Lib Novel Page 54
“Daddy is going to help the little girl,” Daisy told her daughter firmly. “He’ll be back soon, okay?”
“Ma,” Hope crooned, grabbing a hunk of Daisy’s hair.
Daisy smiled and kissed her little forehead.
“So,” she said, looking up, her eyes dancing, “I hear you’re courting the new schoolteacher. She always seems so serious, but I noticed she was laughing when you helped her down from the firetruck.”
He couldn’t help reflecting Daisy’s smile back at her. It was nice to hear that he wasn’t the only one that thought he might be doing Cora some good. But the thought only broke his heart again, now that she had called things off before they even started.
It must have shown on his face.
“Oh no,” Daisy said. “Things aren’t going well?”
“I did something wrong,” he heard himself admit. “I don’t even know what. And now she says she wants space.”
“Oh dear,” Daisy said. “That’s kind of promising though, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?” he asked her, wondering if he hadn’t explained well enough.
“If things were casual for her, then she would just call it off, right?” Daisy mused. “She would say, You’re a great guy, Jared, but I don’t think it’s going to work out. Let’s stay friends.”
“Oh,” Jared said, blinking back his surprise.
“But if she actually said she wants space it must mean you were getting awfully close,” Daisy told him eagerly.
“She did say she needs space,” he said, thinking it over.
“So give her some,” Daisy said. “Sometimes things don’t work out on the first try. I’m living proof of that.”
He glanced down at his sister-in-law and she winked at him.
And even though he was feeling as low as he ever had, he couldn’t help chuckling.
“He’s lucky to have you,” he told her quietly.
“He was a grump before I came along, huh?” she teased, glancing at the back office where they could hear Kellan talking quietly with the lady and her daughter. “He just needed someone to loosen him up a little bit. Cora needs the same thing. She’ll come around.”
“How do you know?” he couldn’t help asking.
“Because no woman alive can resist a Webb boy forever,” she said, waggling her eyebrows and then laughing so hard that baby Hope laughed too.
Jared bent to kiss her cheek and said his goodbyes.
And even though he was no more certain than before that Cora would let him into her heart again, he left feeling determined to be ready for her if she did.
21
CORA
Cora stood in front of the tree two days before Christmas, gazing at the soft glow of the lights.
The schools had a half-day today, so it was barely lunchtime and she and Sylvester were officially home for the holidays already. She had a ham in the oven and a pineapple upside down cake in the crock, which both smelled heavenly. Sylvester’s gifts were already wrapped and under the tree. And for once, she had no papers to grade or lessons to plan. The two of them were about to enjoy a perfect afternoon.
But she couldn’t help feeling like something was missing.
The pretty fir tree sparkled with golden lights that illuminated their precious family ornaments as well as the new paper snowflakes and chains they had made with Jared. They’d never had a prettier tree, and this one filled the room with the fresh aroma of the forest.
And that scent made her think of Jared.