Alaskan Holiday
Page 29

“He seems sincere,” she said, smiling. “I don’t mind telling you that your friend is a little odd.”
“Jack’s sincere—I promise you that, all right—although Palmer and I are hard pressed to explain his behavior.” I wasn’t sure how to read her. We’d always been open and honest with each other…or had been. “Jack asked if he had a chance with you; I don’t know what to tell him.”
“He lives in Alaska,” Mom declared. “And not just Alaska, but in Ponder. How far did you say this town was from any hint of civilization?”
“A few hours. It’s a nice little town, and after a while you hardly notice the lack of amenities.” The more time I spent away from Ponder, the more I missed the easy life there. The more I missed Palmer.
“Josie, honestly, I just met this man, and even if…He’s a dear, don’t misunderstand me. I’m flattered by his attention, but really, can you honestly see me living anywhere but here? Jack and I obviously live in two very different worlds.”
I agreed with her. “Don’t worry, Palmer is talking to him now, hoping to let Jack down easy.”
“He’s very sweet.”
Sweet wasn’t exactly the word I’d use. I certainly wasn’t going to tell my mother that Jack felt like he’d been hit with a virus the minute he set eyes on her.
“Let me help you with the coffee,” I said, reaching for the glass pot. Knowing how both Jack and Palmer liked theirs served, I doctored each one. I was about to suggest we serve dessert, although I didn’t think anyone was close to being ready. Depending on Jack, it might be a good idea to make an early night of it.
Admittedly, I was disappointed at how this dinner had gone. Palmer and I hadn’t had a moment to ourselves yet.
Mom and I carried the coffee into the living room, where Jack and Palmer sat waiting. Jack was on the sofa, leaning forward, his head in his hands. Hearing us, he looked up, and when he saw Mom, he released a low moan like he was in pain.
“Gina,” he whispered.
You’d think a ghost had just drifted into the room, not my mom.
“Here’s some coffee,” Mom said, setting his mug down on a coaster on the coffee table. “Would anyone like to listen to Christmas music?”
Jack nodded. Once again, words appeared to have escaped him.
Mom reached for the remote and then turned on the music to a low but discernible volume.
Palmer stood next to the fireplace where our stockings were hung. My grandma Warren had knit mine when I was ten. Mom had hers from when she was little, too.
Palmer took the mug out of my hand and I sat in the chair closest to the Christmas tree.
Flirting with danger, Mom sat on the sofa next to Jack and gently sipped her coffee. I watched her closely and noticed slight changes in her. Mom wasn’t the demure type, but she acted that way now, as though she wasn’t sure how to act around a man who was so obviously taken with her.
Jack didn’t touch his coffee. We were back to the deer-in-the-headlights look from him. I waved my hand in front of his face.
I glanced at Palmer, who didn’t seem to know how to break the spell Jack had fallen into, either.
“I’ve shared with Mom how much I love Ponder,” I said, hoping to start the conversation.
“Yes, and I was telling my daughter that I couldn’t imagine living in such a desolate location—or her, for that matter.”
I could almost feel Palmer stiffen and shoot a look my way, clearly wanting to defend the home that he loved back in Alaska. I stopped him with a smile that assured him I would see to that myself.
“I was telling Mom,” I continued, “how I grew accustomed to the isolation. There’s a peacefulness and a beauty that I haven’t found anywhere else. The town is tiny, I know, but the friends I made are the type who will last a lifetime. We rely on each other, help each other. You’re right, Mom, it is nothing like Seattle or any big city, but it has its own character and its own appeal. I miss Ponder more than I ever thought I would.” More accurately, I missed Palmer, but missing Ponder was no exaggeration on my part. I noticed Palmer’s body language relax after I spoke.
“I like Seattle just fine,” Jack said, looking directly at my mother. “Don’t suppose you happen to know what the job prospects are like here for a hunting and fishing guide?”
“I don’t,” Mom told him.
“Never did any other kind of work, but I can whittle.”
“You whittle, Jack?” I asked. The man was full of surprises.
“I do. Carved plenty of bear figurines over the years. I could set up a table at that market place you took me to and sell figurines…that is, if I had reason to live in Seattle.”
“I thought crowds bothered you,” Palmer reminded him.
“Gotta admit they do,” Jack said, “but there’s adjustments a man needs to make for a woman who’s captured his heart—especially if she refuses to live in Alaska.”
I gestured toward Palmer, letting him know I agreed with Jack. I couldn’t have said it any better myself. Not that I expected Palmer to move to Seattle.
Moving closer to me, Palmer sat on the arm of my chair. “I tend to agree.”
“You do?” I whispered, my heart reacting in a crazed fashion.
“I’ve been looking at property in Fairbanks. It’s close enough to drive there in fifteen to twenty minutes and far enough outside of town not to feel the world crowding in on us.” He reached for my hand and gripped it with his own, intertwining our fingers.
I looked up and blinked at him, my eyes filled with warmth and love. If we were alone I would have reached up and kissed him.
“You been to Alaska?” Jack asked Mom.
“No, sorry to say, I never visited, although I’ve heard a lot of things about how beautiful it is, especially where those cruise ships go. Have you ever been on a cruise, Jack?”
Palmer coughed, sounding like he was close to losing a lung. Like him, no way could I picture Jack on a cruise ship.
Mom looked with concern at Palmer. “You okay?”
“Fine,” he muttered, eyes watering as he blinked hard.
Jack set his mug aside. “I’m going to ask you something, Gina, and I need the truth.”
He sounded serious. I was afraid of where this conversation was headed. Palmer must have shared my concern, because his hand tightened around mine.
Jack turned sideways to look directly at my mother. “I need to know, Gina, do you have a love interest?”
Startled, Mom swallowed hard, and I could tell the question troubled her. She blinked several times and sent a guilty look my way, confirming that I had reason for my suspicions. There was someone in my mother’s life. Someone important. Her face said it all.
When she didn’t answer, I prompted her. “Mom? You don’t need to worry if you’ve met someone who interests you.”
“You mean me?” Jack asked, hopeful.
“I have a friend,” she admitted reluctantly, breaking eye contact with me. “A male friend.”
“That’s wonderful,” I assured her.
“Craig and I have been seeing each other for a few months now.”
“Craig?” Jack repeated in a devastated cry.
“Have I met him?” I didn’t remember ever meeting anyone with that name.
“We were in Leavenworth together,” Mom countered. “I know this is a shock to you. I wanted to tell you, I really did. I don’t know why I held back…I guess I was afraid you’d disapprove.”
“Mom, I would never do that.”
“I’ve never been with anyone like Craig. Falling in love scares me. I was afraid to tell you, for fear it would all fall apart.”
“Craig beat me out?” Jack wailed and buried his face in his hands.
“Honey, can we talk about this later?” Mom pleaded, just as the doorbell rang.
“Are you expecting anyone?” I asked her. A startled look flashed across her face as she stood to answer the door.
The three of us watched as Mom hesitantly crossed the room. When she opened the door, I saw an attractive, tall man with a full head of white hair on the other side. The two of them were whispering heatedly.