woof woof!” came the answer, just as a tall, thin boy ran into the room.
“Hey, Al, what are—”
The boy skidded to a stop, turning a pair of dark eyes toward Grace. He had the same head of thick dark waves as Nico, the same angular features and easy smile. He was dressed in a warm jacket and knitted cap, and his gloved hands held a bright blue leash.
“Whoa,” he said, sounding exactly like his uncle. Grace assumed this child had to be Nico’s nephew, the one who took his dog for walks and lived nearby. “Uncle Nico has company!” the boy called over his shoulder before returning to Grace.
“Hi,” he said.
The dog suddenly came to life and let out another happy bark before easing himself off the bed to greet his friend.
“Hi. I’m Grace,” she said, wishing she was dressed but glad she wore flannel at the very least. The boy’s mother stepped into the room and stopped as soon as she saw Grace.
“Oh! I’m sorry,” she managed to say. She was tall, with short dark brown hair and a handsome, angular face. Dressed in jeans and a puffy red vest with matching sweater, she looked as ready to take on winter as her son. “I didn’t know Nico had company.”
“I’m Grace Clarke.” She held out her hand and attempted to get to her feet, but Nico’s sister intervened.
“Marie O’Rourke. And this is Brian, my son. You’re hurt.” She put out a hand to stop Grace from moving. “Stay where you are.” Her gaze darted to Grace’s nightgown, then to her booted foot and on to the rumpled bed. “What happened?”
Nico came to the rescue. He stepped into the room and handed Grace a mug of coffee. “Grace works at the lodge. She slipped in the kitchen last night and I brought her home.”
“Does it hurt?” Brian asked.
“Yes. But not as much as it did last night,” Grace said. “And Al kept me company.”
The dog leaned against Brian and licked his hand.
“I hung your clothes in the closet,” Nico said, jerking a thumb to one of the wide doors opposite the windows.
“Thanks, Nico. And thanks for the coffee.”
“Are you up to go in to work or do you want to hang out here for a few hours?”
“It’s Secret Santa day,” she reminded him. “Staff brunch at 10:00 a.m., remember?”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. We drew names?”
Maria turned to him. “Isn’t that why you asked Cathy to make you a—”
He put his hand over her mouth. “Secret Santa, big sister. They take these things seriously at the lodge.” Nico turned to his nephew. “Come on, let’s give Grace some privacy.” He ushered the dog, his sister and his nephew out of the room and shut the door behind them.
“As soon as they leave I’ll make you a frittata,” he whispered. “With a crunchy potato layer that will make you weep with joy.”
She thought of the calories. Her mouth watered. Her foot throbbed.
Her heart melted.
“YOU’VE GOT IT BAD, little brother.”
“I’m going to pretend you’re not here.” Nico didn’t bother to argue. Once Marie decided something, the sun would have to fall out of the sky to change her mind. How her mild-mannered husband stayed sane was a mystery to the entire family. Ignoring the cold, he leaned against the back door’s frame and waited for his sister to continue, as he knew she would.
“She’s beautiful. And she spent the night.”
“She slept with Al, not me.”
“So you say.” She eyed him speculatively. “Wait till Mom hears about this. She’ll think Christmas came early.”
“Mom doesn’t have to know anything.”
“What? Are you kidding? Brian’s going over there to decorate cookies again this afternoon. You think he’s not going to tell his grandma that Uncle Nico had a friend over? A pretty female friend with a boot on her foot, just like the one that Elizabeth in Mrs. Rayak’s class had last year when she fell off the ski lift?”
“I could pay him. What’s the going rate for keeping his mouth shut?”
Marie shrugged. “He’s not motivated by money. Unfortunately. I offered him five dollars not to tell his father that I said three very bad words when that guy backed into me last week.”
“Yeah? What happened?”
“Oh, his insurance company will pay for it. There was a witness.”
“I meant with Brian.” Nico liked the kid. For a nine-year-old, he pretty much had it together. He managed to tiptoe through the minefield of having an older sister and a younger one quite well. His ability to stay calm and detached in the midst of female drama made him more like his father than the Vitelli side of his family.
“He told me he had heard worse at school and to be cool.”
“You are cool.”
“I am,” Marie said. “I’m forty-two and I’m definitely cool. Now, let’s talk about you.”
“I’m going to ask her to dinner Thursday.”
“That’s Christmas Eve.”
“I know.”
“That’s big.”
“I’m aware of that. I hope the family doesn’t scare her off.”
“Nico, we’ll be on our best behavior.” She frowned. “I mean, we’ll do our best. Maybe ‘best behavior’ is a little optimistic. But for you to bring a woman to Christmas Eve? This is really big. How long have you known her?”
“Since I started work here. I see her almost every day at the lodge.” And I’ve been half in love with her since the first minute I saw her.
Nico thought it wise not to say that aloud.
“She’s why you wouldn’t let us fix you up. How long have you been, uh, dating her?”
“I’ve been, uh, dating her since last night.” He enjoyed the look of surprise on his sister’s face. “I told you, she fell in the kitchen at work and hurt her ankle. I brought her home to help her out. To take care of her.”
“And now we’re back where we started,” his sister said. “You’ve got it bad.”
“I
