“I guess I got carried away. Maybe I was making sure you didn’t have to make a second trip.”
“Maybe,” he chuckled. He kissed the baby’s cheek, his lips dangerously close to Dani’s, close enough to give a woman ideas. “You girls stay out of trouble while I’m gone.”
* * *
On the elevator ride down to the lobby, Nathaniel started to sweat. He’d put on clothes from his last Colorado ski trip. When he stepped outside, he was glad he had kept the heavy winter gear. As useless as it normally was in Atlanta, today it was going to come in handy.
The snow had turned into a nasty drizzle that froze on contact. Soon, he couldn’t feel his cheeks. He wrapped his fleece scarf around all of his face but his eyes, and picked up the pace. It wasn’t easy. Snowshoes might have been a good idea if he had owned any.
He relished the physical exertion. Despite his lack of sleep the night before, he wanted to push himself to the limits, anything to keep from thinking about Dani. She was his very valuable assistant, not a lover. He had to remember that, no matter how great the temptation.
He’d never seen Atlanta like this. It was a ghost town, a frozen ghost town. Occasionally, an official vehicle passed. There were a few intrepid explorers out, like himself. For the most part, though, his fellow citizens had hunkered down to wait for the snow to melt.
What did normal people do on December 24? There would be no last-minute shopping today, that’s for sure. Even Amazon couldn’t fulfill impulsive wishes in the midst of a blizzard. Fortunately, Nathaniel had resources Amazon didn’t possess. Early this morning, he had made a couple of phone calls and arranged to get a gift for Dani. She deserved at least that much for putting up with his bizarre situation.
The small neighborhood market shone like a beacon at the end of his journey, bringing cheer to the gray, icy day. In addition to the store’s normal illumination, swags of colored lights festooned the entrance.
Inside, Nathaniel grabbed a shopping cart and stripped off his outer garments. Christmas music played from overhead speakers. Oddly, it didn’t irritate him as it sometimes did. When he found himself humming along with a familiar tune, he frowned and concentrated on Dani’s list.
The store was mostly empty. He was able to go as slowly as he wanted, one aisle at a time, until he was confident he had fulfilled his mission.
At the checkout stand, he began to have a few tiny doubts about getting all this stuff back to the condo. No matter. He’d told Dani it might take a while.
The store manager rang up the purchases. “You’re a brave man,” he said. “Must have a woman at home ready to cook.”
“Something like that.”
When the last item was scanned, Nathaniel handed over his credit card and began loading the canvas duffel, putting the canned goods on the bottom. The manager looked to be in his late forties and bore a passing resemblance to Santa Claus. He was dressed in overalls and a red flannel shirt, probably not his usual work attire.
The older man began grouping smaller items and tying them into plastic bags to make them easier to stuff in the duffel. “You got a tree already?” he asked.
Nathaniel shook his head. “No. I don’t usually decorate. It’s a lot of trouble.”
The Santa look-alike frowned. “Then you should take one of those small live trees. On the house. They’ll be useless to me by Monday. For that matter, I’ll throw in a stand and several strands of lights. Might as well. I’ll be stuck with that whole display seventy-five percent off. I’d rather you and your lady friend enjoy them.”
“Oh, but I—”
The manager interrupted, “I know, I know. You’re walking. I get it. My son, Toby, is in the back unloading pallets. Do you know how hard it is for a seventeen-year-old boy to be snowed in the day before Christmas? The kid needs some exercise. He’s driving me and his mom crazy. Let him walk back and carry the tree for you.”
“It’s a long way,” Nathaniel protested.
“Won’t matter.” The man punched in a message on his cell phone. “He’s on his way.”
Moments later the kid appeared. Six foot four at least, with shoulders that told Nathaniel he probably played football. The teenager was visibly eager, chomping at the bit to get outside. “Happy to help, sir,” he said, beaming at Nathaniel. “Which tree would you like?”
Nathaniel wanted to say forget it, but in his gut he knew Dani would love having a tree. “Any of them.” Good grief.
The manager grimaced. “Sorry we don’t have ornaments.”
“Believe me,” Nathaniel said, “it’s okay.”
The trip back to the condo was surprisingly entertaining. Nathaniel dragged the heavy duffel bag along behind him, occasionally changing arms when his shoulder protested. “So tell me, Toby, do you work at the store on a regular basis?”
“When I’m not practicing football or basketball or out with my girl.”
Toby had the four-foot, live tree—in a plastic stand—balanced on one shoulder. In his other hand, he carried Dani’s precious eggs, a loaf of bread and the strands of lights. The teenager wasn’t even breathing hard, nor was he wearing gloves. Nathaniel, probably only fifteen years his senior, felt like an old man trying to keep up.
“Have you been dating this girl for a while?”
“A year and a half, sir. We have plans to go to college together and get married when we graduate.”
“Your parents are okay with that?”
“Oh, yeah. They adore Kimberly. Her parents have been married almost as long as mine. Mom always told me to look at a girl’s family. That way you know what’s important to her, and you can decide if you’re compatible.”
The young man’s casual confidence rattled Nathaniel. Was this what happened when you grew up with actual parental guidance? Surely this kid was far too young to know what he wanted out of life. Then again, Nathaniel wasn’t qualified to weigh in on interpersonal relationships, not by a long shot.
Toby used the next twenty minutes to bend Nathaniel’s ear about everything from his interest in NASCAR racing to his amazing girlfriend to the Central America trip he and his youth group were going to make during the summer.
Nathaniel listened with half an ear, wondering if he himself had ever been as passionate and excited about life as this young man. For Nathaniel, every goal had been about getting out on his own and proving himself without his parents. Yet here was an all-American kid who actually enjoyed his life.
Even Toby tired after the first half mile. When they stopped to catch their breath, Toby set the tree and his packages carefully on the ground and rolled his shoulders. He even put on a pair of gloves.
Nathaniel hid a grin. He did remember what it was like to be seventeen and driven by testosterone. Of course, with Dani in his home, those feelings were pretty much the same right now. He didn’t feel the need to flex his muscles, but on the other hand, he had made a long trek through knee-deep ice and snow to bring home provisions. Maybe this was the twenty-first-century equivalent of slaying a wild animal and dragging it back to the cave.
Toby blew on his hands and bounced from one foot to the other. “What about you, Mr. Winston. Do you have any kids?”
For some reason, the question caught Nathaniel completely off guard. “Um, no...”
Toby grinned. “You don’t sound too sure.”
“I’m sure,” Nathaniel said firmly. “Come on. Let’s get going before we freeze to death.”
At the condo, Dani buzzed them in and welcomed them at the door. The way her face lit up when she saw the scrawny little tree gave Nathaniel a warm fuzzy feeling that was scary as hell.
“This