Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Ben walked along the street in Mistletoe Meadows, heading toward the gazebo.
Last night with Hannah had been perfect. Other than he wished it would've lasted longer.
He wasn't sure what was happening between them, but he remembered what his mom had said about life not being as long as what a person thought it was. And she was right.
He always thought he would do things later, some other time, when it was more suitable, when it worked out better, or he'd wait and see how things worked out.
With Hannah, he felt like he was unsure whether or not it was the right time for his son.
After all, Mason was still reeling from the divorce and feeling like his mother had abandoned him and his dad had taken him away from all of his friends.
It wasn't the right time for Ben to get involved with another woman. Even if Hannah was interested.
Except... life wasn't as long as what he thought it was. And the time to do things was now.
Lord, I don't want to move too fast, but I also don't want to sit around when You've dropped the perfect woman into my lap, maybe thinking that it's not the right time. Your timing is better than mine. I just don't know what to do.
As though he'd conjured her up with his prayer, he realized there was a figure sitting in the gazebo, and it looked an awful lot like Hannah. Except it was early for her, and... what would she be doing there?
Was God answering his prayer that quickly?
And was that an answer, having the person he was praying about suddenly sitting in front of him when, as far as he knew, she had no reason to be there?
Saying a quick prayer that he would make the right decision and not say anything too stupid, he moved forward.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here this morning," he said.
She startled a bit, then recognition entered her gaze, and she smiled.
"That's funny. I was thinking about you this morning."
That was a good sign. He couldn't stop the grin that lifted his lips up.
"You were?" He leaned against the pillar, putting one foot on the step and resting a hand on his thigh.
He enjoyed looking at her, with her coat bundled up and a hat down over the top of her hair, which flowed out on either side.
Her cheeks and nose were rosy, and her eyes sparkled as she sat with her hands in her pockets, her feet crossed at the ankle and tucked under the gazebo bench.
"Yeah. I probably shouldn't admit this, but I got up this morning thinking about how much I enjoyed last night, the hot chocolate, the Christmas music, having you and Mason cutting firewood and coming in to get warm and eat, and the idea of a fire in the fireplace. And... you. I enjoyed myself."
"I'm glad to hear it. It's nice to know you were thinking about me."
"So much so that I got up and got dressed and left for work and didn't even realize that I was about two hours early."
He laughed. So maybe she really was thinking about him, to the point of distraction. He liked that.
"I definitely had a great time, and Mason did too. He mentioned several times how much he likes you."
"He's a great kid. He's been doing a fantastic job at the medical center." She opened her mouth to say more, but "Jingle Bells" started pouring out of her pocket, and she said, "That's my phone. Excuse me."
He nodded and pushed off from the post, turning his back, shoving his hands in his pockets, and looking out over the town.
Whoever had vandalized the gazebo had never been caught, and he'd been extra diligent while making his rounds.
Of course, more than once he'd run into Secret Saint type people who were coming back from doing their good deeds. He dealt with Roland McBride, and didn’t know a lot about it, other than the Secret Saint baton had been passed that year.
After the spate of vandalism that had been happening, the people who were in charge of it had thought that he should know so that he wouldn't be suspicious of unusual activity that was actually aimed at helping people and not destroying the town.
He smiled. The new Secret Santa was the perfect person for the job. No one would ever guess who it was.
"Today? Now? Oh! That's so exciting!" There was a pause, and then Hannah said, "Of course. I'm more than happy to do that. I can take care of it." Another pause. "Oh no. No problem at all. That's what you hired me for."
There were a few more words, and then Hannah hung up.
By the time he turned around, she had shoved her phone in her pocket and stood up.
"It sounded like Dr. Terry might be having her baby," he guessed, assuming it was good news from the glow on her face as well as her smile.
He had to admit that he was a little bit disappointed, because he was on the verge of asking her out, but she had gone from being relaxed and chill to acting like she wanted to leave immediately.
"Yes, that's exactly right. And if you don't mind, I need to get to the medical center. She was going to meet me there with a few last-minute things that I need while they're on their way to the hospital."
"All right. I don't want to hold you up, and I certainly wouldn't want her to end up having a baby on the way, so I'll just say it was nice seeing you, and I hope to see you again."
She paused on her way down the steps out of the gazebo and looked over at him.
He hadn't realized how much smaller than he she was—a good half a foot, at least. She seemed bigger, maybe because of her personality or because of the competence she displayed.
He wasn't sure, but it kind of surprised him in a way.
Not that he minded. She was the perfect size.
Their eyes met, and this time, he didn't stop his hand as it reached up and touched her shoulder.
She didn't step back, which he viewed as a good sign.
"I suppose you'll be extra busy for the next couple of weeks or more."
"Yes. We've been deliberately not scheduling appointments until after the new year, but all the emergency cases will be on my shoulders."
"With that and planning for the Christmas festival, I probably won't see you much."
"Probably not." Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought she looked a little disappointed.
"If you have time, maybe we could meet for coffee some morning before work, or hot chocolate in the evening?
" He knew he should let her go—he'd told her he would—and he didn't want to keep her when she needed to leave.
But he also wanted to confirm that whatever was between them wasn't going to totally die before they could see if it went somewhere.
"I'd like that. Friday evening? Seven o'clock?"
He grinned. He wasn't sure if he had just asked her out on a date or if she'd commanded him out on one. Either way, he wasn't going to argue.
"Seven o'clock, hot chocolate, at the Mistletoe Diner?"
"Yes, it's a date," she said. Then her eyes got big, and she clamped her mouth shut, like maybe she'd overstepped by calling their hot chocolate a date.
"It's a date," he confirmed, and her lips softened and curled into a smile.
His fingers slid down her coat, and he lost contact with her. It was just a second later when she finished going down the stairs and hurried off in the direction of the medical center.
He had a date. With Hannah.