Free A Heart for Christmas by Lisa Watson Page A

time,” she said automatically.
    Those two words suddenly hung in the air with heavy purpose. 
     
    Yvette peeked over at Christopher to gauge his reaction to her brazen declaration.  She was just assuming that there would be a next time.  He did not look any different.  In fact, she noted that he had a rather pleased look on his face.  Good .  She sighed with relief.  She did not want to say or do anything that would make their date awkward. 
    Speaking of awkward , her conscience reminded her that she almost embarrassed herself by gawking when he arrived. Yvette closed her eyes.  She was mortified that she had almost lost her composure, but there was no way to prepare for the totally-gorgeous-decked-out Christopher that appeared on her doorstep.  Yvette had been attracted to him from the moment she met him, and thus far had only seen him in jeans, sweatshirts and sweaters.  Now he wore a long black overcoat, black slacks and shoes, dark gray blazer, and black shirt.  That took the ‘wow factor’ to a whole new level.  His tasted in clothes was impeccable, and it had him looking all kinds of gorgeous.  Of course, it did nothing to calm Yvette’s nerves.  In fact, it merely kicked her attraction to him into overdrive.
     
    “So what have you been up to this week?” Christopher asked while waiting at a red light.
    Yvette practically jumped out of her skin at hearing his voice.
    “Oh… it’s been a pretty hectic week for Lacey and I with work, school and then the memoriam.”
    He glanced over.  “Memoriam?”
    “Yes it’s…”  Yvette stopped, uncertain if she should go into details.  “It’s just something Lacey and I do each year in memory of her father.”
    “Oh,” he replied. 
    “I…look I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned it.  I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” she said quickly.
    “You didn’t.”
    The light turned green, so Christopher turned his concentration back to the road.   
    “I think celebrating what Michael meant to the both of you is a great thing to do, Yvie .  And I’m not threatened in the least, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
    “No …yes…I just didn’t want you thinking that I was still pining for him.  I’m not—but it’s still hard.  Lacey doesn’t have her father in her life anymore.  That’s a loss she’ll feel for the rest of her life.  My heart aches for her.”
    He reached out and squeezed her hand.  “What about you?”
    She gazed at him.  “I’m coping, but this is hardly the conversation I expected to have on our first date.”
    “It’s fine if you want to talk about it.”
    “I don’t….but thanks for asking.  So how was your week?”
    “My week was crazy busy .  Mom and Dad are doing well at the farm, too.  I went back there twice this week.  Do you know she’s still talking about your visit?  You all made quite an impression.”
    “They did, too,” she admitted. 
    “Hey, I’ve got Satellite radio.  How about some Christmas tunes?”
    “I’d love it.”
    He released her hand and hit one of the preset buttons on his console.  They sung classic Christmas carols and talked for the remainder of the drive.
    By the time they reached the restaurant, they were sung out.
    “I don’t know how I’m going to eat,” Yvette lamented after they had been seated.  “My stomach hurts from all the laughing and singing.”
    Christopher chuckled.  “I bet you’ll change your mind when you start looking over the menu.”
    A few minutes later, they were sharing a crab dip appetizer.
    “Tell me some things that you like,” he said suddenly.
    Yvette’s eyebrows crinkled in concentration.  “ Let’s see…I love the smell of fresh flowers when I walk past a garden.  Or curling up on the couch with my favorite quilt watching old movies, with a big bowl of popcorn that’s been doused in pepper and parmesan cheese.”  She smiled at the memory.  “I enjoy being in nature: the sea, the