She rolls her eyes at me. “I know but you’re cooking…”
I stand. “I’m a man of many talents.” She steps up to the counter and pours a mug of coffee. Her stomach takes that moment to growl, and I laugh. “You can’t live on chocolate alone, you know.”
“You’re a hockey player. I just assumed you had a cook or something.” She takes a sip of coffee. “This is really nice, Brody. Thank you.”
My heart crashes against my chest as her gratitude warms my blood, making me want to do more, everything for her. I finally find my voice and say, “Have a seat, m’lady.”
She laughs, and drops down into a chair. I place her food in front of her and she’s about to jump up, but I stop her.
“I got it,” I say and pull utensils from the drawer.
“Wow, a girl could get used to this.”
“Every good boyfriend should make his girl breakfast, especially a girl who runs her own business, and has a pup who runs her off her feet, don’t you think?” Her brow arches, like she’s surprised by my observation. “What?” I ask.
“Nothing.” She tosses a piece of bacon into her mouth. “This is just really nice. It’s been a long time since...” She lets her words fall off and I don’t push.
“What are your plans for the day?” I ask. It’s Saturday, and I assume she’s busy with the shop, but that doesn’t mean she can’t take a break and do something fun, or maybe I could help her out downstairs. I don’t know anything about chocolate, but I’m a fast learner.
“Work, it’s crazy this time of year.”
I want to ask about a tree, but I’m not sure how to broach the subject. I know firsthand Christmas isn’t a wonderful time of year for everyone.
“Something on your mind?” she asks as Mabel comes up and plunks herself down next to me.
I laugh and before I ask her about not having a tree, I point to Mabel. “Know what this is called?” She glances at Mabel and back at me, her brow furrowed. “It’s called POF,” I say, and a deeper confusion moves over her face. I grab a slice of bacon and feed it to Mabel. “She sits where there is POF, probability of food.”
Josie laughs, and the sound fills the kitchen and my soul with lightness. Man, I really like when she laughs, and something tells me she doesn’t do it often enough.
“And to answer your question, I do have something on my mind.” She takes a sip of coffee and stares at me over the rim, waiting for me to continue. “You don’t have a tree.”
Her face pales a little and she sets the cup down and my insides clench. Shit, I clearly hit a sore spot and didn’t mean to upset her. As she goes quiet, lost in thought, I turn this around, making it about me, talking about something private, something I don’t usually share.
“When I was growing up, there were times we never had a tree.”
Her brow bunches. “Really? I’m sorry, Brody.”
“Dad was on the road a lot, and well I had many…” I stop and do air quotes around the word, “Moms.” Her face softens and catching me off guard, she reaches across the table and takes my hand into hers.
“That must have been hard.”
I shrug, brushing it off, but I’m pretty sure she can see right through that. “I don’t usually do Christmas in a big way. In fact, I usually do it alone, but I usually put a tree up.”
She nods. “I guess if you’re going to be staying here, we need a tree then huh?”
“Are you okay with that?”
She glances down, and her face is tight, her thoughts a million miles away. What kind of demon is she fighting? The impulse to jump in and fight it for her overcomes me. I might not be her boyfriend, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be her friend. I’m about to tell her to forget it, that we don’t need a tree if it’ll upset her, when her head lifts, a small smile on her face.
“I’m okay with that.”
Warmth and happiness move through me. “I did a little research earlier.”
Her brow arches, and her curious smile makes me laugh. “Do I have to guess what this research was?”
“I was going to tell you, but since you’re being a smart-ass, now I won’t. I’ll just surprise you instead.”
“I don’t really like surprises, Brody,” she says and pulls a new phone from her pocket.