Mia Ross - A Gift of Family

“So,” he said with a little more confidence. “Where is this place?”

“Lisa’s not busy right now,” Ruthy replied casually. “She can go with you, introduce you to Gus.”

They both glanced toward Lisa, and she smiled. “Sure. No problem.”

Taking off her ruffly white apron, she draped it over the back of a chair and met Seth at the door. He glanced at the mistletoe kissing ball suspended overhead and shook his head again before opening the door for her. The silver jingle bells hanging from the knob alerted everyone in the diner that they were leaving.

Just as they were about to go, she heard the unmistakable sound of a camera shutter. Looking back, she saw Ruthy standing on the other side of the lunch counter, a digital camera in hand.

“What on earth are you doing?” Lisa demanded with a laugh.

“I always take a picture of the first couple under the mistletoe. Then I add it to the collage.” Motioning to the frame beside the door, she added, “It’s tradition.”

Seth groaned. “We’re not a couple.”

“You’re two people under the mistletoe,” she argued.

“We just met, Aunt Ruth. We’re not the kind of couple you’re talking about.”

“You could be.”

When he glared at her, she gave up. “Fine. I’ll delete it.” Glancing down at the display, she sighed. “It’s such a nice shot, though.”

Four people sidled past them into the diner, with three more close behind. Lisa suspected that if she didn’t do something, these two would argue so long the dining room would be overflowing by the time she got back to help.

“It’s not a big deal, Ruthy. Just keep it.”

She marched out, figuring Seth would follow quickly enough. He did, but out on the sidewalk, he looked down at Lisa and grumbled, “She jammed that disposal on purpose, didn’t she?”

“Why would she do that?”

“My hunch is she wanted me to notice you. She invented a kitchen crisis to get me downstairs.”

“I wasn’t even in the kitchen,” Lisa pointed out. “How could she know you’d see me out in the dining room?”

“Those swinging doors aren’t that high. With you up in the window like that, I saw you right off.”

“She’s quite the matchmaker, so it sounds like something she’d do.” Since he didn’t seem seriously upset by his aunt’s supposed meddling, Lisa laughed. “I can’t imagine what she’s thinking.”

Being Lisa’s godmother, Ruthy knew her better than most. Well enough to know this soft-spoken handyman was nothing like the brash, outgoing guys she enjoyed dating.

“Christmas lights and mistletoe,” he replied grimly. “They make folks nuttier than usual.”

“I think it’s sweet, her wanting to set you up for the holidays. Of course, you should get to pick the girl,” Lisa added to make it absolutely clear she wasn’t even remotely interested in being his Christmas crush.

“I’m not real good at that,” he confided quietly.

“Most guys aren’t.”

“She’s just like my mom. They think I need somebody,” he said, looking over Lisa’s head as a tractor rumbled down Main Street.

“Do you?”

As soon as the words jumped from her mouth, she regretted them. It was none of her business if he needed someone. Or no one. Still, she couldn’t help being curious about why he constantly avoided her eyes. She also couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his hesitance than simple shyness.

After a long pause, he shrugged. “I’ve always done fine on my own.”

“I like my independence, too,” she rambled to avoid another awkward silence. “Being the youngest, everyone was always telling me what to do. The best part of being a grown-up is finally getting to do my own thing.”

“Independence is different from being alone.” With an appreciative glance, he added, “Something tells me you’re not alone all that much.”

Her intuition told her he was trying to say something without insulting her, and she wasn’t sure she liked his tone. “I have company when I want it, if that’s what you mean.”

“I don’t doubt that for a second.”

Irritated now, she had to admit his comment about being alone was dead-on. She hated it but she couldn’t imagine how this stranger had picked up on it so quickly. Both of them seemed uncomfortable with the subject, so she decided it was better to switch to a less personal topic. Seth wasn’t big on conversation, which left her pretty much on her own.

“What are your plans for the holidays?” she asked.

“Home with my family. After that...” He shrugged as if it didn’t matter to him one way or another.

Having grown up in Harland, the baby in a large, loving family, Lisa couldn’t begin to understand his careless manner. But God wired everyone differently for a reason, and she never questioned His logic.

As they headed down Main Street, she noticed everyone had gotten into the spirit. Garlands and multicolored lights framed every window and door, and wreaths hung from the vintage streetlights. Up ahead, she heard a Santa bell ringing, followed by a hearty, “Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!”

After a few blocks that felt much farther, they reached Harland Hardware. The brick building was like all the others in town, old but well kept, with a blue-and-white-striped awning shading the glass-front door. Red, green and silver garlands were draped everywhere, and a set of speakers was pumping some kind of shop tool Christmas song out to the sidewalk.

“Now I’ve heard it all,” Lisa commented with a giggle. “Did you know drills and saws could even play ‘Jingle Bells’?”

“Nope.”

She’d finally had enough of his distant manner. “Seth, do you think I’ve been pleasant?”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t hate brunettes or waitresses on general principle?”

“Course not.”

She gave him a chance to elaborate, but he didn’t take it. No one had ever treated her so coolly, and she was done putting up with it. Glowering up at him, she demanded, “Then what is it about me that you don’t like?”

“Nothing. Honest,” he added, as if that would help.

“You could’ve fooled me.”

* * *

Lisa huffed so hard, her bangs fluttered above her crystal-blue eyes. As she glared at him, Seth pitied any guy foolish enough to fall for her. Sweet as she appeared to be, behind that amazing smile was tempered steel. No man alive could possibly handle all that attitude.

Even though the top of her head barely reached his shoulder, she didn’t seem the least bit intimidated by him. She also didn’t seem inclined to end their pointless staring contest, so Seth broke it off.

Looking behind her, he was almost surprised to see the latest rechargeable power tools displayed in the store’s large bay windows. A building like this seemed better suited to old-fashioned planes and handsaws. As he reached for the large brass handle on the door, his heart suddenly seized in his chest, and he could barely breathe.

Panic attack, he reminded himself, pulling away from the door to take a deep breath and give his nerves a chance to settle. Hard as he’d worked to get them under control, they still flared up when he found himself in unfamiliar territory. That was why he sometimes froze up when people talked to him. He’d made enough progress in his recovery to understand what caused the bizarre reaction. He just didn’t know what to do about it.

A quick glance around showed him no one was paying any particular attention to him, which was a relief. Lisa’s concerned look told him she’d noticed, though, and he forced himself to act as though nothing was wrong. To avoid her gaze, he looked into the other window, pretending to admire the latest in battery-powered drills.