to the bank is in every gray hair,” I said. “Maybe they’ll reverse now?”

  She put her gloves on and pointed toward the ice. “Let’s skate, Canada.”

  I followed her, fully expecting her to wobble and fall and that I would catch her, hero-like. Instead, she took off at a great pace, then did a balletic twirl. I skated over and caught her by the waist. “Where did you learn to skate like that?”

  Holly put her arms around my neck before seeming to remember we were in a public space and dropping them to her sides. “I did a movie about a skater. Took lessons for six months.” She took my hand, and we maneuvered through and around various clumps of skaters.

  “No way. Isn’t that what stuntpeople are for?”

  “Sometimes. But in this case, they wanted to get as much footage of me as possible. We had a real skater do the scenes where she’s skating competitively, but they were interwoven with me. Editing is crazy that way.”

  “That’s pretty cool. Maybe you’re Canadian at heart?”

  “Hi, Uncle Forest and Holly,” Ruby called out to us as she skated with her best friend from school, Caroline. Dane was skating with a group of boys on the other side of the rink.

  “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree” came on, blasting out of the speakers.

  “I love this song.” Holly let go of my hand to do another twirl. Temporarily blinded by her beauty, I almost slipped and fell.

  She returned to me. “When I was a kid, I used to dream about a Christmas like this. Snow and ice-skating. Hot cocoa around a fire.”

  “We’ve got all that.” The loneliness in her voice made me want to give her a thousand more days like today.

  She glanced up at me briefly. “I’ve had such a special time here with you guys.”

  A hollow feeling came to me at the thought of the day she would leave us. “When do you have to go for sure? Like latest?”

  “I have to be on set the third day of January. I could stay until New Year’s Day if I flew out of Seattle to Florence.”

  “What about your car?”

  “My assistant can come up and drive it back to LA for me,” Holly said. “Will it be all right if I stay this whole week?”

  “Stay as long as you like.” Or never leave. “We’ll all hate to see you go.”

  She peered up at me, her eyes bright in the sunlight. “I’ll hate to go.”

  “Nah, I’m just your rebound guy.” The guy she had to bail out of debt. Don’t forget that part, I reminded myself. I wasn’t her equal. I’d never be able to live in her world. She might think she liked it here, but she’d be bored and restless. There weren’t even fancy places to eat in Garland Grove. Did she like fancy places? Probably. Most women did.

  “The best rebound guy ever,” Holly said.

  My chest ached. Fire. Playing with fire. We continued skating, still holding hands. “You know what the locals say about this rink?” I asked.

  “What’s that?”

  “People fall in love here. They can’t stop themselves. Supposedly there’s magic dust or something.”

  “Do you want that? To fall in love?” Holly asked.

  “I haven’t thought about it much in the last four years. The kids have been my priority. Plus, I haven’t had much to offer a woman. A broke single dad isn’t exactly a catch.”

  “Money isn’t everything.”

  “You only think that if you have a lot of it,” I said.

  “You’re probably right.” After a moment she said, “I must seem like a spoiled, clueless brat to you.”

  “You seem generous, Holly. I mean, come on.”

  “Yes, but still.”

  “I can’t even conceive of what it would feel like to not have to worry about money.” What would it be like to walk into a grocery store and not compare prices?

  “I can’t imagine what it would feel like to have a home and two little people I love so much that I’d be willing to take two jobs just to take care of them. Trust me when I say that money really isn’t everything. What you have? That’s the stuff that truly matters.”

  What kind of fool let this girl go? “Do you still love Rhett?” I asked. “Even after what he did?”

  “That’s an out-of-the-blue question.”

  “Sorry, I was thinking just now about what an idiot he is.”

  “I’m hurt and wounded. That’s not the same as love, though.”

  The song changed to “O Christmas Tree.”

  Holly hummed a few of the lines. “Anyway, it’s not important what I feel about him. He chose someone else over me, which proves he never loved me.”

  I wanted to kill Rhett Wood with my big dumb paws. “You’ll meet someone good one of these days and you’ll forget all about him. He’ll be a blip.”

  “I can’t see myself trusting anyone again.”

  “Not all men are like him. In fact, most men aren’t,” I said. “Most men would do anything to keep a woman like you happy.”

  “I think men like you might be the anomaly. Not the other way around.”

  Men like me? Men like me had no business with a woman like Holly. That’s what I knew for sure.

  After an hour of skating, the kids joined Holly and me on a bench. Dane and Ruby’s friends were all standing in line at the hot dog and sausage cart. I knew the kids wouldn’t ask because I always said no when it came to eating anything other than what I made at home. Usually I brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I’d completely forgotten today. After all the exercise, I knew they’d be hungry.

  I suspected they smelled better than they tasted, and five bucks for a hot dog was ridiculous. However, it was Christmas. I could afford to buy my kids a hot dog even though I could get a whole package and the buns for what it would cost for one here. Counting every penny would be a thing of the past now. Without the mortgage and debts, we could live comfortably on my accountant salary. I could give up the job at the bar, too. Mrs. Knight could have her evenings back. Would this perpetual tiredness be a thing of the past, too?

  “You guys want a hot dog?” I asked.

  “Really?” Dane’s eyes widened in obvious surprise.

  “Isn’t it a rip-off?” Ruby asked. That’s what I usually told them when they asked for something like this.

  “It is a rip-off, but it’s Christmas,” I said.

  “I want one too,” Holly said. “One of those chicken sausage ones.” She pointed to the side of the cart where he had the different choices listed. “With sauerkraut.”

  “Yuck,” Ruby said.

  “You’ve never even had sauerkraut,” I said, teasing.

  “It sounds gross,” Ruby said. “Sour.”

  I gave Dane a stack of cash that probably smelled like beer that I’d made in tips from the bar. “I’ll have the same as Holly. And get a couple of sodas too.”

  “Soda? Really?” Ruby jumped up and down. “This is the best Christmas ever.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Forest.” Dane hurled himself into my arms. “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” I said, gruffly. “Get the soda that doesn’t have caffeine. You two are hyper enough.”

  “Yes, we will,” Dane said before turning to Holly. “Caffeine stunts growth.”

  “Right. We don’t want that,” Holly said.

  I waved them away. “Now off you go. I’m hungry.”

  “We’ll be right back, Holly.” Ruby pressed both of her hands onto Holly’s knees before kissing her on the cheek. “You’re so pretty,” she whispered, loud enough for me to hear.

  “So are you,” Holly whispered back.

  Dane ran toward the line and fell into place with his friends. Ruby skipped. The act of her happy skip caused tears to come to my eyes.

  “You did this,” I said to Holly as I gestured toward the kids who had joined their friends in line. “You made it possible for me to buy an overpriced hot dog for my kids. I’ve had to say no to almost everything. Counting every damn penny. Using my bar money for groceries because my debit card wouldn’t have gone through.” My voice caught. I took in a deep breath to steady myself. “It broke me. Day after day of worry was making me old and bitter.”

  She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek. “I’m glad I could do that for you and for them.”

  I held her close, breathing in her sweet scent. If only I could stay in this day forever.

  “I don’t know what would have happened to me if you all hadn’t taken me in,” Holly said. “You can’t imagine how much I was dreading these days alone. You all saved me.”

  “I’m glad we could do this for you. But let’s be clear who is saving who here. Beautiful actress, one. Yeti, zero.”

  “Bigfoot, not yeti. And we can agree to saving each other and call it even.”

  We decided to take a vacated table and waited there for the kids to return with our dogs. A few girls came up to Holly and asked her if she would autograph their napkins. She did so graciously, and they went away without a fuss.

  “Does this happen everywhere you go?” I asked.

  “Mostly it’s just younger girls who approach me. Reruns of my old sitcom play on cable channels, so a whole new generation recognizes me from that. It was a show for tweens back in the day. Still is, I guess.”

  I thought about all of that for a moment. What a different childhood she must have had than the one I had here in this little Canadian town where the most exciting thing that happened was this ice-skating rink every December and playing on the high school hockey team. I’d wanted nothing more than to move away from here back then. How ironic that I’d had to come back ten years after I left. If I’d known I’d have no one left but my niece and nephew, I might not have left in the first place. I missed all those years with my mother.

  The kids returned with our lunch. After a flurry of wrappers and napkins and layering of additional ketchup on Ruby’s hot dog, we all dug in, eating as if we hadn’t had Holly’s delicious pancakes that very morning.

  Ruby announced the need for a bathroom break and Holly volunteered to take her. I watched as they hobbled over to the bathroom still wearing their skates.

  “My friends told me they saw Holly on the television,” Dane said. “They wanted to know if she’s your girlfriend.”

  “What did you tell them?” I asked.

  “I told them I saw you kissing, and they said that’s a sure sign,” Dane said.

  Dread settled in my gut. “Listen, bud, I don’t want you to get attached to her. She’s only going to be here for a week, and then she has to go back to work.”

  “Why?” Dane’s gaze never left my face. He was like this sometimes, watching me as if I were a code he had to decipher.

  “She has work there she has to show up for.”

  “You like her, don’t you?” Dane asked. “You smile a lot when she’s around.”

  God help me, he was right. I did like her. She’d rolled into town, smashed into my truck, and wrecked my heart. I could fall in love with her in a second if I wasn’t careful. Already, the thought of her leaving made me feel as if I’d fallen into a dark, empty well. “I do like her. But she has to go back to work, like I said.”

  “Maybe she could come back and visit.” Dane took one last sip of the soda he and his sister had shared.

  “Maybe.” How could I explain to an eight-year-old that Holly Turner was a rich movie star with no use for the likes of us? We were a few days of fun for her, nothing more. She had her real life to return to. A life we would never fit into even if she wanted us to.

  “How come you let us have hot dogs?” Dane asked.

  “It’s Christmas.” My boy was too smart. When he and his sister were older, I’d tell them about what Holly Turner had done for us. For now, they were too young to understand. “We’re doing better. In fact, I’m going to stop working at the bar. I’ll be home with you guys every night now.”

  “That’s awesome. Mrs. Knight will miss us, though.” Dane screwed the top back on the empty bottle of soda and rested his chin on it.

  “True. But she can come for dinner anytime she wants,” I said.

  “Good plan,” Dane said.

  Holly and Ruby returned. We all agreed to another hour on the rink before returning home to put in our Christmas turkey.

  9

  Holly

  Around six that night, I took the small turkey from the oven. The skin had crisped to a golden brown, perfuming the air with a comforting holiday scent. Ruby and Dane had been sent into the living room while we finished up the last of the preparations. As much fun as it had been to have them “helping,” they’d been underfoot. They consoled themselves by whipping out a pack of cards and were currently playing a rousing round of old maid. Forest was at the counter putting the finishing touches on a batch of mashed potatoes.

  “Now for the gravy,” I said. “The hardest dish of the night.”

  “Mine always comes out lumpy,” Forest said. “I don’t know why. Last year I tried straining it, but it tasted terrible anyway. Like flour.”

  “The secret is to make a roux.” For the next few minutes I showed him how to combine flour and butter in a frying pan and then to add water until it made a nice paste. I used some of the drippings from the turkey to add flavor and thinned it with more water and a dash of white wine. After it had simmered for a few minutes, I gave him a spoonful to try. “Taste and tell me if it needs more salt.”

  He blew on the spoon before putting it in his mouth. “That’s incredible. You’re hired.”

  “I have a job already.” I sobered at the thought of leaving here. Of course I’d have to. The role waiting for me was juicy and challenging, just the thing I needed to keep my mind off my personal problems. Staying here was not an option, I told myself in my sternest silent voice. This was a holiday. That was all. Not a love affair with Forest or his adorable children.

  “What happened?” Forest put his hands in my front apron pockets and peered down at me. “You got sad.”

  “Just thinking how nice it is here with you and the kids. Going back to my real life is sounding less appealing by the minute.”

  He kissed me. “We have a whole week.”

  “Yes, we do.” Why was I feeling as though I needed to cram a whole lifetime in that one week? This was insane. I’d known him such a short time.

  “You need to taste the potatoes and tell me if you think they’re edible,” Forest said.

  I did so. Despite their lumps, the cream and butter ratio was perfect. “I like them lumpy. These are great.”

  “There are lumps?”

  The look of dismay on his face made me laugh. “Some mashed potatoes are more smashed. Don’t worry. The kids are going to love them.”

  He kissed me again. “This house hasn’t smelled this good in a long time. Not since…well, you know.”

  While Forest carved the small turkey, I put the potatoes, cranberries, green beans, and stuffing on the table. When everything was ready, we called in the kids. Their eyes went wide at the sight of our feast.

  Forest had dressed them up for dinner. Ruby wore a velvet dress the same color as her name. Dane had on khaki pants and a nice shirt. I had put on a blue sweaterdress paired with tall boots and felt quite festive. Forest wore black jeans and a red turtleneck sweater that made him look like James Bond. He’d shaved his scruff and slicked back his thick hair. I’d rather have had him for dinner than the turkey.

  We talked and laughed as we passed food around. I helped both kids with their gravy, after telling them to make a hole in their scoop of potatoes.

  “It’s like gravy lake,” Dane said.

  “Yes, it is,” I said before planting a kiss on the top of his delicious-smelling head.

  He beamed up at me. “Thanks, Holly, for all the yummy food. I wish you were here forever.”

  I glanced across the table at Forest. He raised one eyebrow but didn’t comment. Were we messing with the children’s heads? Was this a completely selfish thing we were doing? It was one thing to have a fling with a consenting adult. But when it affected the kids, was it setting them up for heartbreak?

  “Holly,” Forest said.

  I looked back at him. He shook his head. I knew exactly what he was trying to say. Don’t worry and ruin a special night. I nodded back at him.

  “Let’s have a toast,” I said.

  The kids raised their milk glasses, and Forest and I raised our wineglasses. “To my most favorite Christmas yet,” I said. “Thank you for letting me crash your party.”

  “I thought you crashed your car, not a party?” Ruby asked, sounding confused.

  The rest of us all laughed.

  “It’s just a saying,” Forest said. “That means Holly wasn’t expected to be here for Christmas, but she’s glad she is.”

  “Oh, okay.” Ruby set aside her glass and attacked her mashed potatoes. “This is one good dinner and not a rip-off.”

  Forest and I laughed again. It felt good to laugh. There were a few moments last month when I would not have believed I could ever laugh again, and certainly not this soon. Something here in this house with these three gorgeous humans felt right. Was there more here than I thought? Could Forest and the children be my home?

 

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