When Beth made a gurgle of sound, Jill got carefully to her feet. Much to her relief, while she felt a little weak, she didn't appear to be suffering any other side effects from the encounter.
Letting her breath out slowly, she glanced down to her niece, then carefully bent and picked her up. The action made her woozy, and she stood still for a moment, hugging the child close until her head cleared again. Once she felt steadier Jill started across the basement to the stairs. She had just put her foot on the first step when she heard a car engine and the crunch of tires on gravel.
Pausing, she glanced toward the nearest window at the top of the basement wall just in time to see the bottom of a blue car moving past.
Kyle and Claire were home… And she had a few choice words for her brother about leaving the basement unlocked. Scowling, Jill carried Beth upstairs and into the dining room. She set the child in her high chair and was spooning cereal into her mouth by the time the front door opened and Claire's laughter drifted up the hall.
"I love you too," Claire was chuckling. "And that's why we aren't getting a motorcycle."
"Ah, honey. Think how cool it would be to ride down the highway on the back of a hog, the wind in your hair and—"
"And my maternity top flying over my head," Claire interrupted dryly.
Jill smiled at the mental picture. Claire was more than seven months pregnant with their second child, very close to giving birth and showing it. Jill had been a little surprised that they were continuing to have the «date» nights that gave her the opportunity to babysit her niece, but it seemed the pregnancy wasn't cooling their ardor.
"Your coat would hold your maternity top down, and—Oh, hey Jill," Kyle interrupted himself as the couple reached the dining room door.
"Still trying to talk her into getting a motorcycle?" Jill asked with amusement. Her brother had been trying to talk Claire into getting one when they left for their «date» the night before.
"Try being the key word," Claire laughed as she entered the room and picked up her daughter. Lifting the child high in the air, she blew a raspberry on her cheek and cuddled her close. "Hello, beautiful. Were you a good girl for your aunt Jill?"
"She was a very good girl," Jill assured her, and then turned a scowl on her brother as she added, "Unlike her father who left the door to the basement unlocked so that nosy little miss could crawl down there."
"What?" Kyle's eyes widened in shock as Claire turned an alarmed glance his way. "I locked it. I always lock it."
"Well apparently last night you forgot," Jill assured him. "I put Beth in front of the television this morning while I got her cereal and when I came back she was gone. The door to the basement was open and she'd managed to get down there." Jill frowned even as she said the words and then added, "I don't know how she got down there on her own. Those stairs are pretty steep for a two-year-old. But I found her down behind the molecular destabilizer."
There was a moment of silence as all three of them peered at Beth and then Claire turned a concerned gaze his way and Kyle sighed.
"I was sure I locked it," he said apologetically, then added, "But we can't take a chance. I'll go to the hardware store and get one of those locks that lock automatically when a door closes. I'll do it right after I bring our bags in."
Claire smiled and reached out to squeeze his hand, then withdrew it quickly to grab for her daughter as Beth suddenly leaned toward the bowl of cereal on the table and made disgruntled sounds.
"She's hungry. Let me finish feeding her," Jill suggested.
"I'll do it," Claire said, setting the child back in her high chair. "I know you want to get to the shop for that parade this morning."
"Oh!" Jill's eyes widened with alarm and she shot to her feet. She'd forgotten all about the Christmas parade this morning. It was starting on the street where she had her store and she, along with many of the other storeowners, was expected to help with it.
"It's after ten o'clock and you said you had to be there by eleven," Claire reminded her, then gave a laugh and added, "I can't believe you forgot. You were so excited that Mr. Handsome Shoes was playing Santa."
"Mr. Handsome Shoes?" Kyle asked with bewilderment.
"He's the guy who opened a shoe store next door to Jill's clothing store six months ago," Claire explained. "He's apparently very good looking. All the women in town are gaga over him, but he's only showing interest in your sister."
"Are you two dating?" Kyle asked with a frown. "Why haven't you mentioned him before? Is there something wrong with the guy?"
"We aren't dating," Jill said quickly and then scowled at him as she added, "And there is nothing wrong with Nick."
Claire smiled faintly and said, "They aren't dating officially, but they do have lunch together every day and have exchanged store keys in case there are problems."
"A shoe store owner, huh?" Kyle asked slowly, and then added, "And you've exchanged keys but only eaten lunch together every day? For six months?" He arched an eyebrow, then pursed his lips and said, "He's got to be gay."
"Kyle!" Claire cried with dismay, but Jill just scowled at her brother and hurried out of the room, heading for the spare room to collect her things. Nick, or Mr. Handsome Shoes, as Claire called him, couldn't be gay. She just wouldn't believe it. She was already half in love with the man.
Jill frowned. She was sure she'd know if he was, but while Nick was always charming and interesting and seemed to enjoy being with her, he'd never taken that step to move the relationship from friendship to actual dating.
Maybe he was gay. Her shoulders slumped at the possibility. Wouldn't it be just her luck to fall for a guy who couldn't possibly have any interest in her as anything more than a friend? She didn't have a great track record with men lately. Sighing unhappily, she snatched up her purse and overnight bag and headed out of the room. If he were gay, then today was going to be a total bust. The only reason she'd agreed to play Mrs. Claus to his Santa in the Christmas parade was to spend more time with the man in the hope that he would finally move the relationship to the next level. It had been Bev's idea. Bev owned and operated a hair salon further up the street. She was also the friend she tended to moan to the most about Nick. Bev seemed to think Nick was just shy.
In charge of the parade preparations, it was Bev who had suggested that seeing each other away from their stores and actually playing Mrs. Claus to his Santa might be just the push Nick needed to get him over his shyness and make him ask her out.
Ever hopeful, Jill had decided to give it a go. And it seemed to be working. He hadn't yet asked her out, but—where on the lunches they were prim and proper, sharing their thoughts, but careful not to invade each other's space—at the meetings for the parade, they'd been much more relaxed, both of them laughing and joking as they worked at the preparations.
There had also been a good deal of «accidental» touching going on, hands meeting as they each grabbed for the same item, bodies brushing as they passed. And last night as they'd worked on the preparations, they'd been left alone in Bev's kitchen for several minutes and Jill was positive Nick'd been about to kiss her before Jay, one of the elves, had entered, interrupting them.
Jill had been disappointed at the interruption, and was hoping today he'd actually finish what he'd nearly started, claim the kiss and ask her out. It was their last chance before the parade was over and they went back to their rushed lunches in the middle of busy work days.
Sending up a quick prayer that Nick asked her out today, Jill started downstairs, pressing close to the wall as Kyle started up with suitcases in hand.