He has a new girlfriend every year.”
“And your mother?”
“She died when I was twelve. Cancer. They were divorced before that, though. But we all lived in the same small town north of Boston. She was a teacher.”
“You must miss her. I’m sorry.”
“Thanks,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I was lucky to have my aunt Ellen. That’s how I ended up working here, in upstate New York.” Those summers with her aunt and cousins had saved her from cranky stepmothers and emotional scenes between her father and the women he loved and left.
“So, what was the message from Julie Barrett?”
“She’s given her wedding to Noelle.”
“Noelle? At the lodge?”
“Yes. She’s engaged to Ted and they were planning a small, inexpensive wedding. I guess Julie and Noelle talked and Julie gave her the entire thing. Most of it had been paid for, and Noelle’s wedding won’t be as big, so it shouldn’t cost Ted and Noelle anything, unless they have an open bar.”
“Dinner for eighty-five people,” Nico said. “Beef Wellington. The Barrett family wouldn’t get much of their deposit back anyway.”
“Now it won’t go to waste. What do you think?”
“The food was never going to go to waste,” he said. “Not in my kitchen.”
“But the cake. And the decorations. And the flowers.” She sighed contentedly. “All the beautiful flowers.”
“I think it’s a very kind and generous gesture.”
Grace blinked back tears. “I think so, too. I mean, Noelle has that little boy, and Ted has to go back overseas, someplace dangerous—did you know he’s a Green Beret?—and they will just love the fairy lights in the jars and the pinecone place-card holders and the little jingle bells, don’t you think?” Her voice caught on a sob.
“Grace?”
“I love weddings,” she whispered. “I always wanted to get married on Christmas Eve. You know, to make it special?”
He leaned forward and took her into his arms. “Oh, Grace. All weddings are special. Or should be. You make them that way.”
She flopped against his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. “This is so embarrassing.”
“What? Crying? I grew up with three sisters. I am totally used to it.”
“I should have watched where I was going.” She’d been concentrating on avoiding Nico’s smile instead of looking for dangerous, fallen Christmas decorations.
“I’m selfishly glad you didn’t.” He pulled back slightly and smiled down at her. “This has been a memorable first date.”
“I’m only crying because I took Percocet,” she sputtered. “Pain medication makes me emotional.”
“Well, then,” he murmured, folding her back into his arms. “Weep away.”
SHE WOKE UP next to the dog. He was a comfortable and warm weight stretched against her side, but he snored. Not that the noise had bothered her. It was after eight o’clock and she was due at work in an hour. She’d need every minute to get ready.
“Good morning, Al.”
His tail thumped once and he wriggled closer, his eyes closed. Grace patted his rump and eased herself to a sitting position. Her foot throbbed, but not as painfully as last night. She’d managed to get into her nightgown without Nico’s help—Patsy had selected her only flannel gown instead of one of her many cute pajama sets.
After her weepy breakdown, he’d offered to help her out of her clothes to make her laugh. She’d refused, making him laugh. He’d fixed her a cup of herbal tea and delivered it, with an assortment of his mother’s cookies, to the nightstand while she was in the bathroom washing the tears from her face.
She would never, ever take Percocet in a man’s presence again. Not unless the man was her husband and she had just given birth to triplets.
She managed to climb out of bed and brush her teeth with the help of her crutches before she heard the knock on the door.
“Come on in.” She was resigned to the fact that he would see her dressed like a ninety-year-old woman. He may as well see what she’d be wearing when she was ninety.
He opened the door and peered in. “Hey. How are you doing?”
“Okay.” She sat on the bed and wished she could crawl back in next to Al, who was pretending to be asleep. Nico looked wide-awake, cheerful and heart-stoppingly handsome. The man looked ready to flip a thousand pancakes.
“Did you sleep?”
“Al and I both were practically comatose.” She wished she’d put on makeup. Patsy had emptied the entire contents of her bathroom drawer into a gallon ziplock bag, so she had no excuse for not putting on lipstick and eyeliner, for heaven’s sake.
“You look a lot better than you did last night.” He reached out and touched her cheek. “You’re not as pale. How’s the pain?”
“Not bad at all,” she fibbed.
“Can you walk?”
“With the crutches.”
He looked over at her bed. “Al! Time to go out!”
The Labrador didn’t budge.
“I know he’s alive.” Grace laughed. “He wagged his tail for me a few minutes ago.”
“He’s faking it. He hates snow.” Nico looked at Grace. “Want some coffee before I haul him out of here?”
“Yes. Give me a few minutes to get dressed.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll bring it to you. Cream, no sugar, right?”
“How did you know that?”
“The executive chef at The View knows everything,” he informed her. “Stay right where you are. I haven’t brought a woman coffee in bed for days.”
“Very funny,” she said to his back as he left the bedroom. Or maybe he wasn’t joking. According to the tabloids, Nico’s social circle had once included the Kardashians and Sports Illustrated models. She hadn’t heard of him dating anyone in Lake Placid, but then again, there were plenty of beautiful women on the ski slopes and at the Olympic park. She wondered if any of them wore light blue flannel dotted with pink roses.
“Woof.”
She heard the child’s
