Christmas Therapy

“Unless I fake sick.”

He chuckled. “It’s one of the biggest events in town. Why would you miss it?”

“I’m kidding. I’ll be there.” She giggled only to meet Terrance’s serious eyes. “T?”

&nb

sp; “I guess my reason for asking is I’ve wanted to ask you out for a while.”

She swallowed. “I can appreciate a man knowing what he wants.”

He inched closer. “Will you, Heather? I’m not a bad guy; get to know me and see.”

“I know you, T.” She playfully shoved his shoulder.

“Not like that, Heather. I’d like to see if there’s more between us.”

“How about I meet you at the party? I’ll even save a dance for you.”

“I’ll take it.” He checked his wristwatch. “I have another class. I’ll see you there?”

Chapter 2

Heather grasped the handle of her small basket. She ignored the cinnamon buns and fresh bread, already knowing the choice of ice cream was already pressing her luck. With background music coming through the speakers, she hummed along to the familiar tunes.

She scanned the ice cream aisle for her favorite flavor and even grabbed a carton of butter pecan for Sonia, who would stop by later. Heather’s nose wrinkled once more at the selection but obliged. A smile spread across her lips when she heard Earth, Wind, & Fire’s “Let’s Groove” coming through the speakers. She bobbed her head as her hips swayed down the aisle.

How she loved watching her mother and father listen to the classic group growing up. Heather would bounce on her toes as a small child, clapping her hands as her father swayed her mother across the floor. That was before. A twinge of pain hit her chest, but like a cut cord, she wanted nothing to do with it anymore. Rolling her shoulders back, she ignored the dismal memories.

Heather couldn’t ignore the tune, despite the painful recollection. She resumed her dancing, shutting her eyes for a moment. Shuffling her feet back and forth, she twirled but only to bump into something hard. She lost her footing. “Oh, no!” Opening her eyes, she spotted a hard chest.

Strong arms held her at her waist. Chestnut eyes met hers and her body went still. Licking her lips, she pressed her fingers into his chest, regaining her composure.

The man’s eye contact stuck with hers, as if he was taking her all in. Anchoring his hands around her waist, he helped her resume her balance. He looked familiar. Where did she see him before? The man in the scrubs. She never got his name. Was she staring? Heather swallowed the lump in her throat.

Then the man loosened his grip on her waist and stepped back. “Are you alright?”

Where was her basket? Heather’s eyes dropped to the floor and spotted it along with her one carton of ice cream. She reached for it, only to meet the gentleman’s hand on top of hers.

She apologized. “Thank you. Sorry about that.”

He returned her carton of ice cream. Displaying a wide grin, he said, “Don’t worry about it. You must like this song.”

Inwardly, Heather winced. “You saw that?”

His eyes sparkled. “Nice moves too.”

She stood upright. “Thank you.”

While his height didn’t tower her, she had to look up to reach his gaze. He extended his hand. “I’m Allen. Allen Richards.”

She accepted the handshake. “Heather Shaw.” An almost electrical feeling took over at the touch of his fingers. She released her grip. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too.” He eyed the contents of her basket. “Cookies and cream?”

“Not your favorite?”

He shrugged. “I prefer chocolate chip cookie dough.”