Starlight in Her Eyes (9 page)

“I know. We could decorate the tree on top of the car and then everybody would come to see our beautiful Christmas tree car!” Lily beamed with pride, obviously thrilled with her suggestion. “You know, like the bubble car that man drives all over the city.”

Serena laughed. “That's a very creative and interesting idea, sweetie, but if we did that, we'd lose all our Christmas ornaments one way or the other. They're too valuable.”

“You mean they cost a lot of money?”

“They hold sentimental value because our family and friends gave them to us.” A quick glance told her Lily was still confused. “Looking at them on our Christmas tree helps us to remember who gave them to us and all the good times we've shared together.”

Lily had become Serena's most important lifeline, a reason to crawl out of bed in the morning, a reason to put one foot in front of the other. Working and taking care of herself and her child had swallowed up all her energy.

She'd enrolled her child in dance lessons and gymnastics. Lily might not have a father, but she would be a well-adjusted, well-rounded girl if it's the last thing Serena did. Lily was the best thing she'd ever done, and she made sure to share as much of Graham's memory with her as possible.

“Can you call Mr. Colin? He said you're important, and I can tell he really likes you and me, too. I know he'll come and help, but you have to call him.” Lily's blue eyes implored her as she climbed into the armchair and settled in Serena's lap. “Mommy, please.”

Serena ruffled Lily's hair. “You got your dad's tenacity, that's for sure.”

Lily tilted her head. “What's that mean?”

“Determination. Persistence.” Serena kissed Lily's forehead. “You don't give up, and that can be a good thing, within reason. However, I don't think calling Mr. Colin is the best idea tonight. He's a very busy man, and he might not even be home.”

Sliding down from the chair, Lily put both hands on Serena's knees. She swayed back and forth, pouting for all she was worth. “Pretty please, Mommy?”

Lily bit her lower lip. That action sent Serena over the edge.
I am such a pushover.
“Fine. I'll call Mr. Colin.” She smirked. “I trust you'll remember this moment in ten years when you're mad at me and think I'm the meanest mom in the world.”

Her victory won, Lily began singing “Deck the Halls” and danced around the living room before running over to the ornament box. Plopping down on the carpet beside it, she lifted the lid.

“If he can come, he'll be doing us a huge favor, and I want you to be on your best behavior,” Serena said. “Now, please go up to your bedroom and play for a few minutes while I call him.”

Lily stopped in the middle of pulling out an ornament. “Oh. You want privacy?”

Serena paused with her cellphone in her hand as her daughter gave her a cute grin and scampered up the stairs. Wow. Lily was now six going on thirty-five. When had she become so grown up? Shaking her head, Serena searched for Colin's home phone number. She'd entered the number in her list of contacts for business purposes but never had a reason to use it until now.

Her pulse raced almost out of control. This was silly.
I'm not in high school.
She talked with Colin every day, more than she spoke with anyone else at the station, including Lawrence. It wasn't as if she were calling to ask the man for a date. She was asking for help, and there was a difference. Serena started to chew on her thumbnail and then frowned, the disgusting aftertaste of her clear nail polish an effective reminder of why she'd started painting her nails in the first place.

Colin picked up on the fourth ring. “Serena, love! To what do I owe this honor?”

At the sound of his deep voice, and his obvious enthusiasm, Serena brought her hand to her throat. Thankful he couldn't see her, she steeled herself to state her case and get on with it. “Hi, Colin.” Inhaling a quick breath, she told him about her Christmas tree problem. “I should have planned better, but now I'm kind of stuck and feeling foolish. If you're busy, don't worry about it.”

“Nothing I can't put off until later or another time,” Colin said. “Besides, I can't have you break a promise to Lily.”

Serena could tell he was moving about and wondered what his apartment looked like. The station provided the furnished loft to him for a limited time until they knew if he would become a permanent fixture at
Wake Up, Philadelphia!
or until he found another place to live. Was it a typical bachelor pad, filled with expensive media equipment and leather furniture? Would Colin be the type to have clothing strewn across the floor or was he meticulous about picking up after himself? Did he employ a housekeeper? Were there shelves lined with books or DVDs?

What am I thinking?
She had no reason to speculate about such things. Colin lived in an entirely different world. He was a carefree bachelor and could do what he wanted, when he wanted, and with whom… No sense in going there. Colin was a Christian man now, and from what she knew, he was making every effort to live a much quieter lifestyle.

Granted, she'd once lived somewhat in the limelight, but only as an extension of Graham and his famous father. For Lily's sake, she was grateful her much simpler lifestyle now allowed her the freedom to raise her child in relative anonymity.

Colin wasn't the type of man to live in the shadows.

“Let me change, and then I'll be there in forty minutes or thereabouts,” Colin said, interrupting her thoughts. “Shall I come bearing dessert?”

“Just bring yourself.” She smiled. “But since you're offering, dessert would be lovely.”

7

Colin turned the carved, brightly painted wooden figure of a toy soldier in his hand. “Lily, can you tell me about this ornament?”

In truth, he was happy to sit for a moment after hauling the tree inside, helping Serena set it up, and then stringing lights for the better part of the past hour. Taking a quick drink of water from the bottle she'd provided, he admired the tree.

A fine one it was, and he'd enjoyed Lily's excitement as she discovered familiar ornaments and found the perfect place to hang them.

“Let me see!” Running over to him, Lily took the ornament and dangled it from the string before scrunching her sweet features into a frown. She held it up for her mother to see. “Mommy? Where did this one come from?”

For a few brief seconds, sadness clouded Serena's eyes. Then it was gone. “Your grandmother on your dad's side gave it to us shortly after you were born,” Serena said, her voice soft. “Grandma Elaine called your father her special soldier from the time he was a little boy, even though he never served in the active military, only the Army Reserve. This ornament used to hang on their family's Christmas tree.”

Lily nodded. “Yup. My daddy was handsome, brave, and strong.”

“Without a doubt,” Colin said. “What a wonderful remembrance of your father. I know how much he must have loved you.” Although he wasn't sure why, he avoided looking at Serena.

“Can I hang it on the tree now?” Those blue eyes, so like Serena's, met his, stealing his breath.

Polite and well-mannered, Lily was bright and in many ways a miniature version of her mother.

An ache, long hidden in his heart, pinched him. How much had he missed out on life's true joys by not spending more time with little ones?

When Lily tugged on his hand, bringing him back to reality, Colin surrendered the toy soldier. How much did Lily remember of Graham? Colin understood how a girl's memories of her father could shape her perception of life, relationships, and the world. Just as a boy's recollections of his mother colored his world…

Not the time.
He couldn't go there. Pushing those thoughts aside, Colin ran one hand through his hair and sensed Serena's gaze on him.

After giving the wooden soldier a place of prominence, front and center on the tree, Lily ran back over to him for another ornament. “Where do you live, Mr. Colin?”

“In a loft apartment downtown, not far from the television station.”

“Do you have a Christmas tree?”

“As a matter of fact, I don't. For one thing, I have no special ornaments to put on a tree, like you and your mum. I've very much enjoyed hearing all of your stories tonight.” He tweaked her chin. “That's a very special thing.”

“You can come visit our tree whenever you want. Right, Mommy?”

“Of course.” Serena's smile warmed him. “He's welcome to visit us whenever he'd like.”

Colin's throat clogged with emotion. “I'd like that very much. Thank you.”

“Do you have a doggie?” Lily asked him next.

He loved the randomness of the question and how she darted from one topic to the next.

“No, but I've been thinking it might be rather nice to have a companion. Four-legged or not,” he said under his breath.

“I think you should get one. What will you name him?” Lily put her elbows on his knees, staring up at him. The more time he spent in this child's presence, the more he adored her. He loved her honesty and innate kindness. Adults could learn so much from children.

“That's something I'll need to think about. Perhaps Archie or Wilford.”

Lily giggled as if those were the funniest names she'd ever heard. “You're silly.”

“Agreed, but you must admit, the names are rather catchy.” Colin grinned. “I'm guessing you'd like a dog?”

“Uh huh.” Lily's curls bounced with her emphatic nod. “I'd name it Austen, spelled A-u-s-t-e-n, and it could be for a boy or a girl puppy. Jane Austen is my mommy's favorite author.”

Colin shot a glance at Serena and mock groaned. Slumping back against the sofa cushions, he shook his head. “Say it isn't so.”

Serena laughed. “I'm afraid 'tis so.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face and felt the beginnings of new beard growth. “I suppose it's too much to hope for that you didn't catch my bumbling interview with the librarian who wrote the book—?”

“On all things Jane Austen? Yes, I caught the show when I was home with Lily.” Serena gave him a first-ever wink.

Incredible.
He felt that wink in every part of him. A flirtatious Serena was fun. Engaging. And completely charmed him.

Lily pushed away from him. “Can I please have another ornament?”

“Without a doubt, especially since you asked so nicely.” The more fragile ornaments were wrapped in tissue paper, and he took great care in handling them, knowing how precious they were. Choosing another ornament, Colin handed it to Lily.

For the next hour, Lily and Serena shared the stories behind the various ornaments as they hung each one on the tree. What a charming legacy for Lily and how blessed he was to be included in their tradition.

At one point, Lily burst into “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and he joined in.

Serena laughed and clapped as he and Lily acted silly and hammed it up royally.

“Ah, look at this one.” Colin pulled out a snowflake ornament a short time later. The decoration was made from heavy cardboard and covered with so much white, silver, and blue glitter that even he could tell it was made by a child. He held it up. “Lily, did you make this marvelous snowflake?”

From behind the tree where she was hanging a not-so-favorite ornament, Lily took a peek and then shook her head. “Nope. Mommy made that one.”

Serena smiled. “She's right. Mrs. Armstrong's third grade art class.”

“It's really quite fabulous.” Colin twirled it by the string, pretending to study its finer points. “Based on this fine specimen, however, I'd say it's providential you didn't wish to become an artist.”

“When I grow up?” Serena dropped to her knees on the floor beside him. “I'll have you know I took the top honors three years running in grade school for my creations of incomparable fabulousness.”

Colin found it difficult not to stare. Tonight Serena seemed so carefree, relaxed, and different from the image she presented at the television station.
Beautiful.
Her hair was pulled back in a long, thick ponytail that reached midway to her waist. Again she wore blue jeans, this time paired with a pale blue sweater that brought out the sparkle and intensified the hue of her eyes.

Dropping his gaze to her lips, Colin wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Her mouth looked soft and inviting. Thoughts of kissing her had taken precedence in recent days, making it difficult for him to fully concentrate at work. His trips to the gym had increased as he'd worked through his extreme attraction. He'd never been so muscled and buff in his life.

Neither had he ever asked permission to kiss a woman. He'd assumed it was his inherent right and privilege. How arrogant. So many things he wished he'd done differently, but as a new creation in Christ, he needed to live his life above reproach.

Serena was special and deserved to be treated like a treasure. Colin hated that she'd suffered the loss of her husband, and he'd never want to add to her pain or hurt her in any way. Was it too soon for her to love again? In the past, he'd stayed as far away as possible from widows. Grieving women were vulnerable, but he'd never been so despicable as to take advantage of a situation.

What would it be like to spend more evenings like this with Serena and Lily?

Laughing at something Lily said, Serena's gaze locked with his. Her smile faded but the light in her eyes remained. “Is something wrong?”

“Not at all.” He rested his fingers on the side of her face, lightly caressing the line of her jaw. “Everything's lovely. You're lovely.” So much more he wanted to say, but not with Lily in the same room. Something stirred inside him. More than physical desire, it was a longing to experience the joy, the laughter, and the inevitable sadness of life with Serena. He barely knew this woman and yet he knew her quite well. Wanted to know her much better. Make her laugh and bring that beautiful smile to her lips. He wanted the honor of loving her.