All I Want For Christmas (2 page)

“Never said I was. But if I were you, I'd get my eyes checked. Because you definitely are overweight.”

They bickered like an old married couple, just as they had for years. Yet they'd toured Europe together and spent a great deal of time at each other's houses. What they did there was none of Tina's business. She knew only that they cared about each other. Even if at the moment their matching glares were hot enough to reheat the coffee.

After a moment, Sidney turned to Tina. “It's too bad G. G. can't cook for you while you're here. You'd gain weight in no time. But scrawny or not, I'm real proud of you. My own kids should be so successful. Someday you'll be running that ad company you work for, and I can say I knew you when.”

“Won't that be wonderful?” Rose agreed.

Insults forgotten, united by their pride in Tina, they smiled fondly at each other and then at her.

Tina's stomach began to burn, a sure sign that her ulcer was acting up. Or maybe she was just hungry. “You never know, but I promise to do what I can to get there. Anyway, I should finish getting G. G.' s dinner for her.”

Both neighbors beamed atta-girl smiles at her, then took their own plates into the living room.

Norma Featherstone, who was a few years older than Tina, gave Tina a knowing smile. “They're certainly intense, aren't they?” She patted her growing belly. “All I hear lately is, ‘Eat this…You shouldn't do that.'”

Norma and her husband, Harry, had moved to Huckleberry Hill Road three years ago and immediately had been welcomed into the fold.

“It's all done with love,” Tina said as she added a piece of fried chicken to G. G.' s plate.

“I know. Isn't this an amazing street?” Norma looked fondly around the room. “I'm so glad we moved into the neighborhood.”

“Me, too.” Tina popped a bite-size cheese biscuit into her mouth, then took two for G. G. As she headed toward G. G., the front door opened.

“Ryan and Maggie are here,” Susan Ross said from the crowded sofa.

A little imp of a girl skipped inside, copper-colored pigtails bouncing. Behind her, a big man entered the room. Tall, his hair curly and almost too long, wearing jeans and a chambray shirt, he didn't look like a man who'd made a fortune from the bank he'd founded, let alone the person who was the manager of the Halo Island Bank. He hung their coats in the closet, as if he'd been here a thousand times and belonged.

G. G. had sung Ryan's praises, but she'd forgotten to mention his rugged good looks. A woman couldn't help but admire him, Tina thought.

People called out hellos. Maggie waved and Ryan greeted them all with a nod and a grin. Of all things, the man had a dimple in one cheek, which deepened as he followed his daughter to G. G.' s chair.

“Welcome home, G. G.” He kissed her on the cheek. “We sure missed you.”

“Aren't you two a sight for sore eyes,” G. G. replied. “It's wonderful to be home.”

Tina handed G. G. her dinner and stepped back, out of sight. Or tried to. G. G. snagged her wrist, keeping her at her side.

“This is my Tina. Tina Morrell, meet Ryan Chase.”

The noise abruptly stopped. Aware that every person in the house was watching her, Tina formed her lips into a smile. “Hello, Ryan.”

He towered over her, his gaze swiftly darting from her face to her body and back. Tina thought he might be interested. The instant the thought formed, however, a flicker of something—wariness?—darkened his eyes and his expression became guarded.

Completely somber now, he handed a foil-covered pan to his daughter. “Hello,” he said, engulfing Tina's hand in his huge grip. “Pleasure.”

She barely registered his firm, warm grasp before he let go and nodded at the little girl. “This is my daughter, Maggie. Say hello to Miss Morrell.”

An adorable freckled face peered up at her. No wariness there. “'Lo, Miss Morrell.”

This time, Tina's smile bloomed naturally. “Please, call me Tina.”

“Is that okay, Daddy?”

“If that's what the lady wants.”

“I do,” Tina said.

A dimple just like her father's flashed on her cheek. “You've got cool hair.”

Self-conscious, Tina touched her spiky hairdo. “Thanks. I like your pigtails, too, and those sparkly ties.”

“Daddy bought 'em for me.” Maggie practically danced with excitement. “Guess what? Halloween was last week! I was gonna be a princess, but then I decided to be the number five 'cause that's how old I am!”

Tina laughed. “That sounds very…original.”

“That's what Daddy says, too. Guess what else? A long time ago, G. G. used to teach kindergarten.”

“I know. I was one of her students. That's how we met.”

“You did? Did you hear that, Daddy?”

“Yep.”

For some reason Tina's cheeks felt hot—maybe because Ryan was staring at her. She kept her gaze on Maggie. “I'll bet you're hungry.”

“Uh-huh. Daddy is, too.”

A big man like Ryan probably ate tons.

“There's plenty of food left,” Tina said.

Duh.
Anyone with eyes could see the platters on the dining room table.

Ryan pulled his daughter's pigtail. “Come on, Sunshine, let's eat.”

Though Tina was famished, she decided to wait until father and daughter had served themselves. Ryan made her nervous, but she couldn't have said why.

S
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talk and laughter, Ryan kept an eye on his daughter as he filled his plate a second time. Sprawled on an ottoman squeezed between G. G.' s chair and the chair Tina had brought out from the kitchen, she stared at Tina with a rapt expression. No different from anyone else in the room.

She
was
easy on the eyes, Ryan thought. G. G. had pictures of her on the mantel, so he'd known what she looked like. Short, spiky blond hair and big, blue eyes. But he hadn't expected her to be so friendly. The warmth in her expression had surprised him and piqued his interest. But Ryan didn't want to be interested.

Suddenly, Maggie jumped up. Glass in hand, she darted toward her father, deftly slipping between the adults who filled up every available space.

She lifted her empty glass. “Can I have more apple cider, Daddy?”

“Sure thing.”

From the jug on the table, he poured a few inches of the amber liquid into his daughter's glass. Maggie gulped it down, then licked her lips.

“Did you get enough to eat?” Ryan asked.

“Uh-huh. Tina's awesome.”

Since starting kindergarten in September, his daughter had picked up the word and tended to use it constantly. She was growing up mighty fast—too fast for Ryan. “Awesome, huh?”

He glanced at Tina, who was deep in conversation with Norma Featherstone. He'd heard Tina's story. How she'd made good despite tragic circumstances. According to the neighbors, her mother had died during childbirth and her father had raised her alone.

Just as Ryan was raising Maggie.

Then Tina's father had been killed in a truck accident. Rather than let her go into foster care, G. G. had taken her in and the whole neighborhood had helped to raise her. A beautiful story.

Tina threw back her head and laughed, exposing her slender neck. She was a beautiful woman. Even if she was a little on the thin side, and had circles under her eyes. Most of the type A women he'd known, and he'd known more than his share, were too busy to eat right or sleep enough. It looked as if Tina was no different.

Ryan wasn't dating and he didn't plan to until Maggie was grown up, but if he were, he wouldn't date Tina. No matter how attractive she was. He'd heard that she was hell-bent on someday running the agency where she worked. He wished her well, but he'd had his fill of women who put their careers before everything else.

He only hoped Maggie didn't become too attached to her.

“She's only here a few weeks, Sunshine,” he cautioned.

“I know that.”

Suddenly her face was serious—way too serious for a five-year-old. She'd already lost so many of the females she loved.

Ryan's protective instincts surfaced. He would not allow his daughter to be hurt and disappointed ever again. He tweaked her nose. “Ready for a brownie?”

The question did the trick. Brightening, Maggie nodded. “Tina can still be my friend, right?”

“While she's here, she can.”

“Can I take her and G. G. some brownies?”

Ryan placed three large fudgy squares on a plate. Walking as if she were carrying eggs, Maggie carefully made her way across the living room. Tina and G. G. graciously smiled and accepted their dessert, and his little daughter rewarded them with a grin that lit the entire room.

While Ryan ate, his gaze wandered again to Tina. Despite the deaths of both her parents, she'd turned out well enough—thanks to the stability, love and concern of the people on Huckleberry Hill Road.

He wanted the same things for Maggie—stability and love. Which was why he'd relocated to tiny Halo Island from bustling L. A. When he'd bought the old Booker house, mostly for the wide front porch and big backyard, he'd lucked out. His neighbors were as warm and friendly as family, and he thought there was no other neighborhood quite like this one anywhere.

Her mouth full of brownie, Tina glanced straight at him. Her eyes widened a fraction, and he knew she'd caught him staring. He offered a stiff nod, grabbed Maggie's empty glass, and headed for the kitchen to load their dishes into the dishwasher.

Jefferson Jeffries, a grizzled man who smelled of diesel oil, followed him out with his own empty plate.

“Tina's a looker, ain't she? Always has been.”

Not about to deny it, Ryan grunted as he made room in the crowded appliance. Jefferson didn't live in the neighborhood, but he'd once worked with Tina's father and had been his closest friend. He showed up at every potluck dinner. Nice guy. Nice neighborhood traditions. Exactly what Maggie needed and deserved.

“And she's available.” Jefferson winked.

The only flaw so far was that people kept trying to fix him up. Ryan rolled his eyes. “No thanks. I'm not in the market.”

People wondered why—he saw it in their faces. In Jefferson's. “Maggie needs me, and all my attention goes to her,” he said, repeating the words for the umpteenth time.

If he needed physical relief, he would find it with women who wanted the same thing and nothing more. Though it had been a while, since before he'd moved here.

“I understand.” Jefferson added his china and cutlery to the dishwasher. “Tina's dad was the same way. Well, I'd best be leaving. Got to get up early for work. You coming to Thanksgiving dinner?”

Maggie's grandparents were gone, and Ryan's only living relative was a cousin who lived in China and rarely came back to the U. S. He nodded. “We'll be here.”

“Good. It's only two weeks away. See you then.” Jefferson exited the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, everyone had left except for Ryan and Maggie. His daughter had yawned several times, but she insisted on helping Tina tidy up the kitchen. Ryan wiped the dining room table with a damp rag. He chatted some with G. G., but her mouth was pulled tight and she looked extremely tired. So he wandered into the kitchen to get Maggie and take her home.

Tina had started the dishwasher. Maggie stood beside her, hands on her hips and head angled a fraction—just like Tina.

Already she was attaching herself to the woman. Ryan frowned. “We should go, Sunshine.”

“Do we have to, Daddy?”

“It's a school night. And Tina and G. G. are tired.”

“He's right about that.” Tina headed for the living room with Maggie beside her.

Ryan followed. He homed in on Tina's backside, which was showcased by a snug sweater and designer jeans. Though she wasn't more than five feet six, she had long legs, a small waist and a sweet behind. Which suited him perfectly. His body stirred, and he jerked up his gaze—just in time.

Tina turned toward him. “It's been a rough day. Especially for G. G.”

“I'm all right,” the older woman said somewhat faintly.

Ryan glanced at Tina, who looked as worried as he felt. She caught her lower lip between her teeth, then released it, and he couldn't help but notice that the bottom lip was plump and pink, even without lipstick. The upper lip dipped in what people called a cupid's bow. A seductive mouth like that was made for kissing and other things….

Tina blushed and looked away.

Clearing his throat, Ryan jutted his chin toward the door. “Let's get out of here, Maggie.”

The gruffness in his voice surprised his daughter, and earned wide-eyed looks from Tina and G. G.