Page 20 of Sweet Yuletide (Indigo Bay Christmas Romances #4)

Michael woke, more rested than he’d been in weeks. Not even eating too many of the delicious German Christmas cookies—he kept forgetting the actual name, so he called them that—last night had interfered with his sleep. That was all because of Sheridan.

As he remembered drinking hot cocoa and making sure the pan didn’t burn, warmth flowed through him. He hadn’t been looking for romance, but somehow it had found him.

Them .

But he didn’t want to think beyond Christmas, even though she wasn’t leaving until the thirty-first. Yes, whatever this was between them had an end date, but that might be why he wanted to make the most of the time they had together and not overanalyze anything.

A few emails were in his inbox. There was also a copy of the donation pledges that would be sent to the two rescues today. His team worked fast, but he was paying them to take care of stuff. This was extra, but it would be worth the expense.

Would the money change things with Sheridan?

Michael hoped not, but he would never know.

She would be in Berry Lake or somewhere else when the money arrived, but he bet she would be excited if she found out.

Not because she wanted something from him, but because he could travel and help others.

When he was ready to settle down, he wanted to meet a woman like her.

He showered, dressed, and headed into the kitchen. The coffee pot was full, and empty grocery bags covered the table. Sheridan had set out the items they’d bought to make the ornaments. But one thing was missing.

With his cup in hand, he made his way to Hope’s studio.

Sheridan sat cross-legged on the floor, giving him a great profile shot of her. A laptop was in front of her, a pencil rested between her lips, and a notepad lay to her right. She held a measuring tape across the width of a small seascape.

The sun shining through the French doors cast a glow around her. The halo effect was stunning. It also suited her. She’d become his personal Christmas angel.

He watched her until she placed the tape measure on the floor. “Hard at work already?”

“I’m almost finished.”

“Keep going.” He didn’t want to disturb her. A glance out the window showed blue skies. He needed to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. “I’m going to eat breakfast and then take a walk on the beach before we work on the ornaments. It’s a gorgeous day outside.”

“I’d love to join you.”

Anticipation surged. “I was hoping you might. I’ll let you know when.”

A bowl of instant oatmeal and two cups of coffee later, Michael returned to the studio. “Is this a good time for you to take a break?”

Sheridan wiped her hands on her thighs. “Yes.”

He eyed her black jeans and red sweater. “You look Christmassy.”

“That was fully intentional.” She studied his T-shirt. “Not to sound like your mom or sisters, but you might be cold without a jacket.”

He laughed. “You sound just like them, so I’ll tell you what I’d say to them. Men are always warm.” Though she had a point. He’d been so excited to spend time with her, he hadn’t considered the temperature outside. “I’ll grab a sweater and meet you in the living room.”

A few minutes later, they made their way down the wood walkway next to the cottage.

A few wisps of clouds were overhead, but most of the sky was blue, making it seem more like summer than winter.

A slight breeze blew off the water, rustling through the beach grass and tossing the ends of Sheridan’s hair.

“It’s lovely out here.” She headed to where the dry sand gave way to wet and lifted her face to the sun. “I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

“Me, either.” He couldn’t stop staring at her. “Coastal Christmas for the win.”

“That’s for sure.” She glanced in both directions. “Which way do you want to go?”

“Left.” That seemed to be less crowded, and he fell into step beside her.

Waves rolled to shore, and a seabird flew overhead. The best part was having her at his side.

He laced his fingers with hers. “This okay?”

As she nodded, she squeezed his hand. “This is nice.”

“It’s relaxing.”

“My mom has always told me everything works out for a reason, but I didn’t believe her. She might be right.”

“Sometimes, it takes time to see why something happens.”

Sheridan stared at him. “Do you agree with my mom?”

Michael rubbed his beard and thought for a moment about buying a lottery ticket, staying at Von’s beach house, and meeting Sheridan. None of those things would have happened if he had still been working.

“I do.” He couldn’t fully explain why, but he wanted to share something. “If I hadn’t lost my job, I wouldn’t have grown this beard and met you.”

“The beard looks great, so it would be a shame if you didn’t have it.”

Her playful tone pleased him. He wanted nothing more than for her to be happy. “Good to know.”

“If I were working at the gallery, I wouldn’t have come to Indigo Bay.”

It was his turn to squeeze her hand. She wouldn’t just get over what happened, but Michael hoped he was helping her in some way. “I wish your dad hadn’t done what he did, but I’m so glad you’re here.”

“So am I.” She half laughed. “I’m amazed to say that. But it’s true.”

A lightness in his chest made him stand taller. He wanted to make sure she continued feeling that way.

A bird landed on the sand in front of them. Sheridan’s face brightened. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and took a picture. “I want to send this to my mom.”

He snapped a photo of Sheridan so he would remember this walk.

And her.

* * *

Back at the house, he turned on the Christmas music channel before sitting next to Sheridan at the kitchen table. The way she’d organized everything brought a smile to his face. “This setup would make my mom and Marley proud.”

She handed him a glass ornament they’d found on sale at the drugstore. They would each do three—one for Von, one for Hope, and one for themselves. “What about Madison?”

“She’d say it was too neat. She’s not into lists or being organized, but she would create a masterpiece.” He lowered his voice even though they were alone. “Between you and me, her ornaments are always the best ones.”

“Your secret is safe with me.”

If only he could tell her his. Instead, he removed the top of his ornament. “Any rules for decorating?”

“Be creative. But that’s not really a rule, only a suggestion.”

“Good, then I can get messy.”

“Go ahead, but you’re cleaning it up.”

“For an only child, you have the big-sister tone down.”

“I use it for babysitting, but it seems to work well on you, too.”

He placed his hands over his chest and feigned an injury. “You wound me.”

Humor gleamed in her eyes. “You’ll survive.”

“Maybe with a few more of those cookies we made.”

Ignoring him, she squeezed red acrylic paint inside her ornament and then swirled it to extend the stripe all the way around. She did the same thing with white.

“Yours looks like a candy cane.” Michael picked up the green bottle. “I’m going for a green and red effect.”

He spun the first bit and then added more until satisfied. The red came next. By the time he finished, all the glass was covered.

Sheridan leaned closer. “That’s pretty. It’ll look beautiful with the red ribbon.”

He placed the ornament upside down in a disposable cup to dry. “I forgot about the ribbon.”

“These are coming out better than I expected. And they’re easier to do than decoupage with tissue paper. That would be a big mess.”

“Is that something you do when you babysit?”

She nodded. “It was weird babysitting again after not doing it for so many years. I don’t know what kids are used to these days, but I wasn’t about to let them watch TV or play video games since I was being paid to take care of them.

So we did crafts, played games, went outside. The parents loved it.”

“What about the kids?”

“They put up a fight until they realized I wouldn’t relent.”

He made another ornament with white, red, and green. “I wonder what life will be like for my nephew.”

“Monroe, right?”

Flutters filled Michael’s stomach. “Yes. His childhood will be different from mine.”

“Depends on how much their parents limit his screen time. Whether they have their own tablet, computer, or phone.”

“You’ve thought about this for someone who doesn’t have kids.” Unless she wanted them sooner rather than later. He tugged at his collar.

“Not really.” She poured green paint into an ornament. “Some women came into the cupcake shop last week and were discussing it. I think they all had kids. But my friend Missy and I ended up talking about it. She has no kids, either. So I’m not sure why we did that.”

He left kid discussions to his married siblings. “You not only make cookies but cupcakes?”

“I didn’t bake the cupcakes, but I frosted some. I only fill in when people call out. But the paycheck was nice.”

“How is this one?” He held up his ornament, wanting to take her thoughts off what happened in Berry Lake. He wanted to turn Indigo Bay into a bubble world for Sheridan, where nothing from her past would ruin Christmas.

“Oh, I like how the three colors turned out.”

“Yours are better.”

She shimmied her shoulders. “Thank you.”

“So, I’ve been thinking.”

“Should I be nervous?”

“Haha.” He added yellow to an ornament. Time to go all-in with the colors on this last one. “You mentioned attending the tree lighting on Christmas Eve.”

She nodded. “I texted Hope about it. She said we should get in line around three. The mayor turns on the lights at five.”

“The day’s wide open for me.”

“Me, too.”

“So, after the lighting, how about we come back here and have lasagna for dinner?”

Her lips formed a perfect O. “You remembered my family’s tradition.”

He nodded. “But lasagna is also easy if we buy a frozen one. We can also get bread. I’m not sure what else you have with it.”

“Green beans, salad, and wine.”

“Works for me.”

She shifted positions in her chair. “I’ve never made prime rib, but if you want it for Christmas dinner, I could try.”

His face heated. “Uh…”

Her gaze narrowed. “What?”

“I already made plans.”

“With your Patterson relatives?”

She had it all wrong. Michael would fix that.

“No. For us. Reservations, actually. It was going to be a surprise.”

“Sorry.” Her eyes twinkled. “Except I’m not sorry. I’m excited. Thank you for doing that.”

“It’ll be a different Christmas for both of us, but I thought eating out would be nice. And this is on me, okay?”

She hesitated.

Her expression told him she wanted to say no, but he wanted to do this for her. “Please?”

“Okay, but I’m buying Christmas Eve dinner.”

That was easier than he imagined it would be. “Deal.”

As she swirled an ornament, her gaze met his. “This Christmas had the possibility of being one of the worst. But thanks to you, it’s turning into one of the best. Thank you for that.”

He straightened. “You’re welcome. And Christmas is still two days away. We have a lot more celebrating to do.”