“I can think of no better way to spend it.”
“As long as you promise you won’t get me wet.”
She grinned. “I cannot promise that but I can try my best to avoid it.” Upon which she kissed him again, savoring the moment, the joy in her heart, and the comfort of knowing the man she loved would be hers for Christmas.
December 7
A Kiss for Christmas
The chill was getting worse. Looking out the flower shop window, Kathy saw ice flowers clinging to the glass. Snow once again covered the street, hoof prints and carriage wheels leaving their marks.
Turning away, she spoke to Mildred, who was helping her tend the shop while their employer and Kathy’s long–time friend, Leonora Compton, was away for Christmas. “I should check on the hothouse again.”
Mildred looked up from the decoration she’d been making out of pine and ribbons, all neatly arranged around a tall candle. “You just did so ten minutes ago.”
“Yes,” Kathy agreed, “but I cannot do so often enough. Not in this weather.” Leonora trusted Kathy to make sure the plants continued to thrive. Especially the pineapple on which so many of their hopes and dreams hinged. With the rent due to rise soon, they could not afford for it to perish.
Leaving Mildred to manage the shop, Kathy made her way toward the back of the building where the hothouse was located. Leonora had created it by expanding the dining room and adding a fireplace. As expected, the flames blazed as they’d done the last time she’d checked, but she still decided to add another couple of logs, just for good measure.
Satisfied with the sweltering heat in the room and the knowledge that all the plants were doing well, she stepped into the hallway and shut the door firmly behind her. She then made her way back to the shop, only to discover that Mildred was no longer alone. Kathy’s older brother, Andrew, and his longtime friend, Mr. Timothy Hawkins, were keeping her company.
Kathy backed up a step and almost fled into the hallway. She’d known Timothy would join her family for Christmas dinner this evening, but to find him here was too unexpected. She wasn’t prepared for the way her pulse quickened when he swung his dark gaze toward her, or how her skin tingled as the edge of his mouth lifted to form the most devastating smile in the world.
“Miss Reynolds,” he said with delight, his eyes aglow with pleasure. “You look quite…grown.”
Kathy swallowed and took a careful step forward. Escape was clearly not possible. “Most likely because I am?”
She gave her attention to her brother before Timothy could answer. “What are you doing here? I did not expect to see you until later.”
Andrew grinned. “Tim and I just stopped by the Gentleman’s Emporium. When I pointed out this shop and told him you work here, he suggested we come and greet you.”
“Perhaps I can interest you in some flowers,” Mildred suggested. Her sparkling eyes were fixed on Andrew, her cheeks slightly pinker than usual. “Or this decoration?” She pushed forward the candle she’d been working on.
Andrew went to examine Mildred’s work while Timothy moved a bit closer to where Kathy stood. “How long has it been since we saw each other last?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I cannot recall.” To reveal that it had been three years to the day would be far too telling.
His expression sobered a little. “Really?” He shook his head as if in bafflement. “I don’t know why I supposed you would.”
For a second, his gaze shifted toward Andrew and Mildred before returning to Kathy. “As I recall, we had a wonderfully entertaining dialogue about the danger of matchmaking as applied in Miss Austen’s novel, Emma, when last we met.”
Kathy’s lips twitched. “I believe you warned me not to interfere in Andrew’s pursuit of a certain young woman.”
Timothy leaned in, adding intimacy to their conversation and causing a wave of heat to wash over her skin. “Your brother is a smart fellow. He did not need your guidance.”
Indeed, Andrew had realized the lady in question was not the right match for him after all. He’d done so on his own, without Kathy uttering a word. “It has been three years since he broke things off with her though,” Kathy murmured, “and he’s shown little interest in any woman since.”
“You see,” Timothy told her wryly, “you do remember how long it has been.”
“Only because,” she started to say, but then left the rest of the sentence unspoken since there was little point in denying the obvious. Instead she cleared her throat. “More or less.”
He grinned and rocked back on his heels. “Just as stubborn as always.” When she glared at him, he leaned toward her once more, his whispered words sending a shiver down her spine. “Is it too much to hope that you’ve thought of me just a little over the years?”
Kathy’s breath hitched and then Andrew spoke, “I’ve decided to buy this decoration for Mama.” He reached inside his coat pocket for a few coins. “It will look splendid on the dining room table tonight.”
Breaking away from Kathy, Timothy walked to his friend and examined the centerpiece Mildred had crafted. “I quite agree.”
The men waited for Mildred to finish wrapping Andrew’s purchase while Kathy busied herself with rearranging a couple of fir trees on display. Not that this was necessary, but it gave her something to do besides blush in response to Timothy’s presence.
Honestly, she’d believed her infatuation with him had long since faded. Apparently, she’d been wrong, for there was no denying the effect he still had on her. Even now, without looking directly at him, she could feel his presence, and this alone was enough to make butterflies flutter about in her belly.
“We’ll see you at six,” Andrew said, prompting Kathy to turn and face him. He was looking toward the street. “Will you be alright in this weather?”
“Of course.” Her family home wasn’t far. “I’ll put on my sturdy walking boots.”
“Practical and pretty,” Timothy murmured.
Heat rose to Kathy’s cheeks and grew even hotter when Andrew turned to his friend and asked, “Is that interest I detect?”
Timothy merely tipped the brim of his hat in her direction and smiled. “Until later.”
He wished Mildred a Merry Christmas next before accompanying Andrew back into the street.
The door closed behind them and Kathy expelled a deep breath. If he could so easily put her off balance with only one glance, what would an entire evening spent in his company do?
Timothy was restless. It did not help that the conversation flowing around the dining room table was interesting and entertaining. Not when the only person he wished to speak with was sitting diagonally across from him, too far away for them to have a private word with each other.
Eager to calm his nerves, he reached for his wine and took a long sip while discreetly regarding Kathy. She was just as lovely as he remembered, with her thick auburn hair piled loosely at the nape of her neck so a few stray curls fell freely against her cheeks. Her eyes, a vibrant forest green, had always captivated his interest, but he’d not become fully aware of her mouth until that fateful year when she’d looked at him in a way that had made his heart stumble.