The sound of a truck coming up the drive made her smile. It was Andy’s. “If I can talk him into staying, you two can still go to Max’s for Monday Night Football.”
Josh shook his head. “Forget it. I didn’t drive two hours round-trip to bring you home just to abandon you. You’re stuck with us.”
“I bet the Hallmark and Lifetime holiday movies have already started playing,” she said with a sweet smile.
He shuddered. “Great. I’m going to go make you some tea.”
Rose heard him talk to somebody in the kitchen and realized Andy must have come in the back door. The man was really making himself at home now. “How’d you sleep last night, Katie?”
“Good. Liz’s bed is actually a lot more comfortable than mine.” She laughed. “Maybe I’ll just move in here permanently and drive the few minutes to the shop every day.”
That was Rose’s master plan. Her endgame, as FBI guys would say.
Before she could say anything else, Andy walked into the room, and she tried not to get all mushy inside at the way his face lit up when he saw her. “Hi, Andy.”
“You up to some company?”
“Of course. The kids don’t seem to want to watch Christmas chick movies with me.” The flash of panic that crossed his expression made her smile. “Maybe we could play rummy.”
“You should go to bed,” Katie said.
“I’ve been in bed for a week and I’m bored. Lounging on the couch playing cards isn’t going to do me in.”
Her daughter sighed. “Fine. I’ll be in the basement, sorting through boxes. Time to start putting together the toiletry baskets for the guest bathrooms.”
Once she was gone, Rose shook her head. “They’re both so damn stubborn.”
“But you’re more stubborn.”
“That I am. The cards are in the drawer over there. What are we playing for?”
“Cookies?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to say kisses, but she didn’t. It was silly, really, and she had no idea if he’d even considered kissing her. He was attentive and sweet and sometimes a little flirtatious, but he hadn’t yet done anything she could interpret as putting a move on her.
“Cookies it is. First to five hundred gets a fresh-baked batch from the loser.”
Andy laughed, and Rose reveled in the sound. It was so warm and husky, rather like the man. “Woman, you better hope like hell I win.”
Chapter Five
Josh was going to lose his mind. Or maybe he’d already lost it and that was why he couldn’t think straight.
The first guests of the season were checking in in a few days and Rose was obsessed with this stupid family Christmas Eve party. Because she was one hundred percent in attentive-daughter mode, that meant Katie was bugging him about it. Constantly.
“We have to decide if we’re having turkey or ham.”
He tossed the paper plate from his lunch into the trash and crushed his soda can before throwing it into the can bin. It didn’t do much to relieve the stress. “Which one can you cook better?”
Katie shrugged. “The turkey has a timer thing that pops up when the bird’s perfectly done. Hams don’t.”
“Then make a turkey.”
“I don’t think a turkey will be enough.”
As tempting as it was to beat his head against the doorjamb until he was blissfully unconscious, he dug deep for some patience. If Rosie thought he and Katie didn’t have their shit together, she’d drag herself out of bed to make sure the family’s holiday wasn’t ruined. Rosie back in the hospital would definitely put a damper on things.
“Close to a dozen people, right?” She shrugged. “Maybe both, then. Pretty sure they put cooking directions on the ham wrappers.”
“Jesus. A dozen people? Really?”
“You, me and Mom is three. Mitch and Paige. Ryan, Lauren and Nick. I know Mom invited Andy and, since Drew’s newly almost-single as well as Mitch’s best friend, he’ll probably come with him.”
“That’s ten.”
She glared at him. “I said close to a dozen. Ten is close to twelve. What about Sean and Emma? Did you call him yet?”
“Sean doesn’t want to travel during the holidays, with Emma being pregnant and all.”
“Is there something wrong?”
“Not with the baby, no. Him? Maybe. It’s some kind of superstition thing. He says there’s always a super-sad, tragic accident on the news Christmas Eve and being out on the roads with a pregnant wife is tempting fate.”
She tapped a pen against the notepad she was making lists on. It was a habit that was really starting to drive him insane. “That’s a little weird. I didn’t think Sean was afraid of anything.”
“And she’s not even that far along yet. I hope he realizes if he wraps her totally in Bubble Wrap, she’ll suffocate.”
“How many pounds of potatoes should I make?”
“How the hell should I know? Google it. Or, better yet, ask Rosie.”
“We told her we’d take care of this.”