Her hair slipped over the shoulders of her sweater. The sound of her laughter resonated deep inside him. A tiny heart-shaped charm on a necklace rested between her collarbones against flawless skin.
Connor’s gaze kept returning to that charm and he had to remind himself not to stare. Not at the charm. Or her lips, or too deeply into her eyes.
Shay was brave, uninhibited, determined. Many times a day, he remembered her at the ice rink, arms outstretched as she’d spun.
They’d been together a lot this month. After this, if she didn’t want him, he couldn’t tell himself it was because he hadn’t had enough time with her. Objectively, he’d had enough time with her. If he couldn’t convince her to give him a chance after he’d hung out with her all month, following her advice, cutting his hair, and buying new clothes, then he wasn’t going to be able to convince her.
So why did it feel like it hadn’t been enough? Like he hadn’t done enough?
All he knew for sure was that he couldn’t let those concerns stop him. He needed to reveal his hand to Shay. Soon. He’d never been so aware of the clock, ticking off time. He’d taken this story about Molly as far as he could. It had expired.
If Shay turned him down, he’d find a way to let go of the dream of her that had been part of the fabric of him for the majority of his life. The thought rang hollow in his chest.
After dinner, they moved to the sofa. Her tree glittered, its silhouette reflected in the windows that framed a peaceful nighttime view of their town.
“We’re the same age.” She set a circular metal tub of popcorn between them. “So I’m wondering if you grew up watching Elf like I did.”
“‘We elves try to stick to the four main food groups,’” he quoted from the movie, “‘candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.’”
“I knew it!” She picked up the remote control and woke her TV. “I thought we could watch that tonight, but I’m open to other suggestions if you’re opposed.”
“I’m not opposed.”
She paused the opening credits, rested the remote in her lap, and focused on him. “Hopefully Molly will be thoughtful enough to find a movie that you can both relate to and enjoy. But if she asks you to watch a movie with her that you’re really not interested in at all, what should you say?”
He groaned. “Is this a trick question? You might want me to take one for the team and agree to watch her movie. Or you might want me to be brutally honest.”
“Take your best guess, person who is smart enough to be serving food at the live nativity.”
“What I would actually do in that situation is agree to watch the movie she picked.” He shrugged. “I’m not that hard to please when it comes to movies. I can probably find something to like about her choice.”
She nodded. “That’s the answer I was going for. Right when you first start dating is the time to be agreeable and open minded. There’ll be plenty of time for being disagreeable and closed minded once you’ve been dating for a year and a half or more.”
He laughed.
She ate a bite of popcorn, smiling with her lips closed as she chewed.
“About Molly,” he said. “I’ve decided to ask her out the night of the live nativity.”
Her posture snapped straight. “She’s going to be at the live nativity?”
“I have reason to think that she will be, yes. Do you have any recommendations for me?”
She toyed with the heart-shaped charm. “How about you tell me what you think might work best and then I’ll provide feedback?”
He extended his arm across the sofa’s back, which brought his fingers very near her hair. “I was thinking I’d wait for a time when things aren’t busy. I can’t ask her out while I’m shoveling cider into the hands of people waiting in a long line.”
“True. I’m sure there will be plenty of volunteers present. So, when Molly’s there, it shouldn’t be a problem for you to step away for a few minutes and let someone else take up your duties.”
“I plan to ask her how she’s liking the nativity and then maybe ask her about her Christmas plans.”
“Good and good.” She tilted her head. “You might want to bring her some of the hot cider. It’s forecasted to be a pretty chilly night. Oh! And if she looks cold, you could always ask if she’s cold. If she says she is, then you could shrug out of your coat and offer it to her. Very gallant move. Just be sure to dress in layers so that you’re not then standing there, teeth chattering.”
“Noted,” he said, though he wasn’t confident in his ability to differentiate between whether she looked cold or didn’t look cold.
“And then what are you going to say?” she asked.
“If she tells me that she’s around for at least part of the holiday, I’ll say something along the lines of, ‘If you have time, maybe you and I can go to . . .”
“To?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Well, I’d avoid asking her to something on New Year’s Eve. It’s likely she already has plans with friends or family.” She snapped her fingers. “What about the Winter Market and carnival that the Friends of the Hospital puts on? They have booths, sledding, rides, food. It’s a lot of fun.”
“Perfect,” he said, amused. She hadn’t been able to sit back and simply give him feedback on his ideas. It was in her nature to offer suggestions.
“Is that it?” she asked. “Anything else you have in mind?”
“No, that’s all I’ve got. I’m sort of counting on the setting to help me out. Farm, nature, stars.” He frowned. “Should I have something else in mind? Is that too simple?”
She considered the question. “I’m a fan of grand gestures in rom coms and in real-life situations when you’re sure where the other person stands. But since you’re unsure about Molly, I don’t think it’s a good idea for a horse-drawn carriage to come jangling up. Or for you to tell her you’ve hidden a note for her in baby Jesus’s swaddling.”
Baby Jesus’s swaddling?
“Simple is the way to go,” she said.
“That’s a relief.”
“Your plan’s solid.” She sang, “‘Follow every rainbow, until you find your dream,’” from The Sound of Music.
“Okay.”
“I hope she says yes.”
“I hope so too.” Their eyes held.
She cleared her throat and put a few more inches of space between them. “I don’t think you need any more of my help, Connor. Not as a dating consultant, anyway. I will, of course, be available at all times to name paintings and give your mom an excuse to eat whatever food she’s craving.”
“Thank you, for everything,” he said, meaning it.
“As I told you at the start, you were already a diamond.” The air between them thickened. “It’s been fun, but I really didn’t do very much. Turns out it’s easy to shine a diamond.”
Were her eyes wet? “I . . .” He didn’t know what to say, other than maybe, Shay, you’re the diamond.
“Movie?” she asked.