Crystal had a hard time controlling her urges during lunch. Her eyes kept locking with his over the table as they talked. It was even harder to focus when he looked at her the way he was. As if he’d prefer having her for lunch instead of the roast beef sandwich he’d ordered.

It had been years since she’d felt this much need. Her eyes ran over him, dreaming what it would be like. What it could feel like having his hands on her.

She watched him eat for a few moments, then pushed her empty salad plate aside and reached for her vegetable soup.

“You know,” she said in a low tone, “you really should think about cutting some meat from your diet.”

She could tell he held in a groan. “I like roast beef,” he replied.

“I’m not suggesting you drop it forever, just until you get your cholesterol back in check.”

He set his sandwich down and nodded. “I’ll think about it. Do you always tell everyone how they should live and eat?”

“Only when it’s obvious they don’t know.” She swallowed another spoonful of her soup.

“I’m taking those pills my doctor…” He dropped off and smiled.

“Have you cut out fried foods?” she asked, eyeing the plateful of fries he’d half devoured. “Or coffee?” She nodded to the cup the waitress had filled three times already.

“Do you nag everyone like this?” he asked, leaning closer to her.

She smiled. “Only the ones I care about.” He was silent for a while.

“I’ll think about changing my diet,” he finally said. “Maybe while I’m giving you hints on how to fix your finances, you can give me clues on what to eat and what not to.”

Her smile doubled. “I’d love to. The first thing I’d do is have you start yoga.”

“I don’t want to wear tights and show my junk to a roomful of people.” She chuckled as he frowned into his coffee mug, then set it down without drinking another sip. Instead, he reached for the water glass and downed half the liquid.

“How about private lessons in the evening?” His eyes met hers. “I can show you a few simple moves that will help with stress. Then, once you get the moves down, you can do them in the privacy of your room.”

“If you think it’ll help.”

“I haven’t met anyone who’s been hurt by yoga.” He shoved the rest of the fries away and finished his sandwich instead.

It wasn’t as if Rory was overweight. Actually, he was perfect for his build and height. But after getting her hands on him that morning for his massage, she instantly knew there was more wrong with him than just high blood pressure and cholesterol. The amount of stress she’d felt in his body was dangerous, even if he was in perfect health. She wondered if some of it was pent-up sexual frustration. But she doubted coming out and asking him about his sex life was a good idea.

What Rory Sinclair needed most was relaxation and a healthy diet. And while he was under her roof, she was determined to give it to him.

Her phone chimed when Serenity sent her a text saying that Aurora had scooted across the floor. She tried not to cry at the short video clip of her doing just that.

She should have been there to see her granddaughter crawl for the first time.

“Something wrong?” Rory.

“Aurora.” She sniffled.

“Is she okay?” Rory jumped in, worry flooding his face.

Crystal smiled. “She’s crawling.” She turned the phone over and showed him the clip.

Rory’s smile was instant. “Cute kid. Looks a lot like Ben.”

“She’s the spitting image of Serenity.” Crystal turned her phone back around and smiled at the image.

“I’ve known Ben since he was six,” he supplied. “Trust me, I can see him behind those eyes. Mischief.” He chuckled. “Mark my words. That kid is going to get into everything.”

“Why did you never have children?” she asked once they were outside and making their way back to the store.

He glanced over at her and remained silent for a few moments. “I guess I never found the right woman to have children with.” He shrugged. “Why didn’t you have more after Serenity?”

“Never found another man who could fill Johnathan’s shoes.” She looked around the town and smiled. “Look, they’ve put up the Christmas decorations. I didn’t notice them before.”

Every lamppost along the main street in Silver Cove had green holly vines wrapped around them, along with brightly colored holiday flags hanging from the tops.

It was still almost two months to Christmas, but shew knew that the entire town would transform in the coming days now that Halloween was over. Already, several shops had put up their own decorations. She had plans to spend a day this week decorating her own storefront, now that Holley Hall was fully decorated. She’d gotten Ben and Rowan to help put Holley Hall together before her guest had arrived.

They had started the day after Halloween by taking down the ghost town on the front yard. As one of the oldest homes in Silver Cove. Holley Hall had a reputation to maintain. The decorations for every major holiday filled racks in her garage, each one carefully packed and labeled. Most of the decorations had been around for more than a dozen years. She added new ones every year.

“Nice.” Rory looked down the street.

She took his hand and started tugging him towards the town square.

“Let’s see if they have the tree up in the center of town yet.”

He followed her down the block and smiled as they watched a group of men hoist the massive tree into place.

“The official lighting won’t be until Sunday.” She sighed as she looked around. “This is my favorite time of year. Before the holiday madness takes over. We’re supposed to have snow before Sunday. It will be nice to have a fresh covering before the lighting ceremony.”

“I heard about the weather change,” he chimed in. “I’m supposed to be at the resort by then.”

“If you can find my money.” She glanced over at him with a smile. Taking his hand once more, she pulled him down the center of the square. “They’ll put the ice rink up here.” She motioned to the area where the small rink normally went. Already the structure pieces were laying around, ready for assembly before Sunday’s all-day event. “The kids train will start there and go around…” She traced the pathway. “Rowan has donated his time to be conductor every year since he’s been back in town.”

“It looks like a great town,” he said, still looking around.

“There was a time when I though I didn’t want to spend another night in Silver Cove.” She sighed and dropped his hand.

“What changed?”

“I was so young. Things changed.” She shrugged. “I had Serenity.”

They started walking back towards her store.

“What made you decide to open your own store?” he asked.

“The same thing, I’d wager, that made you go into business for yourself.”

He nodded. “Money.”

She stopped and looked at him. “No.” She shook her head and smiled. “We both wanted to be independent and work for ourselves.”

* * *

“How’d you know that?” he asked as they walked back into the store. It was strange, but in the short time since he’d met Crystal, it was as if she knew more about him that he knew about himself. She rolled her eyes at him and he chuckled. “Is it that obvious?”

“It was in your cards today,” she said as they entered the store and made their way back to her office.

He sat across from her and asked, “Cards? The tarot cards?”

“Yes.” She relaxed back in the soft leather chair across from her desk.

He was impressed with how tidy her office and desk were. The space looked very professional, almost like his old office when he worked for Elite Resorts. It was so different from the rest of her store and from her personality.

“You… read tarot cards every day?” he asked, his interest spiked.

“Yes.” She was silent for a moment. “Have you ever had a reading?”

“Once. At a fair. I think I was eighteen.” He smiled remembering the pretty redhead he’d been seeing at the time.

“And?” she asked. “What did you think?”

He shrugged and flipped on the computer. “I didn’t really pay attention.” He gave her a smile. “I was too focused on impressing the girl I was with at the moment.”

She smiled back, then laughed. “I took you for a player.”

This time it was his turn to laugh. “A player?” He shook his head. “I suppose I used to be.” He opened her accounting software and frowned. “Now, I just play with numbers.”

She leaned forward and placed her hands on the desk. “There’s still some play in there.”

He thought about it as he worked for the next few hours, moving numbers around. It didn’t take him long to find the first round of financial leaks.

By the time he shut the computer down, he’d saved her close to two hundred dollars each month. He was pretty sure he could save her more, if she was willing to switch credit card companies and move some money to other accounts.

“I don’t know how you do it,” she said as they walked back to her house in the pouring rain, huddled under a large rainbow umbrella. “Looking at numbers all day makes my eyes cross.”

“I’m used to it, I suppose.” He was holding the umbrella as she walked close to him. He could smell the sweet scent of her perfume and wondered if it was something she had made herself.

That morning he’d showered with a bottle of shampoo labeled Serenity’s. He’d enjoyed the smell and the softness of his hair after he’d used it. He was thinking of getting a few bottles to take home with him.

Not that he was vain, but he did enjoy splurging on high-quality products.

“Have you ever thought about distributing your products?” he asked. “Your shampoos and lotions?”

She smiled. “They’re already in several stores across the state.”

“Good. What about reaching out further?”

“It’s hard to compete with J&J.”

“J&J?” he asked as they stepped onto the front porch.

“Johnson and Johnson.” She shook her hair and raindrops fell around her. Once again, he wanted to reach out and touch the softness of her long hair, wondering if it felt as good as it smelled.

“Right,” he agreed half-heartedly.

“Still, I’ve reached as far as California. Rowan had a few connections at a couple farmers markets and stores like mine.” She opened the door.

“Don’t you ever lock your doors?” He frowned as she walked right in. He closed the umbrella and set it in the tin holder on the porch with a few other umbrellas.

“Why? Everyone knows who lives here.” She hung her jacket up and then reached back to push her long hair over her shoulders. “It’s a very tight neighborhood.”

He hung his jacket next to hers, then toed off his shoes and set them on the shoe rack. “Still, anyone could come in and wipe you out in under an hour.”

She leaned closer until she was a breath away and then pointed over his left shoulder. “Not if they don’t want to go to jail. Rowan installed it after the incident at the store.”

He looked up and saw the small camera in the corner.

“There are a dozen or more of them around the place. I can monitor them all from my phone.” She waved at the camera and smiled. “My phone tells me every time a door is opened.” She pulled out her phone and showed him.

“Good.” He felt a little more relaxed. “I guess I’m used to city life.”

She touched his arm. “We’ll soon change that. Come on back, you can help me make dinner.” She turned and walked towards the back of the house.